All in all, a decent vacuum
Written: Jan 13 '04
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Pros: Good suction, convenient hose, Hepa filtration, onboard attachments, bagless.
Cons: Attachments fall off easily, headlight is dim, pain to store because of size.
The Bottom Line: If you're just looking for a basic, bagless vacuum that will get the job done, this would be a good choice. Hepa filtration is great for allergies.
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| k_lumsden13's Full Review: Fantom Fury Vacuum |
The Fantom Fury was a free upgrade. I had been using a regular, old bag system and I must say, the Fury probably could've sucked that thing up whole. My Grandmother bought it brand new in 2001. She passed away in October of that year and the Fantom got handed down to us.
I was immediately impressed at how much suction it had. It was picking up way more dirt than the bag upright ever had. And for some strange reason, the room just felt cleaner after using the Fantom. Maybe it's the Hepa filtration, maybe it's all psychological, who knows? And who cares? All I know is that I've enjoyed this vacuum immensely since the first use.
I've read quite a few reviews that state how you usually have to replace belts once a year or so. Well, my Fantom never had that problem until just recently. I was vacuuming two nights ago and managed to suck up a headband that had been shoved under a bed. We had to take the top plate off to get it out, but then discovered the belt was broken. Considering it's been running well for almost 3 years with no belt problems, I'd consider that sort of amazing.
We've never had any other problems with it, either. Oddly enough, I've never even had to replace the filter. There's an indicator on the side of the vacuum that lets you know when to replace...either it's broken or the filter just isn't done. Which is also sort of amazing, considering I'm kind of a clean freak and vacuum at LEAST 4 times a week. But one also has to remember that certain living conditions will contribute to filter life. If you live in an area with poor air quality, obviously your filter will not last as long.
Ok, as far as attachments go, it's not bad. I love the fact that the handle is the top of the hose and you just push a lever and voila! you have a hose. I had actually begun to take this little convenience for granted until my parents and sister-in-law were over one afternoon. We have a guinea pig and there were pine shavings on the floor that were driving me insane, so out came the vacuum. When I pulled the hose out to vacuum along the wall, my sister-in-law was amazed. My dad commented on how cool it was.
If you've ever used any kind of attachment on other vacuums, you won't really be awed at the basic attachments that come with the Fury. It has a dusting brush, crevice tool and upholstery brush. The only problem I have with any of them is that they have a rather hard time staying on the vacuum. The way the upholstery brush sits, the handle can easily be swung out and catch on something...there goes the upholstery brush. I can't tell you how many times I've had to pick that stupid thing up off the floor while vacuuming.
Oh yes, one other thing I feel needs to be noted about the hose. It becomes clogged VERY easily. One piece of hair gets stuck in a crack, which attracts another hair and so on and so forth until you've got a hairball the size of your fist shoved up in there. So then you've got cereal to vacuum up off the couch...it goes in...and then just falls back out. I had to take the rod off of our blinds and shove it down in there to break everything free. And MAN was that ever a filthy mess.
As far as the body construction of this vacuum, I'm both impressed and unimpressed. It's held up well to abuse as far as continuing to function properly, but the shiny black finish doesn't stay pretty for very long. This vacuum is nearly 3 years old and looks worse than some REALLY old bag systems I've seen.
If you're leaning towards the Fantom Fury for it's cute little headlight, please don't let that be the only thing that sways you. Don't get me wrong, it is cute. However, it's not really needed nor is it all that helpful. Unless you're vacuuming in the dark, that is. And if that's your thing, by all means, buy a vacuum with a headlight. While vacuuming in a well lit room, you can barely tell that it's on. 95% of the time, I forget it even HAS a headlight. In dark corners it WILL cast a light glow out in front of itself, but it's not enough to see if there's anything small and unsuckable on the floor because the light doesn't really shine down onto the floor. I'd be much more impressed if it were placed a little lower down on the vacuum and had just a wee bit more wattage.
All right, time to talk about the canister. Can you say gross? Don't get me wrong, I love this vacuum and emptying the canister is MUCH easier than replacing a bag...but having to use your hand to scrape dusty hair clogs off the inner filter can be sort of disgusting. And if you've just vacuumed, be prepared to go over the spot where you just took the canister off. Little, dusty balls often fall onto the floor, either by coming off the inner filter on their own or by flying up out of the canister when you remove it. As you can imagine, dumping the canister into the trash can could pose problems, too. I always try and make sure that I have enough room to place the canister down at least halfway into the trash can before dumping. I would never recommend dumping into a full, or even semi-full can. Main thing to remember; you'll most likely get a cloud of dust so make sure it has room to settle OVER the trash...not onto your floor.
Putting the canister back on is another semi-hassle. You have to get it in just the "right" spot before it clicks and stays put. I've had many a stressful night when, while trying to clean in a hurry, I've beaten the crap out of the canister because of "replacing frustration". But hey, how many bags have you ripped to shreds over the same frustration? At least the canister can take a beating:)
In closing I'd have to say the Fantom is a good vacuum all around. It does the job and does it well. Make sure you keep up on maintenance, though. Ours is due for a thorough once over and cleaning. I can tell because the suction's not as good as it was before. I find myself having to go over the same spot several times before it picks everything up. But hey, for a 3 year old vacuum, that's not too bad.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
k_lumsden13
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Location: Michigan
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 0 members
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