Bagless Joy Wonder? (Electrolux Cyclone 1498)

Member Name: catatonic

Product:	Electrolux Cyclone 1498
Date:	07/08/01 (993 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sturdy, Attractive, Powerful Cleaning

Disadvantages: Topples, Design Flaws, Expensive RRP

For a Vaccuum cleaner to survive in my house it must be sturdy, uncomplaining and prepared for complete disrespect and general overwork!!! So when I discovered the Electrolux Z1498 @ Woolworths for the bargain price of £90 I thought it was worth a shot, well at a retail price of nearly twice that it seems fair to expect a better than average vaccuum!!!

The moment my vaccuum arrived I twigged that it was going to be a self assembly job - the box was far too compact to include a vaccuum suitable for anyone over four foot! However the instruction manual was reasonably understandable and after a few minor mishaps my vaccuum stood in all it's glory before me.

First impressions were mixed. Being of a sensible disposition I had researched, probably like you are doing now!, my potential purchase before parting with my hard earned cash. One of the main criticisms that came up over and over again were that this vaccuum has a tendency to topple. I ignored this because my previous vaccuums had always toppled ( mainly due to having short hoses!! ) However this vaccuum has a very generous hose and actually topples just for the hell of it! It looks unstable and is and whilst you soon learn not to get down on your hands and knees in front of it when using the extension hose it is nevertheless an annoying feature.

There are a few other minor design flaws worth pointing out. The hook for the vaccuum lead is too tight - mine has already sheared the cable slightly. Also when removing and replacing the dust cartridge you need to have the lead unwound as otherwise it catches. I've also found that when hoovering I catch my leg on the side of the cleaner - I have no idea why!!! ( as far as I'm aware my legs aren't on the plump side!! )

On the positive side this cleaner really does clean! When my vaccuum arrived I had already cleaned the evening before and by way of experiment ran it around to see if it picked anything up - the cartridge w
as full within seconds!!!! Strangely though this cleaner seems to miss obvious bits of fluff and just pick up the stuff invisible to the eye!!! The attachments are comprehensive and useful - though not all are on board and have to be stored elsewhere.

On the whole I'm quite content with my vaccuum. It's attractive to look at whilst being essentially sturdy. The widetrack feature makes cleaning large areas quick and easy - though edge to edge cleaning is not so good. This vaccuum is a bit of a mixed bag but if you manage to locate one at around the £90 mark then I'm sure you will be quite content with it. If you are intending paying the RRP however I would look elsewhere. As far as I'm concerned there are better vaccuums on offer at the £180 mark.

Summary: