I think it's not fair to compare the small portable ovo with the high-end MD model... but I appreciate that you acknowledged the positive features of the competitor. Cheers
It still is no different than features from the "lower end" model are going to be the same as those on a more comparable unit in size. He's showing what most people buy and it's based on price, that unit as advertised probably does up to 3,000 square feet most people think it's sufficient but that doesn't account for if they're using air driven tools, do they have a retractable hose ect ect. In that case a unit like that is not sufficient like most people think which is why he's showing one clearly rated for more square footage and an understressed unit is going to last longer anyway than one pushed to its limits.
i mean i get your point but that's not exactly true, the flagship 700 airwatts OVO unit is much more capable than the "Studio / Condo / Apartment" model that was presented here.
@@jeremiahbullfrog9288 Well, that's how Cana-vac describes its competitors is false information like category fallacies (apples to oranges comparisons) like using Airwatts, as a single stage flow through motor can produce 600 air watts like that used in a Beam compared to a twin stage tangential bypass of the same rating used in Cana-vac Signature series. In this case, Owen took an RV or apartment central vacuum and compared it with a machine supposedly designed for a large North American mansion-style home.
@@jeremiahbullfrog9288Awesome!! But I can’t find on the OVO website where they do installation and service? Can you point that out? Also, I can’t find an inlet on the machine for connecting a hose in the garage where it’s going to be installed.
10 years is okay but Cana-Vac Signature units have a 20 year warranty, have tangential bypass motors, and a hybrid system so they use bags out of the box and the utility inlet is anywhere you want it. The MD units you show only have peripheral bypass or just flow through motors, thus the relief valve, a weird inverted setup that really can't be installed in a basement because if it floods you wreck your unit and a really awkward bag system because you have to lift up and over and then when installing the bag you have to hook it to two places or even three. Cana-vac is pretty simple when you look at it. Cana-vac bags, being at the bottom (except the smaller machines like the LS490) have a couple more advantages as air can circulate around the sides and top of the bag while in use but you don't get the stink factor like you would with MD because the motor is overhead and heat rises, thus away from the bag. The MD systems are germ factories as the motors act like heating elements and the heat rises toward the bag. EDIT: Also, my Beam inverted filter unit converted to a bagged system has yet to need the bag changed after over a year in use.
If you think 20 years can't be beat, CycloVac (Also made in Canada) has a longer warranty which Owen also sells. 25 years. But even better than both of these warranties are Vacuflo. Lifetime bumper to bumper. And guess what, Owen is a Vacuflo dealer. Now here's my question to you, if you claim that the MD top fill bag units are so badly designed, then what proof do you have against MD's proven track record of being a successful design? You would think that MD would catch that problem in their testing facility but here we are as they're still one of the biggest sellers in the country. I dare you challenge MD's design team.
@@panasonicvac4036 MD is the only unit to use that weird design. No one else uses that design in the industry, unless it's a "house brand" that orders from MD. I am thinking from a practical stand point. Besides, every manufacturer out there uses a top fill design, it's just the motor is also on top. There, the challenge is complete. Now, if MD would realize that its design has problems, then we will see something that isn't a top empty design. It works for garbage cans but not for vacuuming. Cana-vac is one of Canada's many reputable central vac brands that is sold even in the states. We don't see too many MD units in Canada. If Owen is a dealer for those brands as well, he doesn't seem to talk about them much. In fact, there are very few pro-central vac youtubers in the US that seem to talk about anything else other than MD.
That is incorrect. Currently Vacumaid, CycloVac, Beam, and CVI (although a little different) also uses a top fill bag design as well including Cana-Vac. The Cana-Vac Signature LS 490 is NOT a top motor model. And again, MD does indeed have top motor models available under the AirMaster line. If you don't see many videos of both CycloVac and Vacuflo, why don't you ask Owen to do videos of them? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to show:)
@@panasonicvac4036 No need, he can read every comment on his videos. I was also listing some models as examples. You need to read for content as I said that every central vacuum on the market uses a top fill design. I was specifically talking about MD's upside down design, which is also top fill, but you also empty from the top. Most of the other brands in that size range are top fill, bottom empty. The little "apartment or RV" vacuums, in the case as you listed are a smaller variant and for good reason. Most apartments and RVs are compact and that's why the smaller top-fill and top-empty are used there as these units are typically located inside closets in the corner or under furniture in RVs where a full sized top fill bottom empty top motor units cannot possibly fit. There isn't as much of a problem emptying these machines since they are typically smaller than most garbage cans, if anything, they're about the size of a small kitchen can and the bags are smaller. It's a form factor. Very much like computers having multiple formfactors for every purpose. ATX, mATX, ITX, Tiny, small formfactor desktop business machines, etc.
@@WJCTechyman can you help me choose a central vac system for my house? I was all ready to go with chameleon but the price tag was not worth having a retractable wall hose. Our house is big and we would need two units (one on each side of the house and luckily we have a garage on each side) I have to move fast since I was sucker punched with the price tag 😂😂😂 now I’m scrambling. I don’t like the ones with bags. I like the ones with a canister on the bottom with a filter that you clean. I guess I only say that bc that’s what I had for 20 yrs at our old house.
I bought my parents that same ovo model for Christmas and they love it and I told them when their ovo dies I plan on getting them an MD in the further and the same for my house
Great video Owen. I have just about every brand of central vacuum but Ovo was never a brand that I really thought much about, I already have units that use a similar motor so it would have been somewhat redundant. I have two MD units, the Flomaster M85 and the 240 volt version of the Silent Master 900. I think you can buy some really good units on line, I do really love the Drainvac units, I have five Drainvac units in my collection, some other great brands that you can buy on line are Duovac, Canavac, Vacumaid and Galaxie. I think the Galaxie units are made by Cyclovac. Interestingly, Canavac does not make any dual motor units, I think they take the view that if you have a large home, it's better to just install two different units, Since I use all of my units in an apartment without pipes, having a utility valve built in to the unit is really nice, but for those that don't, it's easy to add a utility valve, I've recently changed the utility valve on all of my units to the one made by Vacuflo, I really like the design of that valve, and if you connect the wires, it automatically turns on the unit when you open the door of the valve. I like this valve much better than the ones where you have to manually connect the wires to the terminals, since I don't have much vision, that was very difficult and the wires kept coming loose, with the Vacuflo utility valve I don't have that issue.
Cana-vac is a simple machine and in most residential vacuuming environments you really don't need twin motors. Having twin systems is the better choice as you get more useful life out of twin systems than you would a twin motor. Cana-Vac is an easier machine to service as you take it off of the wall and set it on the floor then service it. The MD, if anything goes wrong, you have to take it off of the wall, set it on the floor, pull the bags and filters, turn it upside down, then you can service it. MD units look incredibly awkward and heavy to boot, and this comes from a guy who prefers to use a Rainbow, even though he likes and has two Kirbys (Heritage II Legend, G3), two Rainbows (E2 type 12 and a D4 SE), a Beam central vac, a Ridgid wet and dry and access to a Shark Rocket stick.
I am looking for something reasonably priced that is portable, with a 40-60 ft hose and that I can out on the patio while I am vacuuming in the house. We are trying to vacuum up mycotoxins and do not want it venting into the house. Do you have any recommendations for something like this?
pretty much sold on an MD unit to replace a 20 year old Vacuflo FC520 for a 2000 sq ft house with lots of (multiple) dog pet hair, rather than replacing all the leaking hoses, accessories, and broken outlet on the cannister itself. Reluctant to put time and money into that old unit. But am confused about the range of MD units. I don''t care about the noise level, but the bottom access seems nice/convenient for the air masters. Considering your comments about keeping the motor cool and triple filtering, which of the four series do you recommend? Is the top access Flo-master still better than the bottom access? Stay with the basic "Modern Day", the "Silent Master", "Air Master", or the "Flo Master" in your superb video? Thank you!
If you can mount the unit lower on the wall to make top access convenient, I would go with Flo-Master. If it needs to stay higher up, the Air Master would be the ticket. The F650T is our go-to replacement unit for a home like yours. Please let us know if you have trouble finding one locally, we would be glad to assist.
I'm currently considering installing a central vac in my 2 story cottage-esc house, and while i would love to have something like an MD, that OVO compact unit seems like it will be the best fit for my house. For one thing, I don't have a garage or basement, so the best possible location for it would be my relatively small laundry room. I also will likely only need 2 inlets to cover both floors of my house, and this unit is rated to handle up to 4 inlets. It also is pretty cheap, but also feature rich from what I've seen. For example, it has a slow start and shutoff, as well as an automatic shutoff for when the suction is blocked for an extended period of time. While I'm not saying that you're wrong about it not being the best unit, it definitely seems like good value for your money, and would make a central vacuum system available to people and houses that would otherwise be out of reach. I do still have some questions about it, though. Firstly, OVO claims that their units can be run off of a 15 amp breaker, and my house has a 100 amp breaker. Will it still be able to function properly off of it? Also, you mentioned how the MD unit has a bracket that can be adjusted to whatever the optimal wall position is, and the OVO does not. If I mount the OVO in a corner wall in my laundry room, does that mean that it would need to be directly centered between 2 studs? I want to be able to run pipe between the unit and the wall, while also having enough cooling room for the unit.
If a unit with a single point bracket needs to be mounted between studs, you can fasten plywood to the wall, or simply use toggle bolts into the cavity behind the drywall (the OVO isn't heavy anyway). I would recommend a dedicated 20 amp circuit for any central vac, but most will work fine on a 15 amp. You will have no issues with your 100 amp house service. Before you buy a unit, you might reach out to me for some other cost effective options. Thanks for watching!
@@amtrakpepsiproduct1605 My first systems were set up with units I bought used on eBay. Nowadays there is Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. You may even have a local shop that can sell you a good cheap traded-in unit (we have a whole storeroom full of them). A new unit that meets your budget is not likely to be of high quality, so I would encourage looking at a used higher-end machine for your starter system.
@Centvac Yeah. Like I said, I'd love to have a higher quality unit for my house, but A., I don't have the space for a normal sized central vac (other than maybe for something like an MD system), and B., it isn't my house, so I'm not sure my mom would want a used unit that may or may not have problems with it. I'm not opposed to the idea of getting a used unit, but for the time being, I'm pretty dead-set on the OVO.
I think it's not fair to compare the small portable ovo with the high-end MD model... but I appreciate that you acknowledged the positive features of the competitor. Cheers
It still is no different than features from the "lower end" model are going to be the same as those on a more comparable unit in size. He's showing what most people buy and it's based on price, that unit as advertised probably does up to 3,000 square feet most people think it's sufficient but that doesn't account for if they're using air driven tools, do they have a retractable hose ect ect. In that case a unit like that is not sufficient like most people think which is why he's showing one clearly rated for more square footage and an understressed unit is going to last longer anyway than one pushed to its limits.
i mean i get your point but that's not exactly true, the flagship 700 airwatts OVO unit is much more capable than the "Studio / Condo / Apartment" model that was presented here.
@@jeremiahbullfrog9288 Well, that's how Cana-vac describes its competitors is false information like category fallacies (apples to oranges comparisons) like using Airwatts, as a single stage flow through motor can produce 600 air watts like that used in a Beam compared to a twin stage tangential bypass of the same rating used in Cana-vac Signature series. In this case, Owen took an RV or apartment central vacuum and compared it with a machine supposedly designed for a large North American mansion-style home.
@@jeremiahbullfrog9288Awesome!! But I can’t find on the OVO website where they do installation and service? Can you point that out? Also, I can’t find an inlet on the machine for connecting a hose in the garage where it’s going to be installed.
10 years is okay but Cana-Vac Signature units have a 20 year warranty, have tangential bypass motors, and a hybrid system so they use bags out of the box and the utility inlet is anywhere you want it. The MD units you show only have peripheral bypass or just flow through motors, thus the relief valve, a weird inverted setup that really can't be installed in a basement because if it floods you wreck your unit and a really awkward bag system because you have to lift up and over and then when installing the bag you have to hook it to two places or even three. Cana-vac is pretty simple when you look at it. Cana-vac bags, being at the bottom (except the smaller machines like the LS490) have a couple more advantages as air can circulate around the sides and top of the bag while in use but you don't get the stink factor like you would with MD because the motor is overhead and heat rises, thus away from the bag. The MD systems are germ factories as the motors act like heating elements and the heat rises toward the bag. EDIT: Also, my Beam inverted filter unit converted to a bagged system has yet to need the bag changed after over a year in use.
If you think 20 years can't be beat, CycloVac (Also made in Canada) has a longer warranty which Owen also sells. 25 years. But even better than both of these warranties are Vacuflo. Lifetime bumper to bumper. And guess what, Owen is a Vacuflo dealer. Now here's my question to you, if you claim that the MD top fill bag units are so badly designed, then what proof do you have against MD's proven track record of being a successful design? You would think that MD would catch that problem in their testing facility but here we are as they're still one of the biggest sellers in the country. I dare you challenge MD's design team.
@@panasonicvac4036 MD is the only unit to use that weird design. No one else uses that design in the industry, unless it's a "house brand" that orders from MD. I am thinking from a practical stand point. Besides, every manufacturer out there uses a top fill design, it's just the motor is also on top. There, the challenge is complete. Now, if MD would realize that its design has problems, then we will see something that isn't a top empty design. It works for garbage cans but not for vacuuming. Cana-vac is one of Canada's many reputable central vac brands that is sold even in the states. We don't see too many MD units in Canada. If Owen is a dealer for those brands as well, he doesn't seem to talk about them much. In fact, there are very few pro-central vac youtubers in the US that seem to talk about anything else other than MD.
That is incorrect. Currently Vacumaid, CycloVac, Beam, and CVI (although a little different) also uses a top fill bag design as well including Cana-Vac. The Cana-Vac Signature LS 490 is NOT a top motor model. And again, MD does indeed have top motor models available under the AirMaster line. If you don't see many videos of both CycloVac and Vacuflo, why don't you ask Owen to do videos of them? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to show:)
@@panasonicvac4036 No need, he can read every comment on his videos. I was also listing some models as examples. You need to read for content as I said that every central vacuum on the market uses a top fill design. I was specifically talking about MD's upside down design, which is also top fill, but you also empty from the top. Most of the other brands in that size range are top fill, bottom empty. The little "apartment or RV" vacuums, in the case as you listed are a smaller variant and for good reason. Most apartments and RVs are compact and that's why the smaller top-fill and top-empty are used there as these units are typically located inside closets in the corner or under furniture in RVs where a full sized top fill bottom empty top motor units cannot possibly fit. There isn't as much of a problem emptying these machines since they are typically smaller than most garbage cans, if anything, they're about the size of a small kitchen can and the bags are smaller. It's a form factor. Very much like computers having multiple formfactors for every purpose. ATX, mATX, ITX, Tiny, small formfactor desktop business machines, etc.
@@WJCTechyman can you help me choose a central vac system for my house?
I was all ready to go with chameleon but the price tag was not worth having a retractable wall hose.
Our house is big and we would need two units (one on each side of the house and luckily we have a garage on each side)
I have to move fast since I was sucker punched with the price tag 😂😂😂 now I’m scrambling. I don’t like the ones with bags.
I like the ones with a canister on the bottom with a filter that you clean. I guess I only say that bc that’s what I had for 20 yrs at our old house.
I bought my parents that same ovo model for Christmas and they love it and I told them when their ovo dies I plan on getting them an MD in the further and the same for my house
Lots of food for thought there Owen! Glad to know the differences! Greg
Great video Owen. I have just about every brand of central vacuum but Ovo was never a brand that I really thought much about, I already have units that use a similar motor so it would have been somewhat redundant. I have two MD units, the Flomaster M85 and the 240 volt version of the Silent Master 900. I think you can buy some really good units on line, I do really love the Drainvac units, I have five Drainvac units in my collection, some other great brands that you can buy on line are Duovac, Canavac, Vacumaid and Galaxie. I think the Galaxie units are made by Cyclovac. Interestingly, Canavac does not make any dual motor units, I think they take the view that if you have a large home, it's better to just install two different units, Since I use all of my units in an apartment without pipes, having a utility valve built in to the unit is really nice, but for those that don't, it's easy to add a utility valve, I've recently changed the utility valve on all of my units to the one made by Vacuflo, I really like the design of that valve, and if you connect the wires, it automatically turns on the unit when you open the door of the valve. I like this valve much better than the ones where you have to manually connect the wires to the terminals, since I don't have much vision, that was very difficult and the wires kept coming loose, with the Vacuflo utility valve I don't have that issue.
Cana-vac is a simple machine and in most residential vacuuming environments you really don't need twin motors. Having twin systems is the better choice as you get more useful life out of twin systems than you would a twin motor. Cana-Vac is an easier machine to service as you take it off of the wall and set it on the floor then service it. The MD, if anything goes wrong, you have to take it off of the wall, set it on the floor, pull the bags and filters, turn it upside down, then you can service it. MD units look incredibly awkward and heavy to boot, and this comes from a guy who prefers to use a Rainbow, even though he likes and has two Kirbys (Heritage II Legend, G3), two Rainbows (E2 type 12 and a D4 SE), a Beam central vac, a Ridgid wet and dry and access to a Shark Rocket stick.
I am looking for something reasonably priced that is portable, with a 40-60 ft hose and that I can out on the patio while I am vacuuming in the house. We are trying to vacuum up mycotoxins and do not want it venting into the house. Do you have any recommendations for something like this?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Think Viper.
pretty much sold on an MD unit to replace a 20 year old Vacuflo FC520 for a 2000 sq ft house with lots of (multiple) dog pet hair, rather than replacing all the leaking hoses, accessories, and broken outlet on the cannister itself. Reluctant to put time and money into that old unit. But am confused about the range of MD units. I don''t care about the noise level, but the bottom access seems nice/convenient for the air masters. Considering your comments about keeping the motor cool and triple filtering, which of the four series do you recommend? Is the top access Flo-master still better than the bottom access? Stay with the basic "Modern Day", the "Silent Master", "Air Master", or the "Flo Master" in your superb video? Thank you!
If you can mount the unit lower on the wall to make top access convenient, I would go with Flo-Master. If it needs to stay higher up, the Air Master would be the ticket. The F650T is our go-to replacement unit for a home like yours. Please let us know if you have trouble finding one locally, we would be glad to assist.
I'm currently considering installing a central vac in my 2 story cottage-esc house, and while i would love to have something like an MD, that OVO compact unit seems like it will be the best fit for my house. For one thing, I don't have a garage or basement, so the best possible location for it would be my relatively small laundry room. I also will likely only need 2 inlets to cover both floors of my house, and this unit is rated to handle up to 4 inlets. It also is pretty cheap, but also feature rich from what I've seen. For example, it has a slow start and shutoff, as well as an automatic shutoff for when the suction is blocked for an extended period of time. While I'm not saying that you're wrong about it not being the best unit, it definitely seems like good value for your money, and would make a central vacuum system available to people and houses that would otherwise be out of reach.
I do still have some questions about it, though. Firstly, OVO claims that their units can be run off of a 15 amp breaker, and my house has a 100 amp breaker. Will it still be able to function properly off of it? Also, you mentioned how the MD unit has a bracket that can be adjusted to whatever the optimal wall position is, and the OVO does not. If I mount the OVO in a corner wall in my laundry room, does that mean that it would need to be directly centered between 2 studs? I want to be able to run pipe between the unit and the wall, while also having enough cooling room for the unit.
If a unit with a single point bracket needs to be mounted between studs, you can fasten plywood to the wall, or simply use toggle bolts into the cavity behind the drywall (the OVO isn't heavy anyway). I would recommend a dedicated 20 amp circuit for any central vac, but most will work fine on a 15 amp. You will have no issues with your 100 amp house service. Before you buy a unit, you might reach out to me for some other cost effective options. Thanks for watching!
@@Centvac what other cost-effective units did you have in mind? I'm looking for something that's $300 or under.
@@amtrakpepsiproduct1605 My first systems were set up with units I bought used on eBay. Nowadays there is Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. You may even have a local shop that can sell you a good cheap traded-in unit (we have a whole storeroom full of them). A new unit that meets your budget is not likely to be of high quality, so I would encourage looking at a used higher-end machine for your starter system.
@Centvac Yeah. Like I said, I'd love to have a higher quality unit for my house, but A., I don't have the space for a normal sized central vac (other than maybe for something like an MD system), and B., it isn't my house, so I'm not sure my mom would want a used unit that may or may not have problems with it. I'm not opposed to the idea of getting a used unit, but for the time being, I'm pretty dead-set on the OVO.
Can you do a video comparing md vs vacuflo?
can you make a video testing out the OVO compact? is it loud ?
I’ve got a video on this exact machine used in the video:
th-cam.com/video/bBWKgA2_OF8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=E1uVi8DACHqj06o9
You mentioned that you sell in Chicago, how could I contact you? I am interested in a MD vacuum
Please give us a call at the shop at 630-355-8666, Thank you!
I have a ovo central vac and love it
is it loud?? there are NO VIDEOS of the ovo reviews/in use at all! Wish He would test it out in the actual video
Its not loud it is a loud as a blender running on high
I would have lifted the Ovo up and stick it inside the MD. Looks like it fits!
I believe OVO is based out of Canada! They’re a good value brand, but nowhere near an MD.
Still doesn't beat Vacuflo's lifetime warranty and they're American made. Plus they've been around longer than both Cana-Vac and DrainVac.