Speak softly and carry a powerful vac: The Singer HB1412-Q upright, formally introduced by Ryobi Motor Products at last month’s National Hardware Show in Chicago, allows owners to do Teddy Roosevelt proud.
Ryobi has combined Quiet Clean, a noise reduction control feature, with the power of a 12-amp motor in its top-of-the-line addition to Singer 8.5-, 8.8-, 9-, 10- and 11-amp uprights.
Vice president of sales and marketing Gary Gosztonyi said Ryobi is one of the first manufacturers to bring electronic noise reduction to the domestic upright vacuum market. In the past, according to Gosztonyi, noise reduction was often achieved through mufflers or diverters.
Gosztonyi added the company believes noise pollution is a growing issue in the American floor-care arena. He noted that the noise levels of appliances are strictly monitored in Europe and Asia.
Ryobi’s concern over noise pollution was echoed by Show- Vac Corp.’s Hardware Show introduction of its QSP series of wet/dry vacs. The Williamsport, Pa.-based company, which has a presence in the European market, it one of the first manufacturers to bring noise reduction to the domestic utility vac market [HFD, Sept. 6].
Like Shop-Vac, Ryobi manufactures and markets a variety of products for the European and Asian markets. Thus, Ryobi had a technological advantage when it decided to produce a quieter vacuum for the American market, according to Gosztonyi.
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The company expects the Singer model to appeal to apartment dwellers, people with children and consumers who like to speak softly.
“When using Quiet Clean, you can actually hear your telephone ring,” Gosztonyi said of the new model. “It is quiet enough that you can carry on a converstion with someone in the same room and continue cleaning. It you live in an apartment, you can use Quiet Clean in the morning and late at night without disturbing neighbors. You can vacuum without disturbing children sleeping in the next room.”
Simultaneous to introducing its brand of noise reducation technology, Ryobi also was one of the first companies to hit the 12-amp power ceiling.
Although Gosztonyi acknowledged high amperage numbers may not have the impact they did before Hoover and Regina chose to move away from straight amperage ratings, Ryobi is touting the Singer HB1412-Q as one of the most powerful vacs available.
“You can’t go beyond that [12-amp number],” Gosztonyi said, referring to national electrical codes which hold amperage at 12.
In addition to more power and quieter cleaning than its predecessors, the Singer hard-body upright features on-board storage of its upholstery nozzle, dusting brush, crevice tool and self-retracting hose. A wide-beam headlight, wrap-around bumper, and 35-foot cord are additional features.
