Philips PowerPro Active

Ok while it lasted - suffered a early death – This machine worked well for a few years of light use then ran rough with a burnt smell and stopped sucking. Probably designed to last for the warranty period and not much more. Now added to the pile of appliance junk at the dump. Show details

Passing the buck around – I've purchased my vacuum cleaner in August 3, 2015. Two weeks ago, a burning smell started emanating from the vacuum cleaner and then it stopped working. I contacted Target where I purchased the product and they said they can't help me as the product is more than a year old. I contacted the Philips Consumer Service about this and they said that… Read more

the option at that time was to send the unit to a designated repair centre. I also told them that since it's been over a year now since I purchased the product, the ink from the original receipt has already gone. All I have is a blank paper attached to the manual. They said it's okay. I told them I was working and I could not possible take the a day off just to take the vacuum cleaner for further assessment. You see, taking a day off work means losing money which at the end of the day is not very feasible. I might as well work and use up my earning for the day to buy a new vacuum cleaner. Given that it's under still under two years old, I decided to contact the service centre in the hope that they will be able to assist me. Anyway, since I could not justify taking a day off just to take the vacuum cleaner to a repair centre, I requested that if possible, I would like the unit to be replaced instead.They said they will escalate the situation and that it will take 24-48 hours. That was on the 28/2/2017. Yesterday, 07/3/2017 I got an email from them saying that they tried to contact me. True enough, I did indeed get a missed call from an overseas number. In the email, it states that I could either send the unit to the place where I purchased the product or take it to the designated service centre as originally planned. Given that those were the only options they could give me, I then asked what I had to prepare before going there. They said the receipt. I again explained my problem about the receipt and how Target could not retrieve it back as it has bee nearly two years now since I purchased the product. Instead, they asked for a credit card statement. I gave them what they wanted. Again, I called to ask what was happening. Apparently, my credit cared statement does NOT state that I purchased a vacuum cleaner. WHY OF COURSE!!! IT'S A CREDIT CARD STATEMENT! IT'S NOT A RECEIPT!!! All credit cards do not itemize what you purchased from a store. All they do is put the total amount of money you've spent. Because I only gave a credit card statement, they apparently need another 24-48 hours to escalate another situation-that is, my credit card statement. What a joke!!! i have spent a total of 40 minutes talking to someone on the phone and being put on hold just today. Last week, I spent a total of 38 minutes doing the same. What a waste of time. If Philips could not live up to their two year warranty, then change it to one year!!! I'm so upset with the way this issue has been handled. I felt like everyone was just passing the buck around.

Very Good Dust And Pet Fur Extraction – Bought one of these 2 days ago after my 15 year old Nilfisk stopped working. First thing I noticed is great extraction of dust and cat fur from carpet! This quickly filled up the dust canister so I was emptying it every room. Now I'm guessing that such a frequency is due to my previous cleaner being marginal for the last few months - so way more… Read more ·  7

than average dust and fur to collect. I'll monitor and see how/if that changes on next weeks vacuums.

The suction is very good - I'm running it with the dial on about 1/3 and there is *plenty* enough at that level (and the noise is pleasantly muted at that setting too.

Now I quickly noticed the phenomena that other reviews mention - after emptying the dust canister for the 2nd time the suction considerably decreased...so checked canister was fitted correctly - yep, hoses tight and not blocked - yep....scratched head a bit then looked at the foam cover on the HEPA filter - completely covered in cat fur - a quick wash and (not so quick) dry and we were back to exactly as new level of suction (phew). So this is something to watch, and it is on the inside of the canister - so need to remove the filter to see it). Obviously having to wash this guy every few rooms would be annoying - I'll monitor this too, but suspect that subsequent vacuums will not be picking up so much fur and so it will only need cleaning each month as the docs indicate!

Things that could be improved

- more robust fittings/pipes

- larger nose wheel

- Is the HEPA washable? (Massive confusion. The paper docs show only the foam is washable...but online manual http://download.p4c.philips.com/files/f/fc8671_01/fc8671_01_dfu_eng.pdf and the inner box flap say foam and HEPA are...Some clarity here would be nice)

brilliant!!!! – Bought this today after our old vacuum died last week. Was deciding between a Philips or a vax but chose the Philips simply because I liked the fact that the Philips customer care team actually bothered to reply to positive and negative reviews on this site. It is something you see so little of these days and I think it says a lot about the… Read more ·  1

brands 'integrity'.

As for the vacuum cleaner...fantastic! Light weight, easy to maneuver, great suction and power. Well made for the price. My house is mainly carpeted with hard floors in the kitchen area. We usually vacuum 2 or 3 times a week. I was flabbergasted by how much 'dust and dirt ' the new Philip's got out of my 'what I thought was clean' carpet. To add though we did use our old 'roller head' instead of the standard one that came with the vacuum. I have to say though our roller head spun so much faster than it ever did with our old vacuum. With my old vacuum my very long hair would end up stuck on the roller but with the Philips the majority ended up it the cannister.

So far we are very happy with the performance of this Vacuum. We are also confident that if any problems arose that it could be resolved with the help of the efficient customer care team.

Great suction power! – This vacuum cleaner is quite powerful, and even after using it for some time, it still has the approx. the same power. The only downside is, it is very hard to find the filters and other parts of this vacuum cleaner. I would strongly suggest to buy some extra filters whenever you purchase any of the Phillips vacuum cleaners.  Show details ·  1

Good little vacuum – Suction is maintained over a variety of different surfaces and the attachments are diverse enough that it suits all my needs; pet hair, couch, tile floor... Relatively easy to maneuver around. Really like that it is bagless, to reduce waste and eliminate a constant cost. The only complaint I have it the cord wind up seems to be getting slower and… Read more

slower every time I use it and I feel like it is going to break and I will not be able to wind up the cord any longer. Which doesn't make it function any worse but does mean that storage is a much bigger hassle.

powerful baby – very happy with this little machine, quite surprise with his ability. clean job well done. the wire longer enough for move around, only issue I had so far is have to clean the filters after use otherwise he will not suck well. for a 300 m2 house with carpet for all bedrooms and study, he perform well.  Show details ·  1

Was good when working - lasted less than 2 yrs – Not happy Philips. I would have expected it to last a long longer than it did. It had little use as only a professional couple in a brand new house. I have regularly cleaned out the barrel and filter and to look at it, it looks brand new. Today it started making a flapping sound upon turning it on and producing a strong electrical burning smell.  Show details

kaboom – purchsed this model in march of this year only lasted 3 months before it over heated an began to pour out smoke was lucky it did not catch a light. i cleaned the filters after each use so was not that, as for suction it was not to bad just shame it died, got a rrefund  Show details

Disappointing – Worked very well initially, suction was great. However, the head and hose have had to be replaced after 2 years use , and it is next to impossible to get replacement parts for this vacuum cleaner. We are using generic replacement parts , but they don't work as well. Disappointing.  Show details

Impressed with customer service from Phillips – The prompt replies from Phillips making good on product concerns made me buy this vacuum cleaner , I have the airfryers which I love and the steam irons which I love from Phillips, let’s hope I have the for this vacuum cleaner . regardless I a. impressed with there prompt wanting to sort out issues . Great work Phillips Show details ·  1

Smoked then stopped working – I really enjoyed this vacuum, it is powerful and compact. It was working really well for about three years until it started making a sound like it was straining when I turned it on then it died in a puff of smoke. The filters were cleaned regularly. It's out of warranty, so I have been referred to the service centre for repair at my own cost, if… Read more ·  1

repair is possible. Pretty frustrating as this seems to be something that has happened to other units, and a machine of this price should last longer.

Ok – Very good product have bit loud noises but ok for Cleaning I bought few months back not very expensive just reasonably priced Good for household chores very powerful motor and very easy to clean as well Just use the way you want it won’t disappoint Easy to take care as well  Show details ·  1

Does the job – For its price, I’ve been very happy with this unit. However, I only have three small rooms with carpet and a couple of mats so its not being heavily used or tested. After 10 months of use, still good suction. Whilst a bit annoying to clean, I would still choose a bagless machine if I had my time over to keep expenses down and minimise environmental impact.  Show details ·  1

Good little vacuum – This is a good vacuum cleaner for the price, although I had to buy a replacement filter after trying to clean it in water and it soon got a mouldy smell. The suction is good and works well on the highest setting for my cats fur and after over a year the hose and attachments have not broken  Show details ·  1

Works Well – My family purchased this unit last year while our Dyson upright vacuum cleaner was in for its 4th repair. The price was extremely reasonable. Not having to purchase replacement dust bags is a bonus. The unit's suction is good; so much so that the filters need to be cleaned often, or the unit loses suction. This is annoying at times, however at… Read more ·  2

least the machine is doing what it is supposed to be doing! The unit is easy to move around. The suction noise level is not what I would call quiet, but probably no noisier than similar machines. We only have two rooms with carpet, so the unit is not used extensively each week. It will be interesting to see how reliable the unit is sometime in the future, after more use. However, for the cost I can buy five of these units to one of the Dyson machines.

Good vacuum. Satisfied with it – We haven't had this for long, only about 2 weeks, but so far it's been a nice little vacuum cleaner. It picks up the dirt well. It is mostly easy to operate (exception being slightly awkward cleaning carpets - see later). The unit is fairly light, so there are no problems dragging it around. The noise level seems standard as far as I can tell -… Read more ·  1

quite loud, but so were all my past vacuums (Samsung, Sanyo vacuums). The only fault I'd give this is the lack of an option to adjust the suction power. There is only one setting for suction power and it is very strong. When I'm vacuuming the carpet and pick the vacuum head up to vacuum another spot, the whole carpet sticks to the head and you have to give it a slight pull to detach the carpet. it's a little awkward, but I guess at least it means it's vacuuming up the dirt well.

Not to bad! – This vacuum cleaner definitely does the job! I saw this one for a great price and snapped it up after moving into a new place. Amazing suction! the only fault, if I was to be not picky would be the cord retraction if there's any kink or the cord isn't being fed it can be a little tough to feed back in, but that's not an issue for me!  Show details ·  1

powerful suction – has it for more than a year, i am very satisfied, it always give powerful suction. it also has several head for diferent purposes. i never had any problem. the only negative is the body is a bit bulky, so a bit hard to move freely, especially in small space.  Show details

Good consistent performance – Very easy to use on tiles, wood, couch fabric and carpet. Great for dog hair too. Easy to empty. Very happy with this purchase. I have been using it for over 6 months now and it has performed consistently well over this period. Price was also very competitive so I am very happy overall.  Show details ·  1

I love this vacuum – The vacuum cleaner is so light to carry especially up the stairs which is normally a challenge. The suction is great and not having to change the bags is awesome, l will never use a bag cleaner again. I don' t have a large area downstairs as it's tiles and carpet but it's great for both. I do have quite a few stairs which the vacuum maneuvers… Read more ·  1

easily into the hard to get corners. It is a little loud but small price to pay for a good machine.

Thank you Phillips...

Motor Smoked after 2 years – Small and compact vacuum - powerful for its size. Had to constantly clean the filter to get a good suction as well as empty the unit. Worked well for the last two years but decided it had enough this morning, I switched it on and it started making sounds like it was straining even after I had cleaned it out. In a minute it started to emit smoke from the back of machine. Its out of warranty... Sadly I'm on the hunt for a replacement now.  Show details

Perfect – Happy overall with this cleaner easy to use on my carpet and tiled floors.. its light weight and has great suction and easy to clean. This cleaner stores away easy enough. Simple pleasure to use this cleaner. Its also very quiet I can vacuum while my baby's sleeping and not wake them  Show details ·  1

Works well but short life – This model is now discontinued but I would consider the successor model similar. The vacuum cleaner was easy to handle and had good suction. Did well on our hard tiled floor and also carpets. Filters are difficult to find. Target no longer stock them. After 2 years the telescopic shaft wore out so had to use gaffa to hold it in place. Now… Read more

2 years & 7 months it just died. Not worth getting it repaired.

I would have expected it to last longer but maybe they're

designed to fail after not too long.

They should write on the packaging that this unit is expected to last 2-3 years but of course they wouldn't

do that.

Thank you for excellent customer service – My vaccum cleaner motor got burnt 7 months pass the warranty period. I contacted the Philips consumer service and their response was very positive and excellent.They arranged to replace the motor free of charge. The consumer care consultant replied always promptly to my e-mails .Dealing with philip staff was very pleasent.  Show details ·  1

Great Compact Vacuum – This is a great little vacuum. I found it's small size makes it easy to store and manoeuvre, but on the downside it fills up quite quickly and needs a lot of emptying. Does a good job on vacuuming hardwood floors and carpet. It's well built and durable. Definitely worth purchasing if you're looking for something small and reliable.  Show details ·  1

Amazing! – So happy with this vacuum! It is quiet, easy to manoeuvre and light. It is bagless and the catchment container is designed so that when you tip the dust out, it doesn't fly up all over the place. The motor is powerful and I feel like my floors get a great clean.  Show details ·  1

Philips quality drops with each new product! – Bougth this one in April 2014, it is our third Philips Vacuum and first bagless. It is by far the worst we owned so far. Previous Performer had twice the suction power, but motor got busted just outside warranty and replacement motor was almost as the price for this FC 8635. Now this one couple of months outside warranty and telescopic mech on… Read more

tube won't stay locked, so tube keeps sliding in and out as you try to clean-Useless! Second, filters have to be cleaned/ replaced more often then with previous bagged vacuums, which sort of diminished the advantage of bagless, since requires more maintenance to retain good suction. Last, filters only available from Briscoes and no aftermarket option, which gives manufacturers like Philips right to set the price they like, which is not cheap. Also, hose connection on the front of this vacuum makes it a lot less manoeuvrable then models with swivel connection at the top. Lastly, no brush attachment and crevice tool, absolute garbage - thick and short can't rich in to any tight spots. No more Philips Vacuums for me, that's for sure.

Quite good. Very good suction but I do not like the dust container or the way to open it. Very compl – I have a 3 bedroom, 2 living area house and find the cleaner quite easy to use.As we have a lot of lino floor more brush would be helpful but is OK. Be careful though, I was getting a cobweb from the ceiling and it sucked the wallpaper off!! Not too noisy.

Great vac but unaffordable replacement filter kit – It was my fave vac ever until the time came to replace the filter. Good as I am at internet shopping, Target has no stock, many NZ shops that stock it do not ship to OZ and the only shop that stocks in OZ, as electronics is $40 delivered.

Great Clean Every Time – Great powerful vacuum, love the fact that it's bagless & you can see all the dust that your pulling out of your carpets. The only downfall is that we're told we must replace the filter every 6months at a additional cost of NZD $60. Other than that it does a great job.  Show reply

Poor Suction – Loved the vacuum - at first! Great suction for the first 2 weeks, even had to put it on low suction. But after another 2 weeks had to put it on max suction and now it doesn't matter what I do, I have no suction at all. I've checked everything! Not happy at all.

Like it but something's missing! – Used the Pro Active for the first time last week and we were pleased it lived up to most claims on this site in terms of suction power. However we immediately found the cord was annoyingly short and that it lacked an attachment we consider mandatory .. a small brush head. This product could definitely use a "bristled" brush head to ensure the hunt… Read more

for cornice cobwebs doesn't leave a trail of scratches. For $199 bucks though, good value .. so far!

poor dirt carrying capacity, clogs up after a couple of sessions – The vacuum clogs up after about 250ml of dirt in the canister and emptying it creates a big mess as you have to tip the dust into a bag/bin as opposed to a release-latch like in many Electrolux vacuums. The filter requires cleaning after each session and using it just becomes a (larger and more tiresome) chore. After a year of use (roughly 52… Read more

sessions), the suction is so bad, you'd get more vigor out of a dead donkey unless you set it to maximum. Even then, it struggles to pick up a feather and forces you to contend with the hazardous levels of noise that it seemingly has plenty of.

I'm hoping to ditch this machine off to some poor unsuspecting sod.

Amazing little star! – Very light, great suction, easy to use and stylish. Best value for money. Its been 2 years and no loss of suction..just take good care of it as it takes care of your house.. I had a little problem in finding the replacement filter but phillips team helped me and i got it home delivered.. Changed the filter after 2 years and it working as new..amazing. Highly recommended.. Thanks phillips..  Show reply