Nilfisk Elite Classic

Nilfisk Elite vacuum cleaner – I am on my 3rd nilfisk elite. First one lasted a year. The retail shop replaced it and had the 2nd for a year.They replaced that one.The 3rd one has just given up.lights are flashing on it and it won't work anymore.it's an expensive machine and I bought it especially because I have a cat inside.When it works it's great and has powerful suction. Won't be buying nilfisk again.  Show details

NILKFISK ELITE – I have had similar issues with my nilfisk elite after about 3 years. Was great for that time frame with good suction and loved pet foot but now it seems to stop mid vacuum with flashing lights on handle. Took it in and was told the plug, took it home and it is still doing the same. Not sure I want to waste more time and money on it. … Read more

Disappointed that last vacuum lasted for 10 years, (another brand) and this only 3 - is this not something we can expect with present day machines.

The Elite Nilfisk is elite indeed – The elite has very good suction power and may take a bit of getting use to. The power of the suction is such that vacuuming hall way rugs can become a challenge as the rugs are not secured to the floor and as a consequence attaches to the vacuuming head. This is even when using the lowest suction available. A lower suction would have made this… Read more

vacuum cleaner a top pick. The remote control through the blue tooth electronic control is an excellent facility. My previous Nilfisk vacuum cleaner ( GM series ) lasted over ten years and still operational but the wheels needed replacing. The wheels were marking the wooden floors. I hope this one last as long. The cleaning ability is good due to the strong suction.

Great when it works – Have had 2 of these. They are great while working, but difficult to get repairs done quickly, or problem identified. After warranty repairs on the 1st one, ended up throwing it in the bin, as it never worked properly after it started playing up, including after warranty repairs were finally done after a lengthy wait. The 2nd one, purchased not… Read more

long after the 1st one was also great for a couple of years, then developed a problem with not turning on. Took it in for repairs & was told nothing was wrong with it. Took it home & it refused to turn on, which was the issue it was put in for. Took it back to point of purchase, and after a few weeks wait, got it back & was told again that it was working. Took it with me, plugged it in & worked in the first room, but when I unplugged it to put into another power socket it would not turn on & remained unable to turn on. Took it back to point of purchase again & it is almost 5 weeks I have been without a vacuum cleaner, have not had one phone call about it unless I have called wanting to know whats going on. I have been told by Nilfisk that the problem has finally been identified. Repairer has advised no idea of how long for parts to arrive & no idea of when I will get it back. Clearly, it's not their house that has no vacuum cleaner. Absolutely disgusted at the lack of service when there is a problem.

Best suction EVER – This vacuum has the best suction ever. It has amazing power, the remote on the handle is awesome. It has an exceptionally long cord, which removes the need for an extension cord. It has many heads and stores the accessories onboard, which saves them getting lost. It's light and did I mention powerful! Downfall is that it can't run over its own… Read more

cord, which is an issue when you have a really long cord!

It cleans my rug really well. I love it. Would have scored a 5, but one mark off because of the inability to run over its cord.

Does everything a vacuum should (but most don't): Strong suction, Dust-free operation, Easy to use – This is the best vacuum cleaner we have had. We have a lot of carpet and it’s all a dark colour, so dirt really shows. We traipse in a lot of dirt because we’re a busy family, plus the dogs sneak in when it’s cold. So we have to vacuum often, and daily for the high-traffic areas of the house. We have had a lot of vacuum cleaners in our time, so we… Read more

have got to know good from bad. Some time ago we had another Nilfisk, which was shaped like a sputnik. That proved to be a bit of a dud, and put us off the brand. However the Nilfisk Elite more than redeems any faults of the previous versions.

What I especially like about this machine is first that it LIFTS DIRT off carpet. All vacuum cleaners claim to do so. What’s unusual is that this machine generally lifts dirt off the floor the first time. By comparison every other vacuum cleaner we’ve ever had required multiple pass-overs, all of which waste time and make you tired. So better lifting power means we save time. Consequently the family accept the vacuuming roster better than before, because the tool is better.

Second thing I like is its SUCTION. At full throttle this machine is impressive. I have seen it swallow a unwary tea-towel in an instant. Of course it can be turned down too. I’ve used it when sanding gib, attached to the sander, and not a speck of dust escaped. That was impressive as gib makes a lot of really fine white powder which blows everywhere and is a pain to get rid of. Thirdly, and more importantly, this machine is the first that we’ve had that is actually DUST FREE. The bag retains the dust, even in the process of being changed. Don’t you hate it when a vacuum cleaner releases lots of fine dust back into the room every time its emptied? Our previous bagless machines (which were a reputable brand) were especially bad at this. You have dust allergies and then you empty the machine and all the fine dust – which is the worst type- comes back out into your face? But not this one. Also, the inside of its case is clean after use, not covered with dust. I don’t know how the designers did that: it must be the quality of the bag material. We don’t even get a smell of dust when we restart after a bag change.

While on the topic of bags, there is a cost to them, but I’ve found them easy to get hold of. The bag takes a surprisingly large amount of soil. Also, the machine does not loose suction as the bag fills up, unlike the bagless machines where the performance deteriorates sharply.

I think the dust free operation is the real health advantage of this vacuum. They have designed it with a really good dust-containment mechanism. Dust goes in and never comes out again. It’s like a black hole. Having had many previous bagless machines, I’ve come to the conclusion that the convenience of the bagless vacuums are undone by their dirty change-over and poor suction power.

Third thing I like, and this might be a strange one, is that the machine does not capsize when dragged around. Every other machine we’ve had would overturn when yanked along. Then one has to waste time righting it. Maybe I’m just an impatient operator? This Nilfisk just chugs along and generally manages to stay right-side-up. Fourth, the cable wind-up mechanism actually works. Most other machines don’t do this positively.

There is only one thing I don’t like about the machine, and that’s the speed control. It’s in the handle, and it’s battery powered. Problem is the batteries go flat very quickly, within a month. When they do, there is no speed control. However full-on and off are still available from the hardware switch on the body, so it’s not a show-stopper.

On the whole this by far the best vacuum cleaner we’ve ever had. Vacuuming is not my favourite thing to do with my free time, so I appreciate that this machine helps me get the job done as quickly and neatly as possible.