Here at Great Vacs we are frequently asked what differences exist between some of the Rainbow model vacuums. We are also asked what model is best.This page provide answers to those specific questions. This is not a technical page about Rainbow vacuums. To get that information you will need to contact the Rainbow Company.
Disclaimer - All information we have provided is third party information. The information contained repairing and rebuilding Rainbow vacuums. All information and statements are merely our opinions. Official and technical information is not contained in this information. For that you need to contact the Rainbow company (Rexair) or your local distributors. We are not a Rainbow distributor nor are we associated in any way with the Rainbow vacuum company. This information provide you some of the features of the vacuum cleaners not to provide technical or official information. If you have knowledge or information that would enhance this information, please let us know and we would be glad to include it.
D3 Rainbow. Cubic Feet Per Minute of Air Moved = 67. The D3 rainbow is a good work horse Rainbow vacuum. For the price you can't go wrong.For more convenience you might check out the newer models. It comes with a standard hose with the power cord on the outside of the hose. It does not have a pump style pipe. As with all Rainbows it has a separate tool hose with standard Rainbow tools.
D4 Rainbow. Cubic Feet Per Minute of Air Moved = 72. With the D4 they changed quite a bit regarding the look and design. They also added more power to the D4. The powerhead powercord is still on the outside of the main pipe. They also changed the design and look of the standard tools. They changed the look of the tool dolly and there were quite a few engineering changes as well (i.e. motor, fan, water separator, separator nut, gaskets, etc).
SE Rainbow. Cubic Feet Per Minute of Air Moved = 72. The main change between the SE and the D4 is the main pipe. They put the cord internally on the main pipe. They also added a pump on the handle of the pipe. On the D4 the cord going to the powerhead just snapped onto the pipe and was long. On the SE the cord from the powerhead only goes to the end of the main rod and is more convenient. They changed the colors slightly and added a slightly different look to the wheel dolly
SE PE Rainbow. Cubic Feet Per Minute of Air Moved = 72. The SE PE (also known as the SE PN2) which stands for SE Performance Edition made a couple of changes but most of them were not performance changes. The first change they made was putting a trigger on the pump handle. The trigger has to be squeezed in order for the powerhead to run. This is a great feature for convenience and saftey. For example, if you were vacuuming and you accidentally caught a sock or some carpet string you just let go of the trigger and the powerhead would stop. The second change they made was to the powerhead. They changed from the traditional squareish rectangular head and made it more triangular. The head was not quite as wide as previous models but seemed to have more vacuuming power
E Series Rainbow. Cubic Feet Per Minute of Air Moved = 80. Usually when a new model comes out they only make a few changes. With the E series they completely went back to the drawing board. When they came out with the E series Rainbow vacuum cleaners we were really impressed with all the changes they made. About the only thing that looks similar to the previous model is part of the hose, wand and the head looks similar. Some of the changes are: they added more power, changed the color, design and look of the E Series, look of the tools, wheel dolly now locks in place so the dolly won't fall off, added a saftey switch, changed the water separator, the water bowl, the hose connections, and added a Hepa Filter. So what do these changes really mean? Well, with more power it is going to vacuum better. With the Hepa Filtration it is going to filter better, with the saftey switch it was safer, and with the design change it looked cooler. In our business when we see a new model come out it usually only takes a year or so for the price to dramatically drop. This has not been true with the E series. The selling price has stayed within a hundred dollars over the last 6 years. We have never seen another model stay close to that. There is a lot of demand for them.
E2 2 Speed Rainbow. The main difference between the 2 speed E2 and the Eseries is the main motor. They actually look very similar and have similar performance. This vacuum uses a brushless motor and has a 2 speed switch. With the 2 speed it allows you to use the vacuum as a home air filter that runs quietly and then the second speed is for normal vacuuming. Personally if I had a vacuum that was that expensive I would be worried about putting extra hours on it and go buy a air filter machine (you can get nice ones for around 100 dollars). With the new motor it also has a little more airflow (I dont know how much more). If anything ever happens to the brushless motor you would have to have a authorized rainbow center work on it as parts and equipment are not available at this point to vacuum shops.
Optional Rainbow Accessories. With all the Rainbows there are optional items you can buy. There is the Aquamate shampooer that will fit all the Rainbow models that come with a tool hose. There is the Aquamate II that is a self-contained shampooer that will only fit the E Series. There is the Rainmate humidifier and the Rainbowmate powered upholstery tool. The Rainbowmates will only work on models SE or newer. There is one made for the SE Rainbow and one made for the E Series Rainbow.
Recommendations. If you are thinking about buying another vacuum from a superstore that is only going to last a few years, we suggest you buy a D3 or D4 Rainbow. It's about the same price and it does a better job vacuuming and will last much longer. If affordable then go for D4.
If you are on a budget we suggest the SE Rainbow. It is our highest seller.
For convenience and safety, we would recommend the SE PN2. It is great if you have debris on the floor and it is one of the latest models.
If you have really bad allergies, we recommend the E series Rainbow vacuum cleaners. However, we have had serveral allergy sufferers that have said the previous models have really helped them as well. It has a little more power as well. yaar
As you can tell, there are differences between the D3 to SE PN2 but the biggest difference is age and color. In our opinion, age is not a big factor in a Rainbow because they last so long. We hope this information was helpful to you and that it will answer your questions about the difference between Rainbow vacuum models.
