The owner of the business that employs me is known to be thrifty. He usually does his own maintenance of the facilities including painting and repairs and sometimes even cleaning. We reuse our paper cups and wash the plastic utensils in the kitchen. I don’t mind that as much as having to use the unrefined, bargain tissues and dollar store toilet paper with a rough, burlappy texture and occasional embedded bits of bark or wood chips. Our fleet of computers still runs on Windows 95, but the key is they still run.
Thus when Maryn was talking about how much she liked our workplace vacuum cleaner and that the owner had paid a small ransom for it, I didn’t take it too seriously. One day I actually took this wunderkind vacuum for a spin and liking how it felt decided to find out with some research just how good a vacuum this was. What I discovered shocked and awed me. The Sebo Essential G1 S-Class Upright is a $500 + vacuum cleaner. I had to investigate this phenomenon. It is really all that? Is it worth the hefty price tag? How would it compare to my Eureka Smartvac rated number 2 by Consumer Reports? Last Saturday I brought my vacuum to the luxurious surroundings of our workplace for the vac off at OK Corral. It’s Eureka vs. Sebo!
DIMENSIONS AND FEATURES
At 19 pounds and 12 inches wide, the German made Sebo Essential G1 is as stylish as a boxy, utilitarian 70’s Volkswagen bus. Its bland, beigy earth colors and uninspired European styling have the visual appeal of a day old dish of sauerkraut. Looking beyond superficial cosmetics, the Sebo has some intriguing and desirable features.
S-class filtration system – retains over 99.9% of pollens, dust, dust mites and other allergens.
Low operating costs – S filtration doesn’t use expensive HEPA filters
Strong attachment suction – 92.5 inches of water lift if that matters to you
Clean air design – protects motor from damage by items picked up
Two stage, 12 amp motor – “produces over 30% more suction for the same amperage rating”
Cog type drive belts – positive power transfer from motor to revolving brush
Double row brush roll – “arranged in a 360 degree convergent format” in a steep spiral. The brush roll is easy to remove for cleaning and inspection.
Extra low profile
System status lights – light indicators alert the user to check for full bag, blockage, or brush roll problem. Cool! Idiot lights on a vacuum.
One-year labor warranty and three year parts warranty by Sebo – In addition Sebo adds a five year limited motor warranty for uprights purchased for private household use.
Convenient on-board attachments
Easy to change paper bags – bag is attached to the removable bag cover making it easy to access.
Fast hybrid overload protection – a bedspread or throw carpet caught in the nozzle will stop the brush roll, but not the motor without damaging the belts.
Commercial quality for many years of use- I hope it’s better than most of the commercials I’ve seen that often lack quality.
The Vac Off
I must have what the Germans call a “fart fig noggin”, for I could think of nothing else but the impending contest that Saturday morning even though I had been using the Sebo during the week in anticipation of the vac to vac competition. My co-workers looked at me curiously as I, in my new lederhosen, mumbled Wunderbar every time I walked past the parked pair of vacuums.
The Sebo handles smoothly, almost effortlessly as I vacuum our center’s low pile carpeting. It maneuvers nicely around the desks, computer tables, and student workstations. The handle lies flat making it a cinch to vacuum under the tables and chairs. I suppose some people would actually move the chairs, but keep in mind the “fart fig noggin” thing. The Sebo seems to pull itself forward by itself as I steady the handle in my open palm and watch it continue to move. I don’t know if this is a characteristic of this model or the brush roll was set too low. Either way it was fun to watch. The bits and shreds of paper on the floor disappear quickly under the machine’s path, and only occasionally do I have to repeat a swipe to capture an escaped shred.
Despite the manufacturer’s claims, the Sebo is not impressively quiet; it sounds like most other vacuums I have known. I like the placement of the on/off switch at the top of the handle enabling me to grab the handle’s curved grip while turning on the vacuum with a thumb. Oddly there’s a two second delay for the vacuum to kick on after pushing the switch. The foot lever handle release is comfortable and easy to use, the best engineered I’ve ever experienced. The long forty foot cord is great for our workplace and easy to wind and unwind with the quick release feature. Such a long cord saves time and the nuisance of repeatedly plugging and unplugging in different outlets.
COMPARISONS
The Sebo has four height settings; the Eureka six. With our low pile carpeting throughout it’s a non-issue for us.
The Sebo has no headlight; my Eureka has a worthless, nominal light.
The Sebo is much easier to push and maneuver than the larger, heavier Eureka. Its smaller path, however, necessitates more passes to clean the same area.
The Sebo has a full bag light indicator; the Eureka has none. It’s easier to change the bag and replace the bag cover on the Sebo.
Ease of turning off the brush roll for bare floor vacuuming? It’s no contest. Ya! SEBO wins by kilometers!
Both have carry on tools, but the Eureka has extender wands and a longer reach. The tools of the Sebo are easier to remove and snap back onto the body. As regards accessing the hose, I prefer the Eureka’s design.
The Sebo’s handle release is superior to the Eureka’s.
The cord holding clips on the Sebo are set higher than on the Eureka. This thoughtful design allows one to rewind the cord without bending.
Is the Sebo quieter than the much less expensive Eureka? One would think so.
Three of us compared decibels as the vacs were turned on and off alternately. We all had the same answer. Nein! Both vacuums seemed to be equal in engine roar.
Again having assistance from volunteers, I compared the suction of the above floor tools.
After a few tests we unanimously agreed that the Eureka seemed to have superior suction.
Finally I scattered sugar onto the carpet and emptied the holes from our hole puncher onto the floor. Both vacuums were on their lowest settings. The Sebo took two passes to get all the sugar, the Eureka one. When vacuuming those hard to pick up paper circles, the Eureka did a faster, more efficient job.
My assistants and I concluded that the $140 Eureka performed at least as well as its German cousin.
Final Thoughts
This little exercise only confirms what I’ve always believed; Paying more doesn’t always get you more. It also validates my fortuitous purchase of the Eureka SmartVac. The SEBO Essential G1 is a good, maybe even a great vac and is structurally and ergonomically superior to many of its less expensive competitors. Is it worth the premium price? I’d have to answer with a subjective “NEIN!”
Kind of fun to dig my high school German out of mothballs. I hope the German words and phrases are even remotely correct.
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