Clean Used Interstate EX-30 in Japan, a Japan market model you don't see in the US. Only 1 Yen, = 1 cent !!!

[cheesewonton]

https://buyee.jp/item/jdirectitems/...versionType=jdirectitems_auction_DirectSearch

 

[cheesewonton]

The tariff on stuff from Japan is 15% but 15% of one cent is nothing, Shipping will cost $200-$300. For how rare and unique it is well worth the effort. I have two of these already, both were under $25. One needed a new cord and when I got in there saw some wires and the motor were toast. I put a new cord from a Hoover Dial-A-Matic on it ( left over NOS cord ) and a new 120 volt motor of the same kind used in DXLs. Run that with a Miracle Mate hose and a Sebo ET350 power nozzle. Doesn't get any better than that. The EX-30 feels like a bank vault. Tristar's best effort ever.

 

[centralsweeper63]

That machine looks very big and boxy. Very cool though. What is better with it than the other TriStar machines?

 

[cheesewonton]

That machine looks very big and boxy. Very cool though. What is better with it than the other TriStar machines?

The bottom half of the body is the same part used by CXLs and DXLs. Only the upper body is different. The lid, handle and cord wraps are a lot thicker, chunkier and more solid feeling than EX-20 parts. It was designed specifically for the Japanese market. Just under 1,000 made according to a now deceased friend who worked at Tristar begging in the 1960s.

 

[centralsweeper63]

that must be a very rare machine then.

 

[cheesewonton]

that must be a very rare machine then.

Outside of Japan, yes. But in Japan there always seem to be couple for sale on either Mercari or jpdirectitems auctions.

I have a much rarer vacuum from Interstate Engineering, the Eco-Max 2100. These are from the day I unboxed it. Finding a caster with the correct non-metric thread and the right wheel diameter for the canister was very hard. The canister is finished but I still have a lot of work to make the power nozzle and hose right. The hose is direct connect to the lid but the contacts had come out somehow. I managed to dig the wires out of the cuff and w-crimp new contact pins on the wires using cut down contact pins for an Aerus wand ( ! ). I glued this back into the cuff and it works now, but I have to make it look pretty. The power nozzle is one of the all plastic 2-51 things that rips itself apart in use. The motor is poorly fastened and belt tension combined with thin soft plastic allows the whole motor to rotate and tear things up. It will have a very unpretty rebuild to make it functional again but the uglyness will be hidden from view. Not the first 2-51 nozzle I have saved but this one was the most torn up I have seen.

For scale, the lid on this green meanie is the same diameter as other Tristar lids. And it is all metal. Big heavy chunk. No cord winder either, the cord plugs into a socket you see in the back of the vacuum. Total weirdness.

 

[cheesewonton]

Here are some images of the hose repair. Both contact pins were missing. It is functional, there is power to the power nozzle, but I have to clean up the cuff and find a way to texture the wound then match some paint at the hobby store to dab on roughly to get the texture right. Old skills from a childhood spent making models of ships, airplanes, tanks and cars. The cut out in the cuff in the third image is how the hose comes. I guess it was the only way to get the button lock release into the hose. The whole vacuum is kind of cheesy this way so no wonder it didn't catch on with their sales people.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Might I ask what a 2-51 power nozzle is. An image would be great if you could get one.

 

[cheesewonton]

Here is my first 2-51, which I had to come up with a way to reinforce. I was using a Miracle Mate hose with my EX-30 so I could use that Centec CT-10. I put central vacuum upper wand on the 2-51. The Miracle Mate hose as a Plastiflex central vacuum handle so it's direct connect, no pig tails.

 

[cheesewonton]

Here is an image of the begging of the repair. You see the whole motor is mounted diagonally on two posts. In this example both posts have pulled away from the thin reinforcing rib and the motor had twisted enough to distort the little cradle it's supposed to sit in. The thing I made helps locate the nose of the motor and fights the tension of the belt. But the more I looked the more damage I found and the more reinforcements I had to come up with. You can see the back wall of the motor housing, right at the bottom of the image is bowed towards the back from the motor pushing against it, which it should not do! But the mounting post on the opposite side has pulled away from the tab it is molded too. And of course with everything distorted belts get chewed up fast, etc., etc.. Really inadequate design and Tristar ended up replacing most of these very soon after selling them.

 

[centralsweeper63]

That appears to be an absolutely terrible design. I do hope you can get it to work though.