Customer Reviews for ProTeam LineVacer ULPA 10 qt. Backpack Vac with High Filtration Tool Kit

This is a commercial level cleaner for areas that have to remain clean (such as clinics, doctor’s offices, computer labs, etc). The unit is robust, strong and designed for long periods of use. That is why it is a backpack, the weight is on the user’s hips and you do not have to drag some machine around knocking into things. It comes with a very nice and supple extension cable. The plug is on the vacuum which means that you could use any other extension cable of appropriate gauge. The power switch is integrated into the belt and is thus easily accessible. Very quiet operation. The manual is generic for a number of vacuum models but is perfectly adequate. Bag replacement is quick and easy. The top cover is held down by three clips. Open that, pull out the old bag and drop in the new bag, replace the cover and clip down. The bag is type #100291 (10qt/11 liter) and is available from Home Depot at a good price. Order two sets of 10 and you get free shipping. There is a jet of (clean) air on your feet when on uses it but one can soon get used to that. The aluminium wand and main floor tool are nice and light and nice and long. The floor tool is also very nice and broad at 14” My wife got hold of it, planning on doing the stairs, and next thing she did the whole house! When not in use, I find it best to hang the unit by the hanging loop on a large hook.

The ProTeam LineVacer ULPA with High Filtration vacuum cleaner is mainly indented for use where clean air in a controlled environment is critical, especially in medical facilities, clean rooms, computer labs, manufacturing facilities etc. It meets the EPA’s definition of a HEPA Vacuum cleaning. The exhaust has barely no dust output, which makes this a very sophisticated quality equipment. This is not a regular household vacuum cleaner. It is a backpack vacuum cleaner, which is indented to be on the back until the work is completed; but there is a switch which is easily accessible to turn it on or off. Even though its only 15 pounds, women may experience hard time to get it on the back. It takes practice to get it comfortably on your back, and work with it. I do recommend this for use at places where a very clean environment is needed.

Admittedly, I have no commercial cleaning experience, so I needed to research the topic a bit in addition to testing the machine. First, to be clear this is a commercial vacuum and while you may think this looks convenient and powerful for your home (and it is!) be aware of the on-going costs associated with operating a HEPA and especially a ULPA machine. I try to be objective when reviewing products, especially those that I receive for free. After writing this review I got worried that you might question that objectivity. I can assure you that I’m comfortable calling out problems with products that I review and that I’m genuinely impressed with this vacuum. Please read on. I tried to be as helpful as possible. The reason that I only gave it a score of 4 on value is that I didn't feel comfortable claiming it's an excellent value simply because I don't know. It doesn't seem to be out of line with other vacuums in this category but the cost of the ULPA filter seems a little scary to me (which I talk more about below). My intention was to catch your eye with that and allow you to come to your own conclusion. DO YOU NEED HEPA/ULPA? ############################################## Everyone’s heard of HEPA vacuums, which can capture 99.97% of very small particles down to 0.3 micron in size. ULPA captures even more and even smaller particles, 99.999% down to 0.1 microns. Before I continue I feel obligated to say that if you don’t need this level of capture, you should buy a machine like this. It would be one thing to pay a little more for overkill, but it doesn’t stop there because the cost in replacement filters would kill you! The list price for the actual ULPA filter in this vacuum is over $300. I don’t see them Home Depot’s website yet, but I have found them elsewhere. They’re not cheap and I highly doubt many households are going to be willing to stock them for cleaning the kitchen floor. If, however, you actually need such filtration, this is an extremely well made machine. Read on. BUILD QUALITY ############################################## The body of the vacuum is high density plastic that will not break. Ever. Just exploring it with my hands everything looks and feels well made. The body harness is beefy and well padded. There’s just nothing that feels like they cut corners on design or quality with the body and harness. The top and bottom caps are held on with tightly-fitting metal clips that I found to be impressive, if not surprising. In the photos you can see the excellent on/off switch assembly that’s mounted in the harness, the carabineer that holds the power cord in place and the beefy plastic harness mounts that are solidly bolted to the body. As another reviewer mentioned, the flexible hose fits into the top cap loosely, meaning there’s no positive coupling. It’s a friction fit. Honestly, I don’t understand that decision because this machine is otherwise a home-run. That coupling needs to have some sort of engagement/locking function. The strangest part of it is that the elbow on the end cap is actually threaded, so they’re half-way there! I won’t go as far as saying it’s a problem, though, because in my testing it never came loose. If it were to come loose, I’d figure out a workaround and move on. I could use thin, double stick tape inside the joint, silicone wrap tape on the outside, a set screw or even glue it. Not a huge deal to me, but definitely an oversight. Also surprising was how the flexible hose simply slides over the metal wand. Much less of an issue than the other end, but still, I don’t understand the thought behind this flexible hose. The wand is what you’d expect: aluminum with a typical detent to snap the two halves together. The end accessory is held adequately in place by a locking retain nut at the end of the wand. No complaints here. OPERATION ############################################## It’s light enough, weighing in at 13 pounds, which feels perfectly comfortable when worn and the harness is excellent, offering lots of support to distribute the weight and keep it from shifting. It’s not too bulky and never feels like it’s in the way, or that it will knock something over as I maneuver. The manufacturer states that the machine sucks 124 CFM using 744W / 6.2A and the noise level is 64db. I found some information online about the loudness of popular vacuums and was surprised to learn than several are up around 90db. This vacuum is most certainly not loud. 6.2A seems to be in the middle of the pack as far as power consumption (and presumably effectiveness) for household vacuums. I’ll admit that I haven’t studied this much and if you have special needs or concerns with the suction I suggest you research this yourself. I believe the short story here is that you have options when it comes to general commercial vacuums, but once you go down the HEPA / ULPA road your choices are much fewer. I found this vacuum to be quite effective and seemingly plenty powerful. For wood floors I think I’d rather have a floor piece with bristles, but that’s probably not what most commercial cleaners would want. The end piece that came with this (there are a few smaller attachments, as well) is very beefy and won’t break like a household counterpart might under heavy use. FILTERS ############################################## To filter out very fine particles, larger particles must be removed first. If a single micro filter were used it would clog up instantly. So, a series of filters are used in this machine. The first two do all the heavy lifting and capturing that one would normally relate to a vacuum’s job. The Micro Intercept bag is replaceable and can be purchased in packs. I suggest that you look into that cost. What makes it through the bag is pretty small and the next capture point is the washable cloth filter. 1. Micro Intercept Filter (bag, replaceable) 2. Micro Cloth Filter (bag, washable) 3. Dome Filter with Foam Media (washable) 4. HEPA or ULPA Filter (your choice, replaceable) Past those two filters, particles actually pass through the fan and motor. This is important because it means that this vacuum cannot be used in wet or harsh environments and you can’t such up water or other fluids. You can’t such up chemicals that could combust. Particles that get past the motor are on par with what a household vacuum would have missed – very small, but still unacceptable for some situations, such as de-leading. Next up is a simple foam filter tasked as the final gate keeper, protecting the expensive final filter from being clogged with stray particles that are too large. The HEPA or ULPA filter, depending on which one you have installed (comes with ULPA) filters the air that’s about to be exhausted through the bottom. The HEPA filter appears to be shorter in the parts diagram that comes with the vacuum, while the ULPA filter – which requires more surface area to perform properly – is much filter. Both filters come assembled with an actual end cap, by the way. The filter is beefy, with ends made from metal, not filter. My ULPA filter’s serial number is hand written. I get the impression that these assemblies are made to exacting tolerances, explaining the high cost. I poked around online for replacement ULPA filters in other commercial vacuums and this one seems to be “in the range”. There are some that are half the cost, with others that are much more expensive. While I was surprised at the high cost it would seem that this is part in parcel for such filtration standards.