Review of Fantom Twister Vacuum Cleaner

Fantom was a company that made vacuums for many years and had a good reputation.

Then the company went belly-up a few years ago.

Euro-Pro, another vacuum cleaner maker, bought the rights to the name ‘Fantom,’ and now sells vacuum cleaners with that brand name. Euro-Pro also sells the Shark line of vacuum and steam cleaners.

While Euro-Pro has a good reputation in the industry, there is one Fantom vacuum cleaner it sells that is definitely a lemon – the Fantom 16-Inch Bagless Twister.

Judging by the dozens of customer comments (complaints, really) that have been lodged against this dog of a vacuum cleaner, it’s fair to say that Euro-Pro probably laments the decision to offer this particular model for public consumption.

First, here are the features and specs for the Fantom 16-Inch Bagless Twister, a bagless upright vacuum in this review:

Fantom Vacuum Features:

• 12-amp motor
• HEPA filtration system
• Adjustable height to handle high-pile carpets to bare floors
• 16-inch wide cleaning path
• Long hose for attachments
• Stainless steel detachable wand for hard to reach areas
• Onboard tools include crevice tool, dusting brush, upholstery tool, and turbo brush
• Headlamp
• 30 lbs.
• 35-foot power cord
• Price: $180-$250

Motor

There are some good things in that list that should not be overlooked. The 12-amp motor is nice. Power in a vacuum is never a bad thing. Generally, the more amps, the stronger the suction at all height settings. Moreover, more suction means less time pushing the vacuum around.

HEPA Filtering

HEPA filtration is also a strong point. It’s understandable why so many people have seen the specs on this Fantom vacuum cleaner and thought it was worth their time and money.

Height Adjustment

Height adjustment is another selling point for any multi-purpose vacuum cleaner. Ideally, most people would prefer a vacuum that can do double duty and clean bare floors as well as carpeting.

Cleaning Path

The 16-inch wide cleaning path is also very attractive. Wider cleaning paths and strong suction are never a bad combination in any vacuum cleaner.

Attachments

This vacuum does have the extras that make it very versatile, at least on paper. The long hose, onboard tools and detachable stainless steel wand are all very useful time savers. It’s clear that the people at Euro-Pro invested the proper attention to detail to offer what should be a good all-around upright vacuum at a reasonable price.

Price

Given the impressive-looking list of features, a price tag of $180-$250 appears, if anything, low. Again, it’s easy to see how even a diligent shopper would see all this vacuum cleaner has to offer for this price and decide to order it.

Many Disappointed Customers With This Fantom Vacuum Cleaner

Unfortunately, the promise on paper doesn’t materialize in the actual product. There is no better indicator of a vacuum’s true worth than the reviews of current and past owners. And, in the case of the Fantom 16-Inch Bagless Twister Vacuum, the overwhelming consensus among the 50+ customers who offered reviews on several leading websites was a resounding ‘thumbs down.’

One common gripe can be easily predicted from the list of specifications. 30 lbs.? This vacuum cleaner is just too heavy, by anyone’s standards. Who wants to try to lug 30 lbs. up and down stairs every few days? Sure enough, many reviewers complained about that fact. Of course, one could argue that the weight was easily discerned from the specs, which savvy shoppers should always check out before making a purchase online. But that doesn’t detract one iota from the poor judgment Euro-Pro showed in creating such a ridiculously heavy home vacuum cleaner.

Another complaint that leads to some head scratching is a lack of suction. Here’s a typical description: “NO suction, heavy, you have to work to clean your floors.. this one has trouble with surface lint…” from Deedee in Colorado. That’s passing strange in a machine featuring a 12-amp motor. It’s tempting to write this off as an aberration, but you cannot because many other reviewers had the same experience.

Clogging of the filter and dirt container were two other common complaints. This speaks to poor design, plain and simple. A vacuum cleaner at this price level should do the basics without any problems. That includes filtering and collecting the dirt, dust, and debris. There’s no excuse for either problem, let alone both.

A very disturbing problem that many reviewers write extensively about is the fact that even the replacement vacuums they received from Euro-Pro were defective. Imagine spending $200 on a vacuum cleaner, discovering it doesn’t work properly, returning it under warranty, and getting a replacement that also doesn’t work correctly! Wow!

Then there are the ongoing problems with the belts on this Fantom vacuum cleaner. Many customers remarked that the belts went bad after just a few uses. To compound the problem, getting replacements is nearly impossible, and can take weeks. Weeks, to replace a simple vacuum motor belt. Unbelievable.

I saved the best (meaning the worst) for last. Apparently, Euro-Pro’s customer service is atrocious, at least for this model of vacuum cleaner. Many reviewers posted angry words about being told a part was being shipped, then waiting weeks, only to call back and be told it was never shipped. That’s just wrong.

This understandably irate customer summed it up best: “It came with a hose missing, so I go to Euro Pro’s web site, report my issue and am told they’ll send me a replacement. A few weeks go by, no hose, so I call their CS, and I’m told that an order was never placed but they’ll go ahead and put in the order. 2 more weeks go by, nothing. I call again. They tell me they don’t have that particular hose in stock. I finally talk to a supervisor and give him an earful. He offered to send me a replacement vacuum and I could keep the one I have for parts so I was happy. He said he’d expedite it and I’d receive my new vacuum in 7-10 days. 2 weeks. Nothing. I call AGAIN. I’m connected to a manager. She tells me that they no longer have this model available and offers me a different model, but I have to send this one back. I went ballistic. I demanded a full refund, but she STILL tried to have me ship this one back.” — Jason from Washington.

Fantom Vacuum Recommendation

You get the picture by now. The 16-Inch Bagless Twister is one Fantom vacuum cleaner to steer clear of, unless throwing $180-$250 away is something you enjoy.