A High Melody Hoover; the Arianne. (Hoover T2505)

Member Name: Nar2

Product:	Hoover T2505
Date:	19/05/07 (544 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great suction, deep paper bags, compact and easy to store

Disadvantages: No longer made; noisy motors; basic filtration; thoughtless 3 stage pipe design; old trigger handle.

Seven years ago when I was a student working and living in London I shared a flat with four other people. Designed as a two up two down type flat with a long stair case, it was a wonder that the old Goblin Rio cylinder we had could cope with the amount of dirt people and friends were bringing in. At the time the landlord produced a yellow Hoover Arianne 1300 watt cylinder after the cord and plug got stuck in the Rio. Whilst it did its job well and had lots of suction, the new Arianne then had nasty plastic pipes, both of which by the end of the year had broken off and replacement metal tubes had to be bought in lieu of the plastic ones. The floor head wasn’t any better either even though it was made to a good standard; it failed to glide across deep pile carpeting even when the brushes had been pushed upwards on its pedal design floor head. However for all that it was a cheap replacement and brand new, the Arianne proved to be a great little cylinder cleaner with capable suction and ease of design use against the lower powered Goblin Rio.

Now in 2007 Hoover no longer produce the Arianne model for the UK market although it does pop up from time to time from sellers and shops online, not necessarily on the high street but for consumers looking for a no nonsense back to basics cylinder cleaner which has a good reputation built behind it.

And that exactly what the Arianne is; a model which has either built up a love/hate relationship because all models regardless of motor wattage are notoriously noisy above 1400 watts. Although essentially a stripped down Telios cylinder model without the variable suction control dial, any Arianne from 2002 onwards has fixed suction, the ill fated trigger handle, usually metal pipes and a very light weight curvy body design which makes it apt for compact cleaning tasks. The T2505 model is no exception to this rule;


** Nar’s Quick Skip Product Spec **

• 3 slide in friction fit anodised metal pipes.
• 2 way universal floor head.
• Slide in crevice tool and top upholstery brush stub.
• 7 metre power cord with auto rewind.
• Bag fill indicator.
• Deep fill 4 litre Hoover Telios paper bags, high filtration bags optional, and can also use permanent washable bags.
• Micro filtration – based on pleated exhaust filter and motor filter sponge (washable).
• Two park positions with tool storer located on pipe.
• 1500 watt motor power; 200 air watts suction (with an empty bag!)
• Trigger handle for suction reduce function.
• Price: £29-99 to £40 new or reconditioned with a year or 6 month guarantee.
• Weight of 4kg; lightweight and curvy design lends to stair cleaning ability.
• Motor noise; 76 decibels; according to Hoover this is supposed to be quiet but it is a lot more than Premium levels from Miele and Sebo at 68 decibels.


** History, Price, Design & Setting Up **


My T2505 model is just like any other Arianne model I have ever owned and in the last couple of years I have only ever had two models, one of which I bought for a friend and had to use whilst working and a 1400 watt model I bought when I first moved to Glasgow in 2003 which saw its fate being sealed in 2005 in the hands of a friend who abuses vacuums! The red model (T2705) uses a 1700 watt motor and is extremely capable all the same but the motor is extremely noisy and off putting; the 1500 watt motor here isn’t as noisy though which is a good advancement in terms of trying to keep noise down although as before and now it is a pity that no variable suction dial is included to reduce suction other than the squeeze trigger located at the top of the handle. The T2505 appears to be one of the last remaining Arianne models available to buy, my recent purchase (because I have so many spares and bags) from a seller on EBay cost me £29-99 with a two day delivery postage and packaging thrown in for free.

One of the reasons to why the Arianne is no longer made is simply because Hoover now has Morphy Richards to thank for their latest of budget cleaners. Their recent foray into the budget market has seen spin offs from MR designs seen in the Studio, Compact and more recently their “Freespace,” cylinder cleaners which apart from some funky colouring and designs mimic the best of the best from Morphy Richards, like Daihatsu from the car world, are great at making small and compact machines with budget prices and good features.

The Arianne however is all Hoover’s design from the late 1980’s and was initially designed as a budget cylinder cleaner from the then more expensive Telios cylinder which has a better design and a integral tool storer. Here then, there is none other than a tool clip which can be added permanently at the bottom of the tubes, or at any level you so wish the desire. Hoover have also included two other points where the newer design addition of the three metallic tubes can be taken off and stored on the tool storer to increase or decrease height, but I’ve been here so many times with friction fit tubes and sadly once you push them together, there is no hope in hell of removing them again once they have been fitted for the whole height of the tube connecting to the handle.

And that handle has also met so much criticism even though I have never had problems personally. Hoover replaced all the hoses (other than the fit lock to the body) on their Telios range in 2000 because of consumer complaints of their hands being nipped by the trigger. It isn’t the best design around and on the older Arianne Hoover have retained the original trigger which once squeezed allows air to escape and reduce suction. It does however mean that the older hose has a somewhat better quality to it though compared to the hose changes Hoover implemented; 2000 (and beyond) model years on the Telios have a bad design fault of the hose slipping out of the main body whilst the cleaner is in use and can become irritating because of the weak lock which has been applied to the hose connector. Quite why Hoover bothered to change the lock was beyond me, but the newer handle also mimics designs seen on Morphy Richards and as a result have probably chosen the hose because of cheaper cost.

So in this respect the hose locks to the main body of the Arianne permanently and the handle on the machine is easy to see and use particularly for carrying and storing. The tool storer however is made of cheap plastic and will not last long despite the same park positions the Arianne has always had; one at the back and one at the top whenever the model is made to sit on the floor. However whilst the body is curvy and good looking, there are no bumpers other than the underside of the machine which is in black PVC against the colourful body bin hood, which in the T2505’s case is a bright yellow with black decals. My experience with all Arianne models has always shown that the sides are the worst for showing scratches and they usually occur on the tops and sides of the bin lid as well as at the sides of the machine on the black surface.


** In Use **


Mechanically then the Arianne is simple and effective even though in prolonged use the bigger side wheels and main castor wheel do what most cylinder cleaners do; glide and move effectively without being overly heavy; this is at least one advantage of the Arianne compared to newer budget cleaners nowadays, because whilst they may well be smaller, the Arianne is comparatively lightweight aided by the light hose and tubes although I’d have preferred telescopic height adjustable one piece tubes as opposed to the daft friction fit tubes. The Arianne fits well on most stairs too with only the power up pedal and auto rewind pedal sometimes protruding over stairs but fits nicely in the upright position with the hose sprouting out at the angled top on the front of the body.

Whilst the motor is noisy compared to what I’m used with Miele and Sebo, the Arianne is an effective machine which will suck up general dust aided by the 2 way universal floor brush. It is not the best made floor head however (the latest ones Hoover offer on the Telios for example) although like every floor head Hoover have made for the Telios & Arianne range, the trigger has to be used the moment a new bag is in place, otherwise suction is so strong the floor head sticks to the floor and pushing can become obstructive. However compared to the first Arianne I used, the metal pipes ensure strength to the whole arrangement.


** Dirt Capacity & Filtration **


Smaller rivals may be more compact but they will also have a smaller dirt capacity upon average of being 2.5 to 3 litres of dust. Now, whilst Dyson has a good market of being bagless I have always emphasized the use of dust bags and Hoover is no exception in this instance. Whilst a cost optional bag (around £15) which is washable and made of fabric gives consumers the option to use one bag for the life of the machine (and therefore has to be emptied and washed over time) the price of Telios bags and copy bags are extremely cheap; Hoover do a pack of 5 bags at the cost of £5-99 available usually at Comet and lots of other high street shops and because they are also used in the Telios model line up, they are always in good supply. Don’t discount the copy bags if you don’t have allergies to dust; the usual brown bags Hoover supply are not high filtration contained and therefore do a good job WITH the filters in place to keep back obvious odours and emissions. Hoover also make “Pure Filt,” high filtration bags but they suffer from being so highly made with layers of paper for extra filtration that they can also cut the suction from the machine by at least one third which is pointless for consumers looking for a deep fill capacity cylinder vacuum. In this respect though I’ve always found upon average Telios bags last around a month and a week if the cleaner is the only vacuum in the home. And just like the Telios the bag seals itself the moment it is pulled from the bag hinge, which on the Arianne is a flip up holder compared to the Telios which has a removable hinge and can get lost over time!

The filters on the Arianne have always been micro filtration identifiable. This means no good news for people who need a cleaner with HEPA as filters have never been designed for this basic machine. Whilst the motor filter (a sponge) is washable and needs to be washed after five bags have been used, the exhaust filter is difficult to source nowadays and aftermarket universal filters can be purchased in lieu of having to pre-order filter kits of the Arianne which can cost up to £10. Usually the tiny exhaust filter consists of a sponge and then a micro pleated filter which is laid on top of the sponge. Never throw away the sponge however as this can be used for the exhaust filter (and can be washed) against the micro pleated filter which cannot be washed but can be replaced. I’ve used old Dyson DC01 motor filters for the Arianne before and they did a fine job keeping back obvious bag and dust odours from entering the room after use.


** Conclusion **


Save from a large viewable mechanical bag indicator and cheap tools which are designed to fit flush with the tubes, the Hoover Arianne T2505 is a cheap budget priced cylinder vacuum cleaner which like its counterparts before continues to impress because of its basic features. It has an auto cord rewind as well as a long and much appreciated 7 metre power cord which whips up the moment the pedal is pressed and the location of both pedals defy logic in general use. The suction is very strong and capable even with a half bag full of general dirt and if used for DIY work the cheaper copy bags or even Hoover’s standard paper bags are better than using the higher filtration bags.

It is however a pity that in lieu of costs Hoover had decided to stop production of the Arianne in the UK and instead continue to supply other countries in the EU to sell the Arianne because of its long standing position and basic mechanicals; thanks to the more expensive and cheaper hose fitted Telios, the Arianne does a better job in long term ownership factors but it can be noisy and at the end of the day as a consumer you either put up with the noise or take advantage of the fact that it can be run on cheap bags with a large dust sealing capacity. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2007.

www.hoover.co.uk (the Arianne is not viewable but parts and accessories are available to view through the accessory shop link.)

Summary: Great for consumers on a budget looking for no frills; cheap bags, great suction but a few pitfalls.

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