A new arrival at the Home for Wayward Vacuum Cleaners

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electrolux137

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We have a new arrival at the Home for Wayward Vacuum Cleaners.

It's an Electrolux Model 1205, the last version from 1973. Note the new-style power nozzle, the textured surface of the motor housing, and and the black logo lettering.

It's 100% original and in very good condition; just needs a thorough day at the Sweeper Spa. However, the hose is shot. The weaving is loose and it badly flunks the Roger Proehl Hose Test. But I'll keep the hose for display purposes since the machine is so complete and original.

It runs beautifully and smoothly, no whining or bearing noise at all; the power nozzle purrs sweetly.

It came with a dozen "period-appropriate" disposable bags, the instruction booklet, and ... the lady must have loved Electrolux -- because there are instruction brochures for the 1949 Model XXX and 1961 Model G in addition to the Model 1205! And there is a Model XXX metal upholstery nozzle. People sometimes held on to older attachments that they liked.

There is also what appears to be a Eureka canister disposable bag but I'm not sure.

Arlee was happy to see this as it's the exact model his dad had when they lived in Palm Springs. He set-to using it right away, even with the bad hose!

The Electrolux came to us via the grandson of the lady who originally owned it. She had passed away and he found it when clearing out her home. He had recalled seeing it when he was a little boy so he held on to it but then decided to part with it. He found me on-line and, goodness to gracious, even delivered it to me!!

I have an earlier version of the 1205 but it's not in great condition, so I'm glad to have this one!

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Love the 1205

I've got two of them. both are 1969-70 vintage with smooth sheetmetal, light teal front panel and no pigtail connector. I've got one of them at Goodwill about 13 years ago with a full set of tools including a PN1 and rare pistol grip hose. The other one my dad rescued from a neighbor's trash pile when I was in high school. It had a non-powered hose. I brought it home last summer when my parents were downsizing, replaced the broken handle and fitted it up with a vinyl hose and a PN2.
 
wonder when my 1205 was made

I wonder when mine was made, when did they remove the pig tail connector, mine does not have that, so I'm assuming it's a later model, 1972 or 1973 perhaps? Was the same motor used in all of the 1205 models? It still runs very smooth, it just goes to show how well these machines were made.
Mike
 
The pigtail connector was only on the very first 1205s made, I believe, in 1968. The second iteration, made in 1969-70, like mine, lost the pigtail connector but retained the light teal panel surrounding the hose connector and went to a molded plastic control panel in a darker jade color. The third iteration, which would have come out around 1971 got a dark jade front panel to match the control panel but retained the smooth sheetmetal. The the fourth iteration (1973) got the textured sheetmetal. The final iteration (1974) got a redesigned handle and control panel along with a gaudy gold paint job and was known to many as the Golden Jubilee or Golden J for short. The 1205 was then superseded by the larger and more powerful Super J, which retained the Golden J's color scheme.
 
I love my 1205, it was the first vintage vacuum I had. I was in middle school when I found it..I got it from a garage sale for free. At the time was family didn't have a working vacuum and we couldn't afford a new one so I used that Electrolux as a daily driver. We did eventually get a Hoover EmPower, but I always held on to that 1205 since it was a old machine and I thought it was neat. Later in life when I actually started collecting vacuums I bought a new hose for it and I was really blown away by how much power it really had. The original hose looks to be in pretty good shape but I never realized that it could leak that much air.

Cameron
 

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