Customer Reviews

Fantom FM430 Bagless Cyclonic Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I agree with the last review. The first two reviewers almost convinced me not to get this unit but it was one of the few still out there with a powered brush. DO NOT GET AN AIR DRIVEN BRUSH UNIT! They stop rotating as soon as you contact something. I took the plunge and bought it (though not thru amazon, I found it locally on sale).

The filter is easy to clean. A bit messier than bags but you don't have to keep replacing it either. As for the suction, it has as much as any other decent hand vac if the filter is cleaned frequently. Does a great job getting pet hair off the furniture and cleaning up our occassional spills. I would recommend it.

This vacuum is a disappointment. First impressions are good - powerful, looks like it means business - good for stairs. But when put to use, it isn't up to the job - the plastic cover on the rollers (meant to be used when using the attachments) is a cheap piece of plastic that falls off easily. The hose is poorly attached and fell off within hours of use. I wouldn't recommend buying this product.

I read the other reviews and didn't find the complaints familiar. I bought the FM430 and have used it for almost a year (I have a big dog who sheds) and found it useful for the stairs and the upholstery (and my bedcover, or should I say, my dog's bedcover...). The only reason folks might have had issues with the suction is that the filter clogs with grit and dirt easily. I always washed it out after every use using the sprayer on my kitchen sink with something like Formula 409 and hot water, and the unit performs very well every time. Only thing is, the filter can take a day to dry even when set in front of the forced air heating vent, so I will probably buy another filter for interim use. One other thing that I found helpful: with the attached hose / brush, I wrap a band of plant velcro around the bristles when not is use to keep the bristles in proper shape (otherwise they end up all ratty looking, but no surprise there, I think that would happen with almost any long-bristled unit).

I use the Fantom to vacuum my cars. I am absolutely amazed how much dirt it picks up from a car carpet that doesn't look all that dirty. I've had no problem with "parts falling off", and find the filter and dirt trap reasonably easy to service - it beats the heck out of dealing with bags! I love the hose attachment, and found it very easy to swap between the powered brush and the hose. Is it loud? Yes, but that's due to the powerful suction - it takes a lot of air movement to pick up dirt like this little jewel does. At 750 watts (1.0 hp) I would definitely recommend it for small to medium jobs (cars and upholstery, for example). But for bigger jobs, (a set of carpeted stairs, for example), use a Kenmore with a 5.4 horse motor and a power head attachment. It's all about having the right tool for the job, and for small vacuuming jobs I don't think there's any better tool than the Fantom 430.

I have owned a Fantom Thunder for the past 5 years and continue to love it. When I saw that Fantom had a hand vac, I was skeptical. It was a Euro-Pro product, and I had read many reviews saying that Euro-Pro products are POS's. I bought it from Best Buy in November, and I was satisfied at how well it cleaned. I had no pieces falling off or electrical problems, but I exchanged it for a King of the Hill Season 2. Then I read the reviews for this product and found they were mostly 4 or 5 star, then I decided that I wanted to get it again. Best Buy had one left in the box on clearance for 21.99, I bought it along with the 2 year replacement to avoid the horrible customer service, plus if it breaks, I'll get my money back. This machine did great in my car, and it picks up pet hair well. I give this 4 stars because the Tapclean filter is a pain to clean and I don't like that it's in the dust cup, but I found that most other hand vacs have a filter in the cup. If Euro-Pro made this with the cyclonic technology and filtering system the original Fantoms had, I would give it 5 stars.

What's good about this little guy? It's cleaning power is amazing. I can't believe how much stuff it finds to pick up from my medium pile carpeted stairs.

What's not so good: it overheats frequently. Today while cleaning the stairs, it has shut down 3 times (I'm still not done). Each time I am supposed to clean it out and let it cool 45 minutes which I have done. The third time it overheated, I admit it was too full, but the other two times remain a mystery. Also, the hose, when not in use, wraps around behind the handle and attaches to the vacuum near the "mouth" (look in the picture if you don't know what I mean. When vacuuming against a surface such as a wall or stair step, the friction of vacuuming causes the removable end of the hose to detach. I believe it has come off about 7 times while vacuuming the stairs. Finally, the narrow tool that attaches to the hose to clean in crevices, corners or right next to walls has no place to attach when not in use. It's going to be difficult to keep up with this 5 or 6 inch plastic attachment so that I will have it when I need it.

If you want this around the house to vacuum up after a plant has been knocked over, or some other dry spill, this is a good product; but it you want to use it for more than a minute or two--for example to vacuum a flight of stairs, I don't recommend it. I wish I had done my homework, read reviews and picked a different product.

it is powerful, the rotating brush really helps to do the job

easy to empty and clean

long power cord

it is very noisy, but that is why it is so powerful

The power and rotating brush is fantastic. I've tried 5 other vacs and nothing could get the boat carpeting clean; I had to hand-pick stubborn stuff and was pricing having it all replaced with a whole different pile type because it always looked crappy. This thing is great for flats, corners and carpeting in small spaces. Wear ear plugs; it's worth it. I've taped the small plug container to the vac.

This Vacuum broke after only a few uses. My parents bought it for me as a gift since I have a company car and have to transport customers and my boss frequently. So my car must be impeccably clean. When I first got it, I was pretty happy with it. It did a good job at getting all of the small pieces that a normal hose would not pick up from my regular vacuum. But I did also notice that it was awkward in certain areas of my car because the hard plastic dust bin on the back doesn't fit well in small areas. It overheated constantly within the first 3 or 4 minutes of use, and finally it never turned back on after overheating. I only had the vacuum for about 4 months. What a disappointment!

I really like the regular Fantom vacuums so I decided to buy this handheld to see if worked any better than my Dirtdevil. It actually worked better but it broke after 4 months. Completely dead. I called Fantom and asked what the return policy is and it was only good for 90 days. Therefore, I'm still using my Dirtdevil.