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Message started by VacOMatic on 06/04/06 at 5:24pm

Title: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 06/04/06 at 5:24pm

Hi. I finally broke down and got a Sebo FELIX. Reason was outdoor carpet and car really needed something better than the Hoover Flair and Walmart Hand vac. There was an earlier topic here on Felix but seemed outdated (one poster's no longer here).

Some impressions:

After Bag motor design; powerbrush and suction motor. Plastics quite nice (some minor flashing but less than other Sebo products), steers/manuevers as well as the BALL minus the Ball's weight. Variable speed; not too loud at full power but has annoying whine at lowest speed. Good suction. Once friend offers me his Baird gauge I'll measure airflow (which is less than Miele I also use). Unusual layout allows vac body to be carried as portable using short hose and attachments for above floor work.

Nicest powerbrush Sebo has made yet. Runs quietly (ET-H by comparison's a rattle fest), switch on body lets foot turn brush on and off. Swivels in neck make brush easy to steer. Brush is very easy to remove (unlock swivel cover, slide brush roll out). Sleeve bearing on outer brush bearing's a touch of cheapness. Small trap door on bottom makes clearing brush airway easy.

Uses Sebo 3 ply paper bags (enh...had to bite the bullet on that one), one motor filter, one huge "superclean - type" filter wrapping the upper body under a plaid cover. There is supposedly a HEPA kit for this model, but the dealer did not have one.

Main Motor has an air bypass, so that if suction is blocked, the motor can still get some air. Also has thermal cutouts.

On the exterior carpet, FELIX yanked up 3 times as much dirt as the Flair ever got, even with the latter's customized filter (I had wrapped Flair filter in a Miele bag to let the Flair run for longer than about 10 seconds before clogging up - the stock Flair filter is a joke). On the interior rug, Felix groomed it well, was easy to manuever. Working as portable ok, but handle and accessory mount occasionally got in the way.

What do others think of this vac? And can we chat without turning this into a Dyson .vs. Everybody else flame fest?

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by MussinUK on 06/04/06 at 5:44pm

Hey from over the pond!

I was fortunate enough to get a "Fun" model( purple and orange- kinda funky lol) on a very special deal through my workplace ;D- it cost me £115 (half the usual £229.99 retail).

It is an amazing piece of kit- the only thing it lacks which would have been nice in my opinion and could have made it as near as dammit to perfect is the computer controlled height adjustment(it does have an indicator light system to show the ideal setting tho).

I know the price thing isnt relevent to the US but over here the retail price is £70 LESS than the basic ball(bout $125)- thats a few packs of bags and a FAR lighter and higher performing machine ;)

Seamus

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by guess_who on 06/04/06 at 5:48pm

Hi VacOMatic,

Thanks for trhe details. I've been curious to hear more about the Felix on the actual use side. However, I wouldn't think that Hoover's Flair would be much of a match for it. Felix is made for regular duty and the Flair is basically a stick vac for light work.

Also, I'd add that with a triple layer bag and the generous wrap-around filter, a HEPA probably isn't necessary. Is there also a pre-motor filter?

Enjoy the new vacuum.

Regards,

Venson

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by MussinUK on 06/04/06 at 5:52pm

www.sebo.co.uk

How do the US models compare??- the filters etc are in the accessory shop :)

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 06/04/06 at 10:50pm

There is a motor protection filter (with lift out foldaway handle) just in case the bags burst, located near the bottom of the main chamber. Once that is removed you can clearly see the aluminum motor fan and housing.

The sebo german site had an exploded parts diagram and suggests an easy way to make the machine quieter once it's time to replace the outer filter.

Bags and filters seem identical to what we have in the USA. Incidently, the instruction manual coming with "my" Felix listed Sebo UK as the supplier. Yet USA warranty cards (english and spanish) were also enclosed.

Should note the manual has a major omission; It does not explain you have to move a latch on the upper front left of the vacuum in order to adjust handle heigth.

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 06/05/06 at 4:53pm

One thing I am curious about is how hard that external filter is to replace (has anyone tried it). Removing the top and bottom clamp was easy, but I was reluctant to go any farther as the filters are expensive and am not sure removing one damages it (no worries if it's used up...).

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 06/06/06 at 11:47am

A bit more info:

Wrt Powerbrush (ET-1 based on label): Sebo has wire spanners across the powerbrush opening. I assume this helps keep carpet/rugs from being sucked into the brush. The bad news is the wires actually bisect some of the brush tuffs while the brush is rotating (wear point). The powerbrush footswitch is very quiet - only a faint ping tells you it is switching.

The powerbrush does not have the "floating" feature the ETH powerbrush does, but is adjustable for heigth via one center wheel under the brush (like Sebo's other vacs). It has the motor speed circuit that tells you if the brush setting is wrong, but not the magnetic clutch found in some Sebo uprights.

Also there are two small microswitches that turn the power brush off if either the hose nozzle is removed from the case (nice touch), or if the machine is put in its most upright position.

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 06/26/06 at 12:43am

just a brief update: Felix is behaving himself so far. In fact, he's proving far easier to use in small quarters than the blue moon and bosch cans, which are now reserved for times I need something very quiet, or give the rug a more aggressive cleaning (bosch and miele use shorter, stiffer bristles in brushroll than Felix has).
Still too soon to know how Felix will hold up...

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 07/25/06 at 3:06am

...and one more update before this topic sinks into oblivion:
Have noticed Felix is not particularly eager to get over transitional floor strips (the metal strips used to "tie down" carpet just before a tiled floor, doorway to uncarpeted room, etc.).

I suspect this is because, like other Sebo Uprights, Felix is tri-wheeled, with the front-center wheel well back of the brushbar opening. So there are no wheels at front of machine to help ease it over these transitions. By comparisons, the Miele powerbrushes with wheels at front (217, etc.) pretty much roll over these minor obstacles.

As a side note, the center wheel tends to make Felix ride on the carpet backing rather than on top of the pile.

Also, the powerbrush is very quiet (first upright vacuum I have used where this is true - earlier Sebo ETH's were loud by comparison). Dyson could learn something from the Sebo folks there.

Anyone else out there tried one of these? If so what do you think?

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 07/30/06 at 6:48pm

ahhh...few people have these I guess.

Anyway, Felix's motor is apparently an AMETEK ITALIA (it's possible to read labeling through motor grille). Not a Sebo motor at all. Does Ametek have an Italian factory for making motors?

Wrt fine dust, Felix does not like it much. 3 stints of vacuuming an outdoor patio rug and 4 stints inside my 600' sq. apartment deposited about an inch of stuff in Felix's bag but reduced suction by 50%. My friends former C3.1 had exactly the same problem. Felix does not use Filtrettes and is prone to the fine dust clog that every paper bag vac I have used here gets nailed by.

However, Felix does remain easy to manuever and relatively quiet for an upright. No regrets.

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by vacuuman on 07/30/06 at 8:16pm

I know that the Windsor Versamatic, which is Sebo built, uses a lamb motor.

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 07/30/06 at 9:14pm

thanks for info vacuuman. The versamatic seems to be a commercial clone of the felix, at least from the pictures and parts manuals I have seen on the windsor and sebo sites.

Ametek seems to make brushless vac fan motor-combos as well. My guess is they are too expensive for domestic vacuums.

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by vacuuman on 07/30/06 at 11:31pm

I know that one central vac manufacturer has models available that use the new SR motors.

Rexair uses a brushless motor in their new E Series.

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 08/01/06 at 1:40am

Yes, DualCyclone had commented on that brushless Rainbow in earlier topics. A unique if very pricy machine whose markup could absorb the cost of the brushless motor.

Supposedly SEBO is offering filtrette bags for its vacs in Germany. Why the heck they don't bring those over here is a mystery to me. Sebo is compromising the potential performance of their USA product by doing so (and giving Miele license to blow them out of the water wrt cannister sales - most Miele/Sebo dealers I know will not carry Sebo cannisters as they simply don't sell against the Mieles.).

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 08/02/06 at 1:46am

also via chats with my friendly SEBO dealer and visits to several SEBO web sites;

Right now, there are no Filtrette bags for the Felix. There are apparently filtrette bags for the X and C series, including a HEPA kit which the dealer felt didn't offer all that much improvement in filtering .vs. the loss of airflow.

Interestingly enough, the Felix powerhead design is migrating to their Cannisters, per customer and dealer request.

Also, I measured Felix with the Baird airflow gauge and clean filters. Pulled just over 5 on the gauge - no match for the Bosch or Miele cans I use, but seems sufficient for the work Felix does.

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 08/08/06 at 2:21am

one last little note before this topic sinks into oblivion...

The Felix powerhead is a Tri-Wheeler; one wheel near the front, two in the back. This is similar to the other Sebo uprights (going back to the X4, one of their oldest designs), and seems to help manueverability.

Title: Re: Sebo FELIX redux
Post by VacOMatic on 03/06/07 at 11:46pm

Just a quick update on the nearly 9 month old Felix (how time flies):

Felix has proven a reasonable "big stick" vac. It is getting a bit creaky in the handle but otherwise has worked ok. It's easy to manuever when the powerbrush is on, and is reasonably quiet. Does not groom rugs as thorougly as the Miele 236 powerbrush. Bags clog pretty quickly from fine dust (sometimes opening bag compartment and tapping bag helps restore suction). Powerhead does not get over rug risers or from rug to bare floor all that well.