| Product: |
Proaction SL208 Bagless Vacuum Cleaner |
| Date: |
04.06.07 (402 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: cheap and cheerful
Disadvantages: none as yet
Proaction SL208 Bag-Less Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner
After moving in to my new built flat and having limited space for things such as Vacuum Cleaners and such like the idea to get rid of the oversized old cleaner was of course my own and not the thinking of my rather thrifty boyfriend. We did however come to a compromise and instead of my idea to get a compact Dyson for a large amount of money we settled on a compact cheap vacuum cleaner from Argos instead.
The idea of getting a bag less vacuum cleaner was really mine as I find the whole idea of having to spend money on bags, which seem to fill up in our house pretty quickly, only to throw away seems such a waste. The cheapest bag less vacuum cleaner available in Argos is indeed the very one we bought, this Proaction SL208. It set us back a mere £24.99p a price that I find extremely cheap and I find it hard to contemplate that these can be manufactured and retiled with any profit being made at all. This price is at least half the cost of most of the other vacuum cleaners available in the Argos catalogue and of course compared to the Dyson which I originally wanted is a good £260 cheaper (this made my boyfriend very happy indeed).
A great factor of buying this particular vacuum clean is, for us, the fact that it is compact and fits well into our small storage cupboard with no problems at all. Not only is it small in size but is also light weight weighing in at 4.9kg I am able to lift it in and out of rooms with no back breaking effort at all. The vacuum cleaner itself looks pretty good maybe a little cheap in appearance but still pretty slick with its black gloss body and clear compartment for you to see the dirt mounting up. Where most of our flooring is now laminated and we only have carpet in the two bedrooms I find myself using the flat sweeper to collect the fluff and debris on the floor and hovering up the piles I have made with this vacuum cleaner so the amount I use it fairly limited. However since I have had it and been using it I do find it very easy to use and it really does work well.
The specifications of this vacuum cleaner are of course fairly minimal compared to the likes of the Dyson but I find them adequate for my needs. The 2-litre dust capacity this vacuum offers is indeed a very sufficient size and I find myself not having to empty it that often. However I do find it best not to wait until the dust collector is full to bursting as emptying a half full tub of course makes less mess than emptying one filled to the brim. Also this vacuum appears to work slightly better if this dust collector section has got plenty of space left inside, so I do empty on a regular basis for these reasons.
The buttons on the vacuum are simple yet effective and to look at this machine you see two large round buttons one which can be both pushed and turned and the other that can only be pushed in. The button which can be pushed in and turned round is the power supply and this is clearly shown on the picture which depicts the usual power symbol seen most places. This button once pressed gives the machine its sucking action and if you turn the dial of the button you can control the pressure or for a more correct term the wattage. The maximum wattage of this machine is 1200w, not 1400w that is stated in the Argos catalogue, but for this small compact vacuum I find this more than efficient. The dial can be turned right down to give a smaller sucking action or right up to give the full 1200w suck. I cannot for the life of me think why anyone would want to have the sucking action lessened as by my thinking the more sucking action the better the results (no dirty jokes please!!). The second button on the machine is a cord retraction button and this one allows the power cable to be wrapped up neatly inside the machine by a press of the button. It really whips the cord inside at a fast rate and I always make sure I have hold of the plug before pressing it, as I am sure it could break an ankle if swung up too quickly.
Seeing as the cord is wrapped up inside the machine it does state that if you are using the vacuum cleaner this cord should be withdrawn fully outside the machine before use but seeing as the whole cord is only 4.9 meters I think most people would have to do that anyway. The 4.9 meter cord is not too short that it bothers me I would say it is a fair size that allows me to do half of my flat before having to unplug and reposition elsewhere. Compared to other vacuums of the same type in Argos obviously the more expensive cleaners have a longer cord but no really by that much. As I say however this really is not a bad size and doesn’t really bother me.
The vacuum cleaner nozzle from cleaner body to end is a good size and allows manoeuvres under the bed and such like to be very easy indeed. The arm comes apart into three pieces and the main trunk that attaches itself to the body of the vacuum cleaner comes unplugged easily for any blockages to be removed simply and quickly. The vacuum end that sucks up the dust is very good and has two golf ball sized wheels that make the head glide across the floor smoothly. There is a switch on the top of this head that gives you the ability to change the floor head positioning from either flat plastic or a cushioned brush. I like to use the cushioned brush for the laminate floors to prevent scratching and then the flat option to do the carpets in the bedroom as the flat positioning sucks up better as the head is closer to the floor.
The dirt this vacuum cleaner picks up is really very amazing and as you can see what has actually been sucked up in the clear dust compartment you will really be amazed. I never have to double over an area I have already vacuumed as the power and ability of this cleaner really is outstanding. It works well both with the floor head on and doing around the edges of the room is a doddle with the floor head taken off. I did flick through the minimal pages of the instruction booklet but this really has no worthwhile information that even simpletons could not figure out for themselves. It does give all the necessary information written in easy to understand English and I suppose is somewhat useful to have with the machine.
All in all I think this cheap bag less vacuum cleaner is really outstanding for the price and I could want for no more. It looks the part of a good vacuum with good colourings and easy to use features. It is small and lightweight meaning it fits well into my storage area and is easy to move from place to place. It sucks up dirt exceptionally well and the dust collector is easy to empty and refit back to the machine. The vacuum comes apart easily to remove any blockages if this indeed happens as of yet this has not happened to me. I can truly think of no problems or certainly anything bad to say about this vacuum and I would say to anyone wanting to get a new vacuum cleaner then give this a go. It also comes with an Argos year guarantee so for the price you really cant go wrong.
A wonderful bag less compact vacuum cleaner at a fantastic price. Recommended to all and a credit to Proaction.
Summary: a great cheap hoover
| Processing/Quality: |
|
 |
| Reliability: |
|
|
| Ease of use: |
|
|
| Cleaning/Maintenance: |
|
|
|
|
