Turbocat Zoom

zoom01The Turbocat turbine powered carpet brush quickly became the industry standard for turbo nozzles when it was brought to market decades ago by HP Vacuflo. The name “Turbo Cat” has even become the generic term that many of us use to reference any turbine powered carpet brush. And like any great idea in floorcare, the Turbocat has its very own low quality knock-off replacement made in China. If you buying a Turbocat and are not sure the company you’re purchasing from is an HP authorized dealer, be sure to ask. Get the TurboCat, not a junky CopyCat.


The Turbocat is an amazing vacuum tool. If your system needs a powered carpet brush to vacuum area rugs and carpeting and you do not or can not use an electric nozzle system the Turbocat can fill the need. For those of us with pets the Turbo powered brush is first on the list of must-have carpet cleaning tools. We believe that every pet owner should have a turbo or electric hand brush for cleaning above-floor (sofas, stairs, car interiors, etc..). And for a growing number of us the Turbocat powered carpet brush for cleaning textile floors with our straight suction vacuum system.


zoom2In our home the floors are all tile or wood. For cleaning our two large area rugs and four entrance mats an electric powerbrush was not needed, even with the high traffic of 10 dogs constantly coming and going. We have used our trusty Turbocat for years, and it never disappointed. Like all powered carpet nozzles vacuuming this much hair the Turbocat required the regular maintenance: removing the hair from the brush roller with scissors and replacing the belt and brush roller when worn.


When the new Turbocat Zoom was introduced in 2006 we were among the first Vacuflo dealers to offer them. Quieter and More Powerful were the selling points. It is a great looking new brush, a departure from the original Turbocat in style but the underpinnings were easily identifiable as Turbocat. Testing the Zoom at a trade show in Las Vegas years ago the nozzle seemed very similar. Demonstrating the nozzle in our retail store and at many home and garden shows in the area all gave me the same impression: an ‘updated’ looking version of the old Turbocat.


It was not until a few weeks ago when we finally replaced our trusty old-school TP210 Turbocat. Its time had finally passed and it had served us better than we ever expected. By happenstance more than intention we upgraded to the Turbocat Zoom nozzle (Platinum color, but all are the same design). This is the same Turbocat Zoom we have now been selling for years and I felt comfortable with my understanding of function and performance of the Zoom. Within seconds of powering up the system I knew something was very different. I kept vacuuming and my amazement grew.


By the time I was done vacuuming the first area rug I was as excited as a boy on Christmas morning. I pulled the Turbocat Zoom from the vacuum wand and began examining the nozzle as though I had never seen one before. This nozzle was dramatically quieter than the old turbocat I had just removed from the wand before attaching the Zoom. Not just a little less noise, it was significantly less noise. I noticed as well less bounce in the nozzle. The Zoom nozzle stayed on the floor evenly and did not bounce around when cleaning the stiff fibers of our wool area rug. The performance was great, better than what I had come to expect from a Turbocat.

zoom3I have used the Zoom nozzle hundreds of times before that day, but never in my own home and never seconds after vacuuming with an old turbocat. I realized that everywhere I had used the Zoom before (sales floor & convention centers) had dramatically different acoustics than my home. Having now used a Zoom for the last few weeks in our home I have a new found respect for what the designers and engineers at Vacuflo have done with the new turbine nozzle. The Zoom has been in the market for a few years now, and proven itself as an extremely capable successor for the Turbocat. While no longer “new to market” the rediscovered Zoom is new to me. And when asked for my opinion of the New Turbocat compared to the old Turbocat I will no longer dismiss the Zoom as a “cosmetic make over” of the Turbocat.

The Zoom is an impressive performer, many times quieter and much better performing than the old models. It is a worthy upgrade and one I wish I had made much sooner myself. If you are still using an old style Turbocat that is more than a few years old we recommend you consider a new Zoom Turbo powerbrush when it is time to replace your turbo nozzle. The new Zoom is also available in the complete and inclusive CV2600-LVT attachment set.  It is an exceptional value in both the quality of design and the increase of performance for you vacuum cleaning dollar.