Be Patient! *Royal isn't Finished with Me Yet!
Written: Sep 25 '00 (Updated Sep 26 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Powerful 12 Motor provides excellent suction power. Light serves as a cleaning aide.
Cons: Bad placement of hose and tool sections. Problems with replacing Hepa Filter.
|
|
|
| shartion's Full Review: Dirt Devil M084015 Touch Up Upright Vacuum |
You are now the proud owner of the Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision Vacuum, with Power You Can See! states the beginning of our instruction manual for this vacuum.
AND we were proud.
We had previously purchased new white carpeting and realized a new vacuum was in order. We had been using a Hoover which I had purchased for $25.00 at a garage sale three or four years earlier. It had more than outlasted its effectiveness, especially for the price we paid. The suction power was getting less and from the sounds of the ~groaning~ when we turned it on, the motor was about gone.
We had seen the Dirt Devil advertised and when we saw our local department store had this particular brand on sale, we hurried over. After capturing the attention of several young salespeople who seemed to know even less about vacuums than we did, we took it upon ourselves to see what this vacuum had to offer. By the time we had spent 1/2 hour with the Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision vacuum, we were proud of ourselves. We thought we knew everything there was to know. The dynamic power of these two consumers hauled our purchase to the counter and after plunking down $179.99 ($20.00 less due to sale) we were off.
*Materials -The body is made with heavy plastic including the wheels.
*Large 12 Amp Motor which is the largest motor put in a vacuum, unless you're Tim the Tool Man
*Hide-A-Hose - Hose with a half-circle handle. Hose fits into a round inlet in the right side of the vacuum
*On-Board Tools: Dust/Upholstery Brush, Power Edger Brush, Edge Wedge (for corners and stairs) and Crevice Tool
*Telescopic Wand - Used for added length
*Non-Slip Grip Handle - For an excellent grip while vacuuming
*Carrying Handle - Used to carry vacuum from room to room.
*Long Power Cord Whoops - hang on, I'm measuring - 30 foot power cord.
*Quick Cord Clip - Small but sturdy clip that holds the cord.
*Headlight - A Car Lamp #906 13.0 volts
*Swivel Castors
*Clog Indicator Light This turns red when you 'catch' something in the machine. You will also notice a strong smell of smoke at the same time.
*Hepa Filter - Guaranteed to filter 99.97 percent of pollen, dust and other allergins.
*Perma Filter which filters dust and fits into the--
*See thru Dirt Container.
*Brush Roll
The manual includes easy to assemble instructions. All you need is a Phillips screwdriver to assemble the handle to the vacuum. You then attach the hose and place the removable end of the hose into the inlet located on the right side.
**This is one area where I have problems. The hose seems awkward and the space in between where the hose fits is small. While trying to fit the hose into the inlet cuff, I've rammed my hand a couple of times. Once the hose is in, it's a pulling and twisting match to pull it out again...nothing serious just irritating.
The On-Board Tool Sections (5) which hold the tools are in the back of the vacuum. **They're also not located in a good area. Either the cord or hose would often catch the tools and they would fall off. Since we never used them anyway, they joined other spare parts added to our laundry room shelf. I remember it taking us longer to add the hose and the tools during the short assembly then it did to put the screws into the handle.
Once you have everything hooked, connected, screwed, placed, and plugged in, turn the knob on the Height Adjustment in a clockwise semicircle to reach one of the seven (7) levels you want: **High Pile (2 settings) Medium/Low (3 settings) and Bare Floor (2 settings). ** Another problem here. I have found on other vacuums that the bare floor height adjustment never works correctly. There is no exception here with the Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision. Anything on the floor seems to shoot right under and ends up every place but the vacuum.
Using your foot, push down on the Release Lever on the lower right bottom (nice placement) to place the handle where you want it, and turn on the On/Off Switch. This sits on a small red piece of plastic which accentuates the switch, making it easy to find.
Since my husband had his hands on it at the time of assembly, he was the lucky one to test drive. The first thing we noticed when he started vacuuming with our new Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision was the powerful 12 amp motor. We thought the carpet looked clean before we started but were amazed at the lint and dirt that soon showed up in the see thru Dirt Container. We were impressed!! I was as eager as a three year old ready to "try" out a new toy and quickly took it away from him. Since it was evening and we hadn't yet turned on many lights, I found I really liked the Headlight. I was certainly able to see what I was doing. Because of the powerful motor and the vacuum being heavier, I felt it was harder for me to maneuver. The pushing/pulling action was made easier with the swivel castors but sometimes they seem to go their own way. (Couldn't be my driving skills, could it)?
We quickly figured out how to push in on the latch to remove the Dirt Container and empty it. It's OK when you don't have very much in it but when it's about half full you don't want to get too close. Hold your breath or you might inhale dust. Inside the container is the Perma Filter. I'm always amazed at the fine layer of dust this collects. The first couple of weeks I had problems getting this back into the container but once you figure it out it's pretty easy. You have to match it up with the inside bottom of the container. This filter is easy to clean with a damp cloth.
The outside filter, (Hepa Filter) is composed of a cover and the inside cartridge which should be replaced once a year. The price of this filter is $25.00 from a *Royal (manufacturer of the Dirt Devil) authorized dealer. I, however, found one in a discount store for only $19.00. **This filter is the most frustrating part of the entire vacuum. I don't have any problems removing it as it usually drops off and is left behind while I'm vacuuming. It's definitely difficult to correctly align the tabs of the cover with the outside slots of the vacuum when replacing it.
I see no use of the Clog Indicator Light as the noise this vacuum makes when something gets caught in the "Brush Bar" is enough for anyone to pay attention and quickly shut it off.
Our belt has broken a couple of times but is easy to replace - again all that's necessary is a Phillips screwdriver. There is a belt holder on the back panel of the vacuum that will hold extra belts.
It does have a six year warranty on the motor and three on the vacuum.
The best part of this Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision is the way it cleans. We've had it over two years and it's still as good as the day we first moved it across our carpet. I can't say we're as proud now as we were then of our selection as you can tell from this review. I would think any vacuums with 12 amp motors would be able to do the cleaning job we require.
**If you've ever heard the saying "Be Patient! God isn't finished with me yet," you'll understand my title now you've read this review. I feel *Royal's Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision Vacuum has a way to go before it's perfected.
**The vacuum I am reviewing here is the Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision Vacuum. This is the name of the model listed on the front of my vacuum. The model number on the bottom of my vacuum reads M086900. I notice it comes up under the category Dirt Devil Vision vacuum. The picture that shows up with this page is definitely the one I'm reviewing.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
shartion
|
|
Location: Mpls.MN
Reviews written: 49
Trusted by: 76 members
About Me:
"Be glad for Life; It invites us to Love, to Play, to Dance upon stars."
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.