Electrolux Oxygen Canister Vacuum Cleaner, EL6988E
by Electrolux
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Electrolux Oxygen Canister Vacuum Cleaner, EL6988E
Customer Review: Problems with quality
Summary: 2 Stars
I looked around for a decent canister vacuum, and decided to spend a little extra for the Electrolux name. I thought Hoover was too unrefined ($100-$200 range), and I didn't want to spend over $500 for a mid-range Miele, so perhaps Electrolux was a good compromise and I had one before that lasted over 7 years.
Let's start with the pros. First, the vacuum looks nice, modern, and refined. Compared to our out-going model, a $200 Sears-Kenmore brand, it is quieter and seems to have better suction. I also appreciate how the bags have a cardboard lid that closes when removing.
Now the cons. The nice looks are not backed up by quality parts - the creaky plastic wand easily bends or deforms when pushing it into the main handle, sometimes causing the metal attachments points to bend. Eventually, after a few bends, the metal attachments broke off, and a new wand was not covered under the manufacturer warranty.
The handle's plastic slider that controls suction is not air-tight, so on full suction you can still hear the air leak out. Thankfully, if I play around with the slider and place it about 1/8 inch from full suction, it seems to keep the air in. Speaking of handle, I would have tremendously appreciated a power on/off switch (for the entire vacuum) on the handle - you only get an on/off switch for the head.
The attachments that are on the canister body fall off constantly since they are curiously and inconveniently placed at the end of the body, where the exhaust is. If you ever place the canister upright, you know what I'm talking about (which is probably why the pictures don't ever show the attachments on the canister body).
The vacuum head started to split, and I'm pretty sure we did not drop it or hit it against anything. I was able to snap it back into place, but ironically, within a short time, the belt broke so I had to unscrew and snap open the head to replace it.
I have owned this vacuum for about 2 years, and although the head is making unusual high-pitched noises that it didn't make before, I'm giving it 2 stars since I'm grateful it's still alive after spending over $400. My next vacuum... definately *not* an Electrolux :-)
Customer Review: Which Electrolux?
Summary: 3 Stars
Star rating is just a placeholder, but you might find the following helpful.I was doing research on Electrolux vacuum as my Mom has used those before and doesn't want anything less. I was surprised and confused when I discovered that there are actually two Electrolux brand out there.
One is Aerus Electrolux, Texas based (www.aerusonline.com), and the other is the US subsidiary of Electrolux, headquartered in Sweden (www.electrolux.com).
I originally thought the Swedish maker (Volvo springs to mind) is the one that my Mom is familiar with, but turns out that Aerus Electrolux vacuum are actually the ones.
Aerus Electrolux's top of the line Guardian 9000 carries a list price of over sixteen hundred, and retails realistically for about a thousand and is sold mostly through dealers. The Swedish Electrolux's top of the line Oxygen Ultra retails for five hundred and you can find it on Amazon. The Swedish maker also owns the Eureka brand (a respectable vacuum too).
I ended up buying a Guardian 9000 from Aerus Electrolux for my Mom and she's been very happy with it for the past year. It is built like a tank, bullet-proof Lexan plastic, good suction, HEPA filter. And we know neighbors with earlier versions that lasted decades and still going.
I noticed that some of the other reviewers who owned Electrolux before are disappointed with the Oxygen. Well, I guess they might have owned an Aerus Electrolux before, and did not know that Oxygen Ultra is actually made by a different company.
Now, how can two companies own the same brand? Aerus Electrolux was founded in 1924 in US, the Swedish maker in 1919 (according to their respective web sites). I don't know when the Swedish maker started marketing in earnest in US, but Aerus might have lost a court battle somewhere, which would explain why the Guardian vacuum machines carry the LUX (R) trademark these days instead of Electrolux.
Would I buy any vacuum machine for over a thousand? Probably not. But if you or someone in your family is in search of a perfect vacuum, the above might help.
Customer Review: A nice vacuum, but has a couple flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
Previously we had a Sears Kenmore canister vacuum. It worked well but was heavy and loud; also the power head died after 6 six years. We bought the Electrolux 6988D because the price was comparable to an upper Kenmore and this Electrolux model was top-rated by Consumer Reports. We are very satisfied with the Electrolux canister- it is considerably smaller and quieter than the Kenmore and the performance is excellent on both carpet and hardwood floors. The beater bar has a lot of power on our berber carpet. Some may object to not having all the tools on board the canister, but by not having storage for the hard floor and furniture tools, the overall package that you have to move around is much more manuverable than our Kenmore (which stored all tools on cannister). There is a clip on the handle for the dust brush and crevice tools. An an industrial hygienist, I can testify the filtration system in this vacuum is really excellent for a home unit. It has a true HEPA filter which is easy to access, inspect and change. The bags are also very well designed in that they are very tough (rip proof), and there is a sliding cover to eliminate the explosion of dust that usually happens when a canister bag is removed from the housing. We've only had it about a month, but so far very pleased with the design, performance, and quality of construction.
Update after 1.5 years, lowered rating to 4 stars from 5.
The vacuum continues to clean very effectively.
Flaws:
The plastic clip that holds the wand to the powered head broke after several months. We contacted Elecrolux, and they sent a number of spare clips at no charge. However this circular clip is a weak link in the design. The clip falls off whenever the wand is twisted in a certain way, and several more clips have broken - we've replaced them.
My wife reports it is hard to vacuum under furniture and beds because the power head brush won't stay in contact with the carpet when the wand is held completely horizontal to the floor.
Customer Review: the handle melted!
Summary: 1 Stars
Well, I have to revise my review, which is listed below. I posted that review just after I bought the Oxygen in 2005. It worked fine for four years, so I guess I got my money's worth, if you think it's worth $100 a year. Then the plastic handle just melted -- I kept smelling a burning smell as I was vacuuming, and thought at first it was the engine, but then I saw the plastic was red-hot and literally melting near the handle, where the attachment plugs into the handle. I took it to an Electrolux store to get it fixed and they said (a) it's not really Electrolux, it's a Eureka, and (b) it would cost several hundred dollars to repair it. So I bought a really nice Panasonic canister vacuum from Amazon, the Panasonic MC-CG885, that seems to be working well so far (knock wood)... It has a metal hose, so at least that can't melt.
Here's my original review:
My main complaint with other vacuum cleaners I've had (and I've had many -- Kenmores, Eurekas, Hoovers, you name it) is that they're heavy, and loud. The Oxygen is lightweight (it weighs a mere 13 pounds, as opposed to most other cleaners, which weigh at least 20 pounds) and very quiet. But it's very powerful, has great suction, and almost breaks away and cleans on its own when you turn on the carpet feature. It's very easy to switch between carpet and bare floor, since the control is on the handle. The only drawback: the bare-floor brush attachment doesn't attach very well -- it should snap on, but it doesn't, so it tends to come off sometimes. But that's nothing compared to all the wonderful things there are about this neat little vacuum cleaner. Definitely worth the extra money.
By the way, I used to own an Electrolux, the real kind that's made in the USA, and although it was a good vacuum cleaner it weighed a ton and was difficult to lug around different rooms. I'd much rather have this lighter-weight Swedish model, esp. since it's half the price of the American Electrolux.
Customer Review: Didn't Last Long
Summary: 2 Stars
I researched for a long time before deciding to purchase a vacuum. I went to the store to buy a Hoover, and came out with this Electrolux after my husband and a store employee convinced me it was a better vacuum. I got it because of the Electrolux name and the $100 rebate. Well, from the moment I put it together, I was sceptical of the way the pieces fit together. When you start the rug attachment, it takes off on you, which is kind of cool. It also cleans my carpets wonderfully! I don't like the way the bare floor and other attachments just sit on it instead of attaching securely. I also find that the bare floor attachment doesn't have much sucking power. I have also had trouble getting the rug attachment off. You have to step on something on it, and pull. For me, it isn't easy, plus it seems as though it will eventually just break off. A few months ago, the rug attachment wouldn't work and I discovered that a prong that is part of the handle connections was bent. Well a few weeks
ago, it snapped right off and I had to bring it to a repair facility. Luckily it is still under warranty. But I have only owned it for about 8 months and I only use it once a week. It shouldn't be broken already. They just don't make vacuums as sturdy as they used to be. We have a very old real Electrolux that was given to us, used, by my husbands parents and it still
works. Of course it is held together buy a shoestring and lots of duck tape! I also have trouble with the rug attachment sucking up things like the cover for the couch and then shutting off. It is very powerful so beware. I still haven't gotten my vacuum back from the repair place, and they told me it might take a while depending on when Electrolux sends them the parts to fix it. I also have trouble finding the bags for it. Our old Electrolux, had bags you could find really cheap at any store, but not this one. I would not recommend this vacuum.