No improvement over an ordinary sweeper or light vacuum.
Written: Aug 14 '05 (Updated Aug 15 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lightweight, well-built, simple assembly, picks up crumbs and grit.
Cons: Uses one-use disposable cartridges, doesn't pick up lint or hair, doesn't work on tile.
The Bottom Line: Financially and ecologically, the Swiffer CarpetFlick, however well-done, is wasteful, and it offers no advantage over a vacuum or sweeper.
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| bkalafut's Full Review: The Swiffer CarpetFlick |
Swiffer's CarpetFlick is a clever cross between a conventional sweeper and a lint roller. When the main housing is rubbed on the carpet, it acts as a scraper of sorts, gently compressing the carpet fibers and causing them to toss whatever debris is on them either up into the central compartment or directly at the middle, where it gets stuck on either side of an adhesive-coated card. Two strips of synthetic brush help to work the dirt loose.
The result is as one would expect; the CarpetFlick works well at picking up grit and large particles but hardly removes dried mud, hair, or lint at all. A single cartridge cleans one room in sandy Tucson, perhaps two elsewhere.
Assembly of the CarpetFlick was simple. The four-foot, lightweight aluminum handle comes in four sections that snap together and can be disassembled for storage. One end is terminated with a comfortable, rubberized contoured grip. The other snaps in to a universal joint on the main housing, which makes the CarpetFlick more manouverable than most sweepers or vacuum cleaners. The main housing itself is built of sturdy plastic; its top half is translucent, which makes it easy to judge when the adhesive card needs replacing.
Swiffer's CarpetFlick is certainly well-executed, but the concept itself is lacking. At $12, this isn't much cheaper than an ordinary sweeper, or for that matter, a lightweight electric vacuum, especially when you consider that each refill (sold in packs of twelve) costs about thirty cents and can be used once before ending up in the landfill. Vacuums and sweepers also do a far better job at cleaning carpet and can be used on hard surfaces; the Swiffer cannot.
Financially and ecologically, the Swiffer CarpetFlick, however well-done, is wasteful, and it offers no advantage over a vacuum or sweeper; it's yet another gimmick designed to sell refills, and I recommend you pass on buying it.
For promotional purposes, Hass MS&L sent me a Swiffer CarpetFlick to review in a fair and impartial manner.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
bkalafut
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 in Restaurants & Gourmet |
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Member: Bennett Kalafut
Location: Tucson, AZ, USA
Reviews written: 255
Trusted by: 42 members
About Me:
Stretching single molecules for fun and profit.
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