Bamboozled by the Fantom Twister
Written: Apr 06 '04
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Pros: Lots of attachments that are easy to use, great suction from the handheld wand.
Cons: Heavy, hard to maneuver, ineffective on hard floor surfaces
The Bottom Line: If you want a vacuum for hard surfaces, don't buy this one. If you have carpet and like accessories and the easily detachable handle/wand, this one is OK.
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| thelegends's Full Review: Fantom Twister Upright Vacuum |
Oh, the anticipation as I waited for my Fantom Twister to arrive! This purchase was a big deal for me--my first and only purchase from the Home Shopping Network. The television demonstration was masterful. I couldn't wait to have a vac that worked equally well on carpet and hardwoods so I wouldn't have to keep so many vacuums and brooms in the hall closet.
Features? Too many to name! Easily converts from carpets to hard surfaces with the simple flick of a toe switch! True HEPA filtration! Edge cleaning! Extra long power cord! And loads of onboard accessories for use with the handle which simply pops out and converts to an extendable wand! Suction? 12 amps of raw sucking power! And the easy to empty canister with the twister feature to keep your precious hands from ever coming into contact with the dust!
I imagined myself gliding through the house vacuuming floors and sucking dust off lampshades like a 21st century June Cleaver.
I was vacuuming within five minutes of opening the box! Hmm, this thing sure is heavy, I thought. But no worries, it's a heavy duty cleaning machine, so I can live with that. As the demonstrator had suggested, I began by vacuuming a rug that I had recently vacuumed with my fifteen year old Hoover. Voila! There in the canister, a seemingly huge wad of dust and carpet fibers appeared. But, curiously, several specks of lint on the carpet seemed stubborn. I found myself going back and forth over some areas several times before the mighty Twister sucked them up. Some of them didn't really budget at all. Hmmm. Also, the heavy vac has a high profile, and is hard to maneuver around furniture and corners. Lining it up to get close to the wall requires an effort, and the "edge cleaning" feature seemed ineffective.
Then I toyed with the removable wand/handle and tried the accessories. Hmmm, the instructions said to anchor the hose to the bottom of the vacuum before using the handheld device, which considerably shortened the reach of the generous hose. But, I thought, there must be a reason for that. And the suction using the handheld accessories was enormous.
Still upbeat, I then experimented on the hardwood floor. Here is where I was really disappointed. The suction just doesn't seem to be there when using the upright on a hard surface. Instead of picking up breadcrumbs, the Twister just blew them around, even with the carpet "beater brush" turned off. Sand and other trash was virtually unaffected as I went over it again and again. I put my hand to the bottom of the vacuum only to feel a weak intake, not the powerful suction I expected.
So I am puzzled. If there's virtually no suction from the bottom of the vac, how does all that dust and fiber get lifted out of carpet? And if it can get that stuff out of the carpet, why is it almost ineffective on a hard surface? I have deliberated about whether to send the vacuum back and haven't yet decided. But my advice is, if you have a lot of tile, linoleum, wood or other hard floor surfaces, find a different vacuum. You won't be satisfied with this one.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): $171
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Epinions.com ID:
thelegends
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Location: Atlanta Metro, Georgia, USA
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
This self-employed, work-at-home mom hopes to improve the quality of Internet commerce.
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