Bubble: Toil and Trouble? (Vax VS19)

Name: Nar2

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Product:	Vax VS19
Date:	29.04.08 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap price, looks like it can do the job, washable HEPA filter, high motor.

Disadvantages: Hopeless hose, too outdated, Vax parts very expensive.

The Vax Bubble (VS18) upright has been one of the cheapest upright vacuum cleaners on the market for the last six years consecutively despite later and more modern models being launched by Vax. Although not exactly built, designed wholly by Vax, the Bubble model is instantly recognisable as it is coloured in deep purple and black with yellow bubble decals located on its front floor head and front of dirt bin. It has a short hose and three tools which fit snugly on the back of the machine and from a distance it looks like it is up to the job. For the most fun, it is ideal for people who like their machines to have a character just like Numatic's Henry. I used to use a Bubble upright on and off in my second job as a cleaner at a local office and conference centre - amongst many other vacuums, hence the experience!


The Bubble upright vacuum has had a few different looks over the years ranging from the original Purple version to other colours designed to entice the buyers and align the range of existing design in line with the rest of Vax's cleaning products. And whilst the colours have been added, so too have motor ratings and the odd small turbo brush added in as a final incentive for your cash. However the latest VS19 is now coloured in orange against Dooyoo's blue Vax photo but the specs have hardly changed since launch and remains to be a cut price vacuum. Currently it is available for example at £54-99 at Comet.

For three weeks I've been using the latest version, the VS19 to clean at my other second part time job but it's been trial and patience with this very outdated model. Nothing much has changed between the fun-looking purple Vax and this Orange/Blue version and Vax have done little to distinguish it from its American roots. Take away the badges and the bagless upright bin and you'll be left with the skeletal remains of an American Dirt Devil that has a generally poor reputation on the market and is no longer sold.


One of its most able design factors is that whilst it may appear bulky thanks to the rear wheels and large 14" floor head, the VS19 upright will adjust automatically to any surface. However it's not by magic that without a precise dial to adjust the height selection there is an assumed lightness and glideablity. The VS19 suffers on thick carpeting surprisingly whilst additional rugs on a carpet surface come in for more increased pulling and pushing. On normal flat thin carpeting such as velour or short pile and thin patterned textures, the VS19 comes across light and reasonably easy to manoeuvre with the occasional recurring problem of becoming tiresome to hold and push thanks to its rear wheels which mimic Dyson and can come across as being too big for its own good. But the wheels are the least of the VS19's problems where other practical aspects are concerned;


The front floor head has a raised curved section which is permanently bonded on where the hose locks to and whilst this may well be welcomed when this kind of front hose design doesn't allow the vacuum to fall over unlike other upright vacuums which have hoses from the rear, the front section prohibits cleaning under low furniture then it gets stuck between chair legs not helped either by the big dust bin. And because there is so much going on at the back in terms of smaller cleaning tools (two plastic extension pipes, a crevice tool and a separate upholstery brush) you can forget about cleaning flat to the floor because the hose and tools at the back snag on the floor all too easily whilst the floor head will not remain flat. At least the sides of the floor head have edge cleaners which can clean up to the edge but in practice I found the Vax struggled at times to maintain this design aspect whilst bare floors meant dirt flies around rather than be sucked up.


Despite its new look I can recall using a Bubble upright five years ago when they first appeared and back then the hose was disappointing. The rear hose is now still too hopelessly short and only reaches at the maximum two stairs at a stretch; this is unbelievable given that Vax claim it has a 1.5 metre hose in length! Before you even consider using the hose you have to connect it to the front of the floor head and twist to lock it in which in this day and age is a bit old fashioned and harkens back to the old Hoover Junior of the 1960's. The hose itself and plastic tools come directly from Dirt Devil's hand held cleaner which means that whilst they are functional, they have rough edges and can feel sharp at corners. The plastic quality is also very thin against the smaller cleaning tools, which are thankfully easier to use and have large apertures that suggest good suction but forget quality here in general use; the plastic wand part feels bendy in use and made of shiny plastic, you are always reminded of its cost price.


Carrying the VS19 is easy enough if the cleaner is carried from the rear handle. I completely forgot this and went to lift the cleaner by the bin handle which looked like a handle and was rewarded with the upright falling down a flight of wooden stairs with the bin and I at the top and the machine on the bottom landing. Thankfully nothing was broken even though the Vax landed on its front bumper. At a weight of around 6kg the VS19 is not a heavy beast but it is bulky and thanks to its huge rear wheels if carried from the side it can be sore if knocked against the owner!


The motor noise of 1500 watts is also too loud and for its age it doesn't have much sound insulation built in, its only claim to fame being that it does have a HEPA yearly change filter built into its design which is similar to its cousin, the V045 Quicklite series. Just like that model, this vacuum uses a paper pleated filter cone, which must be cleaned after it is used a couple of times. It can be washed but like the usual excuse, it has to be dried for 24 hours before you can put it back in. Replacement filters are available and already catalogue companies such as Littlewoods are offering replacement kits at a charge of £29 that includes pre-motor filters (little foam squabs which can be washed) and a new cone filter. So for pet owners you can just about get away with a vacuum like this but be prepared to do a lot of filter cleaning for all that increased pet hair. What you do get however is a large 3 litre dust bin capacity so in between general use at least the bin gets a chance of being filled up for longer than other rivals and it easy to take off and put back onto the Vax by way of simply pressing a button to release the bin.


However removing the cone filter is time and patience since it is much bigger than the one on the Quicklite and has the same twist and lock mechanism. And being made of paper means by grabbing the bottom of the filter, the pleated sections do get crushed so you have to be as gentle as possible. If you don't like touching dirt, then this isn't the vacuum you buy, although many owners will forgive this simply because of the price it has been sold at and some owners will probably use rubber gloves to unlock the filter from bin. Ignore the filter however when it comes to empty out and only a quarter of dirt collected will be able to get past the filter since its located at the top of the bin. More modern uprights have a trapdoor at the bottom to release the dirt, which would have been easier here. The top lid that comes off can also be pesky to fit back onto the rim of the bin and whilst Vax have fitted a carry handle to make literal aspect of carrying the dust bin to another refuse bin, they could have made the fitting of the top lid to the bin a little easier than just putting arrows.


Other maintenance aspects consist of clogging which can happen on any vacuum and the VS19 has an easy enough to undo hose and pipe design to unclog anything that should get trapped. What isn't easy is removing the six screws on the bottom sole plate if the belt snaps and after that is done the plastic inside is sharp and bendy so you need to be careful how you go about replacing the belt. Belts are generally quite expensive if buying from Vax. I however use EBay sellers (around £3 to £5 including postage and packaging) who are much cheaper and for the same price charged by Vax I can usually buy three times the amount of belts!

EBay sellers also sell the filter kit at a much lower price than the marked up £30 from Littlewoods and Vax which is frankly an atrocious price for what should be, in effect much cheaper given the history of this vacuum cleaner and its popularity.


Five years ago then, the Vax Bubble upright represented good value for money in a market where only a few manufacturers began to churn out bagless upright vacuums at cheap prices. But the market has moved on and Vax have not. In the case of the VS19 you definitely get what you see rather than what you pay for. Compared to more modern uprights which have an easier and faster application of whipping out hoses and fixing tools and smaller floor heads, the VS19 may have capable suction but is flaws are easy to see based on its older design; it takes a bit longer to use this upright on a day to day basis than other vacuums and that's with the hassle of having to bend down and fit the hose to the front of the floor head. Vax are going to have do a bit more than just dressing up their oldest bagless cyclonic upright vacuum in new colours. The maintenance alone for this vacuum is more trouble than it is worth whilst the cost of replacement parts should be a lot cheaper. Out of the box, it also takes 4 screws to put the handle on when other uprights only need one screw; final proof that this is one very old vacuum which badly needs to stop production. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2008

www.vax.co.uk
www.comet.co.uk

Summary: Dirt Devil don't sell them anymore in the U.S: neither should Vax.

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