Electrolux Nimble Upright Vacuum

115 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

Compared to Dyson DC33 — and I really, really like it!, April 18, 2011

This review is from: Electrolux Nimble Upright Vacuum (Kitchen)

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…

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Nathaniel Allen July 8, 2011 At 2:38 am

115 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

Compared to Dyson DC33 — and I really, really like it!, April 18, 2011

By

Nathaniel Allen (Oakland) –

This review is from: Electrolux Nimble Upright Vacuum (Kitchen)

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…

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