The Fantom Story

A little history about a short-lived vacuum brand that started a technological revolution
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February 06, 2014
For a 90's kid, there are many shows, movies, toys, etc. that have a place in our hearts. Rugrats, Looney Tunes, Nerf guns, Super Soakers, so on and so on. The list can be infinite. We all have our favorite childhood memory. For me, I'm a vacuum geek, and one brand that I think of when I remember the 90's is Fantom.



What you see here is the Fantom Fury. This was the 10 amp model that they sold on the infomercial. For 4 payments of $59.75 you got the Fantom Fury with on-board attachments, a 7 foot extension hose, a HEPA filter and a Capture Spot and Soil Remover Kit. I saw this on tv when I was a kid. Mary McDonough, aka Erin from "The Waltons", presented the infomercial. They had testimonials from everyday people just like your mom and dad, telling viewers about their experience with their Fantom and how they loved it. Yes, my Asperger's gives me a photographic memory.


Another Fantom Fury model, the Fury Special Edition Plus. It has a 12 amp motor. Later Fury models used a 12 amp motor.


These 2 Fantoms are the Cyclone XT and Thunder. They had infomercials too.
Fantom vacuums were amazing! These machines pulled out dirt from carpets that you thought were clean! The Dual Cyclonic technology that they used spun dirt and dust around in 2 cyclones, maintaining suction. They were like Dyson but from a different decade.

Another awesome feature was HEPA filtration. Instead of spewing dust and bacteria into the air that you breathe, the air was 99.99% purified, with particles as small as 0.3 microns (Smaller than a hair!) trapped in the filter!


The Fantom Lightning, Fantom's canister. It had the ability to sit on stairs without falling off.

Fantom started a revolution in how people vacuumed. Other companies started making their own bagless vacs, even though they were nowhere near like Fantoms. The bagged vacuum market actually had competition! They unfortunately made a fatal business mistake and ended up closing. These machines are becoming rare. To even find a Fantom in excellent condition is hard to find. I used to put coins into those "wishing wells" in the malls, and wished for a Fantom Cyclone XT. Never got my wish. But these machines hold a place in my early childhood. Fantom helped shape the 90's. It wouldn't have been as awesome without them.
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