Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
1,369 of 1,424 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
I Hate This Vacuum, December 27, 2005
Listen, maybe because I am a man, and in our society men have been stereotyped as helpless boobs who couldn't make a bowl of cereal without the help of a wife/mom/fairy godmother, I should be not the person to review this product. But since my wife likes this vacuum, and because as such I cannot smash into a million pieces with a fungo bat, I have to write this review to get even the Electrolux Oxygen Ultra, an object that is now my sworn enemy, from now until the end of eternity.
I hate this vacuum. Every moment I use it is a chance to ruminate on how much I hate it. Seriously. I vacuum around the house saying to myself, "I hate this vacuum. You know what? This is a really terrible vacuum. I don't think I like this vacuum. Oh wait, did I just suck up the dog?"
It was clearly designed by someone rich enough to never have to use it. Let's start with the basic setup. The main body of the vacuum is something you drag behind you as you go from room to room. This would be a great thing if the house you're vacuuming happens to be empty. And maybe in Sweden or Switzerland or wherever they designed this godawful piece of garbage, that's all the rage now. But if you're someone who happens to have furnished their house with things like chairs and tables (and even the occasional ottoman), this means the Electrolux is constantly getting stopped by whatever objects you had the audacity to place in its way. With an upright vacuum, you don't have to drag anything. But you have to constantly drag the Electrolux everywhere you want to go. I'd like to drag it behind a truck going 150 mph, but that's about it.
Then there's the main, carpet-cleaning attachment of the Electrolux. I hate this attachment. First off, the attachment allows the main handle from the vacuum to be turned to the right, and to the right only. I even checked it for an hour just to make sure I hadn't made a mistake. Nope. This is the only way the attachment turns on the handle. Why? Who knows? Probably just to annoy me, because I paid $600 for the stupid thing. Oh sure, I can turn my hand and vacuum my carpet Gangsta-style now, but otherwise this is the kind of design flaw that makes you want to drive your Honda through Bed Bath & Beyond, just to get even.
And, if anything, this attachment sucks too hard. Like that fringe on your oriental rug? Sorry, the Electrolux thought that was lunch! But every rug could use a good shearing now and then. Also, the motor in the attachment spins so hard it makes controlling the thing darn near impossible. But hey, at least you can turn the handle to the right.
Did I mention that you can only get bags for the Ultra through Electrolux, and that the bags have to be shipped to you? I didn't? Don't worry, no one told me either.
The other attachments aren't so hot either. The attachment we use to vacuum the hardwood floor is stiff and cumbersome. And the coiling tube that goes to the main handle is almost always, without fail, twisted up in an awkward fashion.
Listen, I'm a simple guy. This is clearly what I get for being dumb enough to buy a $600 vacuum. I'm sure the Electrolux has the sucking power of 1,000 Kevin Federlines, and can filter out all the potential carcinogens and death spores I've been told pollute our air. But this isn't rocket science. It's a vacuum. You know why I vacuum? So that stuff looks like it's been vacuumed. That's all. Basic house vacuuming can be easily accomplished with any $100 Hoover out there. You can probably get one at a yard sale. Or maybe you can get my Electrolux at our next yard sale. If I'm sneaky enough, the wife won't notice.
I hate this vacuum.
|
|
|
42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth the money, March 29, 2005
I decided to go with this Electrolux since my mother in Germany owns one since forever and loves it. This one is a new hip design which is unlike the usually very old fashioned and VERY expensive (more than double of what this one costs) Electroluxes I know from Europe. I liked the design much better and thought the price was great so I got it and was disappointed after only a few weeks when the belt ripped for the first time. The closest repair dealer had to order the part. I now own this vacuum for not one year and have been at the repair shop at least 5 times!!! The belt keeps ripping and I had the whole bottom part of the power brush replaced since something on it broke. Needless to say I am very disappointed and wish I had gone with the Dyson instead. The suction isn't that great either and in fact I feel it is worse than with my former very cheap $99 Hoover model. The one PRO I think is that it can vaccuum great under furniture, beds and so on, which uprights have trouble with. It is also not that heavy and easy to carry. The little power brush for the stairs and sofa's and such is great as well. BUT, overall not worth the money I think!!!
|
|
|
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Has worked fine for me, October 21, 2005
I've had this vacuum for over 9 months now with no problems. I bought it to replace an old upright that didn't seem to cut it anymore. As I have a small apartment with both carpeting and tile floors, I wanted something that would work equally well on hard surfaces and carpet, and liked the idea of a HEPA filtered device. So far, it's done what I expected.
Generally, the Oxygen is small and maneuverable. It makes short work of my floors, and I can quickly move between the tile and carpet. The powerhead works well, though be careful around cords and the like - I soon found out how quickly it can grab one and pull it in. Sometimes it seems like it has trouble with some debris, but other times it seems to magically grab things and suck them down. The floor brush works very well, though I've found it sometimes works more like a broom, forcing me to lift it up and come down on a particular item. Suction is strongest where the hose attaches, though it still picks up well at the extremities. I've found the small powerhead works well on bathroom rugs and the like that would be otherwise overpowered by the larger powerbrush. The combination of the suction strength on both the vacuum and on the control wand is nice, as you can tailor the suction to the job at hand.
I have had no problems with belts or any other breakage. To be on the safe side after reading some of the other reviews, I did purchase extra belts and bags when I bought the unit - my local Lowes had them in stock. I just replaced the bag for the first time, not because it was full, but because I just finished sucking up some bugs. I had noticed the bag full indicator coming on when the nozzle got completely obstructed by something, so that seems to work as well. (The light went off as soon as I cleared the obstruction.) Changing bags is extremely simple when compared to my old vacuum.
Overall, I have no major complaints. The vacuum works well. If I could change anything, I'd rework the foot release on the powerhead since it seems to stick, and I'd prefer a fully rotating hose, but it's only a minor inconvenience to straighten out the hose now and then.
If you're looking for a good cannister vacuum to perform a variety of jobs, this one seems to fit the bill.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
