11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Not Impressed
Date of Review: Dec 13, 2006
The Bottom Line: Negatives outweigh the positives. Looking elsewhere for vacuum that doesn't have quality issues.
My wife saw an ad for the Infinity Vac on TV and thought that it would be worth trying it as a less-expensive alternative to the Dyson. Compared to the Dyson, the Infinity falls short in many areas.
First, the positives:
1) The suction seems good. It really did a number on a rug we have, and sucked up quite a bit of dirt from our berber carpets.
2) The included tools and wand are nice. The wand is easily detachable (sometimes TOO easily - more later) and the tools are easy to use. Very nice when doing stairs or reaching for those high-up cobwebs.
3) Canister is easy to detach and empty, as well as fairly easy access to the filters. Comes apart and goes back together quickly.
4) Rubberized wheels are nice and quiet.
The big negative is that it feels cheaply made. Examples:
1) The biggest gripe is with the sometimes too-easily-detachable wand. There is a release button for the wand, but I found that it oftentimes just pops out when pulling back on the handle while vacuuming. My wife has this same primary gripe. It's annoying to have to stop every 30-40 seconds to put the handle back in. I'm not convinced that this is an issue just with ours, as the 2 display models at Bed Bath & Beyond did this as well (at the time, I attributed it to being abused demos).
2) The 5-position height adjustment is a joke. There is high - which really isn't all that high - and low. When moving the knob from High, nothing happens for the 4 other settings. The knob is loose and the wheel underneath the vacuum that adjusts the height does not move. The 2 display models at BB&B also did this. Again, same justification (abused demos) as before.
3) It is easy to release the vacuum to recline/angle down when vacuuming. However, it is difficult to lock back into the upright position. I literally had to put my foot in front of the vacuum to keep it from moving and force the vacuum to lock into place. Again, the display models also did this.
4) It looks cheap. Ok, so this one is purely subjective, but the metallic teal finish is not very attractive (we bought it in spite of the color) and the seams where the plastic pieces were put together were very obvious.
Verdict: Maybe we got a lemon, but it was certainly enough to sour us on the Infinity. The problems far outweighed the benefits and we feel that there is another vac out there with the same benefits, but without the problems. We are returning this vacuum tomorrow (have had it for a week) and trying out the Dirt Devil Reaction (http://www0.epinions.com/Dirt_Devil_M110000_Vacuum). I'm planning on trying every comparable model before succumbing to spousal pressure to get a Dyson =)
P.S. We bought this vacuum at Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% off coupon. Original price = $200, discount = $40, final price = $160 + tax.
