Looking to replace our horse vacuum. Can anyone give us insight as to which is better? We have less than 5 horses in the stable, so not going to be heavily used.
Unless you want the blow feature, keep in mind you can get the same job done with a small canister vac and an all-purpose upholstery attachment. You can use a shop vac too, but they are much noisier. I have the $49 Bissell Zing: https://www.amazon.com/Bissell-Bagged-Canister-Vacuum-4122/dp/B00AZBIV9Q/ref=asc_df_B00AZBIV9Q/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167140851087&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8182999812047059079&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004327&hvtargid=pla-314825902485&psc=1. It’s quiet, the cord retracts, and I can reach the top middle of my 16.2 horse’s back with the hose. I like the bag vs the bagless - the bag holds a lot of fur and dirt and you don’t get all of that blowing back up on you on like when you empty a bagless. I also like that this one has a dial for suction strength so you can start your newbie horse on the quieter, less powerful setting, then dial it up as your horse gets used to it.
I have a gray so of course he’s a mud hog. And it seems to always to be shedding season. This thing’s great. I don’t know if it will live forever like the blue monster, but it’s had a year of barn use and still works.
I have no experience with Rapid Groom, but lots with Electrogroom–and all positive. My college program had one and it was used All The Time and was indestructible. A previous boarding barn had one and I used it to clean my mud-wallowing-unclipped-German-sport-yak on a daily basis and it worked like a champ.
When I got my own farm, I bought a unit used, and I’ve had zero issues with it. I only have 4-5 riding horses, and it’s generally only used in cold months, but it’s a lifesaver, and I can’t imagine life without it during Dec-March.
I had the Rapid Groom and with three horses the bag filled up quickly and I found it a hassle to have to change it so often. I sold it and bought the Electrogroom and have been very happy.
I will know that I have Arrived when I have an Electrogroom on my own private farm. (Of course my own farm will be an Arrival, too. It’s coming! I owe you an update, sistah.) OK, a serious question: Do you find it to work great in all kinds soil types? Sand is good? Clay is good?
I have used both machines.
IME, they rock for people who live with the kind of fine-particled clay soil that leaves dust in the coats, no matter what. Horses (even “run first, ask questions later” skeptics like my current mare) figure out PDQ that the jaws of the suction massage eel feel pretty good. My mare stays planted for vacuuming.
I can’t say for sure, because I haven’t had them side-by-side, but I think the suction is as strong on the Rapidgroom as the Electrogroom. I have a feeling the Electrogroom’s guts are stouter and it will have a longer lifespan, but the same company makes both, so I trust both machines’ longevity.
The one advantage to the Rapidgroom is its portability. The Electrogroom as a spot in your groom stall and doesn’t leave. But the hose always seems long enough to reach where you need it. And again, the nice jaws on that eel make a horse willing to turn around and stand backward so that the other side gets a massage. t home, I think the smart money might build a chest-high cabinet for the Rapidgroom and put the vacuum in there with the hose coming out. The one aspect of the Rapidgroom that I didn’t like was the dinky machine that could move around under the horse’s feet and which I had to keep track of. Also, the hose coming out of the machine close to the ground as opposed to 2’ higher meant that it was more likely to be underfoot.
And I have been looking for either one in the used market for years. They don’t stay around long, so in your spot, I’d buy whichever version I could find used. But if I were buying new for myself, I’d choose the Rapidgroom and cabinet-- lower price, enough vacuum for a non-commercial stable and portability would win me over.
Of course, I’d really want to hear from others who have done head-to-head comparisons (or read the specs) to make sure that suction power of both eels was the same.
Interesting. Is it super loud?
No. It’s quieter than the blue monster. I originally used a “quiet” small shop vac that was way louder too. It’s not whisper quiet or anything, but better than the others I’ve heard, athough I haven’t heard the metro to be honest. And it’s probably a stupid thing, but the self-winding cord is the best! Not just because it zips up with a foot pedal, but it also doesn’t come unhung when you carry it since it retracts. Very neat and safe.
My boarder barn doesn’t have a vacuum, so I’m the only one using this, but I can use it right next to another horse in the tack stall who was never “introduced” to it, and they don’t mind the noise either. The only thing I could imagine is if you have a 17 plus hand horse, you might want an extension on the hose.
we use a shop vac. it’s easier, lighter and works just as well if not better than the Electrogroom.
Just learned about the shop vac trick. A groom who uses one all the time told me they don’t hold up as long as the “real” horse vacuums, but cost so much less and are easier to move around, so he prefers them. Definitely the direction I’d go if I was in the market, especially for just a handful of horses.
I had a Rapid Groom when I boarded, which worked well since I needed the portability so I could store it. At home now, I have an Electro Groom and there are times that i use it every single day. Love it. I found mine used on craigslist so got a great price and if I quit in some 10 years or so (guessing), I’ll sell it for what I paid. They last forever. I don’t use the blower, only use it to vacuum, and it does a great job. Holds a lot too so I don’t have to empty it very often.
While it’s great with the sandy soil we have in the Sandhills, in Ohio we had MUD and lots of boot-sucking, shoe-pulling clay in the mud! And the Electrogroom did great on any dried, caked on nastiness. I just did a lot more back-and-forth ‘scrubbing’ than I do with just the sand which I more use in the direction of the coat. But by ‘currying’ with the vacuum, it loosened the caked on clay-mud, and then sucked up the pieces and dust. Voila. It wasn’t effective against still-wet mud, I doubt any vacuum would be.
and congrats on the Aiken property! I’m excited to hear updates!
You can compare specs at the manufacturer’s website. Here is the link.
http://www.electriccleaner.com/rapid…ro-groom-line/
The Electro-Groom definitely has more suction that the Rapid-Groom.
I don’t know if it is still available but there is one listed now on Craigslist in PA for $300. Looks like it is in pretty good shape.
https://erie.craigslist.org/grd/d/electro-groom-horse-vacuum/6711181503.html
I have gross clay soil that turns into caked on mud and use the Electro Groom to get that off, and it sucks the arena sand off bellies when I need that done, so I’m thinking it would work with all soil. Dry of course. I find it most helpful in the late summer and spring when I’m dealing with shedding. And since I use wood pellet bedding, that results in lots of wood dust and it helps get that off quicker and more thoroughly than brushing. Plus the horses seem to love the feel, once they get used to it.
Those of you who use a Shop Vac, what attachment do you use? I have a small one that needs a job as hubby has replaced it with a bigger one in his shop.
I used shop vacs for a few years and they are absolutely not as good as an ElectroGroom. And, the ones I always used were much louder.
I had a Metro Vac n Blow or something that I got at a Dover Basement tent sale, so I could take it to the winter indoor with one of my horses, it had a broken switch and lid…fixed those, used it briefly, no where near the suction that the bigger vacuum has. I gave it to a friend, with the caveat that I could borrow it someday if I want to take it to a show.
