A 35-YEAR-LONG QUEST COMES TO AN END WITH AN UNBELIEVABLE FIND!

electrolux~137 · Sep 14, 2011

Hmmm... wonder what this is...

A triangular-shaped bowling ball? Nah, that can't be it.

Maybe a piece of vintage office machinery?

Well, here's a big clue!

And an even bigger clue!!

Peeking inside...

This is a chrome-plated version of the Electrolux Model B7 two-speed floor polisher and scrubber which was introduced by Electrolux in 1958.

Isn't it just stunningly beautiful!!

This special chrome-plated version is very rare as only a hundred or so were made and presented to top-achieving Electrolux sales representatives.

This specimen has never been used; it came with a brand-new set of scrubbing brushes and a special padded vinyl protective case for the motor.

I've been hoping to find one of these for nearly 35 years, ever since I saw one on display in an Electrolux branch office in Maryland. I never imagined I'd find one in such perfect condition!

This model has a two-speed motor. The big push-switch changes the speed.

The underside is so clean you could eat off of it! And look at those spotless brushes!!

The original cord, also in perfect condition. (The outer covering of these older gray Electrolux cords was made of higher quality vinyl than new Lux cords and is very soft and supple, almost like rubber-covered cords.)

And here's a fun link showing it in action:

red_october · Sep 15, 2011

Wow. I collect old defence contractor/technology firm promotional/commemorative items (Cigarette lighters, ash trays, mugs, pens, etc.) and that's quite a find. Something like that, where the company's product itself becomes the award, is quite special. I do wonder, though, if some poor bastard with a houseful of carpeting got awarded this, or if it was never used because it's too beautiful a thing to spoil -every floor buffer I've ever met looks like it was dragged behind a truck for a mile or two.

gsheen · Sep 15, 2011

WOW thats beautifull.

I'm a big fan of Chrome the condition is amazing. I'm glad that you found one of your dream machines. It must have been a very happy moment .

Gareth

tolivac · Sep 15, 2011

WOW!!!!What a nice catch!!!Looks like that machine was awarded to a salesman for his great efforts!and he put the machine aside and never used it!So cool-and like the reflection of the red curtains in the chrome of the floor machine.

kirbymodel2c · Sep 15, 2011

Very nice!

Very nice Mr Lester. I bet you over the moon.
So what is the story behind it? Where did you get it? Did your heart jump out your chest when you came across it???

)

James

)

normvac · Sep 15, 2011

Awesome Charles

Yes, please tell us the story behind it. It is all part of the "Sizzle" of the sale.
Norm

williamr1248 · Sep 15, 2011

A 35 year old quest comes to an unbelievable end

Charkie,
You out did yourself!!!! What a beautiful find. Even tops finding a modlel 20-well maybe. Sure makes the plastic machines of today look pretty sad.
So glad you were able to get that one. Beautiful Machine. I can of no one person who would appreciate and love it more. Best to you.
Rob

arh1953 · Sep 15, 2011

Thirty five year wait

And that shows up!! Both of you were in the right place at the right time! And it ends up with Electrolux's biggest fan too!

portable · Sep 15, 2011

Congrats, Mr. Lester. I can't believe the pristine condition. Bask in the glow of your Polishing Twingle......JL

aeoliandave · Sep 15, 2011

Oh Charles, I'm so pleased for you and your good lick. Patience is its own reward, eh?

Super, really super; I know that feeling. I picked up a few dream articles already before I even got to the Convention thanks to the kindness of kind folks.

Dave, in Minneapolis for a few days

electrolux~137 · Sep 15, 2011

Gee, I guess I was so excited about getting this machine that I neglected to say where it came from!

Y'all may recall I posted back in May about my friend Norm Wike, a retired Electrolux man, whose wife had just died and he was having to clear out and sell the home they'd lived in for many years. At that time I bought some things from him and he gave me some other treasures, including a beautiful Model XXX ash tray. (See link.)


Well, he called last week and said "I've found something that I think you might like. When can you come over?" I stopped by the following day and he carried the chrome B7 out. My heart just about stopped. He said "I can't think of anyone who'd appreciate this more than you" ... I wish I could just give it to you, but I do need to get something for it. 

I asked how much he wanted and he gave me a very low price. Of course I agreed without any haggling. While it's a fraction of its value, it was more than I should have spent given my tiny income, but I've been eating canned beans and bread to make up for it...

So, mixed in with my joy over finding this beautiful treasure is deep sadness over Norm's situation. He really took his wife's death very hard, and is now faced with the heartbreaking and backbreaking chore of clearing out their house where they lived since the early 1970s.

He's a really, really nice man and I feel very sad for him and what he's having to go through.

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?12917

gsheen · Sep 15, 2011

Well I'm sure he got some joy seeing how happy you got when he brought it out.

wow I can't stop looking at it its so beautifull, I even called my Dad over , His dad ( My grandad) was MD for Electrolux service for africa before his untimly death when my dad was 17. he remembers them having an ordanady one similar to that.

Gareth

brandon_w_t · Sep 15, 2011

What a STUNNINGLY gorgeous machine! Definitely an "Electrolux Finest"

Thanks for sharing, and a huge congrats on such a rare find!

electrolux~137 · Sep 15, 2011

@gsheen -- "Well I'm sure he got some joy seeing how happy you got when he brought it out." Yes, I could tell he was pleased by my reaction! When he brought the polisher out, he had a twinkle in his eyes and a mischevious grin on his face. When he saw the look on my face, he let out a good chuckle.

btw, did anyone notice that the outer material of the protective case is made of the same leatherette (cloth-backed vinyl) as the top cover of the Model XXX?! It was dyed in metallic silver instead of slate gray, but if you look closely you can see the "veins" in the material. So, I assume that means that the covers were made at the Electrolux plant. I wonder if they offered them to consumers as an option. As I said in the video, I've never seen one. When Norm came out with the polisher and I saw it at first, I assumed the cover was something he had come up with to keep it covered. It wasn't until I got a good look at it that I could see it had been custom made for the machine.

It doesn't surprise me that it was never used. I am quite sure that it would have been displayed in Norm's branch office as a point of pride and example of his success with the company. The only other one I've ever seen stood in the front show window of the Electrolux branch office in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

btw, on a whim I just googled that Glen Burnie Electrolux branch. I would have gotten quite a start if that chrome B7 was still in the window! Well, it isn't, as far as I can tell from the fairly small photo I found, but they do have some old machines on display. I can make out an LX, then either an L or an E, a XXX, and then I think a G or maybe an F. Someone who lives in the area oughtta make a pilgrimage over there and see what-all they've got! You never know ... that chrome B7 just might still be there!

tolivac · Sep 16, 2011

That makes the floor machine evem MORE special-came from a close freind!The Glenn Burnie 'Lux place-used to fix a radio stations transmitter and studio in that area during the later part of the 70's to 80's don't remember ever seeing that vac place.The station was WJRO AM.a 1Kw AM with a 7 tower directional array!It was a MESS to tune that thing!Several people need most out in the feild with RF feild strength meters.

compactelectra · Sep 16, 2011

OMG Charles!!!

That is stunning! Truly a once in a lifetime find. I always love your stories of how you acquired your machines. One the great things about this club, hearing the stories of how one got a machine. I always ask. Congratulations!

Fred

floor-a-matic · Sep 16, 2011

OMG!

That Chrome Electrolux polisher is another of my dream machines. I hope to get one soon.

Nice polisher. I didn't know Electrolux made two-speed floor scrubbers. Its a rare one.

A 35-YEAR-LONG QUEST COMES TO AN END WITH AN UNBELIEVABLE FIND!

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