I collect mostly old style vacuums. The brand I mostly collect is Hoover. A lot of them are bagged, but I do have a couple of bagless machines. My most favourite machine right now I like to use out of the collection is the Bissell lift off 3554B.
What are your dream machines yet to be found?
A red and black Hoover powermax self propelled, Hoover concept 1 and 2, a green Hoover windtunnel self propelled, a red and blue translucent Hoover windtunnel supreme, a Hoover windtunnel twin chamber, a Hoover legacy supreme and II, a Bissell pure air deluxe, and a Hoover dual v.
What are your earliest and favorite vacuum memories?
Watching my dad vacuum around the house was interesting. Helping him replace the parts was also fun. Going to stores like Sears and the Home Depot looking at the vacuums was also interesting.
What is the history of vacuum you have owned?
The first vacuum that got me into vacuum cleaners was sadly not a Hoover windtunnel or anything that was bagged, it was a red Eureka Altima. I will say though that the motor they put in that machine was very beefy, or should I say very strong for the price. My dad liked the featured better on the Altima rather than any of the other machines. At least we made a good choice when we brought a carpet cleaner. It was a Hoover steamvac. It was when Maytag stilled owned Hoover, and some of their lineup were still made in the United States. I can’t stand TTI ownership of Hoover. After starting to get an interest in vacuums I thought it would be better for me to finally have a bagged machine. I was originally going to buy a Hoover windtunnel self propelled, but I wanted something for vintage to fit the style of a bagged cleaner. I came across the Hoover elite style machines. I wasn’t all that familiar with them, but I have seen them before. And with the rise of the internet I learned more about them. I found a Hoover sprint that I tuned up. It worked very well and had lots and lots of airflow. One day I thought it would be good to upgrade the fan. I accidentally got a 20 bladed fan. The vac store ran out of the original 7 bladed fan. After getting the old fan off I needed to clean the fan chamber. I was stupid and thought putting the motor upside down would be a good idea instead of just using a rag and some cleaner. The whole motor came lose out of the casing and since the carbon brushes aren’t hold on by screw the holders and the brushes broke. I could’ve just gotten a new set of them and saved the machine, or at least keep it for parts. I later found a Hoover soft and light. I gave it a wash since it was never cleaned in 20 years. A new bag, new belt, new attachments, and a new brushroll made it like a new machine again. But it was very louder than the other one because it has 12 amps. Out of no where the fan decided to randomly exploded. I think it was due to the bearings being dry which can cause friction or vibration to the fan. After a year of using a TTI Hoover, I decided it was best for me to get another Hoover that was Maytag. It was a Hoover futura. I brought it off eBay from another collector named FanOfVacuums2. It was fully restored. I finally had a higher end Hoover legacy style machine. I liked how I could just leave the hose plugged in. Later the bearings started acting up. I thought he fully restored the machine. I should’ve just greased the bearings. Later the noise cleared up without me doing anything, which was a mistake. Another case of the fan exploding happened. Great. Thankfully I kept the new fan with me. It worked again. Later I got a 12 amp motor that I fully restored with new bearings, just to play it safe. I came across a new in Box Bissell lift off, the bagged model. It was from a vacuum store that fully brought out Bissell’s inventory in 2003. So pretty much I have parts for life. The machine is a beast for being a bypass machine that came out in 1998. Also the filtration is very good, meaning it’s a sealed system. Right now I’m working on a rare Bissell. Yes, I did find one that is rare, it’s not a bagless model. It’s pretty much Bissell’s version of the Hoover legacy called the Bissell powerclean 3540-B. And what do you know the darn fan exploded when I was testing it in the store, but I only paid $10.00. A Eureka fan fit on it. And the machine really needed a good wash out. All I have left to do is to polish it, drill out the stuck screws in the motor casing, put new bearings in both the motor and the brushroll, buy attachments, and cut up some filter material for the exhust.
Have you ever worked on, repaired and/or restored any vacuum cleaners?
I have worked on both old and new style of vacuums. I will say that older style of vacuums are meant to be serviced rather than some garbage shark or a $50.00 Bissell from Walmart.
