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Electrolux Z4412
by Nar2
Electrolux are fast becoming one of the biggest leaders in the floor care industry thanks to the fact that they are launching new products alongside older products such as the more traditional bagged vacuum cleaner at lower prices and cheaper build quality. Now whilst Hoover are trying to re-write their image with new and more expensive ... products such as their recently launched Freemotion, Freespace and Xarion series, Electrolux are quietly going about their business supplying traders and high street white goods shops with models such as the Electrolux Powerplus series which has been on sale for the last couple of years as a budget larger sized cylinder/pull along vacuum cleaner with acres of suction and no-fuss design. However they have recently updated their entire Powerplus range and the Z4412 is the more basic of models not to have a variable suction control and offering fixed suction thanks to 1700 watts and basic filtration. Two years from the last basic Powerplus model I had, have things moved on?
Well from the exterior Electrolux have tried to make quality a little better even though the pedals for switching on and cord rewind are both slightly bigger, they still react with a soft touch and the bag indicator is still as small as the last time; i.e. you'll have to bend down close to look for the green wall to appear when the same large 4 litre dust bag gets full rather than being able to tell from afar like on a Miele vacuum or similarly priced one at the premium end of the market. Talking of which at £30-30 the Powerplus Z4412 is comparatively cheaper than anything else on the market with a mass well known and reputable name. But does the Powerplus get by on this merit alone? For a start the bags cost £5-99 for a pack of 5 and each pack should come with a free filter - just like many Electrolux bags these days that help the consumer rather than being forced to order other parts at extra cost.
Performance wise, the Powerplus has acres of suction and a large bag destined to last a month and bit through average use but with it comes a rather noisy motor that is boomy and has a high whine even though Electrolux have retained a slow start motor to keep it ticking over long term. The hose for this model is also quite short at less than a meter coupled with a rather cheap feeling handle that is ribbed on one side for extra hand grips and the same lousy air outlet hole that allows suction to slightly decrease making the floor head easier to manage on hard and soft flooring textures. I thought it was me when I had to stoop to use this model with its short hose. You don't buy this model for anything other than to vacuum around homes that have different textures or on the pretence that with its large motor it will suck up everything; without a moving brush bar, or turbo brush, the Powerplus excels at a good pace but struggles when threads and hairs are abundant and the Powerplus stumbles forcing the owner to keep pushing and pulling the floor head across the carpet until the threads get sucked up. The smaller tools however has their own hidey hole - just like before - with a pull down recess at the front of this vacuum cleaner and there are only two tools which is frankly disappointing for the price. At this point in the market budget brands from Argos have three tools and it is here one starts to realise the extent of Electrolux's thinking; a small crevice tool is supplied with a snap on brush that fits over the mouth of the tool making two tools in one but in use, the crevice tool is noisy and adds more noise to the full proposition even at a stretch, being suitable for most dust pick up uses, Electrolux also give the owner a flat upholstery tool and whilst it is simply designed it too provides too much noise when used in conjunction with the cheap feeling handle. At £30 to £40 you should also be able to find metal tubes but the Z4412 makes do with just a pair of cheap feeling plastic tubes that feel like they're going to snap off when in use.
However the largest downside of the Electrolux Powerplus "base" model (Z4412) is the lack of several features that could be taken for granted on a vacuum cleaner in this day and age. Take for example, travelling around with the Powerplus; it should have a long power cord; yet it still languishes with a 4.5 metre power cord and that is far too short unless you live in a small home and have plenty of electrical sockets on hand. Electrolux have wisely continued to add coloured rings onto the black cord to show when the final amount is allowed; but this isn't very practical when more length of cord is needed rather than the coloured rings. Therefore I appreciate the fact that the Powerplus has a large carry handle and it is very lightweight at nearly 6kg, however acres of black plastic due to the floor head and pipes reveal that this vacuum has been made to a budget. What is slightly worse is that this cylinder mirrors the smaller Powerlite vacuum on design; when sited in the upright position, the user manual warns not to place the vacuum cleaner on carpeted stairs because the main exhaust is on the back and thus can burn the floor! Most people who consider cylinder vacuums buy for the very reason that the design employs a far greater versatility for stair cleaning for example.
Whilst changing the filters (both are washable but must be fully dried) and bags are no problem, Electrolux haven't done much to improve the robustness of the Powerplus. Once the bin door is released it is possible to find rough edges inside whilst the bag holder is cheap feeling and doesn't look or feel like it will last. Given that Electrolux also produce the slightly smaller bag capacity Powerlite cylinder vacuum at the same price on the high street, it comes with a larger amount of cable at half the dirt capacity of this larger cylinder vacuum cleaner - and at the cost of losing space to accommodate this rather large machine, it really makes no sense whatsoever to consider this outdated vacuum despite a lovely look, curved angles but a quality of plastic that bends at the slightest exertion. Both the Powerlite and Powerplus models come with reuseable washable material dust bags when bought brand new and two spare paper dust bags to keep you tied over - but if you buy this model from EBay, the sellers keep the material bags and reconditioned models are only supplied with paper bags forcing the new owner to splash out more money.
On face value then Electrolux Powerplus Z4412 may look new but it has not improved since its last model change; it still suffers impracticalities because Electrolux are too stingy to fit a decent amount of cord and features for the price not to mention moving the exhaust channel away from the rear, fitting a quieter motor and updating the basic micro-filtration filter that copes with keeping back obvious odours until you start to pick up pet hair or spices left on the kitchen floor. As a brand leader in the floor care market, Electrolux can no longer survive on tarting up an old vacuum cleaner - no matter how shiny the white paintwork has received. Thanks for reading. İNar2 2008
www.electrolux.co.uk
www.millerbros.co.uk
(product code 4482861)
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Electrolux Z4706AZ Vitesse Pet Lover
by Gary25
The picture shows red but the model I have is blue.
We have two cats, the little darlings, and around 12 months ago, when our previous cleaner finally gave up the ghost, this machine with the words 'pet lover' caught my eye in Tesco for £59.99.
They had a model on display and it looked aesthetically pleasing in white and ... blue so I picked up a box. Said box was surprisingly small so I had a suspicion that the vacuum was self assembly. When I got home and unpacked it, my fears were well founded. Neatly packed in blocks of cardboard, and in no particular order were,
2 long screws and 5 short screws,
A base (the piece in contact with the floor),
A dust cup with lid and filter,
A long handle,
A tool caddy,
A rear housing,
A hose retainer,
A bendy hose,
A wand (not magic),
A crevice tool,
A stair brush,
A dusting brush.
For older members, it is more fun to read the above as if they were passing by on the conveyor belt on The Generation Game. Sorry, I digress.
Let me say at this point, if you do not own a Phillips screwdriver then you can't really progress any further. Some products supply a screwdriver in the package but not in this case.
As a guide for any potential purchaser, there are nine steps to follow to assemble this cleaner with illustrations to assist. I won't bore you with the ins and outs here but the instructions were adequate although I still found it a quite time-consuming and onerous task and possibly beyond the scope of some.
With beads of sweat running down my forehead, I eventually finished the assembly. The bendy hose fits via a U shaped slot, then over a hook in the handle and through another U shaped slot into the base. Try as I might it kept popping out of the one side and still does to this day!
So what does this do?
It is an upright bagless cyclonic vacuum (a cheaper Dyson effectively) and to operate you press a blue foot pedal at the base to release and pull the handle back to a comfortable position. The on/off button is again located at the base.
On the front at the bottom is a blue dial to adjust the height setting. It varies from short pile, hard floor, two intermediate settings, then long pile. If the cleaner is hard to push, move it to the next highest setting.
The wand and crevice tool is attached to the end of the bendy hose for cleaning nooks and crannies. The stair brush is like a mini vacuum with its own brush and belt and fits on the end of the hose for cleaning stairs.
A quick release lever frees the dust cup and the lid twists off for emptying. Full instructions on cleaning the dust filter is in the manual.
Personal observations.
The cable length is around 7 metres but it has an annoying tendency to twist and wrap around itself which makes it difficult to wrap around the machine when cleaning is finished. Now effectively about 3m!!
It has a 1700W motor which is adequate though noisy.
I find it quite cumbersome and heavy especially when negotiating stairs.
Suction is no better than comparable models and I haven't found that it picks up pet hairs any more effectively than non pet lover machines.
The capacity of the cup is 2.4L and is best emptied regularly to avoid blockage in the tube.
The stair brush I actually found to be poor.
The tools fit neatly on the machine even though that hose keeps popping off.
There's a huge trouble-shooting guide at the end of the manual and though I haven't had to use it, there's plenty that could go wrong. The item also comes with a spare belt to fit around the motor should the original wear / stretch.
Overall it's an OK vacuum but I can't really enthuse about it. Sorry.
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Electrolux Z2955AZ Petlover
by cyberem78
I bought this to replace a worn out Dyson. I have 3 dogs so my home gets quite messy! When I first tried vacuum it felt very powerful and I was pleased it was going to be so effective. However, it's power means that it sucks so hard to your floors that you can barely push it around! It feels very heavy, even after adjusting the head to ... the appropriate setting for the type of floor it is. Furthermore, it is quite noisy, much noisier than my old Dyson, and actually frightens the pets!
The filter is easy to insert and remove but for some reason the vacuum blows air back through the filter and a lot of dust and white powder residue (particles of the filter) are blown back and can create more mess than when you started! It gets so bad it chokes you.
The capacity is quite small but the removal system is quick and easy. Unfortunately this vacuum is so horrendous that I have purchased another Dyson, only a month after buying this. I still use this Electrolux on non carpeted areas and in the utility rooms where it is still powerful and easier to move on the bare floors.
I would not purchase this vacuum if you are looking for a solution to pet mess. It doesn't help do the job.
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