-ORECK- (1)
1989 Zip-Vac (Maroon to match the Kirby Legend II)
-M.D. (MODERN DAY) Central Vacuum- (1)
-ELECTROLUX/AERUS- (17)
1930 Electrolux 12
Pre-War Electrolux XXX
1953 Electrolux XXX
1954 Electrolux 60
1955 Electrolux E
1961 Electrolux Automatic G
1961 Electrolux L
1967 Electrolux Automatic G
1969 Electrolux L
1969 Electrolux 1205
1976 Electrolux Super J (2)
1980 Electrolux Olympia-One
1982 Electrolux Silverado-Deluxe
1987 Electrolux Marquis
1992 Electrolux Ultralux Classic
1992 Electrolux Epic Series 3500 SR
2013 Aerus Lux Guardian upright
-REXAIR/RAINBOW- (12)
1939 Rexair B (2)
1955 Rexair Gold D
1958 Rexair Gold D
1962 Rexair-Rainbow Copper/Chrome D
1972 Rainbow Copper/Chrome D2
1979 Rainbow Brown/Chrome D2
1984 Rainbow D3C
1986 Rainbow D4C
1993 Rainbow SE and PE
2003 Rainbow e series
2016 Rainbow e2 Black
-FANTOM- (1)
1999 Lightening
-GENERAL ELECTRIC- (5)
3 swivel tops
1 Hand vac
1 pre-war upright made into a lamp
-PREMIER- (1)
Hand Vac
-HAMILTON BEACH- (1)
Hand Vac
-HOOVER- (20)
Hoover 28
Hoover 541
Hoover 700
Hoover Convertible 33
Hoover Convertible 70
Hoover Constellation
Hoover Quick broom
Hoover Dial-A-Matic
Hoover Dial-A-Matic Self-Propelled
Hoover Concept
Hoover Concept One Self-Propelled
Hoover PowerMax Self-Propelled
Hoover Spirit with power nozzle
Hoover Elite
Hoover Windtunnel canister with power nozzle
Hoover Windtunnel Supreme
Hoover Windtunnel Self-Propelled Bagged upright
Hoover Windtunnel Self-Propelled Bagless upright
Hoover OnePower Cordless bagged upright (Private labeled for them by Oreck)
Hoover hand vac (Black and Decker style)
-AIR-WAY- (9)
1924 Air-Way upright
1929 Air-Way upright (2)
1950 Air-Way Sanitizor 66 (2)
1972 Air-Way 88 Mark II (2)
Sani-Clean
2003 Air-Way Signature Series: Tom Gasko Edition
-FILTER QUEEN- (2)
1955 Golden Monarch
1991 Majestic
-FAIRFAX- (1)
S-1
-EUREKA- (3)
1929 Eureka straight suction electric upright
1930s Eureka hand vac
1979 Eureka Model Roto-Matic Power Team
-DYSON- (4)
2002 Dyson DC07 Full Gear (Purple, Green and Silver)
toy version of the Dyson DC01 (Red, Purple and Yellow)
toy version of the Dyson DC07 Full Gear (Purple, Green and silver)
toy version of the Dyson Dc07 Animal (Purple and Silver)
I have found most of them fortunately. The remaining Pre-War Scott&Fetzer/Kirby machines, more gold Kirbys, the remaining American Lincoln's and ComVacs to complete the series, other model Electroluxes and Rainbows to help complete the line up.
What are your earliest and favorite vacuum memories?
Learning to walk by pushing my mother's white-beige and wine colored Panasonic Jet-Flo MC-6210 that I grew up using a lot! She purchased one of the worst Hoovers that ever was made without me there to talk her out of it. It was a hunter green, bagless Windtunnel v2. The shrill noise the brush roll motor made when you reclined the handle was the same as nails on a chalkboard! It clogged easily in the dust cup, due to how poorly it was designed. That is THE Hoover that soured my opinion on that brand for many years. I now own a few Hoovers I basically love using. After that it was Kirby for us. We weren't limited to just one machine once I started adding to my collection. Mom and Pops have a Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Powerline and a Riccar R65 for the house, a Nutone central vacuum for the finished barn and a Dirt Devil (Private labeled and made by Vacuflo) in their motorhome.
Eating vacuum cleaner shaped pancakes made by my dear Grammy, who at the time, also had a Panasonic, except hers was the really cute and pretty two-tone blue model MC-6215 with the short cord. My grandfather later added the cord from their old vacuum, which was a 1980 Kirby Tradition. She was then able to vacuum the entire house without having to unplug every 15 feet. She said that was the only thing she didn't like about that Panasonic was the short cord it had when she got hers in January 1988.
By the time I was born, the Kirby Tradition had be retired and was sitting in an outdoor shed, rotting away and the handle leaned forward, due to the handle spring being shot. That is my only memory of her Kirby. She told me it had a metal fan and it got really loud up towards the end of it's life, which leads me to believe that the metal fan had sustained damage, causing the machine to run off balance. One thing about that particular model is it had premature motor burnouts, often when the machine being run on high speed with the hose. This was caused by the restrictive airflow path of the disposable bag system and not enough ventilation vents on the motor housing shell.
After the Panasonic, it replaced with a brand new, steel blue Simplicity Sentry III Series Model 5200 the retailed for $489.95. it lasted from 1995 to 1999. It could have been fixed just like the Kenmore, the Kirby and the Panasonic. Grammy just wanted something new. She went out and purchased a brand new Hoover Windtunnel Supreme in black. I remember it went out and she replaced it, too. She bought a brand new Hoover Windtunnel Self-Propelled bagless upright she didn't like and ended up returning it. For something far worse. The brick red version of Mom's Hoover Windtunnel V2 bagless! UGH! I was in vacuum hell!! I had to do something. In 2006, I got her a really nice Kirby G5 that she loved. In 2010, I gave her my fairly new Kirby Sentria because I didn't like the color scheme on it. By this time, I had her G5 and my Diamond Edition I bought refurbished in 2008, on the same night i got my beloved Kirby Model 514. I've been collecting non stop since then.
My daddy's parents had a Kirby Dual-Sanitronic '50' they bought new in July 1967 as a power polisher with the Handi-Waxer. Since she didn't have carpet installed until 1969, she didn't have the Triple Cushion Vibration head until she purchased it separately by the Kirby man. Other than a 1953 Electrolux model XXX she snd my grandfather purchased new, the Kirby was her only other vacuum cleaner. When they passed, I was gifted those two machines.
My grandfather's sister and BIL had a brand new Kirby Heritage 84 that remained largely unused until I got my hands on it around 2005. They also had an Air-Way Sanitizor 66 from 1950 with later replacement hose from a model 77. I loved the green and blue together and how old it was. Old vacuums have always fascinated me.
My mom's oldest sister was loyal to Electrolux dating back to the 1980s up until 2017 when she bought her first new Miele, which is the burgundy Soft Carpet.
My mom's other sister hated her Kirby Heritage. She told me her husband at the time just had to have it! She told me they bought it in 1980 for around $400. They had everything with it, too! She referred to this machine as a finger smasher. After saying I don't have to do this anymore, she threw it out the back door. She replaced that in 1989 with a brand new, burgundy Simplicity Sentry III Series model 5300 that retailed for $539.95. Her current vacuum, as far as I know, is a black Miele Maverick upright.
What is the history of vacuum you have owned?
I started collecting around age 14 and haven't slowed down since.
Have you ever worked on, repaired and/or restored any vacuum cleaners?
