NZ Electrolux machines

[centralsweeper63]

A few weeks ago I purchased four Electrolux vacuums and thought that I would post about them.

When I met with the Trademe seller ( NZ's version of ebay) he passed on, via email, a full list of Electrolux models ever sold in NZ until the year 2000.

When Electrolux changed to Lux in 1992 that was the name we got them under. Lux over the years then went on to sell some Vorwerk Kobold products as well as some Central vacuum units.
Interestingly in 2018- 2023 they sold the dark green 80s, 90s and 00s machines. Now they sell a central vacuum that looks suspiciously like a BVC silver line unit, a water filter, an air purifier, two steam cleaners and most interestingly a Ritello water filter vacuum. Electrolux went on to sell models like the Excellio, Ultra silencer, Ultra one and Oxygen etc

Anyway here are some pics of a few NZ Electrolux machines.

the machines in my pictures are my z56, ze65, one of my 333's, 338, 720 and 735.

 

[cheesewonton]

Are any of those made in Australia? The D720 was sold in the US briefly with Viking branding, an electric hose and one of two different Eureka power nozzles.

 

[centralsweeper63]

sorry, the link didn't work. here's the list


Electrolux years and models made

1918 - 1922 Electro Lux hand held Brown and silver model 5

1922 - 1926 Electro Lux hand held or pull along with hose brown and silver model 5

1928 - 1930 Electro lux Black and silver model 11

1930 - 1935 Electro Lux green silver and black Model Z 25

1935 - 1945 Electro Lux brown and black Model Z 31

1946 - 1948 Electro Lux redish brown and black Model ZA 40

1949 - 1954 Electro Lux brown snake skin pattern vynal and black Model ZA 55

1955 - 1957 Electro Lux cream and black Model ZA 56

1958 - 1962 Electro Lux cream and black model ZA 62

1962 - 1966 Electrolux red and cream model ZA or ZE 65

1966 - 1968 Electrolux green and white model ZC 89

1968 - 1972 Electrolux Teal and white model Z 99

1973 - 1977 Electrolux yellow and black model Z 328

1978 - 1982 Electrolux orange and white CORD O MATIC model Z 333

1982 - 1984 Electrolux cream , brown and silver Ambassador model D 338

1984 - 1986 Electrolux orange and brown model D 720

1987 - 1989 Electrolux cream and brown model D 725 electronic

1990 -1992 Electrolux white blue and silver Auto model D 735

1992 Electrolux grey two tone Deluxe Model D 740

1992 - 1996 Lux by Electrolux Royal two tone grey model 745

1997 - 2000 Lux greenish model D 746


The Electrolux company remade the Model 328 as model 336 in green colour to sell with 720 and 725

also The company remade the 333 in blue and white colour to sell with 735

and remake of the 333 in grey colour to sell with 740 and 745

popular commerical Electrolux big blue 747 sane motor as the domestic models 333 720 etc just a large dust bag

 

[centralsweeper63]

I think all of the from the z89 onwards were made in NZ, if any of them were it would be 720 onwards. I will post later tonight when I can check

 

[centralsweeper63]

had the time to check. the 720 in made in NZ, but the 735 is made in australia

 

[cheesewonton]

Something isn't right on that list. Electrolux AB was not established as a company until 1919 and they didn't produce their first vacuum until 1920 or 21. Their very first product under the Electrolux AB brand name was a wringer washing machine.

 

[centralsweeper63]

That is very interisting to hear, this information came from a ex-employee of electrolux in the 1990s. I do not know much about very early vacuums, other than the hoover model O. I am quite intrigued by that. There might be a corelation between electrolux and dudley-electric. I have seen some dudley-electric postage stamps on trademe from the 50s. The design they used, closely resembled the early electrolux machines on high sled (model 5, model 25 etc), this was at the time that elux had moved to all in an oval design.

 

[cheesewonton]

That is very interisting to hear, this information came from a ex-employee of electrolux in the 1990s. I do not know much about very early vacuums, other than the hoover model O. I am quite intrigued by that. There might be a corelation between electrolux and dudley-electric. I have seen some dudley-electric postage stamps on trademe from the 50s. The design they used, closely resembled the early electrolux machines on high sled (model 5, model 25 etc), this was at the time that elux had moved to all in an oval design.

This is a good early history though not complete. Vacuum company histories are a minor hobby of mine.

https://www.companieshistory.com/electrolux-group/

Here is a really good history of the two companies that would merge to become Electrolux AB and their common denominator Axel Wenner-Gren

https://www.electroluxgroup.com/en/history-timeline-1900-1918-27557/

 

[tonynz]

This isn't all of them, but I have a fair few of this range too, these are mostly my “to be restored” machines (in “the room of shame” lol)… Most of my tidier machines are put away at the moment unfortunately. Not shown here, but I also have the hard to find blue/white model, and some of the older sled models. I’d love to get my hands on one of the later brown machines, but I've never seen any of them in New Zealand…

 

[ddk848]

Fantastic info, thanks!

The 720 and 735 look identical to the Aussie market ones we had here, I have a few of those in the shed awaiting resto.

and remake of the 333 in grey colour to sell with 740 and 745

I've had one of those models before, it was called the 'Lux Classic' - identical to the earlier 333 except they omitted the orange 'mains power' indicator lamp. I should have kept that one as I haven't seen another since.

 

[cheesewonton]

I'm one of the few Americans to have and use Swedish made Luxes in my home. I have a D730, D745, two D795s ( one still has the original Swedish two stage motor and first gen circuit board and a second where that motor and the main board were fried and I had to replace them with an upgraded board and stunningly powerful Domel motor that came with an adapter kit ) and two D820s, one in a dark anthracite color and the other bright metal. I bought mine from Japan so they have the same plugs as US appliances and are compatible with US household current. I can use the D820 with the K35 hose and a Ze3 power brush but I also have an adapter to let me use it with a Lux Intelligence hose and wand and, after changing the neck, a Sebo ET-1 or ET-2 power nozzle ( the ET-2 was an optional power nozzle for the Intelligence in Europe and a Sauber version of the Intelligence was sold with the ET-1, so the neck is out there ). The D820 might be the finest vacuum ever made. Huge power, quieter than even a Miele, great filtration and superb build quality. The last of the big Swedish Luxes and by far their best. I would use the older models more as I also like them very much but there are no replacement motors for them compatible with 115 volt power. The brush holder has to have fins to keep it from spinning in the motor suspension plate. There are no 115 volt motors with the necessary fins and the motors cannot be repaired either. Bummer. If you have a 220 - 240 volt machine there are several replacement motors to chose from. Maybe some day I can come up with an adapter to 3D print and attach to an Ametek motor?

 

[paul]

Centralsweeper63,

Outstanding Electrolux collection and info - thanks for sharing!

It seems to me that the models with just a 'Z' prefix were the original version rather than a variation, so those would've been manufactured in NZ or likely Sweden (according to Electrolux Group's timeline in 1924 it set up subsidiary companies in the US, Italy, Australia and New Zealand). I've read that ZA models were produced in England, ZC in Italy, and ZE in Australia.

I think that the 'D' prefix indicates a 'door-to-door' sales model, which was initiated when Lux and AB Electrolux were in partnership in the 1980s. I know that Lux International was (and possibly continues to be) a direct sales company, while AB Electrolux-made cleaners were sold by third parties.


Here are some questions:

1. How were NZ models different than other countries' if at all? Did the model numbers (without the prefixes or suffixes) the same as those made in other countries (example: a NZ model made in OZ)?

2. Did NZ have a corresponding model to everyone sold in other countries even if its model number was slightly different? If you have a chart of them, please post it.

3. Have you collected any Electrolux floor polishers? If you have a list of them, please post it, too.

 

[paul]

Just found some more historical information:

Electrolux started assembling vacuum cleaners in New Zealand in 1940, followed by full manufacturing in 1949. This factory was located in Rongotai, Wellington. It was demolished in 1959 to make way for the new Wellington Airport runway. Electrolux did maintain a factory at Kemp Street, Kilbirnie, Wellington, for a time, but eventually closed down all its manufacturing facilities in New Zealand by 2004.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Hello, thank you all for your replies.

After doing some extra research and comparisons I have got some answers.

In the early history there appears to be some machines that were sold overseas that were not sold in NZ. Some examples of this are the model 9,10,12,18,24,117,29,30,48,60, etc.

I have seen images of a model Z62 that looks identical to our Z56 in every way, we got a Z62 in dark teal/green. I am not sure what happened there.

In beko 1987's video of some Electrolux Z65's I can see that they have switching floor tools, butterfly tools and telescoping wands, this is interesting as my ZE65 has a set of two piece extension wands, a three piece tool set and set of two floor tools. It also appears that some Z65's have a long handle end and some have a shorter tube, mine has the shorter style, mine also has a 500 watt motor compared to the smaller 450 watt motor on some Z65's.

The UK Z90 appears to be the first UK model to have a cord winder, our equivalent Z89 had no cord winder. The Z89 introduced the twist-lock hose and exhaust filter.

The UK Z100's NZ equivalent was the NZ Z99, this also did not feature the cord winder while the UK model did. I think the model Z100 was also the first model to introduce the easy change bag, our machines did not get this feature until 1984, nearly 20 years later. It also introduced the automatic floor tool and the bag change indicator, we only got a later version of the automatic floor tool with the slider in the late 90s. The bag change indicator was never really added in NZ except for the 338, we just got a little built in light with no adjustments in the late 90s.

The next model we got was the 328 in 1973, this model in the yellow machine in the lovely 4th photo added by tonynz, this machine was the first machine with wheels, though still no cord winder. I am unsure of the wattage on this machine, it would either be the 500 or the 750 watt motor. By now the UK was getting the automatic Z330 while we still had no cord winder. At this point in the UK the 330 would turn itself off and turn the light on, we got a mains indicator light, but no cut off or indicator of any kind. I am not sure if the butterfly tool was introduced at this model or the next.

The model after was the 333, this model came out in 1978 and brought with it a cord winder. The equivalent model in the UK was the automatic 345. This machine is basically the same as the 328 except for the cord winder I believe.

The next model in the line is the 338, the 338 is the same as the 333 except it has a 900 watt motor instead of a 750 watt motor. The 338 also had a bag check indicator, this was simply a piston with some numbers written on the plastic lens.

The D720 replaced the 338 and introduced a few new features. This machine introduced the closed top bag as seen on the Z100 onwards. It also bumped the wattage up to 1000 watts. This was also the first model to allow for the use of the ZE3 power nozzle. This was the first time in NZ Electrolux history that there was also a low end machine available alongside the flagship machine. The low end machine in question was the 328 remade in a different colour to match the 720, this low end machine was also sold with the 725.

The 725 was exactly the same as the 720 except it added a suction control slider with a max switch.

After that came the 735 in white and blue with push button suction control. This model was fitted with a button for max, a button for automatic and a button for minimum. The automatic suction control was based on the pressure in the bag chamber. It also bumped the wattage up again to 1100 watts. This machine introduced the low end machine with cord winder in matching blue and white.

Then there was the 740,745 and 746. I have no info on these machines as I have never seen them.

Godfreys was an absolutely massive chain vacuum stores in Australia and New Zealand that was founded in 1931. In the 80s/90s/00s Godfrey's would refurbish older machines and sell them on for cheap. I will include some links to Godfrey's ads that included Electrolux machines.

I do not have any information on the Electrolux floor polishers in New Zealand other than they were model B9. I would collect them if I could get my hands on one.

I am aware of the Electrolux commercial machines existing in NZ, though all the info I have on that aspect is that we could get the big dual motor blue and white machines at some point. We also got a big blue "big pig" commercial vacuum. The "big pig's" had one motor and a very large dust bag.

We got the Turbinette turbo tool as an optional extra starting at either the 328 or the 333. The UK only got it with the 330/345. In the UK after the Turbinette there was another turbo brush being sold, while in NZ we got the Turbinette right into the 90s.

To answer your question cheese wonton, my theory is that when they mentioned the model 5 stick it could have been a prototype or been used to test the market for the model v.

ddk848, Your Lux classic looks incredibly tidy, that would be the basic model sold along side the 740 and 745. I suppose they removed the mains indicator lamp to reduce costs and remove another feature to make it look worth the extra money to get the 740/745.

tonynz, your collection looks terrific. Are those neon green electroluxs resprayed 328's or a different model. I guess they were either resprayed by Godfrey's or a sub colour of 328.

https://oldhoovers.blogspot.com/2019/11/electrolux-735-automatic-brochure.html

http://smithcollection.altervista.org/electrolux-europe.html

https://vacuumland.org/threads/uk-electrolux-through-the-years.31999/page-2

https://vacuumland.org/threads/electrolux-uk-ltd-list-of-vacuum-cleaners.27996/

https://vacuumland.org/threads/viking-electrolux-vacuum-cleaners.41406/#post-439061

https://vacuumland.org/threads/electrolux-ambassador-model-z337-from-australia.46231/





TV ads







https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxXH-srmQyQ&list=PL7HvQOxjRdYi1vU1fbtIGIS6juq_Q_UM8&index=5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l7vY6eLm6s&list=PL7HvQOxjRdYi1vU1fbtIGIS6juq_Q_UM8&index=17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN--QOqa0IA&list=PL7HvQOxjRdYi1vU1fbtIGIS6juq_Q_UM8&index=18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa0wtAtBoJw&list=PL7HvQOxjRdYi1vU1fbtIGIS6juq_Q_UM8&index=20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ_AZvlCiLg&list=PL7HvQOxjRdYi1vU1fbtIGIS6juq_Q_UM8&index=24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjSH4D1aJTc&list=PL7HvQOxjRdYi1vU1fbtIGIS6juq_Q_UM8&index=25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RelaeGON3lY&list=PL7HvQOxjRdYi1vU1fbtIGIS6juq_Q_UM8&index=28

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcjhLN6N_AA&list=PL7HvQOxjRdYi1vU1fbtIGIS6juq_Q_UM8&index=34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh_3gEB-QFw&list=PL7HvQOxjRdYi1vU1fbtIGIS6juq_Q_UM8&index=45

 

[cheesewonton]

Centralsweeper63,

Outstanding Electrolux collection and info - thanks for sharing!

It seems to me that the models with just a 'Z' prefix were the original version rather than a variation, so those would've been manufactured in NZ or likely Sweden (according to Electrolux Group's timeline in 1924 it set up subsidiary companies in the US, Italy, Australia and New Zealand). I've read that ZA models were produced in England, ZC in Italy, and ZE in Australia.

I think that the 'D' prefix indicates a 'door-to-door' sales model, which was initiated when Lux and AB Electrolux were in partnership in the 1980s. I know that Lux International was (and possibly continues to be) a direct sales company, while AB Electrolux-made cleaners were sold by third parties.


Here are some questions:

1. How were NZ models different than other countries' if at all? Did the model numbers (without the prefixes or suffixes) the same as those made in other countries (example: a NZ model made in OZ)?

2. Did NZ have a corresponding model to everyone sold in other countries even if its model number was slightly different? If you have a chart of them, please post it.

3. Have you collected any Electrolux floor polishers? If you have a list of them, please post it, too.

Lux International was a wholly owned subsidiary of Electrolux AB until around 1996. At that time the Electrolux Group apparently decided to get out of the direct sales business. They sold the rights to the Lux International name in the Asia Pacific Region to Vorwerk who owns it to this day. In New Zealand you would have seen until a year or two ago new Vorwerk Tiger 260s and 270s sold there as the Lux Sora. They still sell a battery powered Vorwerk upright in NZ as a Lux product.

Lux International in Europe was sold to some Swiss investors who failed miserably and sold their business to Eureka-Forbes of India in 2011 after a short two year joint venture with them. Eureka Forbes is the current owner of the Lux International brand in Europe. It was around 2011 that Electrolux AB ceased supplying their mighty D820 to Lux International. Vorwerk was already selling rebranded Kobold models in the Asia Pacific region and Eureka Forbes contracted with the Slovenia company Kolektor to make the Intelligence series for Europe. Godfrey's in Australia would sell the Intelligence under their house brand of Sauber and in the US, Aerus LLC would sell the Intelligence as the Guardian Platinum, but using an Aerus style wire reinforced hose, Aerus wands and power nozzle.

The mystery I am burning to solve is who designed the Intelligence? Was it Electrolux AB? I have seen some really early Intelligence models sold as the Lux D920. Was it designed by Eureka Forbes? Was it Kolektor? Or maybe some other party?