Victa MV1200 Mini Vac

Disappointing – I have only had this machine a few weeks and it now blows the dirt away from itself. I had a very old Victa Vac 500 inherited from my parents and it was perfect. So I did not hesitate to buy the same brand again. The design has been changed and it just doesn't work. I will be returning it.

Victa Mini Vac 1200 poor quality – This my 2nd Mini Vac, the first being the Victa Vac 500 which was of superior quality. The current model has a number of issues and not worth purchasing. 1. After using a new bag for a few times the vac blows out more than picks up 2. Bags do not last that long before they get holes in them 3 Front wheels wear out very quickly. Why did they ever replace the 500 which never had any issues.  Show details

Mini victa vac – Worked well to start with but now it won’t pick up anything at all and is only just gone 12 months old  Show details

Biggest piece of garbage victa ever made – What a piece of crap! Wish I’d taken it back rather than leaving it in the shed.. blows leaves away before it can suck them up.. makes a worse mess than when you started.. won’t be buying victa vacs ever again.. Stick with the mowers I think, they aren’t to bad..  Show details

Surprising – Definitely works better when pulling back rather than pushing forward. Was surprised, not a bad little unit. Only used a couple of times but at this point quite impressed. Got it on clearance in Bunnings for $99. Bags look ok at this stage - look strong enough but have read poor reviews. Man at Bunnings said to hose them out after use.  Show details

Extremely disappointed – This was recommended to me by a Bunnings employee. It blows back about half of what it sucks up. Also, it blows out dust which comes through the bag. I'm taking it back . A huge fail. I thought it was a solid brand. No more purchasing Victa products for me.  Show details

A vacuum that blows the dirt away from the suction area – I have become increasingly frustrated with the mini vac. After 9 months I am on my third bag and was staggered at their replacement cost. The machine also blows the leaves and debris away before you can vacuum them creating just as much mess as it cleans. i won't be buying another one and am returning it to Bunnings this week!

An excellent machine with very short-lived bags – I bought MV1200 to replace an old Victa Vac 500. The new machine does an excellent job of cleaning up leaves and plant debris on paved and concrete surfaces. That's what I bought it for and it's great! The extra suction power is notable over the old Vac 500 and is appreciated, but not so much the extra noise. The key to getting a great… Read more

result is to pull the vac towards you while dragging the suction head along the ground. Just pushing it around with the head 2-3 cm off the ground isn't very effective. I use this machine a lot and it has proved 100% reliable and 100% effective in producing a perfectly clean patio area.

The big weakness of the MV1200 is the disposable bags which are very expensive. Unlike the canvas bag on the old VV 500 that outlasted the machine, the new plastic mesh bags are only good for about 3-4 months at best. The new bags also seem to let more dust through than the old canvas bag.

Bearing in mind the whole machine that came with a couple of bags only cost me $99. It is a shock to find out that a twin pack of new bags is about $45! If this machine last 10 years, then I will spend over $700 in bags! The old VV500 lasted over 10 years, it cost over $200 new but then nothing more. Victa are using ink jet printer business model of selling the machine cheap and then gouging us on grossly over-priced consumables. I wish I'd kept the old canvas bag from the VV500 - I would have made it fit!

Mr Disappointed – I have just purchased my third MV 1200 which now comes with 2 bags of a slightly improved material the first bag lasted approx 10 outings in relatively light leaf collection from a small paved area after which the design blew a hole in the bag which is unrepairable I have modified the plastic outlet and attached the bag from the origional vv500… Read more

which is now 25 yrs old and still hole free It would be nice if victa would bring back the origional as i would buy one however they were to well biult so can only hope for another company to pick on the idea and manufacture a machine in competition to the mini vac 1200 as it is a great idea but frustratingly fragile

Plastic impellar, collection bag faulty

Dissapointed with Performance – Pro's: Nice Looking but that's a far as it goes. Cons: Won't steer straight on uneven surfaces where the wheels have a mind of their own. : The bags are flimsy & do not last unlike the old Vac 500. I suppose that is good for Victa as bags are not cheap & they make more money. My son has one as well, He uses his more than me and he… Read more

is on his third bag, he is not happy.

: Tends to push the dirt away from the head so you are always chasing the dirt.

: Makes plenty of noise but the suction is pretty average & wont pick up large leaves.

Would I buy another? No, not if I could find something that worked better & didn't cost to much.

I wish my old Vac 500 had not burnt out. The bags were of far better quality. It's Appearence Doesent do a good job, see text.

Bags too thick – Appears that the Bag fabric is too thick and air cant escape through it quick enough. Because of this air pushes back through one side of the mouth, pushing anything out of its path that your trying to pick up!!!!! Completely useless machine. Would not recommend this for any purspose.

Machine is OK but bags are inferior – In less than 12 uses 2 bags developed holes from the inside out. I repaired one with a patch but a 2nd hole quickly appeared. Only ordinary garden refuse was collected yet the claim is that this machine is suitable for hard surfaces. The fabric used in the bag is totally unsuitable for the work it was designed to perform. I now have a machine that… Read more

cannot be used unless I keep buying new bags. Finding a retailer that sells the bags or machines is also difficult. This machine is a waste of money.A complaint to Victa's web site failed to receive a response. I won't buy any Victa product again. It's suction was OK Inferior material used in bags

Not happy! – I bought this as I lost the bag for my Victa Vac 500. I have been very happy with the vic-vac500 for a long time so I thought I was buying an updated version. This was not to be!!! I used this on and off for a few weeks but noticed it left the floor still covered in shredded leaves. I also notice the bag was full so I emptied it. With more use… Read more

I noticed it was blowing out the left hand side of the supposed pick up. Again I emptied the bag thinking it was a possible blockage or something. After many test I now realise that unless the bag is entirly empty, it will start blowing the contents of the bag back out of the left hand side of the pick up.

My intent is to take this back to Bunnings but then I'll have to buy a completely different model as this doesn't seem like it's a 1 off problem, it seems there is a design fault. And Victa used to be a sign of quality.... That you can push it around without leaning over (upright operation) Bags are poor quality, doesn't do it's job i.e. fully vacuum up leaves etc.