1982 Electrolux 414

[ryry_87]

Thought i'd share this one with everyone since its quite a rare sight these days, it doesn't belong to me but i've just finished cleaning and servicing it for a mate. It's an Electrolux 414 from around 1982 and was Electrolux's lightweight upright. I'm really impressed with it, its very quiet and effective and uses the same brushroll as the bigger 500 series. A lovely little vacuum this one

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Very nice)

Great Vac! That's one on my hit list as I have the soft bagged version the Electrolux z410. It's a shame you don't see many of them now. I was given a Electrolux 414 when I was at school by a teacher. It didn't last long as it was damaged at the bottom where the arm meets the main head.

You have done a good job of cleaning it up)

James)

 

[ryry_87]

they're great, I'd never used one until now and I love it. I know that rics holy grail is the fern green 411 lol would love a 410! so retro looking

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Yep!

There a nice vac. Light and clean well) I know Rich is after the 411 but I prefer the 410 and 414.
One of my fave vacs that isn't a Kirby is a Electrolux z406 as it was one of the vacs I grew up with. The Electrolux z406 was a CO-OP exclusive from the later 80s.
It took mr years to find one.

James)

 

[ryry_87]

I do like the red ones too

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Yeah...

Yeah I have the Electrolux z1030 and z1040.
I believe these was the las of the 400 series design.

James)

 

[kirbymodel2c]

z1030

z1030...

Nice cat pic by the way. What vacs are in the rest of that catalogue? Also what year is it from??
I like the look of that Rotel)

James)

 

[vintagerepairer]

There is a later version of that red LITE. The lettering is the same as on that white softbag version. There were also at least two different handles. I would have suggested that all the older red LITE hardbag cleaner had the original 400 series handle, but yours James has the newer type. It could be one from the very last production run of this style LITE, or it may have had a new handle, as they broke so often.

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Hi Benny

Hi Benny, I have no idea about the red lite handle as that was on it when I got hold of the vac.I do love the look of them as they look so very 80s.

James)

 

[vintagerepairer]

James one more thing to add if I may, although you quite rightly state that the LITE series was the last of the 400 cleaners, the Co-Op model 406 was still available post 1990. This would have been at least two years I expect after the LITE models and I do not know if it was Co-Op which were holding old stock or Electrolux who were continuing production of the 406 cleaner.

 

[vintagerepairer]

James, regarding the handle, if you look at the 412 in Ryry's original picture, that handle is what the original LITE hardbag models had. The last models with the upper case lettering had the handle which yours has. I changed a good deal of handles on 400 cleaners in my time as they snapped off so very easily, particularly if the cleaner fell backwards. I don't know why Electrolux did not change the design earlier on as to do so at the very end of a series seems very strange to me.

 

[vintagerepairer]

Make that a 414 gentlemen. My memory fails me. As does my eye sight. It's there for anyone to see "414". Why I said 412 I am not sure.

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Umm

Umm I know my mum bought hers around 1988ish. I have a feelin the z406 went up to 1990 but not much after. I have a service book with the z406 in it with the production dates under the model number. I'll have to dig it out.I think if there was z406s for sale after 1990 they was probably what was left in stock. But that would be a guess. I know that for a year or so after Electrolux stopped production of the z345 you could still get them from some stores. Maybe the same happened with the 406 and other models.

James)

 

[vintagerepairer]

Hello again James. Well the Electrolux 502S, 345, and I think 550 all became exclusive lines after being discontinued. You can spot the exclusive 345 a way off as it had a soft moulded grommet on the mains lead to stop it being fully wound into the cleaner and it came with a moulded plug too. As I am sure you know, this is not like other Electrolux cleaners which had a hard plastic grommet which could be unscrewed from the lead and rarely had fitted plugs. The 406 was always exclusive to Co-Op, I think they may have had stock held over. There was also a basic Twin Turbo and Slimline cylinder which went with the 406 as a Co-Op range.

The reason that 1990 comes to mind is because a Co-Op food store near my shop was extended and they opened a large electrical department. My step-daughter as she was later to be went to work in the new store as they needed more staff. She was not on electrical and only as a Saturday girl. She turned 17 in January of 1990 and this was her first job which is why I remember it. Well my point is I remember going in to see her and of course to see what cleaners they were selling. One of the cleaners was a 406 and I don't remember seeing it there again the next time I went, which would have been only a few months later.

 

[kirbymodel2c]

I'll have to dig that advert of the CO-OP 406,slimline and twin turbo out.
Thanks for the info Benny.We use to have a big CO-OP her in Notts. I spread over 4 or 5 floors. It's gone now(

James)

 

[chestermikeuk]

Electrolux

Those 411`s sold in their droves, nice and lightweight many older buyers, few problems with the handles snapping etc but fair enough electrolux stepped up and offered exchanges straight away!!!

heres the Co-op add...

 

[turbo500]

You did a really great job with this one, Ry! Of all the Lux's I've seen/used, I don't think I've ever seen a 400 in person. Glad this example is being preserved. 


 


Also thanks to Mike for posting the co-op ad. I have a later Lux Slimline - great machine. 

 

[paulc]

Great thread,

I have owned both the 410 and the 520. The 520 was a skip rescue, I loved it as was so easy to strip down, clean up and put back together. I didn't have the 410 for long, if I remember rightly I replaced that with a Turbo power Junior with tools. ( didn't have the tools for the 410 ).

 

[ryry_87]

Thanks for the kind words chaps, good to see the co-op ones too. i do have the matching beige Slimline too for the 414 but it has a poorly motor at the moment.

James, the catalogue scans are from the Autumn/winter edition of Index. i'll post the rest of the vacs section for you in a sec...

 

[ryry_87]

Index catalogue Autumn/Winter 1988..

 

[ryry_87]

Index catalogue Autumn/Winter 1988..

 

[ryry_87]

Index catalogue Autumn/Winter 1988..

 

[jmurray01]

One thing I don't understand about the "flip over" floor tools, such as the one on that Electrolux (number 4), is that when you are using one side, surely all the suction is escaping from the other!?

 

[vintagerepairer]

If a picture of that contraption on the end of the Goblin Multisystem hose did not warn the user as to why the machine was so much cheaper in price than a Vax, then nothing else would. I've nothing against Goblin or indeed any brand being cheap & cheerful and serving a purpose, but those Multisystem cleaners were in a category of their own. The irony of those cleaners was that the shampoo unit was available as a part on it's own, if one could find them, and it could be cheaper to buy the standard wet & dry cleaner and the shampoo unit separately. Not a good deal cheaper, but it was possible. Also there was more that one style of unit. The one pictured here shows a system where the shampoo-water was delivered under pressure. The user had to pump it by hand, rather like a garden sprayer. The other sort just let the water out by gravity.

I see a top-of-the-range Rowenta cylinder there. These will always be one of my favourite cleaners. I do find these pictures so very interesting -thank you for sharing- as it helps to put things in perspective, especially on price. Like how one could spend £134.95 on an Electrolux 612, but only £59.95 on a Goblin softbag Commander. That of course is less than half the price, but in reality you don't get half the cleaner. Probably about 75% of it. You could even buy a Goblin Commander and a Goblin Rio XPC and still pay less than it would cost to buy the Electrolux cleaner!

 

[vintagerepairer]

Jamie this is not the case with flip over tools as the curved part where the cleaner connects to the tube is shaped so that that top is always covered. If you were to take one apart you would see it looks similar in shape to the hose connector of the Electrolux 500 series, in as much as there is an extra bit on the end which over hangs and this shields the side of the cleaner head which is not being used. When flipping the head over, the suction is actually restricted almost altogether at the point when the tube and the attachment are parallel to each other. You can hear the noises change as the motor runs faster and air hisses through gaps on both sides of the floor tool.

 

[jmurray01]

Thank you for clearing that up Benny! Informative as always.

 

[rutger]

Cool Electrolux 414 ryry, I like the squared off futuristic type styling & colour. If they'd had a vacuum cleaner on the TV show Space 1999 it would probably have looked like that

I like all these period brochure images, I find stuff like that fascinating.

Cheers

Dave

 

[gsheen]

Electrolux 414,

Sorry Ryry but that must be MY most hatted vacuum, partly because I had to do so many repairs on them when I started in Electrolux tech in my school holidays when I was 16. They always had something stuck in the fan.

Your one does look in good condition

 

[jmurray01]

Small fan I take it ?