Air Conditioners Tips

Euro-Pro EP600 Bagless Stick Cyclonic Vacuum Review Wonderful job on hardwood flooring! I originally bought another brand of stick vac for my hardwood floors but it didn't do what I was looking for. I ...

Black & Decker CHV1500 Bagless Handheld Cyclonic Vacuum Review Practical and Effective Portable Vac I've owned this portable for about year and I am quite satisfied with it. I have tried a couple types (bought and ...

People say this vacuum is powerful, and mine was - for the first month I had it. After about a month, I remember that day when I was happily cleaning the rug in my bachelor apartment. There was an ominous “drop in speed” of the vacuum and of course a corresponding drop in power and suction. But I had only had the vacuum a month?

This is not the only time that rechargeable nickel cadmium cells have failed me prematurely in the past. In fact, about every appliance I have ever had that used them ended up with dead batteries, frequently resulting in throwing the appliance away entirely as I am sure a few Shark Euro Pro owners have already done.

A few months down the line after I had accidently failed to return the unit to the store within the required 30 days of purchase, I accepted in somber resignation to keep the Shark to the bitter end when those wimpy Nicads would gasp their dying breath. Unfortunately, this took about a year of painful use, nurturing the little guy when it slowed down as if it’s inexorable end was not near. Then, finally one day the batteries croaked for good. After some reflection, I decided to replace the Nicad batteries included in the unit with longer lasting NiMh (Nickel Metal Hydride) cells. First, let me EMPHASIZE that nobody should ever do this unless they have strong professional background in electronics and also are adept at soldering delicate things. Working with these batteries is very, very dangerous and could cause fires or burns. This happens when you accidently short the battery terminals and the wires you are working with get red hot. I burnt my finger on one and I am pretty good at this.

But Nickel Metal Hydride batteries are more environmentally sound than Nicads and also last much longer, have no “memory effect” and are competitively priced with Nicads, sometimes even cheaper in the stores.

Conclusion - if a new rechargeable appliance does not have (NiMh) Nickel Metal Hydride batteries in it, or Lithium batteries, do not buy the product! Nickel Cadmium batteries are obsolete, yet companies like Shark continue fitting their expensive contraptions with them, resulting in a total premature failure of the appliance. I repeat - Do not buy anything with Nicad or Nickel Cadmium batteries if at all possible - and this advise I would give to my mother.

OK - to cut to the chase, I am handy and knowledgeable with electronics, so I sent away on the internet for twelve Sub-C rehargeable 3000MA Nickel Metal Hydride (HiMh) batteries in order to replace the whole battery pack of my Shark with them. The cost of this project was about $38, just for the batteries and shipping - almost as much as the vacuum cost me in the first place! And now it works great! - like a turbocharged Shark. You can vacuum for as long as you want at top speed, without slowing of the motor. It is like going to handivac heaven - no more wimpy reduction of power after the first three minutes, but the motor operates at the correct voltage and intended speed, continuously.

OK - Now for my words for the Shark Company - why don’t your engineers appeal to their board members to give a little added value to your customers by ONLY fitting these vacuums with long lasting economical NiMh cells. It would surely be a good selling point, wouldn’t it?

Other than that, honestly, this little vacuum is not perfect. Several ends of the “press on” plastic attachments are cracked (although still in one piece) and the long handled wide floor cleaner will fall out of the vacuum on it’s own weight, because the fittings will come loose. But I’m a man and I can live with that. I now own the Ferrari of Shark cordless vacuums, fitted with NiMh sub C batteries - The engineers at Shark can eat their hearts out with their wimpy Nicads.

iRobot Roomba Scheduler 4230 Bagless Robotic Vacuum Review This thing is GREAT! Ok, when I told my wife I wanted to spend $300 on a "gadget", she nearly flipped. This isn't an iPod, this is a v...

Oreck XL2200 Bagged Upright Vacuum Review I’ve used better… After receiving this vacuum as a wedding gift two years ago, I was excited to get our new home dirty just to vacuu...

iRobot Robotic Floor Bagless Vacuum Review DO NOT BUY ROOMBA DISCOVERY The latest in the Roomba series is the Discovery model. It cleans well on my tile floors, as do the previous Room...

Eureka Lite 96 Bagless Upright Vacuum Review A great tool for the cleaning phobic I bought the Eureka 96 "Boss Lite" Cordless Vac after I killed my beloved Hoover lightweight vac by accidentally f...

iRobot Roomba Intelligent FloorVac Robotic Vacuum Review Chant With Me Now…roomba - Roomba - ROOMBA! Hi, I'm Kristina. You may remember me from such films as "NSYNC: The Reunion Tour", "Epinions: Behind The Music",...

Eureka 431A Optima Bagless Upright Vacuum Review Very Impressive With a 12 Amp motor, this unit has a lot of suction. But here are some of the less obvious features that make it g...

Dyson DC07 All Floors Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum Review I lurve my Dyson

Hoover U8135-900 / U8153-900 Savvy Turbo 7300 Bagless Upright Vacuum

No tag for this post.

Filed under: Air Conditioner Products