Easy to use, picks up everything, When done, all the dirt goes outside
Cons
Challenging to use on stairs
DEC
31
2008
My family uses a 15 yr old Rainbow SE, not the current model.
My Great Aunt had an ancient Rainbow back in the 60's. She passed away in the mid 70's, but another family member still uses that old Rainbow and it works perfectly.
15 years ago, we moved into our brand new house. Within 3 months, I was convinced our builder had used cheap carpet that already needed to be replaced. Just by chance, I had dropped my name off at the Rainbow display at a local home show, and when the salesman called, we invited him over. I vacuumed my carpet 3 times before he arrived, and I was horrified when I saw what else he was able to pick up with this amazing machine. I didn't let him leave with it!
After 15 years, with reasonable and regular maintainence, our Rainbow SE is still the ONE. We have used it to shampoo carpets, clean stairs, freshen the air in the house, and even used it to clean up a rental house. Many of our friends borrow it for similar purposes. Oh, and that carpet that needed to be replaced after 3 months......What hasn't been replaced with hardwood flooring still looks pretty good thanks solely to this machine.
My wife doesn't like to empty the dirty water outside in the Winter, so that has become my job.
As far as treating it right and maintaining it, it's simple. About every 2-3 weeks, change out the "separator" (I have 2), put the clean one on the vacuum, the dirty one in the dishwasher. Empty the water EVERY time you use the vacuum. Beyond that, I take mine in every 3 years or so for a complete once-over. Anything frayed, worn, etc gets replaced. My typical cost for that is about $80.....well worth it in my opinion.
Lastly....I've seen many of these at pawn shops. If you buy a used one (you can get great deals on them), just be sure turn over the part with the motor and look for rust and a dirty separator. That's a sure sign of problems. And if the water is still in the tank....RUN!
Rainbow Cleaning System Vacuum is recommended by mweidner
12 Amp
3 Attachments
30 Ft Cord
Bagless
Blower
Crevice tool
Different Attachments
Easy Remove Water Tank
Edge Cleaning
Floor, Carpet Setting
Power Turbo Nozzle
Rotating brushes
extreme suction power