The Rainbow vacuum demonstration was even more impressive.  You can read details of how the Rainbow sales pitch worked in this article. The clear conclusion was the the Rainbow does a much better job of cleaning than our cheap $80 Hoover upright vacuum.  But the Rainbow costs $2,300.  I liked everything about the Rainbow except the price tag.  I was expecting a "but wait, there's more" sort of offer with a lower price, but it never came. How to Get a Cheap Rainbow Vacuum The manufacturer of Rainbow, Rexair, appears to only distribute new Rainbows through their distributors.  As you may have gathered, the distribution arrangement is a multi-level marketing organization.  You can make money selling Rainbow vacuums and also by recruiting others to sell Rainbow vacuums and getting a percentage of their sales.  That's all fine as long as I can get a cheap Rainbow... Fortunately, there are plenty of used Rainbows for sale on eBay and amazon.  The upside of buying a used Rainbow is the low price.  

The downside is that you will not get a warranty from the manufacturer and the condition of used vacuums can vary quite a bit.  Another issue is there are several models of used Rainbow vacuums for sale- you'll need to be careful to ensure you get the one you really want. I said above that used Rainbows do not have a manufacturer's warranty.  You can find some used Rainbows sold by vacuum shops that have a warranty from the shop, which is certainly better than no warranty at all.  Many used vacuums are sold "as is" and some even state "no returns". How much can you save buying a used Rainbow?  The answer depends on what model you buy, but you can get a used Rainbow with a shop warranty for around $400- a savings of around $2,000!  If you want the cleaning performance of a Rainbow vacuum without the high price, there are some good opportunities to find a used Rainbow that will last for many years. Rainbow Vacuum Models and Prices Rainbow E2 E4 Black Model The fancy new model that we saw at the in-home demonstration is called an E2 E4.  

This model has the two speed brushless motor and LED lighting on the water tank and on the power vacuum head.  The 2-speed motor allows the air purifier function to run quietly.  bosch vacuum cleaner £50 cashbackA HEPA filter after the water filter removes small particles.  vacuum cleaners in egyptThese are still expensive on eBay, selling for over $1,500.vacuum cleaner robot canada Rainbow E2 Black Model 12 The Black E2 released in 2011 introduced the 5 wheel dolly design and it also has LED lighing for the water tank.  The 2-speed brushless motor allows the air purifier function to run quietly.  These are still expensive on eBay, over $1,000. Rainbow E2 2-speed Models The 2-speed Rainbow models were first introduced in 2003.  

The 2-speed motor allows the air purifier function to run quietly  A HEPA filter after the water filter removes small particles..  The Rainbow 2-speed models have a brushless motor.  There are a couple variants of the Rainbow 2-speed models: the Gold model and the Blue model.  The Gold model was released first and the Blue model (2008-2011) adds some sound absorbing material around the motor to make it quieter.  You can get the Rainbow E2 Gold 2-speed for around $500 on eBay. Rainbow E Series E2 (1-speed) Model The E Series was introduced in 1998.  The older E series models of Rainbow vacuums used a 1 speed motor with brushes.  These models do not have a slower- and quieter- speed for air purification.  These Rainbows are either on or off.  This was the model that added the HEPA filter in addition to the water filter.  This is useful for filtering small particles that make it through the water filter.  The Rainbow E series 1 speed models are great vacuum cleaners and sell for around $400 on eBay.

All of the Rainbow E Models above move 80 cubic feet of air per minute and have a HEPA filter in addition to the water filter. If you are willing to look older models more than 15 years old, you can get a Rainbow vacuum cleaner for under $300.  Here are the older Rainbow Vacuum models: Rainbow SE / SE PN2 Model This model added the electrical cord inside the hose to power accessories.  The SE is the first model that can use a RainbowMate, which is a powered upholstery cleaning accessory. The D4 has more power than older models and is considered a reliable vacuum cleaner with relatively simple design. The D4 and SE Rainbows move 72 cubic feet of air per minute. The D3 was made in the 1980's.  I would be concerned about reliability and availability of replacement parts in a model this old. The D3 moves air at 67 cubic feet per minute. Which is the Best Model of Rainbow? I have decided to look at E2 models.  These all have the HEPA filter added in addition to the water filter, have more power than older models, and are relatively new which should increase their life expectancy.  

At first I was considering the 1-speed model since these can be purchased for around $400, but I do like the idea of being able to run the unit quietly as an air purifier.  So now I am focusing on E2 2-speed models.  The 2-speed models feature brushless motors which should last a very long time. Cheap Rainbow Vacuums on eBay Start here to find cheap Rainbow Vacuums on eBay: Cheap Rainbow Vacuums on amazon Start here to find cheap Rainbow Vacuums on amazon: Cheap Rainbow Vacuums on craigslist The Sales Pitch: How to Sell Anything is an article that describes the sales pitch for a Rainbow Vacuum in detail. If you want a great whole house air purifier that is much less expensive than a Rainbow, check out this New Comfort air purifier Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  You are probably wondering why I am reviewing a vacuum on a blog that is supposed to be about veterinary information. Well anyone that has pets especially ones with long furry hair understands the need to have a good vacuum.

I happen to have a long haired cat who also is unfortunately very messy. Not only do I have to worry about cleaning up her fur, I also deal with tracked cat litter and spilled food! So you can imagine I have to vacuum all the time. Before I got the Rainbow vacuum, I dealt with the upright vacuum cleaners which continuously would get clogged. Some vacuums I would literally have to disassemble just to unclog the fur and the food. I would also have to deal with loss of suction. This often would result in cat litter remaining in the head of the vacuum. Consequently, the next time I would use the vacuum, the litter would spread all over the floor like a seed spreader. So finally I said enough is enough! I needed to find a vacuum that worked. A friend of mine who use to sell vacuums door to door told me about the Rainbow vacuum. So I decided to do research on it. Majority of the reviews were good but the only problem was the price. A new one is anywhere between $1500-$2000. That price range is nowhere near anything I would consider paying for a vacuum.

But with my research, I also discovered that rebuilt versions were available for a fraction of the cost. However, that fraction still cost me over $400! But I was desperate and still decided to go ahead with the purchase. It was the best decision that I made. I have had the vacuum for almost 2 years now and no more clogged hoses, no more spreading of the cat litter like seed, and no more loss of suction. Other neat features of the Rainbow vacuum include a pretty powerful suction, and it does not require any belts or bags. It actually uses a canister that uses water as a filter so there is no dust at all! Even though this is a great vacuum, there are some things I don’t like about the Rainbow vacuum. One is that the design not aesthetically pleasing. It reminds me of a vacuum from 70’s. Luckily, I am more concerned with how it functions rather than how it looks. Also clean up can be quite challenging. The water canister needs to be cleaned after each vacuuming. You may empty it either down the sink or down the toilet but that may become a plumbing hazard especially if there is a large amount of debris.

I am fortunate to have a wooded area in the back of my residence which allows me to dump the contents out. I then spray the canister out with a garden hose. You also have to be careful that you don’t leave the motor unit on the canister while it is full of water otherwise the motor unit will rust. The vacuum is bulky, heavy and comes with many parts so storage can be challenging. If you don’t have much room then this vacuum may not be for you. Besides that challenges I have mentioned, I still think the Rainbow is a great vacuum. If you have many pets or pets with long hair that leave a large mess you should strongly consider it. Especially if like me had problems with your vacuum getting clogged with pet hair and debris. Is it the best vacuum for pets? Well for me it has been better than any upright I have purchased in the past. I would love to hear from others the success they had with other vacuums in cleaning up their pet areas. Pros Powerful Suction No need for filter No bags or belts Multiple accessories