Jump to content

What do you guys think of this GE Vortalex?


Chris Argentino

Recommended Posts

Seller says his lowest price is $50. He says it doesn’t shake or make weird noises. He is about 30+ mins away from my so I’m not sure if this is a good deal. Or maybe I should wait for an older vortalex? I’m not sure how good and reliable these fans could be with a little oil and grease. What do you guys think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Arjun Saini said:

I’d try to ask him to do 40

He was originally asking for $75 and I got him down to $50. I tried to get him to go down to $40 and he said he couldn’t as of now. The fan looks to be in good shape but I don’t know how the inside looks. The paint job isn’t the best  

 

Are these fans good otherwise? I hear they are quiet but quietness isn’t my main concern. I actually like a loud fan too but I just want to make sure it lasts. I see some vortalexs on eBay going for $150 in about the same conditions. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, Chris Argentino said:

I noticed the switch seems different. I’m assuming that it’s not original?

Yep that’s not original 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

THOSE ARE VERY RELIABLE FANS, SOMEONE PAINTED THE BASE AND MOTOR COVER WITH THAT METALLIC SILVER YOURS APPEARS TO BE FROST GRAY UNDERNEATH ...WITH THE RED BADGE... THE SWITCH ISNT CORRECT. THE BLADE LOOKS GOOD FROMM COMPUTER, AS THOSE EASILY GO "OUT OF CLOCK" AND ARE A BEAR TOO RE BALANCE AGAIN ... THEY ARE ALSO VERY QUIET RUNNING 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Tom Zapf said:

THOSE ARE VERY RELIABLE FANS, SOMEONE PAINTED THE BASE AND MOTOR COVER WITH THAT METALLIC SILVER YOURS APPEARS TO BE FROST GRAY UNDERNEATH ...WITH THE RED BADGE... THE SWITCH ISNT CORRECT. THE BLADE LOOKS GOOD FROMM COMPUTER, AS THOSE EASILY GO "OUT OF CLOCK" AND ARE A BEAR TOO RE BALANCE AGAIN ... THEY ARE ALSO VERY QUIET RUNNING 

Thank you for the reply. Will the blades go out of wack by themselves? Or does it take stupidity for them to be messed up? Like storing the fan poorly etc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They don’t go out of balance by themselves and were balanced at the factory. But a bump or fall at some point in its life can cause them to be out of balance.  

Edited by Lane Shirey
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You would probably pay more than that on an online auction,then have to pay shipping..If you like it I would say it’s not a bad deal.That’s is if it runs like he says.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Paul Carmody said:

You would probably pay more than that on an online auction,then have to pay shipping..If you like it I would say it’s not a bad deal.That’s is if it runs like he says.

I got it! It runs great. Other than the paint and the switch, the fan is all original. But everything is in great condition currently. I regreased the oscillator. It was so gross! And I re oiled it. The oil cup had tan, thick shit in it. So I cleaned it all and put some zoom spout oil in it. Eventually will need a new plug as it has a small crack in it and it will need a new wick. The run down time from high is 30 seconds which doesn’t seem bad. It does run slower than my Emerson on high but I don’t think these were fast moving fans

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Stan Adams said:

They are 6 pole motors, so run fairly slow…& hot, 140 degrees is normal.

I picked it up a couple days ago. They do run slow. I was surprised to see how slow the high setting was but nonetheless it pushes good air 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vorty's are terrific well made fans, perfect for daily running. The only issue I ever noticed was sometimes they can buzz but that can be cured by coating the stator wires with a light shellac. That works everytime. You can get a replacement switch that looks like the picture below.

IMG_1043.thumb.JPG.5856877e4600196abd538a433c2410cf.JPG

Image1.thumb.jpg.6fe6dd5467c03bd34c17f26871a54ec4.jpg

 

Edited by David Kilnapp
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/6/2023 at 10:59 AM, Tom Zapf said:

congratulations...they are good fans and run quiet and i think you got a good price ..

Thank you! It is a slower moving fan even on high but I’m assuming that is normal. It does push quite some air!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/5/2023 at 5:21 PM, David Kilnapp said:

Vorty's are terrific well made fans, perfect for daily running. The only issue I ever noticed was sometimes they can buzz but that can be cured by coating the stator wires with a light shellac. That works everytime. You can get a replacement switch that looks like the picture below.

IMG_1043.thumb.JPG.5856877e4600196abd538a433c2410cf.JPG

Image1.thumb.jpg.6fe6dd5467c03bd34c17f26871a54ec4.jpg

 

Thank you for this link. I will strongly think about purchasing this because the switch that’s on the fain now is horrendous lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/3/2023 at 4:47 PM, Lane Shirey said:

They don’t go out of balance by themselves and were balanced at the factory. But a bump or fall at some point in its life can cause them to be out of balance.  

It is **slightly** out of balance but nothing concerning. I try to be extra careful about moving and doing work on this fan. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/8/2023 at 6:34 AM, Chris Argentino said:

Thank you for this link. I will strongly think about purchasing this because the switch that’s on the fain now is horrendous lol

Best place to get these switches is from your local Granger store.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a good price. I have restored that fan and it is worth restoring and using everyday. 
I even removed the stator and replaced the complete head wire. 
Go for it!!!👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/5/2023 at 5:21 PM, David Kilnapp said:

Vorty's are terrific well made fans, perfect for daily running. The only issue I ever noticed was sometimes they can buzz but that can be cured by coating the stator wires with a light shellac. That works everytime. You can get a replacement switch that looks like the picture below.

IMG_1043.thumb.JPG.5856877e4600196abd538a433c2410cf.JPG

Image1.thumb.jpg.6fe6dd5467c03bd34c17f26871a54ec4.jpg

 

Same issue on mine but it comes from the coil 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...