OT: Vax replacement

[Chris Bartram]

This seemed like a good place to ask.

We have an old Vax 2000 that is getting tired: the hoses are damaged, and the replacement (from Vax) doesn't fit the washing attachments, which are knackered anyway.

The obvious replacement is the 6131T, but SWMBO thinks it's too big and heavy and would like an upright cleaner. I want something that will wet clean the car seats at least, and hopefully the house carpets. Does anyone have a suggestion for something that fits the bill and doesn't cost the earth, or should I buy the 6131 and get stuck with the vacuuming myself :-) ?

[Ron Lowe]

Sorry:-) Thought you were talking about mini-computers of a certain age...

I think you may get other similar answers...

[Steve Walker]

We have a cheap, fairly lightweight cylinder vac for general, everyday use and have a second vac for heavy cleaning and wet cleaning. Our second vac is a Numatic George and we are far more satisfied with it than the Vax that it replaced.

SteveW

[Andy Burns]

Sorry:-) Thought you were talking about mini-computers of a certain age...

Well, he would have done ... mine's a VAXserver 3300

[John Stumbles]

DEC-station? Oh sorry, someone's already done that one ;-|

No washing attachements but the Earlex (also badge-engineered as Wickes) wet+dry vacs are rugged, reasonably powerful and relatively cheap. Not

*quite* as noisy as a VAX tho' :-)

They do a cheaper one and one with power take off: I've got the cheaper one. I don't know if they've changed over the last decade or so since the one I bought about 2003 is still going strong! Worth getting the wet+dry filter (pleated like a car air filter). I've got two so one can be drying out after I've washed it and I can go off with the other.

[Dave Starling]

+1 for george. It doesn't have a problem taking 45c water which wrecked its Vax predecessor. A few websites have different colours of your choice other than the green version you get in the shops. Worth buying the conc cleaner as part of a bundle. One hack I had to make was to tie wrap the trigger mechanism onto the wand as it kept sliding off. Maybe they've improved the design since I got mine.

Dave.

[Bob Eager]

[Chris Bartram]

As I wrote the post, I did think that was a possibility. I'm old enough to have used one, but I don't own one :-).

[Chris Bartram]

Thanks to all who replied. George was a possibilty I considered, seeing as how Numatic products seem well regarded.

[PeterC]

I've used a George for over 20 years and he's now been used by a neighbour for nearly a year. Copes extremely well with dogs/kids/builder's mess etc. (I bought a Nilfisk with a PTO socket). I did mod. George to take Nilfisk bags as they're cheapish and perform well until full

be worth a look at Equip4Work for vacs. - I needed some spare tools for George (same size as the Nilfisk) and the main one was over £20 in Northampton but £11 from the service was very good.

Then had a problem with the fit of the new tools: the tubes nowadays are metal and mine (well, George's) are plastic. 'Phoned Numatic, had a call back within an hour and 2 adaptors were in the post FOC! All in all very good service.

[Andy Champ]

With all this talk of DEC systems for half a second there I wondered how the thread had drifted onto 1900s...

Andy

[Bob Eager]

That takes me back....!

[Man at B&Q]

With a fresh bag our VAX 2000 series will perform at least as well as anything else on the market, especially with the turbo brush head.

SWMBO thought she wanted a Dyson until we saw how F-ugly they are. At =A312 for 20 copy bags and =A32.50 for a filter set we decided to keep the Vax and just change the bag a lot more often.

MBQ