Any Aerus News?

[bagintheback]

I (regrettably) haven't kept up to date with the current vacuum industry recently, so perhaps I've missed something. I went to go look at the Aerus website, and I noticed their vacuum page has been completely removed. Now it's all about air purifiers. Plus, their Wikipedia page now says:

"In 2020 Aerus turned focus from making vacuum cleaners toward aerospace advancements."

Is Aerus still in the vac biz?

 

[myles_v]

Nice to see you post! I noticed your YouTube videos were all taken down.

There was a similar post recently, it looks like there is still a site up for their floor care products but they don't seem to be doing all that great. http://www.aerusvacuums.com/Site/FloorCare

I have also noticed some cheap looking cordless machines branded as Aerus machines on sites like Allergy Buyers Club and Amazon, https://www.allergybuyersclub.com/aerus-healthy-home-products.html

Last I checked it is difficult to find a store that is still open near me, the last time I went to one was about two years ago. That store closed down two weeks after I visited it to buy bags and shampoo. Another store that I have been to in the last few years was the Richmond dealer ran by Ray Satterwhite (who doesn't seem to love the idea of collecting vacuum cleaners). No idea if the Richmond store is still open or not, the Aerus Vacuums website says that they are but they do tend to have a delay on showing when stores close.

I know there is at least one collector who sells Aerus products, they claim that the company is doing fine but common sense tells me that the focus is not on the vacuum cleaners anymore. Their product line is outdated and overpriced, along with their sales model. As much as I like their vacuum cleaners, and as much nostalgia as many of us collectors may have for the brand, they just don't look like they are doing very well anymore.

 

[electromatik]

I noticed that too

I had not looked at the Aerus Wikipedia page until your post. Very strange wording. It would appear that Aerus is going to discontinue the vacuum business.

It is not totally unexpected. The vacuum cleaner industry is downsizing, consolidating, and entrenching. There are fewer and fewer manufacturers. the larger, well known companies are taking full control of the business. It looks like the door-to-door model is on it's way out as people get busier and busier.

Very sad times for people who like quality vacuums, especially canisters.

 

[electromatik]

@myles_v

I don't know how well the company is doing because I don't have their financial info.

However, if they are doing poorly it is because Joe Urso is an idiot. He has made poor decision after poor decision. Surrendering the Electrolux trademark name in North America was beyond idiotic. The name change to Aerus confused and confounded the customer base. Along with this he continues to steer the company toward non-vacuum technologies, sapping the resources for vacuum development. Their cleaning products plus air filtration and laundry devices are extremely advanced while they recycle 30 year old vacuum designs. When you are spending R&D money on ionically charged water to clean laundry without detergent there is likely not much left for new vacuum designs.

If they continue selling vacuums at all, they will likely rebadge them as they are doing more and more anyway.

 

[luxlife]

Ionically charged water

Given that technology that they’ve used for water treatment, it’s a shame that they don’t come up with something for the vacuum exhausts on their machines. Ionized air usually doesn’t smell like the contents of the vacuum bag and activated charcoal is short lived.

 

[electromatik]

@luxlife

Wouldn't that be an incredible vacuum innovation? It might even eliminate the need for filter purchases and everything. Yet they do nothing to the vacuums. It's almost like they have given up on vacuum design.

 

[tolivac]

Feel that Aerus is trying to get into too much-At first they were into home care(vacuums and cleaning products)and air,water purifiers.The Aerus dealer told me they are going into matteresses and such.Now its going to be furniture!Think they should stick with cleaning and air purification.Forget the other products.

 

[myles_v]

electromatik...

Yep, selling the Electrolux name ruined them. It was around that time that they were selling a couple of machines on HSN, I think that could have helped their sales if they kept developing machines if only they stuck with the Electrolux name.

Consumers aren't buying $1000+ vacuum cleaners unless they're talked into it by a salesperson. I hate to say it but I can't blame them, my Miele was cheaper than the cheapest current new Aerus vacuum cleaner and it is better at cleaning, filtering, easier to use, and has more features. The build quality is nearly as good as an Aerus. Hell, just wanting variable speed control means one needs the top of the line Aerus, while other premium vacuum manufacturers put that in even their lowest end models. Even currently, Aerus stores are only successful if they try to sell their customers on the Electrolux name that they used to go by. I have never seen an Aerus store that didn't have Electrolux logos everywhere, no one recognizes the Aerus name and no one is spending over a grand for a brand they have never heard of. While mentioning the stores, it seems worth it to mention the outdated sales model. The company appears to be structured like a multilevel marketing scheme similar to Amway or Tupperware. These kinds of companies It makes sense for them to leave the vacuum cleaner market, they have lost nearly all legitimate brand recognition.

 

[electromatik]

I totally forget about HSN

They absolutely should pursue that to build awareness and sales but Urso seems uninterested.

 

[human]

Dinosaurs, sadly...

In addition to the significant name recognition handicap and grossly outdated sales model, Aerus has the same problem as Kirby in that their machines are so ridiculously reliable that they end up having to compete with their own used equipment.

Sure, it would be nice to have a brand new Aerus machine but there's no way I'd shell out that kind cash for one when nice, used ones can be had for next to nothing. As of yesterday, I own ten Electrolux vacuums—six canisters and four uprights (excessive, I know. I've got a problem). The newest one, acquired yesterday for a whole $3, is about 20 years old while the oldest two have passed the half-century mark. All of them will be running great well into the future and will doubtless outlast me.

The crazy thing is I have less than a tenth the cost of one new Aerus tied up in all ten of my vintage Electroluxes, combined. Three were trash finds that cost me nothing, four of them cost me $10 or less apiece, and the remainder were in the $20-$25 range. Those that needed work were made whole for little or nothing.

Sadly, Aerus is a 'dinosaur' brand. The meteor has struck, they have failed to adapt and the die-off has begun. The rats are taking over and the revolution will not be televised.

 

[dysonman1]

People see things differently. In my vacuum store, I sell Aerus Electrolux. I don't sell the air purifiers or the water treatment stuff. Just the vacuums. I sold a Classic canister (my favorite) to a woman who came to see the Vacuum Museum. I told her what absolute junk shark vacuums are, and she said "I've had five of them in the past 15 years. All together I spent more than a thousand dollars on sharks". Her fifth shark was on its last legs. I showed her the old Electrolux vacuums, and then the new ones as they are up front, close to the door. I demonstrated it to her and she bought it. I said "no more junk for you. sharks belong in the water". It's not hard to sell a good quality vacuum with a five year warranty - you just have to show it. I also carry the HEPA cloth disposable Electrolux bags to help the motors live their longest.

 

[human]

Yes, you definitely have an advantage with the museum in that you can help the customer make a visual connection between the legacy machines and the new ones. The last time I was in an Aerus shop, when I got the cord and handle assembly replaced on my Genesis LXe under the decade-old factory recall, their idea of making a connection to the past was using a gutted 1205 as a combination planter and door stop at the front door.

 

[ralph123]

Hello Tom,

Congratulations on the sale. Do you know whether Aerus/Lux plans to continue to produce vacuums? I agree they make quality vacuums. Thanks.

 

[myles_v]

dysonman1...

I agree that selling the quality of the machine is the way to do it, but as @human mentioned there is the issue of competing with vintage models of the same brand. With so little changes being made to the machines themselves, there's little need for most consumers to ever replace them. I personally like Aerus Electrolux machines quite a bit, but they look outdated to many consumers because the designs are quite old.

Also, you're the perfect person to sell those machines. I doubt very many of their dealers have people who are as fit to sell them as you are, which is likely hurting the company as a whole. I am curious, have you heard anything about them exiting the vacuum market or winding down vacuum production? I doubt they'd tell many dealers until just before the end, but I am curious about any rumors you may have heard from them.

 

[dysonman1]

Oh there are BIG things coming with Aerus. I'm very excited about them. I wish I could spill the beans right now but ..... when it happens "I told you so" first. It has to do with the production of the machines and the availability of them to a larger market (not wal-mart or anything).

 

[electromatik]

Wow!

Are you serious dysonman1? You wouldn't be cruel enough to tease us like that, would you?

Now I AM excited.

 

[dysonman1]

No teasing. I'll tell all the moment I can. Electrolux vacuums are FAR from over.

 

[vacuumdevil]

@dysonman1 Tom please tell me they're going to continue producing Vacuums in the USA under the Electrolux name.

 

[beagledad]

Yes they need to get the Electrolux name back on the vacuums. That is the dumbest thing they could have done. They can keep Aerus on the other products.