Bagged thrift store sightings

[justjunque]

Hey, Alex.
Good deal! I just dragged home a Panasonic Jet-Flo. More details are posted on the Vintage page.
Based on your user name, you just might appreciate it!

 

[justjunque]

I saw what I believe was my first thrift store sighting of a Hoover Windtunnel. I'm not up on my ability to identify them, and I didn't get a picture. It was blue, looked like it had some bells and whistles, and it was self-propelled. They wanted $15.

 

[broomvac]

Although I did not get this, I enjoyed seeing it yesterday. This caddy vac turbopower was in excellent condition. The soft panel is neat.

 

[eurekaprince]

Always thought Caddy Vac was a brilliant name! Sounds like Cadillac! And gives it a bit of a “deluxe” aura to the product!!!

 

[justjunque]

It was a good day for bagged vacs at one of my local stores!
They had an older Oreck upright.
An older Kenmore canister.
And, if you want to consider them bagged, a Dirt Devil 103, and a possibly Craftsman wet/dry “shop vac”. I know you can use bags in some of those.
Also, I realize that “Shop Vac” is a brand name. But, it’s also what a lot of people call any of that style wet/dry vacuum.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I call them all shop vacs too, I like those Craftsman

 

[panasonicvac]

Today I picked up a Sanitaire SC886. There was also a vintage Electrolux CB I did thought about getting but it was too pricey for the condition it was in.

 

[lesinutah]

Panasonicvac

I know the name of the thrift store you go to. Is there good quality vacuums up there.
The provi location has all the rich people donating good vacuums. You just have to get there in time. They always have good vacuums I just have too many vacuums too justify buying most of them.

 

[justjunque]

Today was Kenmore upright day!

I hit three stores this afternoon. One, I hadn't been to in a while.
I spotted not one, but two Kenmore uprights.
The dark blue Whispertone was only $6.99, and looked very clean. The downside was that the bag compartment door wouldn't latch. That's why there's duct tape on it. That one looked very Panasonic to me.
The Progressive must be a newer model, I'm guessing. It looked so big, I thought it was a carpet shampooer at first. That one was $30. Someone bought it shortly after I walked away from it.

I'll post a picture of each. But, since I took them with my phone, they're going to come out sideways. I apologize. If I could lug my iPad around with me, the pictures would post in the correct orientation.

 

[evolutionclean1]

Oh man!

I'm glad someone claimed the Kenmore Progressive, but you would love one too! $30 is a bit steep, but worth it if it'd been maintained correctly. I have one and I feel like it was one of the best machines they ever released. It's essentially the US version of the Panasonic Icon. The motor that drives the brush roll is pure torque, and clocks in at a shocking 170V DC. There's a little planetary transmission that couples to the drive shaft, reducing the speed and increasing the insane carpet grabbing power even more
The main motor sounds like a 747 taking off, even when they're healthy, and the suction and airflow are incredibly intense. Altogether it makes for one of the scariest machines ever introduced to the market, and I love mine. The dirt sensor is dead on accurate too. Some have mentioned durability issues, but if you're nice to them, they're fantastic. Plus you get double HEPA filtration with the cloth bags and the cartridge exhaust filter!

Anyway, that's my rave about the Progressive I'll have to make a video if it'd be of any interest to y'all. I love em

 

[tlc1976]

I have one of those Dirt Devil 103s. Got it from a junk pile. It runs good, the only thing is it is missing whatever goes in the hole in the front. Probably for an external hose. I assume some sort of rubber plug goes in the hole. I just taped over it.

 

[durango159]

The blue on that Kenmore upright is HOT!! I probably would've bought it just for being blue. aahahaha

 

[panasonicvac]

I would've gladly bought that Whispertone, in my humble opinion one of the best Kenmore uprights ever sold. Even better than that overpriced and overly rated Progressive. Very basic, simple to use and repair, and super powerful. That latch would've been so easy to fix. The Progressive is alright, I have three of them including that purple one. The Direct Drive uprights I think was one of the vacuums that went downhill for Kenmore. The beltless motor design was proven problematic for Panasonic hence that was the main reason why they discontinued them for themselves, but Sears for whatever reason really liked the design so much (probably from their ratings that Consumer Reports gave which probably boosted their sales) that they had Panasonic still make them for the Kenmores. Dirt sensor lights were also problematic, my black one quit working. And from my experience they don't clean as well as the belted models including that Whispertone. The only thing that I do like better about the Progressive over the Whispertone is the switch on top of the handle.

We did had the Panasonic Icon here in the states but they were known as the Performance Plus Platinum.

 

[evolutionclean1]

Absolutely valid

Luckily Panasonic made a lot of different designs so there was something for everyone
I've had good luck with my Progressive, I mostly just like to show it off cause it's different than most vacuums.

And you're right, I forgot about the Performance Plus.
Such is the nature of collectors, everyone's taste varies

 

[justjunque]

The Whispertone did look really clean. And, the price was certainly reasonable. I didn't plug it in, but it had the standard "Tested. Works" sticker on it. So far, any vacuum I've bought from that store has, in fact, worked.
I was a little tempted. But, once in a while, I do find the self control to not buy every vacuum that I find. Not often enough, but once in a while. LOL

 

[justjunque]

Does anyone know approximately how old the Whispertone is?
Just so that, say...if one were to purchase it, they'd know whether to post it in Vintage or Contemporary.

 

[huskyvacs]

The CaddyVac (Caddyshack???) is rare, even more rare that it's one of the Turbopower heritage line versions.

 

[eureka1998]

broomvac

Bought the same one at a local thrift store last year!!!! Awesome performer, use it for the rug in the master bedroom. Old Hoover Elites are unbeatable.

 

[justjunque]

Deja vu!

I hit two thrift stores today, and only saw one vacuum. Ironically, it was a nearly identical Kenmore Progressive Direct Drive to the one I spotted a couple of weeks ago. It was the same purple color and everything.
I took a little closer look at this one. Man! That's a huge brushroll on those things!
Unlike the previous one, this one appeared to be missing some on-board tools or something. It was clean, though.
Exactly like the previous one, this store wanted $30 for this one too. I'd have to really feel like it was something I absolutely had to have, in order to pay that much.

 

[newone777]

Royal Everlast 8300 for $7.99 in very good condition at Goodwill.

This should be illegal! Crime against engineering, metallurgy, ...