The Komfort Of Knowing It's The Best Quality Compact Vac
Written: Apr 23 '07 (Updated Oct 30 '07)
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Pros: 3 floor heads, very compact, lightweight but excellent build & suction quality, well thought out.
Cons: Silly auto cord rewind mechanism. Uses a bag.
The Bottom Line: They have a 20 year longevity period, comes highly recommended by several sites and GHI, excellent filtration for allergen sufferers; Buy it to clean with, not to show off with!
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| nar2's Full Review: Sebo K1 Komfort |
** My own quick skip spec **
• 1800 watts low noise motor with variable rotary suction control/on button.
• Bag fill neon light indicator.(Orange)
• Hospital grade motor filter/ S Class HEPA - Unwashable. (2 filter types available, cost options)
• Secondary hospital micro filter - Unwashable.
• 3 litre high filtration dust bag with individual sealing caps.
• "Air belt" all inclusive design for maximum airborne dust retention. (belts can be changed for other colours)
• 5 / 5.5 metre power cord with auto cord "pull" rewind function.
• Telescopic height adjustable chrome extension tube enclosed in main PVC tube with Sebo's upright style handle.
• 2 way universal floor brush and small dusting brush with additional clamp - sits on the tube.
• Long crevice tool with flat upholstery brush - sits onboard machine.
• 5.5 kg weight = compact design and 2 park positions.
• Very helpful instruction manual written in clear English with additional photographs.
• 3 soft castors for maximum movement for complete 360° access and to protect flooring - reduces marking.
The market for vacuum cleaners today is as cut throat as car manufacturers, chocolate companies and even perhaps, the cosmetics world. So many names; one essential product, even though Dyson have cornered the market with their 100% suction all the time cyclonic, there are consumers like me who prefer paper bags as dust in some way from the bagless design is going to end up in a bag anyway, if not your lungs firstly against already-contained-dust in a bag from the machine itself. And whilst Dyson owners can feel particuarly smug about just releasing the low trapdoor, the cyclone shrouds do have to be cleaned from time to time which means that dust will come into contact with the owner at some point.
Designed as a smaller model to Sebo's bigger C cylinder series the Sebo K1 Komfort is second model in a series of four to five models in the compact K range which comes with additional floor attachments making it ideal as a compact cleaner for anyone with limited storage and a multi-tude of different flooring materials.
Firstly what does the tag "Komfort" mean? Well over the basic K1 you get three extra attachments; a main turbo air driven roller brush floor head, a parquet head with horse hair bristles for precious or hardfloor cleaning and a small clip on upholstery brush which comes with its own clip and can either be attached to the telescopic pipes on the Sebo or the plastic coated metal hoister top pipe with Sebo's original patented handle above the hose to reduce hand fatigue. If it wasn't for the copious amounts of hose this would just be like Sebo's long standing and excellent X upright.
But there's more to the K1 Komfort than just three additional attachments to make life easier:
For starters the K1 is lighter than most cylinder vacuum cleaners I have used - at 5.5kg - this includes the one piece telescopic height adjustable tubing which incorporates another inner tube and the optional floorheads. Compact, Classy and Comfortable is what the K1 excels at although it is not a beautiful machine to look at, as it has been designed to be used rather than blend in with the latest of fashion lifestyles; so against Miele's best efforts you won't find chrome inserts here, or a smattering of silver and and golds, but purely a squarish, edgy design which to my eye looks more practical and less cosmetically pleasing. My model is light blue against the new 2006/7 model which is dark blue whilst the variable power control/activation control has been made smoother than the nibbed rotary dial on my model.
Two park positions on the K1 ensure that (and with the hose and tube retracted via telescopic height adjustable means) it is easy to rest the tubes and geographically claims a small space when storing away. The K1 feels easier to carry, pull around and ultimately breeze through cleaning tasks effectively without strain to the user.
** Minimising Air Blast from the Motor **
The K1 has many excellent features, but one of them being is air blast retention. This is noticeable if you have a cylinder vacuum cleaner which has a high powered motor. All K1 models have an additional removable cloth belt which surrounds the perimeter of the vacuum, called the "air belt." Even when the K1 is set to its highest suction control available, the amount of air which this machine pumps out is minimal, it causes less stress and heat to the owner and when passing a table full of papers - for once they stay on the table rather than be fluttered around.
And the airbelt also provides outward protection too; forget PVC bumpers here which may well protect your home but show up scratches on the surface of the machine, instead the K1's "Air belt" soft Lycra cloth additionally protects surfaces and scrapes either to the vacuum cleaner and surfaces in your home. It can also be wiped down with a damp cloth if any markings such as paint or surface mess apply to the fabric. The Lycra belt can last the lifetime with the K1 but spares and different colours such as blue, white, black and orange are available.
** At last, a Quiet Motor & Cord Rewind **
For those who want a quiet life, the Sebo K1 has one of the quietest motors on the market. Partly thanks to the Air belt, the noise on this motor is extremely quiet, and as soon as the motor dial is raised, the motor noise doesn't become obtrusive which is evidence to Sebo's soundproofing additives. Even my parents couldn't believe how quiet the K1 is when it starts up in low power. Sebo state that 65db is the maximum rating of sound which the K1 increases to. My Hoover Telios has a rating of 10db more and Hoover go as far to claim that their rating is quiet…yet when you go to pick out the drop in filter under the Sebo nameplate you will find that the noise from the motor is louder. Push the filter back in, close the name plate over and all is restored - that's quality thinking for you!
There is no pedal to retract the power cord though which is a bit of a surprise. Instead after the cord has been fully used, the cord can be pulled from the base exit to which the cord automatically retracts back into the rear of the K1. Now that is a neat idea, but if the cord gets trapped around the corner, the K1 will re-act the cord rewind which pulls the machine back. Luckily though Sebo have fitted a longer hose here just for this added benefit.
** Manoeuvrability: 5/5 **
Instead of fitting two wheels at the back like most cylinder vacuum cleaners on the market, Sebo fit three soft padded castors which protect flooring and at the same time allow the K1 to turn in a complete 360° access. Other cylinder cleaners have two wheels at the back, and when pulled roughly they can mark flooring easily because of their "forward/backward" design. This is why the power cord on the K1 is shorter. This design thought ensures that the K1 performs well in the smallest of homes and the hose is also long and able to bend without little kinking. And because the motor is at the top of the cleaner, the K1 never stumbles over or knocks over - even when pulled roughly. 2 rubber mounts on the top ensure for example that if the K1 ever topples over on its front, it sits on a angle so it can be pushed back down on the floor as normal.
** Attachments: 3/5 **
The crevice tool is exactly the same type found on the X1 upright. Another aspect of this 10" tool (in length) is that it has its own "hiding" hole located on the other side of the base of the machine from the cord recess; you simply pull out the crevice tool and push it back in after use which locks into place. No short stubby excuses here which fall off either!
The dusting brush is an oversight though and one which Sebo admits readily by offering consumers a clamp which can be fixed onto the telescopic tube. I'm sure that Sebo could well offer an improved K1 in the future which has a place on board for the dusting brush but for the moment its available as a single consumable optional to buy which comes with the "Komfort" as standard. Again like the same type on our X1, the dusting brush has proper long bristles which do the job perfectly and can be turned on a 360° access to whichever angle you wish.
The upholstery flat tool which is handily located on the top of the K1 has to be used with the crevice tool which has to be pushed on at the end. This tool has twin lint pickers and holes which allow air to escape and doesn't allow the tool to move in a heavy action.
** Using The Different Floor heads: 3/5**
1) The Turbo Brush
Experience has taught me that any cylinder vacuum which has a turbo brush must be set to the highest suction possible in order for it to turn at high speed. Initially I found the air brush very difficult to move along the floor and although the whine is apparent from the motor brush, it suddenly dawned to me with the K1 that the highest amount of power is not always necessary. Select a low speed of suction and there is a marked improvement on gliding ability and still a lot of suction power even though suction has been turned down. Typically with Sebo you don't have to adjust anything when it comes to using this floor head as it has been designed to adjust automatically with each type of flooring.
What a pity then that the turbo brush floor head is bulky - all turbo floor heads tend to be anyway - but in its defence it does give noticeable pile lifting on the carpet fibres. It replaces the need for an upright here and it does it well - built in edge brushing on both sides and a replaceable "Trapdoor" flap on the underside - shows additionally extra ease of cleaning, particularly when anything gets clogged up or missed on corners. Most turbo air brushes from other companies these days don't have the additional flap on the underside unless you undo 4 to 6 Philips/cross head screws.
The K1 has a minimum of 1500 watts and a maximum of 1800 watts so it's no surprise to find that here, against other machines I've used you don't need to raise the power to get the fastest rate of suction or power. I usually keep the machine low except for some carpet fibres where extra suction is really needed.
2) The 2 Way Universal Floor Head
The 2 way universal floor head is a simple piece of engineering, with a metal soleplate which has been contoured to be used on carpet and hard flooring. Although the base plate is metal, common sense dictates that the brushes put down are for hard flooring, whilst brushes up for multi fabric made carpet textures. I prefer to use this floor head normally against the others because of the mix between floor coverings from room to room.
3) Parquet Soft Brush Floor Head
The parquet brush is very simple, supported by two wheels for extra gliding factors and in addition the original horsehair bristles are extremely long and soft for precious marble and other hard material flooring. Edge brushing built in ensures that nothing is missed.
• Importantly, all three floor heads share a few things in common; they all fit by a locking pip switch which ensures that once they are fixed to the hose, they are locked on. Additionally the locks can be taken on and off by simply pushing a button located on the pip lock itself. Easy! Change over from floor head to options is quick and easy to do.
** Access to Bag and Filters **
No wonder Sebo have been accredited with the seal of approval from The British Allergy Foundation. Briefly, the filters are the largest and thickest I have ever seen from a compact cylinder vacuum cleaner but they are not washable. The first filter for example actually fits on top of the K1 and it is a smaller green filter compared to the larger motor filter. It can only be inserted one way and has a fold down handle to ease lifting. Lifting it out reveals that it also acts as a sound barrier to the main motor! The secondary motor filter is located underneath the filter bag which is located on the base of the K1. Sebo offer two different types for complete dust retention but its triple action system mirrors HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) and S Class standards anyway which is standard fit on all K1 models.
The filters are replaceable and easy to fit and take out; after 16 to 24 bags have been used, the filters have to be replaced. Now that's a lot compared to filters on other bagged vacuums which have to be replaced just after using 5 bags. (Hello, Miele!)
** Fitting a Dirt Bag **
Sebo have obviously copied the same mechanism from their older X1 upright here in terms of fitting a bag. This means a bag holder where the bag just slips in, clicks and locks into place, then close and the door locks into place. Any time you need to open the back door, a lock unlocks at the top and the bag holder pushes down on a spring to gain access to the bag. And just like our old X1, every Ultrabag is a 3 layer affair which also comes complete with a seal hat. Once you take out the bag, you simply push the seal onto the bag and dispose of it.
Infact the whole procedure has been well thought out and the quality of the plastic inside the machine mirrors the plastic quality of the K1 overall. It just feels better made all round, and there are hardly any rough edges or sharp edges which can danger the user.
** The Bag Capacity & Downsides **
Having had experience of our larger X1 upright, the main reason for getting the K1 was to offer my parents a lighter and more compact way of cleaning up without much stress. They adore the X1 but it is a large upright and the K1 is a quarter of the size and the hose and tubes give a lighter cleaning use.
Sebo have for so long emphasized that the dirt bag capacity on their X models are larger in use rather than specifications suggest and I would have to agree and say that this is true. However Sebo also apply the same thinking to the K series and if only the claim was as true!
I found that whilst the K1 copes badly with D.I.Y dust thanks to the high filtration ultra bag which has at least 3 layers of paper added to its inards, for normal household dust the bags can generally last a month and a half or two months if you clean once a week. It is easy of course to check the bag's status by looking at the Orange LED indicator which flashes at times to let you know the bag is full - no more mechanical dodgy bag fill indicators here.
If there is one aspect of the K1 which is really annoying it is the auto cord rewind mechanism. The slightest touch on the cord when all of the cord has been taken out of the K1 will try and whip the cord back in, particularly if the machine has to travel far from a plug socket. In its defence there is no need to step on the K1 once cleaning has finished; simply pull the cord, let go and the K1 whips the cord back into the rear of the cleaner automatically.
** Bag and Consumable Costs **
Sebo's "Service box," which includes 8 bags, seals and both filters at the cost of $30 compared to other products. You can also buy 8 bags alone for the K1 at the cost of around $4. which is comparable to other cylinder vacuum cleaners anyway which use bags. I also write a number on the bags so that I know where I am in terms of the bag I've used before the filters have to be changed.
Whilst it is expensive to buy paper bags frankly I'm done with cleaning filters, emptying messy dust canisters and washing out additional filters on bagless and cyclonic applications; I'm fed up sneezing and being faced with the musty "tang" of dust once it becomes airborne. Fair enough if you don't suffer from dust but the reason to buy a K1 against Dyson is easy to justify when the ease of use and design of the K1 is taken into consideration, particularly for people with small homes and flats. Many consumers will rightly be justified to suggest that bagless models are cheaper to maintain but in my opinion there is no other way of escaping dust than in a paper dust bag.
The K1 has also won many awards for its design and use as well as being recommended by the GHI/Good Housekeeping Institute.
** Conclusion **
At the end of the day the K1 does very little wrong other from the fact that with it being made extremely well, it could well be seen as expensive to buy and uses high filtration paper bags which look small from the offset. It however sits in a market where it competes with Miele and whilst models are similar (particularly the S4210/S4000 series) the K1 has a better design element for sheer ease of use and versatility. The filters are excellent and as an owner you never get to see the motor because of the nature of this excellent hospital grade dirt sealing system.
Whilst the Komfort benefits from three main floor head options, Sebo's K1 offers the consumer a small compact cylinder vacuum cleaner which will fit well in any small home, even though there is a small bag capacity but on the upside, an excellent filtration system with filters designed to cut emissions and allergens and a beautifully simple hose and handle hoister which becomes more logical the more you use the vacuum. I'd say over our newer Miele S4000 cylinder, the K1 is much better made and well thought out.
The user manual is also printed in English and has good actual pictures of the parts you need to see. User manuals are available to download which Sebo can send you but you must have Adobe installed to view it.
So it's a thumbs up to the little K1 from Sebo. Thanks to the mass supply of bags and filters as well as optional cleaning accessories from Sebo themselves, no wonder the K1 gives Miele a run for its money. All Sebo need to do is put a pedal in for that cord rewind though! Thanks for reading. ŠNar2 2007. * Appears elsewhere such as Dooyoo *
www.sebo.co.uk (there are videos of the K1 here)
www.sebo-vacuums.com/ (USA website)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 260.11
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Epinions.com ID:
nar2
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Location: UK
Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Household Appliances Guide for Dooyoo.co.uk
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