The Blue Topo is Tops for Cleaning! (Goblin 73156)

Member Name: Nar2

Product:	Goblin 73156
Date:	17/07/07 (210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Eager, very small, very lightweight, easy to use, easy to store, washable bags.

Disadvantages: Availability, short power cord, cheap smaller cleaning tools.

Since the 1970’s and 1980’s Goblin vacuum cleaners have always been cheap to buy – and in some cases not always cheap to maintain because paper bags for their models are becoming harder to find. The cheapness of build has resulted over the years in Goblin making cleaners that are still cheap to buy – with a drastic improvement in the build quality where everything on the appliances don’t feel as if they will break off anymore under general use. Now that Morphy Richards have taken over Goblin, Goblin vacuums are increasingly dying out with the old brand label although confusingly on MR’s website you can clearly see the Goblin labelling on old machines. Years ago I bought this little Topo blue and grey model for a friend at the cost of £23-99. I’m holding onto it again as he prepares to come back to the UK and have been using it for sometime now. But before you ask, why does Nar need yet another cylinder vacuum? There are methods to my madness at times!


** Nar’s Quick Skip Product Spec **

• 1400 watts with Variable Power selection built into the On button. (its quieter!)
• Auto Cord Rewind.
• Foam filters for both Motor and Exhaust/4 stage filtration
• 2 Permanent Washable Cloth Bags (Dust capacity at 2.5 litres)
• 3.5kg/4kg weight.
• Can take optional paper bags because the 73158 green model is the same.
• Dusting Brush & Crevice tool with Tube Clip for easy storage
• Mechanical Dust Bag condition indicator – but its too small to see from a distance.
• Metal Extension Tubes at 35mm with greater width.
• Cord length at 4.5m
• Comfort Handle (Fixed)
• Online prices of £23-99; Walk away if its £40!


** In Use **


Before I even begin to wax lyrical about just how good the Topo is, the 1500 watt model I used late last year (green model, 73158 Dooyoo have printed the wrong product biog info here) has rubber wheels which makes it easier to move around against the blue/grey Topo and whilst it may well have 100 watts more, I found the later model to be too noisy compared to the 1400 watt model which is weird as both have the same variable suction control.

So you see whilst people may well think that there’s no need to comment on the smallest details here, when it comes to actually using it’s a rather different experience.

Over the green model, the Blue Topo has a few differences. For starters it doesn’t have cheaper plastic pipes, but metal friction fit tubes which like Hoover are unfortunate in the way that once they are put together you’ll have a mighty job pulling them apart. The handle however has still been retained, copied from Sebo in the sense that the handle sits above the hose which makes pointing and steerage extremely easy and lightweight, pointing the hose in the direction you want completely rather than at an angle with conventional curved handles. Whilst this handle may well have been copied from Sebo, it does smack of cheap quality and in the three years since ownership being passed from my friend back to me before he returns from Africa, he has managed to break the handle which had been done when it got stuck under a bed. Replacement handle and hose from Goblin was a reasonable £15-95 including postage and packaging. It also has an air inlet valve which allows suction to be reduced as well as having a variable suction control dial located on the main body of the Goblin (twist turn dial type) which also acts as the power button when it is pushed in and out.

Therefore controls on the Topo series are kept to a minimum here and if you have seen it before then you’d be right; the Topo series is the basis of Hoover’s Sprint cylinder model, right down to the same controls and fittings. Goblin also fit a stiff lock on the hose before it can be locked into the top of the Topo. This has a much better mechanism than other cylinders I have used before and releasing it is easy as well as locking it to the body of the vacuum.

So how’s the performance? In short the Topo 73156 is a great little compact cylinder cleaner to move around. Suction is fantastic and the noise level from the motor isn't too noisy that you have to stop everything to hear someone talking to you. The body is half the size of average cylinder cleaners so lifting it up stairs isn’t a problem, storing it is fantastic since its squat shape can be pushed under beds or in storage cupboards and like most vacuums on the market has 2 park positions for the hose to lock into. Gliding is easy too thanks to the 2 way universal floor head whilst the less power you use the less of a struggle it becomes to plough through thick pile carpeting. If you need quick suction, simply raise the power control.

More recently I've been cleaning out the attic at my parents home and there would have been no way I'd have been able to lift any one of my bigger and bulkier cylinders up the stair. The Topo however was as simple as lifting a small fire extinguisher in terms of size.

Unlike its green cousin, the Blue Topo/73156 comes with two washable fabric SMS bags which cuts out the cost and the stress of looking for paper bags. But make sure if you are looking to buy this model that it carries the 73156 model code, because Goblin issued another model similar in look to this one but it doesn’t come with washable bags and a replacement washable bag can cost up to £10-99 from suppliers if its not factory fitted.

The Topo can take paper bags if you don’t like the idea of the washable fabric bag, but for long term use the Topo can be used without further costs unless something breaks off.

In both applications both bag options slide into a bag holder. The Goblin however won’t allow you to close the door if the bin hasn’t been put in properly. That squat cylinder shape however does present the problem that the bin door is small so whenever it’s open getting to the bag can be tricky as the opening isn’t particularly large. Both bags have a capacity of 2.5 litres which is competitive at best against other rivals of similar size and power.

The washable bag can be used up to five times before it has to be washed and having two bags means whilst one is getting washed in a low temperature automatic wash programme (and they can be dried in a similarly low temp tumble dryer without the plastic clip which keeps it together in use) the other bag can be used. This is a failing I've found on most cylinders by Hoover where another bag isn't supplied!

A mechanical bag indicator also shows the condition of the paper bag, but the window is hopelessly small which counter acts Goblin’s claim that the machine would be suitable for the less able in terms of being lightweight – you need to pick the machine up and look at the indicator closely – thanks to its size it is impossible to view it, just from bending down and looking at it on the floor but at 3.5/4kg the Topo is quite a lightweight machine without the metal pipes added and in this respect cleaning with the Topo for above the floor tasks is pretty easy and stress free.


** Filtration **


The filtration aspects on the Goblin are basic however; a 2 stage pleated filter sits behind the bag and is easy to pick out whilst at the back of the cleaner where it sits in the upright position, a pick up grid reveals the exhaust filter. As the user manual states both filters are washable but they must be dried fully before they can be installed again. Whilst I don’t doubt the fact that the cleaner cannot be further bought with a HEPA filter, for general cleaning the air which the Goblin pumps out is generally clean and hasn’t so far disappointed, particularly with car dirt and DIY dust. Both filters are easy to spot inside the bin area and on the underside of the Goblin where the main motor filter door is.


** Downsides **


One downside to the Topo is the cheaper tools which are supplied such as the crevice tool and dusting brush. They are short, stubby plastic tools which don’t feel well made. Although the ones on my Topo have yet to crack or break they are both easily scrapped and additionally have nowhere to sit integrally flush with the machine. There is a clip provided with the machine that you fix onto the chrome tubes and you can fix the tools on, but in use as a main vacuum cleaner, pass too closely by a coffee table and one or both of the tools may well fly off the cheap tool holder on the tube.

The design of the tools can be seen as a good thing or bad thing; the dusting tool slips onto the mouth of the crevice tool which means you can use both tools at once, if for example you are cleaning stairs and the level of carpet has been pushed into the sides. Having brushes at the top of the crevice tool is ideal for catching all the dust at one time though!

If there is another downside its the short power cord; although it is handy to mark out the cord with different colours in yellow and then red to show when the end of the cord is nearing, 4.5 metres has always been too short for any great cleaning task unless you have a small home or a home with plenty of plug sockets to get around! Thankfully it whips back into the Topo once the other singular auto rewind button is pushed.


** The Manual **


The manual is 7 page paper affair with no handy helpful hints other than basic warnings of blockages and change of filter. In addition the manual does not suggest when the filter should be replaced, other than the fact that it should be replaced “regularly to maintain performance.” The motor filter according to the manual should be replaced every time by shaking it after each bag has been emptied. But as my friend doesn’t bother with the filter replacements, both these filters can actually be washed and reused again.


** Conclusion **


The Blue Topo 73156 is tops in my book but it is a pity that it’s no longer to buy on the high street all the time. It appears as a seasonal product appearing in shops such as Comet, Currys and Woolworths. John Lewis were selling the Green Topo models with plastic pipes and non washable disposable paper bags last year but I don’t think its as good a model as this little Topo as it comes with virtually everything you need if looking for a budget cylinder vacuum cleaner to pick up dry dirt. Its small size is also ideal for use in the car and comes with a 2 year guarantee. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2007.

www.morphyrichards.co.uk

Summary: A relatively fuss free small compact cylinder cleaner

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