Customer Reviews

Rainbow E Series Canister Vacuum Cleaner Wet / Dry

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've owned this vacuum for over 12-15 years. My parents got it for me when I was in high school after we discovered I had dust allergies (in addition to asthma). I have toted it around everywhere I've lived in college and beyond--in various apartments, houses, etc--and it has held up *excellently.* Needless to say, I wasn't always very cautious with it (bang it around a little through all the moves, or when I'm cleaning and pulling the canister/base around) and it has withstood it all. I'm 30 now and married, and even though my husband gripes about how it's less 'convenient' than a regular vacuum, I LOVE it and will never use anything else because:

1--for a person with allergies, this vacuum is a god-send. I'm so used to it I almost gag every time I use another vacuum (at someone else's place) because other vacuums send out dust in the exhaust, and don't trap it immediately in water like this vacuum.

2--Even though my parents paid a lot for it, it has totally withstood the test of time and is made of very high-quality material. Not one thing has broken, rusted, chipped, worn, or anything in this last decade! That says a lot in this age of built-in-obsolescence!!

3--the wheels are great--they move 360 degrees and make it *very* easy to pull this thing around. The cord is also durable and long, so you can take it pretty far without having to find a new outlet.

4--I *love* that it's environmentally low-impact--no bags to purchase (ie, no packaging, no gas used to transport) that then fill up landfills! Just dump it all down the toilet.

5--the little accessories/different heads it comes with are great. I've been careful and haven't lost any of them, and they reach every nook and cranny.

I should also note that I've been very good with its upkeep--I wipe the rubber interior down every time with a towel (so it doesn't crack) and I *never* store it with a damp canister attached--that can also crack the rubber. I've also brushed the little motor part inside like you're supposed to so it doesn't get clogged.

My only wish is that I had the special parts to suck up water spills.

Overall, this thing, now that I think about it, is like a trusty best friend. A big investment, yes, but if you take care of it and keep up the maintenance, it might just last a lifetime!

Pros:
-When you use a conventional vacuum cleaner, you see dust blown all over especially if you look with the sun rays streaming through your window. You see a much big difference using this vac. One of our sons have bad allergies and this helps a lot.
-You not only see the difference, you also feel that you are breathing much cleaner air.
-No expensive bags to buy

Cons:
-It is heavy as a bulldozer. Imagine hauling it up and down the stairs. This is the reason we use this vac not as often as our other regular vac. My wife has to call me to help tugging it along.
-Price - too much! We got it half price, but probably we still paid too much.
-Maneuverability. Annoying and it really needs some muscle to work with it.
-You also need to clean the vacuum every single time you use it. No, you cannot wait until the bag is full - there is no bag. It has a canister that you fill halfway with water and if you do not clean after each use, it grows bacteria and smells like a dead skunk. Believe me, we have done that.
-It is a hassle to use. Need assembly every time you use it.
-So loud

I would have to say that this is a very heavy vacuum. It does weight about ten to fifteen pounds. "BUT" what this vacuum does, is worth the weight. I have alergies and this is a life saver. I couldn't seem to get rid of dust or pet dander, but when I use this vacuum it takes what was in the air and puts it into water. The suction is amazing. I see things in the water that I didn't even know was there. It really does the work for a DEEP clean. Yes it isn't something you use when you are doing daily cleaning, but when it comes to needing to get things clean this vacuum does the job. The best.

This is the best "vacuum" I have ever used. While I agree it is noisy and not the most fun to take upstairs, I have never had a house as clean as when I used it.
It was heavy but I used it daily to vac the floors, get the daily cobwebs, and clean the dust out of the air from our 100yo farm house on a horse farm. The first thing I noticed, within the first month of using it, I no longer needed to dust weekly. I only needed to wash my cotton curtains once a quarter and the hardwood floors UNDER my area rugs stayed clean! NO more lifting,rolling and unrolling! I started to use it to vac our pillows and beds weekly. My mattress actually got LIGHTER and easier to turn. I could do a weekly clean in our 1,300 sq ft 3bd house in under 1.5 hours! washing kitchen and dining room floors, BEDS and Pillows included! talk about more fun time on your weekends!
This is one of those things that the more you use it the easier and faster and more thorough you can be. You don't feel you are moving the same dirt day after day never seeming to get ahead. When it cleans, you know it is clean.

Vacuum given as gift. recipient very happy with rainbow. giver has owned 2 rainbow vacuums for over 25 years. both still working. would not buy anything else.

This is by far the best vacuum on the market. The seller ansewered all the questions we had before shipping and after we received it. Very friendly and helpful company. We called to ask him aquestions telling him my husband is 92, I'm 76, and our friend "builder Bob" who is our technical advisor is 82. Our house keeper, who was watching all this with wonder, speaks no English. We all laughed together making it a fun exprience putting the wands together. (It's really simple for those of younger age).
J Harward
Boquete, Panama

I'll never use anything but a rainbow again. I got a really old one (like 30+ years) off craigslist for cheap that introduced me and made me want my own newer one. I have horrible allergies and this helps so much. I'm always grossed out at seeing all that it picks up in the water bowl. It's not as quick and easy as typical standing vacuums but the power and features are worth it. I'm not happy with how often the belts break though.