Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Hi,

Per Japan Today, Sanyo has come up with a new cyclonic model, the Sanyo Airsis, which is to be released in Japan on October 21st.

The Airsis' proprosed price is to be 115,500 yen (approximately $1,277 American). Despite some slightly radical design changes -- a hose end with dual grips and very different looking floor tool -- the price sounds a bit steep for a machine that's main claim is an upward directed exhaust stream. That's more an exercise of common sense than genius. Sanyo also says this cleaner excels because its filtration rate is 20 percent faster. Whether this implies increased airflow and/or suction, I do not know. Link follows:

http://www.japantoday.com/category/new-products/view/cyclonic-vacuum-cleaner-2

Venson

Mike_W wrote:
Thanks Mike.

Venson

HARDSELL wrote:

Hello HS:

Dream on.  Garry's infomercial attempts to invoke the classic ORECK iconology.  To garry's credit, it picked a winner to emulate at least in form, design, and marketing.  Similarities in form, design and marketing don't automatically translate into similarity in performance and operation.  

Carmine D.

Several years back, Sanyo intro'ed a bagless upright with cyclo-flow filtration.  Still available.  It's claim is that it cuts back room exhaust by 60 percent by internally recirculating exhaust air through the brush roll nozzle.  The remaining 40 percent filters thru a HEPA rated filter.  The Airsis may be the canister equivalent by Sanyo?

Carmine D.

SCF1201 Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner with Cyclo-Flow™ Filtration

Carmine or anyone else,

     I know I am off the topic of this Sanyo but seeing the name Filtex again on  that old  cleaner sight got me wondering what the body of the Filtex was made of. If I remember there were  two -what I like to refer to as flush screw nuts held the front and back together and the body was not metal. Kind of like formed Masonite. Haven't used that name in awhile. When we had a bad casing we had stove pipe metal made into the size needed to replace the body and used Model XXX covering to cover the outside. and put the Filtex emblem back on. Any help would be appreciated in helping me. It has been awhile since the 50's.

                                                                                                                                                                              Procare

                                                                                          

procare wrote:
Hi Procare,

I priorly owned a Filtex tank got rid of it but bought another that I have tucked away. (I'm doing a major housecleaning and will pass on the model number later.) The main body of both are made of, as you said, Masonite. Front and rear ends were cast aluminum and the bottom was steel. There was a cylindrical Filtex tank made preceding the later tanks early on that I assume was all-metal.

Later on, a company manufactured bagged central vacs under the name Filtex and used the original Filtex cast aluminum rug nozzle. I tried to track them down years ago but heard their warehouse had been burned out. If I recall correctly that was back in the 1980s.

Best,

Venson

Hello Procare, Venson:

Back in the 50's when these filtex tanks were around and popular, I'm not sure we actually used the term "masonite' for the material of the vacuums' bodies.  Instead, calling it what it was: a hard thin cardboard.  I would add too that these tanks, unlike the lux 30's, had wheels instead of runners.   WRT filtex style and design, very similar to the more popular lux 30's in vacuum and attachments.  And why not.  Lux and the 30 in particular was the leader in tanks for many many years.  Filtex was following the leader.

Carmine D.

Venson wrote:
Can prospective buyers actually see the dust that's coming through the filter though? I don't think it is that possible. The S7 exhaust mirrors the same filter design as the Miele cylinder vacs - what comes out of the motor top vent is actual carbon dust from the motor which then goes onto the filter - you would see that if you fit the super air clean basic filter onto the S7 instead of the carbon fitted base on the HEPA filter or Active Air Clean filter cartridges. PLUS there's whatever air the machine is sucking in to make it cleaner before it goes back into the room.

In the UK the old Connie did well simply because it promised a lighter gliding aspect and of its novel UFO design. However most owners complained of the smell it left behind and no wonder when it was depositing that dank odour from the bag through the vent. The latest ones however are different since they have HEPA on board. As for the Air Rider - we had them in the UK for a limited period but they haven't been a huge seller.

vacmanuk wrote:
Hi vacmanuk,

I wasn't out to make a point about filtration but about design that lessens the possibility of exhaust air disturbing dust, especially at floor level, before it can be vacuumed away. As I said, one of the things to look for when you're checking out a vacuum is the placement of its exhaust vent(s). If at the top of the machine or diverted by louvers, etc., that direct the air stream up and away from the floor -- life is wonderful.

As for actual filtration, the matter remains up for debate. There is the ideal but most vacuum users don't think on it much if at all. If they did they'd be taking a good deal more care in their buying choices. HEPA filter is as much a salesman's catch phrase as is fiber optics is to the guys who sell photo copiers. All they and the customer may know is that it is something good to have.

I do agree that modern filtering medium has changed the clean air picture a bit. Back in the day I could walk in to a room, take a whiff of the air and know that someone had just vacuumed. In my case these days, I'm quite happy -- no smell, no signs of dust where it counts. I changed the bag on the S7 day before yesterday -- I'm using the HyClean ones -- and the bag chamber's clean as a whistle indicating that fine dust is being captured to a very high degree even before the pre-filter and HEPA. That's all I want to know. I have had no urge to invest in a particle counter.

As for carbon dust, that is a matter I personally worry little over. My vacuums have good after-filters and even without they are not run 24/7 so I see little need for worry. New York air pollution will kill me far sooner than minuscule amounts of carbon from appliances around the house.

Best,

Venson

Ah. You're in NYC. That explains a lot. Scotland UK calling here which means rain for 365 days of the year, green green grass, fresh limescale free water and pure air albeit bloody cold!

I have the Panasonic built version of the Airsis, the MC-SXJ4000-W. We live in the US but adore Japanese canister vacuums and their all surface power nozzles. After Panasonic bought Sanyo they continued to sell the Airsis under their own brand name. What makes the Airsis special is its filtration. In the belly beneath the motor is a large circular ULPA filter. The US DoE HEPA standard is 99.97% filtration of particles down to 0.3 microns. That spec was designed for the nuclear power industry to filter out nuclear particles of 0.3 microns. ULPA is a clean room standard with filtration of particles down to 0.08 microns. ULPA filtered air is directed upwards from the rear of the vacuum. It is a bagless design but nothing like Americans and Europeans are accustomed to. The dirt is caught in a clear plastic box with a fine mesh filter at the rear followed by a pleated filter. It seems to work because the separate traditional looking pre-motor filter stays clean in use. I don't read Japanese so I have to look at the drawings in the manual and guess but I wash the pleated filter from time to time. There is a brush provided to allow you to brush it out. It has good cleaning power, is very quiet and the power nozzle is an absolute favorite. It has a shutter in front that folds up and exposes the brush if you press it into a baseboard. You can also rotate it 90 degrees and stand it nose down, press the shutter open and clean gaps between, say, the wall and a refrigerator. There is a way to use it as a wet mop but I haven't figured it out, and the little cleaning sheets one sees in the several videos of the vacuum are not available that I can find. I'm sure they are available, I just can't read Japanese and figure out who sells them, lol! The Airsis can be used as a room filter too. It has a button on top that will turn it on with the hose disconnected. Normally you have to operate the vacuum using the buttons on the hose handle and other Japanese vacuums won't turn on unless the hose is attached. There is no way to use a bag with this machine unless you are clever and can make a little rib for the bottom to hold a bag in place. Some other Sanyo models with similar dust boxes also have provision for a paper bag. This machine does not. I cut a piece of synthetic cloth HEPA dust bag and put that in between the mesh screen and pleated filter to keep dirt out of the filter. Doesn't affect cleaning power but saves on maintenance as the filters get expensive. The ULPA filter costs $85 USD. You can buy a cheap vacuum at Walmart for less money, but it won't be as cool as the Airsis is!