A quick summary: This unit cleans great! No problems with pet hair, edge suction is very good (much better than anything I''ve used previously), and the cleaning wand & hose setup is ingenious (though largely copied from Dyson''s DC33). Dumping the dust bin is a snap, with a few less parts than Dyson, and is a relatively clean process. The pivoting handle may be a little bit gimmicky, but it does indeed cause the vacuum''s head to turn towards the direction it''s tilted.
I''ll preface this review by noting I have the green Nimble, model 8605 sold at Lowe''s, but the review I wrote for that item a couple of days ago seems to have disappeared into cyberspace. Oh well -these are identical vacs, with the exception of the color and the extra attachment included with the green one. Apologies for the duplicate reviews.
A possible point of confusion on that difference between models, from the product website itself: Electrolux lists this gray model (8602) with a roller brush on/off switch (hardwood floor mode), while showing the green (8605) instead with the bonus hose attachment, as if the on/off brush control isn''t included. Rest assured, the green vac has the brush on/off switch as well.
I came from a Sharp EC12TW, which was the Consumer magazine Reports'' top pick some 14 years ago, largely due to its solid performance and "library quiet" operation. I can confirm the Nimble easily matches that low volume level -not at all high pitched or noisy, especially compared to an Oreck XL Pro I brought home for a few days and quickly returned. A good gauge for me is the dog doesn''t freak out, and anybody in a neighboring room isn''t disturbed, but it doesn''t mean you''ll maintain a conversation at normal levels while you''re pushing this around the house.
My search narrowed to the Dyson DC25 and DC33, as well as a Hoover model that featured a retractable cord. The Nimble easily matches the features of the DC33 in a number of respects: the Nimble has a reasonably low head height, making it possible to duck under couches and low tables just enough for day-to-day cleaning. Compare this to the DC33, which has a very tall head that grows even taller when the handle is lowered to the operating position. The Dyson won''t get under anything but the highest furniture.
The Nimble has a very similar pull-out, self retracting "elastic" hose design, but without Dyson''s annoying "sleeve sucker" port at the top of the handle. As soon as the cleaning wand at the free end of the hose is clicked out of the back of the unit (simple button press ejects the wand), the brush stops turning and suction swithces to the hose/wand. It works quite well, though with one annoyance: the handle-grip itself can be used as a very effective short, hairdryer sized "cleaning pistol" versus using the full length wand shown in the picture of the woman on the stairs in the Amazon stock photos. However, if just the "pistol" is pulled out, but the wand is left docked to the vac, the suction never changes over to the hose. The long wand needs to be clicked out, even if it''s not going to be used. Once clicked out, the wand *can* be left sitting loosely in its dock; it doesn''t need to be completely removed and set aside.
The rotating brush on/off buttons are located right under the soft-touch power button high up at the top of the vac''s body. not down at the base of the unit. Very convenient. There are also two warning lights there, one for the filter and one for the brush. My brush warning light illuminated immediately, true to some of the reviews I stumbled across on a vacuum cleaner web forum. But later when I went back to investigate the cause of the light, I found everything to be operating properly, and the light was off. Important to note that if the cleaning wand is not securely fastened (clicked in) to the body, the roller won''t operate, but this in and of itself shouldn''t have caused the warning light to illuminate.
My green Lowe''s model came with three attachments. The soft brush and ''Y'' nozzle are standard, but the green Nimble comes with an extra nozzle with a suction-powered mini roller brush. In practice, this device works quite well, though the roller RPMs quickly bog down and will stop if held directly against a plush carpet. In reality, I believe a small, stiff bristle floor brush would be just as effective and very welcome. The ''Y'' nozzle works OK as a crevice tool when closed, but isn''t so useful when fully spread open and used on flat surfaces, due to the lint brush-like material that covers the bottom, rather than conventional brush bristles. It''s better on hard surfaces, not so useful on carpet.
The LED headlights on this thing are awesomely bright, but I continue to question the usefulness other than as a "cool factor." I don''t vacuum in the dark. I would much more appreciate LED headlights on the end of my hose attachments for visibility under the couch and chair when I''m down on my knees looking for hidden hairballs and Cheerios.
Assembly was a screw-free breeze. There were a few plastic parts to snap in to the body, including the two attachment brush holders and the handle (which doubles as the cleaning wand). The brush holders double as the cord wrap for the 30'' long (and much appreciated) power cord. One of these cord wraps has a pivoting hook to allow super quick unwinding of the cord.
A bit of a gripe with the attachment holders: they don''t grip very well. The two brush attachments continually get knocked onto the floor with the slightest bump. And there''s not attachment point for the extra floor brush that came with my green colored Nimble.
The tilting handle featured in the Electrolux stock photos does indeed mimic Dyson''s ball, but I find that I continue to use traditional back-and-forth vacuuming technique. We''ll see if that habit modifies itself over time, or if I go into shock the next time I use a more conventional vacuum.
The canister holds a good amount of dirt. I can knock out the two bedrooms, living room and entry and it''s around half full. The thick dust swirls around visibly inside the clear canister while the vac is in use, and deposits evenly on the bottom when the power it cut. Emptying the canister is a two step simple process. Although the dust is fairly dense and sticky, I suggest this dump occur outside into an outgoing trash bag. A small *poof* of fine particulate clouds up into the air even though most makes it into the trash.
On weight: I believe this vac tips the scales at 17 pounds, nearly twice the weight of the Oreck and a little lighter than my old Sharp. Interestingly, the feather light Oreck took more or as much effort to push on the carpet, so the machine''s dead weight doesn''t tell the whole story. The Nimble takes some effort to maneuver on the carpet, but not an extraordinary amount.
All in all, I''m very pleased with the operation of the Electrolux Nimble. My only concern, longevity and reliability, probably won''t be addressed for some time to come, but I''ll update this review if I run into any problems, or if my roller brush trouble light returns.
*Update 7/3/11* This vac has been operating flawlessly, but I''ve experienced a decrease in suction that made me realize I hadn''t performed my monthly filter maintenance, which is a simple task of rinsing out a foam biscut that''s outlined on the dust canister (hard to ignore). I''m not a fan of this only because the foam filter needs to dry overnight, meaning I have to leave the vac with the canister out overnight, awaiting reinstallation of the filter. In other words, it''s an easy task, yet one that causes me to say, "I''ll take care of that next time."
(1/9/12: ordered EL-69979 Nimble Starter Kit which includes this filter, leaving me with no excuse for failing to wash this on an as-needed basis. Later I found just the filter available for 1/3 the price by searching "Electrolux Nimble Dust Cup Filter" at the non-Amazon source I mention below.)
*Update 1/9/12* Broke a 99¢ part; Electrolux has redesigned it (I''ve attached photos on the main product page): The lower hose attachment + cord wrap snapped a tab. This is a piece critical for maintaining suction, and I see from the reviews that some other owners have experienced the same. I ordered up the new part (Electrolux no. 82962-355N, 99¢ plus a few bucks for shipping, from a non-Amazon source called eVacuumStore) and was pleased to find that the part has been redesigned using a less pliable, more rigid sort of plastic, and with beefed-up tabs.
We researched just about every single vacuum out there before purchasing the Electrolux Nimble. We found it on sale at our local Target, so we picked it up for right around $250. While we were obviously tempted to purchase a Dyson, there were just too many negative reviews to justify spending almost double what we did on this vacuum. The first day we brought it home we ran the test where we vacuumed our carpet with our old vacuum and then with the Nimble. We live in a fairly small home, and had to empty the canister THREE times while vacuuming! I could not believe the hair, dust, dirt, everything that this vacuum picked up.
PROS
*Putting it together was beyond easy and took less than two minutes.
*The canister is SO easy to empty.
*It is what I would consider lightweight-I am currently 9 months pregnant and had no trouble lifting or pushing the vacuum.
*The washable HEPA filter. There''s nothing more frustrating than spending money on a product only to find out that you''ll have to continue spending more money for little things like filters. I love that we can just wash this one.
*The 5 year warranty is great for us as a young couple without tons of disposable income. We know our investment will be taken care of for several years.
*The attachments have worked well for us so far, I don''t find the stair attachment hard to use at all, and the extendable hose is great.
*The 30 ft. power cord is very convenient.
*Glides easily and swivels around furniture with no problem.
*Doesn''t lose suction, and makes fantastic vacuumed carpet lines.
CONS
*The base of the vacuum is kind of bulky, it doesn''t really fit under our beds or furniture. Not really a huge inconvenience, but it would be nice if it was a little slimmer.
*As other reviewers have said, it''s a little bit loud, but it''s not an annoying vacuum sound, so I don''t find it that bothersome.
Overall we are more than satisfied!
Buy Electrolux Nimble Upright Vacuum Now
My husband and I purchased the Nimble at Best Buy and we thought it is an Electrolux so it would be great! My mother in law has an older and much more expensive canister and she just raves about it. Not having much carpet in our home(hardwood mostly) we couldn''t justify the cost of the higher end vacuums. When we opened the box and tried it out on our 6x9 area rug the brush sensor came on immediately. After taking it apart and putting it back together several times it never worked. Thinking it was just a fluke we exchanged it the next day. The same thing happened but we got it to work by taking the guard on the bottom off and readjusting the roller, subsequently breaking one of the turn screws with very little pressure. I contacted CS at Electrolux and they said this was normal because it has such powerful suction and it will lift big rugs??? I again inquired if they thought this was an acceptable defect and asked for a second time about the screw and they said the parts were on back order until June (this was in May) no comment about the defect and the return was from Eureka(interesting). We continued to use it with minimal problems until the hose attachment broke off with ease while vacuuming. I brought it back 32 days after the initial purchase and sprang for a Dyson and couldn''t be happier. It is WAY better on HW floors and is much better made. Sorry for my ranting but I was just so disappointed!! Hope this helps someone make an informed decision and avoid the hassle!
Read Best Reviews of Electrolux Nimble Upright Vacuum Here
Electrolux has been around for a long time. While growing and modernizing, it remains at heart the quality company it''s always been. I was eager for a chance to compare this to the very good Miele canister unit we''ve had for a few years.
It takes about ten minutes to assemble this upright. The tool-free assembly is described by a series of cartoon drawings, nearly without text. While one can appreciate the effort to make this easy, whatever your language, the steps aren''t particularly clear, and it''s often hard to identify the parts from the drawings. This could have been done better. The ergonomics of the unit are generally good. The wand doubles as the handle for normal upright use. It snaps in and out quickly so that you can touch up a corner that the main unit cannot reach. Attachments are mounted on the outside of the body, so that you can get them quickly (with a canister, you generally have to open up the body to grab attachments). They do have a tendency to fall off, though. It''s necessary to keep one hand on the power cable to keep it out of your work path--this is an immediately-noticeable difference with a canister unit. The action end of the unit has rubber bumpers on the sides and top, so you don''t have to worry about scarring baseboards or cabinets.
This is a bagless unit. The question with all bagless vacuums is how well you can empty the unit without redistributing the dirt. With the Electrolux, one button detaches the dirt canister. You hold the canister over the bin, press another button and the bottom opens up with a minimum of turbulence. It takes one more step to occasionally remove and rinse the HEPA filter. This is a good system. There are only two tools. One is a standard soft brush. The other is an odd combination tool. It folds up to be a crevice tool and opens out to clean upholstery. I''m not sure if it''s quite as good as independent attachments, but it''s nice not to have to fuss with so many tools.
After all this introduction, how does it clean? Quite well. We have a large pet bird. Anyone who spends time with birds is accustomed to tiny bits of down and dander appearing magically throughout the house. The Electrolux lapped them right up. Performance on carpet was excellent--better than the Miele--and the beaters did a good job of fluffing lift back into older carpet. Tile and hardwood were also cleaned well. I don''t know how well the HEPA filter compares to the dual filters in the Miele, since I don''t have dander allergies. Perhaps other reviewers will cover that aspect of the unit. The only place where you might have difficulty with an upright is on carpeted stairs. With a canister unit, the power head is on the wand and can easily deal with stairs. With the Electrolux, you won''t have that option. The upholstery tool will have to do. But this is a small complaint. It''s a very good cleaner, especially considering its light weight.
One part was defective (an incomplete injection molding on an attachment tab). I don''t think this reflects on overall quality of manufacture. It''s just a freak occurrence. But it did give me the opportunity to see how Electrolux customer service stacks up. Image my surprise when a native English speaker, American by accent, answered the phone. Most manufacturers seem to have forgotten how important this is. It was a quick and pleasant conversation. My problem was solved and the part was sent out immediately. Thanks!
One last thing. Companies don''t always get credit when they do good things. It would have been very easy to ship this unit packed in polystyrene foam. Instead, Electrolux use cardboard inserts. They protected the unit perfectly well while being a little kinder to the environment. Nice touch.
Want Electrolux Nimble Upright Vacuum Discount?
If you decide to buy this vacuum, please do yourself a favor and write down the serial and model numbers BEFORE you assemble the unit. They are located under the unit by the back wheels. Because of the picture diagram in the manual I didn''t know that and ended up holding a fully assembled vacuum upside down to get to the numbers. I was a very unhappy consumer!
This vacuum unit has been a series of highs and lows for me. Maybe you can benefit from my problems and save yourself some bruises!
HIGH POINTS:
+ This vacuum (model EL8602 Type A) has wonderful suction. I ran this unit over a carpeted area that I had already vacuumed with another brand of cleaner and was appalled at how much more dog hair this one picked up. In fact, the suction is so strong that I had to discontinue using it on a small throw rug because I thought it was going to get sucked into the vacuum. Keep your Kitty Cat away from this machine!
+ The sound level for this machine is not nearly as high as my other machines. I could talk to my husband and I heard the phone ring while this machine was running.
+ Emptying the dirt cannister is a super easy thing to do, but be aware that the bottom will spring open as soon as you press that button. I emptied the cannister inside the first time and was rather dismayed at the cloud of dust that lingered. Thereafter I have taken the cannister to the garage and emptied it into a plastic bag.
+ I get very good cleaning on carpets, rugs, and bare floors. Switching from one type of floor surface to another is very easy.
LOW POINTS
Sorry, this is not ''nimble'', not for me. Maybe a tiny bit more maneuverable than other vacuums I own, but not enough to use that as a purchase point.
This machine is heavy! Naturally all the weight is in the head and this is one tough animal to push and pull around. Also, when I extend my arm all the way out to push the vacuum the front of the machine is no longer on the floor. I''ve simply wasted half of my vacuuming motion. This probably has something to do with the fact that the rear wheels are located exactly on the back of the vacuum.
It will not go under any furniture. It even has such a wide head that I couldn''t vacuum under kitchen chairs or bar stools. Everything had to be moved aside or gone over later with a dry sweeper cloth or dust mop. Not good!
The two pieces which attach to the back of the vacuum and hold the accessory pieces are awful. They are also used to wrap the cord for storage, but they are too shallow to hold the brush and 3-in-1 tool and they constantly fall off. I just stopped trying to keep them on-board. Also, those accessory holders need to have an explanation a written explanation in the manual. One holder is completely rigid, it doesn''t move. The second holder will rotate downward to release the wound up cord. MAKE SURE you put the holder with the movable piece on the vacuum on the side next to your leg when you vacuum. I didn''t know it made any difference. I put the rigid holder on the side which is next to my leg and I now have the bruises to prove it! Think about it before you attach those things. I''m afraid to take mine off to change them around because I think I might break them getting them off.
The 3-in-1 Versatool is something which really caught my eye when I saw this vacuum on a television commercial. Well, it is definitely not worth buying the machine for that poor item. First, it will not stay in the open position let up on the pressure and it closes right back up. You have to reach down and open it again. Second, there is a tiny coverage area with this accessory so it takes many passes to clean one stair tread and the hole where the picked up material goes is extremely small. Not good, not useful, not worth the effort to use it.
In summary, the suction motor on this machine is first rate, but why in the world does it not come with a bare floor attachment for getting into all those places the vacuum can''t get? The parts list which came in the box does list that attachment for an extra $30 plus tax and shipping charges. Now I have to decide if that is a purchase I want to make. The manual which comes with this appliance is next to worthless. There are no written instructions, only drawings which are often more confusing than helpful. It never even tells me how often to wash the filters. Yes, there is an indicator light on the machine, but it takes 24 hours for the filters to dry so should I just guess at how often to wash them? If I had to base this review on just the suction power of the motor alone, it would be a slam dunk five stars. Unfortunately there is more to a vacuum than just the suction power and this one has lots of negatives. Three stars from me.
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After freezing the insert for the first time, it cracked! Now it''s just an expensive water bottle!
