In the October GoVacuum newsletter, we featured Space Bags as a convenient way to both organize and save space in your home as well as pack for your trips this holiday season. And in response to the numerous requests we received about shooting a video about Space Bags, we created one demonstrating the efficiency of the Space Bags and posted it on our YouTube page.
Even better is that we’ve lowered the prices on the Space Bags and are even offering Free Shipping on all available Space Bags. Supplies are limited on this offer, so buy yours today.
The latest installment of our GoVacuum Video Series breaks down the Sebo Felix, easily the most versatile vacuum we offer. It’s basically an all-in-1 vacuum, or to put it another way, a total home cleaning system. By incorporating the benefits of an upright, canister, and hand held vacuum and floor buffer, the Sebo Felix can meet all your cleaning needs.
What we noticed first about the Sebo Felix, what truly sets it apart from its competitors, is its compatibility with the Sebo Disco floor polisher. The Sebo Disco floor polisher is the only one on the market that also employs a vacuum while buffing bare floors. Anyone who’s ever tried this knows how irritating the dust accumulation can be, so it’s nice that a manufacturer took notice as well and also offered a solution.
But make no mistake; the Sebo Felix is a powerful, easy-to-use vacuum too. The swivel head is a must-have, and it, combined with the general maneuverability of the body, makes it the most convenient vacuum we’ve gotten our hands on. It also has an adjustable handle to match the height of anyone using it.
Another feature of the Sebo Felix that really speaks to its versatility is the adjustable speed mode. With a simple slide, you can as easily vacuum a thick carpet as you can gently clean an expensive oriental rug. Some vacuums can be particularly harsh on delicate surfaces, but this isn’t a concern with the Sebo Felix.
This vacuum also does something that most of its competitors do not: it turns into a portable hand vacuum. It comes attached to the body, so all you have to do is remove the head and voila, your stairs and couches are able to be cleaned.
It’s easy to sell a product when it’s superior to the competition. There simply isn’t another product on the market that offers the power and versatility that it does. We have yet to find a vacuum that compares to this, but rest assured that when GoVacuum finds it, we’ll let you know. But thus far, the Sebo Felix is in a class of its own.
As much as we would all like to have the time to clean regularly, that simply isn’t the case. Despite our best intentions, one way or another things always seem to push cleaning to the back of the to-do list. This is the main reason why the iRobot Roomba vacuum is such a popular product on the market. But does it live up to the hype? The GoVacuum team investigated, and the results are in.
Depending on what you’re looking for, a Roomba could be the perfect vacuum for you. Its appeal isn’t hard to understand. The Roomba operates by itself, meaning there’s no need for you to even be in the house, let alone push it around, during cleaning. Liken it to a remote-controlled toy truck that runs around without you having to move the joystick.
Some Roomba models can even be time-programmed, meaning you can have it clean your house or apartment while you’re at work or out of the house everyday.
Of course, none of that really matters if the thing can’t clean. Here’s where your expectations come into play. If you’re looking for an industrial-strength vacuum with bells and whistles that will leave your floor spotless, the Roomba won’t fulfill your cleaning needs. But if you’re looking for an everyday sweeper that will keep your floor looking clean when you’re too busy to vacuum yourself, look no further than your friendly robotic vacuum. It might not pick up every single particle of dirt, but it does an adequate job.
The Roomba machines are perfect for:
- People who hate vacuuming or simply don’t have the time to clean
- The elderly or those who don’t want to strain their body pushing around a traditional vacuum
- College students who aren’t going to clean after themselves
While the Roomba may not be the most powerful vacuum on the market, it’s unrivaled when it comes to those in-between maintenance cleanings to keep your place tidy. It’s also helpful for those who, frankly, aren’t going to clean otherwise. Trust us; pressing a button is far less daunting than spending an hour vacuuming every inch of your floor. Fortunately, with that single press of a button the Roomba will do it for you.
For years, Swiffer® has had a stranglehold on the hardwood floor-cleaning market. Its Wet Jet® mopping system was a virtual monopoly, with no competitor up to the task of dethroning the king of clean.
On April 1, however, Swiffer’s dynasty officially ended.
That fateful day marked the release of Bona’s Hardwood Spray Mop, and after conducting an extensive review of the product in a side-by-side comparison in the GoVacuum Video Series with its competition, GoVacuum was blown away by the results. Not only did the Bona mop prove superior to the WetJet, but even more surprisingly, it wasn’t even close. Some highlights of the findings:
* Bona’s state-of-the-art microfiber pad is reusable up an astounding 250 times
- Replacing Swiffer’s disposable pads for the same amount of use would cost an additional $120
* Bona’s mist spray does just that, emitting a fine mist up to 3 feet out
- By comparison, Swiffer’s “spray” creates puddles that can be damaging to hardwood floors
* Bona’s mop is six inches wider than the Swiffer WetJet, making for more efficient use and less work for the consumer
* The Bona mop also comes with a bigger solution tank than Swiffer’s (28 oz. vs. 16 oz.), and unlike its competitor, doesn’t’ require batteries to operate.
In retrospect, we really shouldn’t have been surprised by the results of the trial. Bona has been an industry leader in hardwood floor care for over a century, so the release of a yet another top-of-the-line product is just more of the same from this company. Swiffer users might be hesitant to give up their outdated mops, but much like how the VCR was rendered obsolete by the DVD player, the switch to Bona is not a question of if, but rather, a question of when. And the answer to that question is now.
Kirby Vacuums are durable machines with powerful cleaning capabilities. Few vacuums can compete with the variety of features on the machine, a fact that the Kirby salesman at your house did not fail to tell you at least 10 times.
What the Kirby salesman might have left out of his sales pitch, however, was an explanation of how difficult it would be for you to do your first belt repair on your new Kirby Generation. Even the most experienced repairmen on the GoVacuum team will admit that replacing the belt on the Kirby is one of the most difficult repairs they face.
As a result, we’ve decided to create a video showing you how to make this Kirby Generation vacuum belt repair yourself.
We go step-by-step through the process of dismantling the powerhead and swapping out the belts on the rollerbrush. And we even give helpful advice on how to properly maintain your Kirby machine along the way.
“GoVacuum, this is Chris speaking, How may I help you?”
When you’ve been in the vacuum industry for as long as I have, you can almost predict what the response is going to be on the other side of the line. More often than not, the question is something usually like “What is the best vacuum you sell?”
The thing is, however, that “best” is subjective to each individual vacuum owner. So I usually have to ask them questions about their flooring situation and cleaning preferences. But most often, I need to know whether the customer would prefer a canister or an upright vacuum, the eternal debate of the vacuum purchaser.
I can tell those in search of an upright vacuum, however, that I unequivocally have a favorite upright vacuum that I would not hesitate to label the “Best” in the industry. That vacuum is the Sebo X Series Upright Vacuum. In the X Series, there are two different models, the X4 and the X5. The only difference between these two is the length of the roller brush. The X5 is 15″ and the X4 is 12″
In order to explain my love for this machine, I put together a video (a rather long one too) demonstrating the features of this vacuum.
To sum up the video in text, I’ll briefly explain three main features of this machine that prove its superiority. These are:
Lifetime Warranty on the Belt (which is almost unheard of in the vacuum industry).
Automatic Height Adjustment on the head of the machine, letting you easily change between different floorings.
Durability - With proper maintenance, the machine can last you up to 25 years.
Like a car, vacuum cleaners are dependent on proper maintenance for peak performance. Without proper maintenance on a vacuum, not only will you see a drop in the machine’s ability to clean, you risk having more allergens be expelled into the air, the engine overheating and reduced machine life expectancy.
In the newest addition to the GoVacuum Video Series, we show you how to do proper maintenance on a Miele Canister vacuum. Included in these maintenance tips are steps showing you how to change the vacuum bag and replacethe pre-motor and HEPA filters. The maintenance shown in this video is applicable to any Miele Canister.
Our choice of showing the maintenance on the Miele Canister is an important one. Proper and regular maintenance on a Miele can help the motor on the machine last up to 30 years. Many customers ask us why they should spend the extra money on a Miele when they can buy a cheaper vacuum, most likely a Kenmore, in Sears. When you consider that an inexpensive vacuum, say around $100-$200, has a life value of at most 2-3 years; spending anywhere between $400-$1000 for a Miele that lasts up to 30 years is actually less expensive.
Proper maintenance is key to any vacuum cleaner. We will continue to provide you videos in the GoVacuum Video Series that show you how to do maintenance on a wide variety of machines. If you have any requests, feel free to leave a suggestion.
The Eureka 4870 is a very popular vacuum but its popularity is not necessarily for reasons which would make the consumer buy the machine. There is a bit of cause and effect seen here with this machine. For the normal vacuum buyer, the machine is popular because it is very highly rated by Consumer Reports. This is the cause of the machine’s popularity among probably thousands of households nationwide. But the effect of this Consumer Reports high rating is also a source of popularity among the managers of our local vacuum retail stores. The Eureka 4870 is popular among our stores because it is probably our number 1 repair customer, bringing significant revenue from repair costs and parts sales. Even worse for Eureka and Consumer Reports is that showing the downfalls of this machine actually make selling a higher end machine (Miele or Sebo, for example) easier.
Because of the popularity of this machine and the high number of repairs that we have seen come through our doors, we have decided to give you the consumer a bit of a break. We are teaching you how to repair the machine yourself.
Like we say in the video, we wouldn’t recommend purchasing this machine, but if you are already stuck with one, this video should help you repair the machine.
Check it out below:
For our review of this machine, check out our GoVacuum Review Series where we gave a detailed explanation of our thoughts on the Eureka 4870 Upright
How often do you turn to places like Consumer Reports for advice on what to purchase? We know many consumers do this, as evidencedby the number of customers who come into our retail stores in Northern Virginia with Consumer Reports in hand, asking us if we carry the # 1 rated Canister or Upright. For the most part, the Consumer Reports number one ranking for any vacuum category is largely different than what we’d recommend to our customers. I can’t comment on why we have such differing opinions with Consumer Reports. But I can say that for us it leaves us with greater piece of mind to sell a vacuum that will last a long time and truly make the customer happy (as a result of a clean house) rather than simply sell a vacuum that Consumer Reports claims to be the best.
Since our view on what the best Canister is in the market is contrary to the “mainstream” opinion, we decided to put together a video demonstration comparing Consumer Reports’ best canister and what we consider to be best vacuum canister available.
The Canister that we recommend is the Miele Callisto S5280 . For years the Consumer Reports magazine has rated the Kenmore Canister number one. The Miele Callisto S5280 has been ranked by Consumer Reports at 5 or 6 over the years.
Having many, many years of industry experience, the Consumer Reports ranking has left us baffled because theMiele Callisto is one of our best canisters because of its high quality, unbeatable performance and long life.
In order to compare the vacuums, we are performing three tests with the machines. First, the machines’ filtration systems are being tested with the use of a laser particle scanner which calculates the number of particles being emitted from the exhaust filter on the canisters.
Second, the machines are tested on their ability to side clean, meaning how well the machines’ power heads can clean when against a wall or any other surface.
Lastly, the machines are tested on their maneuverability. One of the things that people complain most about when considering canisters is how difficult they are to maneuver, especially when you have the feeling that you are dragging a dead weight behind you.
All in all, the Miele Callisto S5280 definitely came out on top as the winner. But you will have to check out the video below to see the results yourself.
While at the annual Vacuum Dealer Trade Association (VDTA) last month, I was lucky enough to attend the IQAir College. This is an 8 hour intensive seminar on air cleaners and air purification in general. The course was limited to only authorized independent retailers of IQAir; a breath of fresh air for us independent dealers who are increasingly witnessing manufacturers making the transition to selling to Big Box stores. Even more impressive was the fact that the session was led by Frank Hammes, the President of IQAir , who was able to bring his expertise to the table and give each of us a glimpse of what is involved in making the world’s best air cleaners.
For me the session was extremely educational, even if it did leave me with the lingering fear that the air I breathe on a daily basis is so contaminated with harmful micro-particles that holding my breath indefinitely might be a better alternative. But seeing as how I would be limited in my ability to blog about Vacuums and Air Cleaners with the latter alternative, I’ve decided to simply buy an IQAir HealthPro Plus air cleaner instead.
I’m not the kind of person who is easily sold on a product simply because the company purports that their product performs x% better than their competitors. Mainly because I’ve taken some statistics classes before and the only thing that I learned was that all statistics can be manipulated to achieve whatever goal is desired. What impressed me about IQAir’s approach to comparisons was how direct they were about them. Over the course of the session, Frank set up various competitor’s air cleaners and directly compared them with the IQAir HealthPro Plus , their most popular product offering. In these comparisons Frank tested the two most important things when considering purchasing an air cleaner: airflow and particle emission.
Using an expensive laser particle scanner, Frank put all air cleaners up to the test, even his own. He also used a weird contraption that looked like an over-sized trash can that was placed over the air cleaners to measure the airflow output of the machine. This was an interesting exercise because the results from this test were significantly different from what the air cleaner product descriptions proclaimed as actual air flow. It was explained that this is because many air cleaner descriptions describe the airflow of the product BEFORE it hits the air filter. What a sham! Of course air flow will decrease after the air filter, that’s what its supposed to do!
Anyways, while the results varied across the board, one thing was consistent: IQAir seemed to be the best choice. Some machines would have higher air flow than the IQAir HealthPro Plus and some would reach 0% in particle emission but not one machine achieved both.
For those who are interested, you can watch a video demonstration of the IQAir HealthPro Plus check it out below:
For those who are extremely serious about the air quality in their homes, IQAir unveiled to us a product that helps purify all the air that circulates throughout your entire house. The IQAir Perfect 16 whole-house air cleaning system attaches to your central heating and air condition unit and filters the air as it is circulated around your house. I found two things to be very impressive about this unit. First, the results of this unit can be seen within just an hour after installation (using a laser particle scanner). Second, the Perfect 16 machine is powerful enough to purify all the air your home approximately 125 times a day.
You can check out the video below to see the other features of the IQAir Perfect 16 machine , as featured on the TV show “Extreme Makeover-Home Edition.”
