Fecn
Established Member
Overview: A superb bit of kit with one big big problem.
Last November I spent quite a lot of time sitting next to my CNC machine whilst it was routing wood for hours at a time and it really isn't much fun. Its noisey and its dusty and its generally rather unpleasant. Spurred on by my desires for a quieter life, I went on something of a mission to reduce the noise levels in my workshop.
I was specifically looking for a extractor that would work well with a router so didn't need something with a 100mm (or bigger) inlet. I was feeling reasonably wealthy at the time so I hunted down the quietest ones that I could find. The DM-Tools catalog got me intersted in the Nilfisk Alto Attix extractors which seemed to be amongst the quietest around. I spent a while umm-ing and ahh-ing over whether to go for one of the lesser-models with the Push 'n' Clean system or the top-notch one with it's 'manual' cleaning, but with the lowest working noise level of 57 dB(A). In then end I plumped for the quietest one which came with a 45 litre container - The Alto Attix 550-21.
Nilfisk Alto Attix 550-21 - 270 inc vat
Filter Bags - 20 quid for 5
Accessory Kit £50
I've waited for four months before posting this review because I wanted to be able to give an accurate picture of what it's like to live with. I think I've waited long enough now and tried enough different tasks to give a clear picture.
Firstly I'll start off with a correction to the DM-Tools catalog which lists the filter-cleaning as 'manual' - Where it says 'manual' in the catalog, they actually mean 'Fully Automaic every 30 seconds'. The extractor uses a big drum filter (like the record power ones do), but only uses half of the filter at any given time. Every 30 seconds a clever arrangement of bellows divert the airflow to the other half and gives a reverse-blast of air through the bit of the filter which was just used blasting it clean again. The system is silent in operation and doesn't make any noticable difference to the suction. In addition to the automatic system, there's a deep-clean filter cycle which you can activate by blocking the suction hose and then turning the unit on for 10 seconds.
Nilfisk have put up a couple of really neat Flash videos at
http://www.nilfisk-alto.co.uk/Products/ ... ction.aspx
which show how the filter cleaning system works.. and the sort of results it can achieve - Click on the links under the video-player window on the right hand side. The videos are quite enjoyable in their own right - Give them a click.
The extractor comes with a really really long 10M power cord which is coated in the really nice flexible silicon rubber rather than a vinyl coating. It's got large wheels at the back and a set of 50mm castors at the front. It's stable and it drags along happily by it's hose. It comes with a long (but very thin ~25mm I think) antistatic hose which has a ridged conical rubber connection on one end which seems to fit every power tool I own. Both ends of the hose have 360degree swivel fittings which stops the hose getting twisted. When you compare the diameter of the supplied hose with standard vacuum hoses, it's hard to believe it can shift enough air through it (3600 litres/min) ... until you try it. To put this into perspective, my Record Power RSDE2 can shift 3180 litres/min through a 100mm hose. The biggest problem with the thin hose is that it actually makes quite a lot of noise as the air whistles through it.
In addition to the standard hose, I also bought the accessories kit which comes with a wider hose (38mm I think) and a selection of more-normal vacuum cleaner heads such as a floor nozzle, crevice nozzle, etc. Using the wider hose makes everything a lot quieter. The dipped-tray on the top of the extractor makes a good place to store all the nozzles. The inlet to the extractor is actually 50mm so I'm on the lookout for some 50mm hose to try now.
Now onto the performance.... My goodness... I never realised that it could be like this. I just cannot praise this thing highly enough. It puts every vacuum cleaner and extractor I've ever tried before to shame. We have a Dyson DC01 and a 1800W Black and Decker vacuum in the house and it just makes them look like toys. When the RSDE2 has brand new filters and an empty tank it manages nearly the same amount of suction (with 10x the noise), but as soon as you've used the record power for a few minutes, the filters start to block and the suction reduces - Not so with this Nilfisk one. It sucks and it sucks and it sucks.. and better yet, it's quiet - You can hold a normal conversation when it's on full blast without having to raise your voice.
I mentioned in the overview that this extractor had one big big problem and here it is - It's too good - Really it is. It's so good that that SWMBO has realised and our household vacuum cleaners have been abandonned. It can clean our whole house in about a fifth of the time of any of the domestic cleaners. The power cable is so long that it can be plugged in the downstairs hallway and reach every part of the house (upstairs and down). It's quiet enough that you can watch telly or listen to the radio whilst hoovering and it just makes the whole job a pleasure to do.
I waited for four months of using it before posting this review, expecting the performance to drop, or some niggle to occur, but I really cannot find a single negative thing to say about this extractor. Even though it was expensive , it was worth every penny and although I have three other vacuum/extractor devices I'm seriously thinking about buying another one of these so that SWMBO doesn't keep making me bring it back from the workshop into the house.
It may have cost twice as much as my Record Power extractor, but it's way more than twice the machine.
I have no affiliation to Nilfisk whatsoever other than having bought one of their products.
Edit: Things I forgot to say - The unit has a soft-start on the motor and a socket where you can plug in power tools for auto-switch-on - Both work well - I just forgot to mention them.
Last November I spent quite a lot of time sitting next to my CNC machine whilst it was routing wood for hours at a time and it really isn't much fun. Its noisey and its dusty and its generally rather unpleasant. Spurred on by my desires for a quieter life, I went on something of a mission to reduce the noise levels in my workshop.
I was specifically looking for a extractor that would work well with a router so didn't need something with a 100mm (or bigger) inlet. I was feeling reasonably wealthy at the time so I hunted down the quietest ones that I could find. The DM-Tools catalog got me intersted in the Nilfisk Alto Attix extractors which seemed to be amongst the quietest around. I spent a while umm-ing and ahh-ing over whether to go for one of the lesser-models with the Push 'n' Clean system or the top-notch one with it's 'manual' cleaning, but with the lowest working noise level of 57 dB(A). In then end I plumped for the quietest one which came with a 45 litre container - The Alto Attix 550-21.
Nilfisk Alto Attix 550-21 - 270 inc vat
Filter Bags - 20 quid for 5
Accessory Kit £50
I've waited for four months before posting this review because I wanted to be able to give an accurate picture of what it's like to live with. I think I've waited long enough now and tried enough different tasks to give a clear picture.
Firstly I'll start off with a correction to the DM-Tools catalog which lists the filter-cleaning as 'manual' - Where it says 'manual' in the catalog, they actually mean 'Fully Automaic every 30 seconds'. The extractor uses a big drum filter (like the record power ones do), but only uses half of the filter at any given time. Every 30 seconds a clever arrangement of bellows divert the airflow to the other half and gives a reverse-blast of air through the bit of the filter which was just used blasting it clean again. The system is silent in operation and doesn't make any noticable difference to the suction. In addition to the automatic system, there's a deep-clean filter cycle which you can activate by blocking the suction hose and then turning the unit on for 10 seconds.
Nilfisk have put up a couple of really neat Flash videos at
http://www.nilfisk-alto.co.uk/Products/ ... ction.aspx
which show how the filter cleaning system works.. and the sort of results it can achieve - Click on the links under the video-player window on the right hand side. The videos are quite enjoyable in their own right - Give them a click.
The extractor comes with a really really long 10M power cord which is coated in the really nice flexible silicon rubber rather than a vinyl coating. It's got large wheels at the back and a set of 50mm castors at the front. It's stable and it drags along happily by it's hose. It comes with a long (but very thin ~25mm I think) antistatic hose which has a ridged conical rubber connection on one end which seems to fit every power tool I own. Both ends of the hose have 360degree swivel fittings which stops the hose getting twisted. When you compare the diameter of the supplied hose with standard vacuum hoses, it's hard to believe it can shift enough air through it (3600 litres/min) ... until you try it. To put this into perspective, my Record Power RSDE2 can shift 3180 litres/min through a 100mm hose. The biggest problem with the thin hose is that it actually makes quite a lot of noise as the air whistles through it.
In addition to the standard hose, I also bought the accessories kit which comes with a wider hose (38mm I think) and a selection of more-normal vacuum cleaner heads such as a floor nozzle, crevice nozzle, etc. Using the wider hose makes everything a lot quieter. The dipped-tray on the top of the extractor makes a good place to store all the nozzles. The inlet to the extractor is actually 50mm so I'm on the lookout for some 50mm hose to try now.
Now onto the performance.... My goodness... I never realised that it could be like this. I just cannot praise this thing highly enough. It puts every vacuum cleaner and extractor I've ever tried before to shame. We have a Dyson DC01 and a 1800W Black and Decker vacuum in the house and it just makes them look like toys. When the RSDE2 has brand new filters and an empty tank it manages nearly the same amount of suction (with 10x the noise), but as soon as you've used the record power for a few minutes, the filters start to block and the suction reduces - Not so with this Nilfisk one. It sucks and it sucks and it sucks.. and better yet, it's quiet - You can hold a normal conversation when it's on full blast without having to raise your voice.
I mentioned in the overview that this extractor had one big big problem and here it is - It's too good - Really it is. It's so good that that SWMBO has realised and our household vacuum cleaners have been abandonned. It can clean our whole house in about a fifth of the time of any of the domestic cleaners. The power cable is so long that it can be plugged in the downstairs hallway and reach every part of the house (upstairs and down). It's quiet enough that you can watch telly or listen to the radio whilst hoovering and it just makes the whole job a pleasure to do.
I waited for four months of using it before posting this review, expecting the performance to drop, or some niggle to occur, but I really cannot find a single negative thing to say about this extractor. Even though it was expensive , it was worth every penny and although I have three other vacuum/extractor devices I'm seriously thinking about buying another one of these so that SWMBO doesn't keep making me bring it back from the workshop into the house.
It may have cost twice as much as my Record Power extractor, but it's way more than twice the machine.
I have no affiliation to Nilfisk whatsoever other than having bought one of their products.
Edit: Things I forgot to say - The unit has a soft-start on the motor and a socket where you can plug in power tools for auto-switch-on - Both work well - I just forgot to mention them.
