Cool Vintage Electric Carpet Sweeper....

[aeoliandave]

Remember, Magic Disc your rugs and carpeting DAILY...

You will enjoy those extra hours of leisure you gain the Magic Disc way!

 

[eurekaprince]

WOW!!! Thanks Dave!!!!! I never knew about that Lewyt attachment!

Wonder why Miele or even Dyson have not tried to re-engineer the concept for today. Even if it would never compete with a motorized power nozzle, it would surely help a regular carpet nozzle remove surface litter and clingy threads and pet hair.

Tacony in the USA - are your listening?

 

[aeoliandave]

And now for something completely different - NOT

We're all familiar with those rechargeable SHARK cordless sweepervacs with the single brushroll and a weak crumb vacuum...and I have a few, too.

But this thing I found for 99 cents at Goodwill is notable.

Also rechargeable, the 9 v power cell with an on/off switch detaches from the upper handle and plugs directly into a wall socket. Snapped back in place, the connections are carried within the breakdown 4 piece detachable handle sections down to the universal joint connection to the 'powerhead'.

Under that 1.5" high clear plastic cover are 4 perimeter brushes that are geared to a single motor - all four rotate toward the central collection bin. No vacuum.

 

[aeoliandave]

I luvs whacky stuff like this!

Bottom business:
The sweeper rides above and over hard floors and smooth carpet alike on the corner teflon-y nylon balls. You can just make out the single edge brushes on the ends of the long axles toget right in the baseboard corner joint.
The brushes rotate quite quickly and do whisk a surprising amount into the central bin cavity and because they rotate inward from all sides they do not scatter debris - tray removed for picture.

 

[aeoliandave]

Its a curiousity, for sure. The Shoebox Sweeper.

There are no labels or maker's marks on it but when I see another one I'm gonna grab it. Because they are so cute and this works better than any SHARK!

As I said, the handle breaks down into three 13" sections so the whole thing can be easily stored and transported in a shoebox.

Damned clever. It's easy to see if the brushes get clogged and look - two windows on the collection bin even! Too bad the cover shell is made of thin brittle clear styrene rather than tough lexan.
Seriously guys, for all it's gimmicky cheapness it does what it's designed to do - sweeps up loose everything off of floor surfaces.

 

[uprightman]

Brian, I'm enjoying this thread, thanks for starting it. When I bought my home, I noticed that the previous owners had left a few applicances behind. All very '60's, in either avocado green or the "harvest gold" color...a blender, can opener/knife sharpener, sewing machine, and a few other things... The most fascinating thing for me was a pale yellow GE VACUUM SWEEPER. It did have a "resuseable" pink GE bag in it...SV1 is the type. I managed to find two NOS packs on eBay. I tucked it back in the hall closet and almost forgot about it....however, I have pulled it out recently to pick up the salt that I have tracked into the house this winter, and, while I wouldn't use it to do my whole house, it did get the "big chunks" up... It's given me a laugh anyway.

Dave, about the MAGIC DISC info/pictures...still trying to wrap my mind around the concept...BUT, what a cool gizmo. Have to admit...any "leisure time" gained by using it would have been used in a nap to recover from the effort! Looking at the brushes, I would bet that your nap (of the rug variety; not the lie-down type) doesn't know which way to turn after the MAGIC DISC experience. Thanks for putting that up!

Steve

 

[eurekaprince]

Hey Dave - that's the Swivel Sweeper that is constantly being promoted by the H2O vac people: Thane.

It actually is rated quite well by Consumer Reports and is a recommended model. The only floor sweeper rated higher is the Dirt Devil Broom Vac (which won't work on carpets). At USD35, the Swivel Sweeper is indeed a better buy than the Shark - it rated better than the Shark in recent tests: good on carpet, very good on bare floors and very easy to use!

Now imagine this being connected to a canister vac as a rechargeable carpet nozzle - wouldn't that be a great combination?

Here's Thane's webpage showing the second generation Swivel Sweeper:

http://www.thane.ca/products/housewares/swivelG2/swivelG2.php

 

[aeoliandave]

Thanks for the info, Brian; I guess I'm not watching the right late night tv. LOL I had no idea what it was or who made it but the trickyness of the 4 brush action got my attention.

The videos are fun to watch. I forgot to mention that the sweeper seems to run at least 30 minutes on a full charge - which is exceptional for any cordless - and I see that Thane claims that and more.

I don't think it's worth $60 CDN,
But Wait! You get two for that price plus two little single brush hand units - figure $5 each. The dirt tray drops down rather than having to be detached like mine. I think I'd pay $25 for this at Giant Tiger. Maybe not such a bad deal?

But when ya go thru the order procedure that's when the Big Hit - not such a big Deal - shoe drops:

Subtotal: 59.90 CAD
Shipping: 17.99 CAD
Tax (*): 10.13 CAD
Total: 88.02 CAD

I'll just wait for the next one to show up in a Thrift store, which they surely will.

-----------------------------------

Steve, the Magic Disk is a fun thing to get out to demonstrate but works less well than a regular carpet sweeper. The brushes are nothing more than passive rollers. Notice the brushes don't do edges. Without wands attached, if you try to push it along at 45 degrees the outer brushes roll easily but the front and back brushes catch in the carpet and bog it down. With wands, the fixed X orientation splits the difference so yeah, it's an effort to push and steer accurately.
Agian, it's clear from the mint condition they are found in that they didn't get used much.
A regular carpet sweeper of course spins it's brushroll much faster than the wheels turn adding some oomph to the wisk action.

Now, the GE VACUUM SWEEPER...that's a vintage keeper in my opinion. Unusual and compact and I bet built to last.

All these nifty gadgets have their place in the history of floor care.

Dave

 

[petek]

Dave, quite often Xcess Cargo has those swivel sweepers and Shark sweepers on for around $15-$20..

I bought a couple of the Sharks at Liquidation world last year for around the price. Mom loves hers but now she's misplaced the power cord recharger.

 

[portable]

The NEW Swivel Sweeper is red, and the emptying process is much easier than the original version. The dirt tray flips open and closed.

 

[aeoliandave]

Pete, that's more like it! I'd love to have another Swivel Sweeper. They are as simple and humbly designed as can be compared to the swoopy doopy fantasy styling of the Sharks.

I have the two SHARK models (again from Thrifts) but find the battery charge life is so short they lose their entertainment value quickly, especially because they throw the floor debris around with the single brushroll.

On the other hand, the Swivel Sweeper is endlessly amusing, effective because it doesn't scatter the grit and always ready to be used many times before recharging.

The long handles on all of these cordless sweepers are flimsy but then they aren't meant for heavy duty service.

I gotta say it plants a big smile on my face to watch those 4 brushes spinning away busily...and the omni-directional universal joint is a hoot. I love how the commercial shows you can stash the SS in the 2 inch space between the fridge and the wall.

John do you have one? I can see how useful and space saving it would be in a motorhome or trailer when you don't want to get out the big boys.

Imagine the Swivel Sweeper made of all metal construction! That would be a robust winner.
----------------------
And Pete, thanks for distracting me away from commenting a 'Gonna Go All Daddy On Yer Teenage Malcontent Fanboy Asses' opinion on that Plasticvac thread over in Contemporary. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Dave

 

[alaskabob]

Swivel Sweeper is endlessly amusing

yes it is
fun to use
fun to watch
and it picks up well

 

[portable]

Dave -

Yeah I have a SS in the motorhome. It really can be stored in no space whatsoever. I foolishly bought a dark green bathroom rug awhile back. The thing is a dirt magnet. Rather than drag the Hoover Air out once a day to vacuum it, I hit it with the SS. The only problem is that the rug has multi-level tuft, and the SS doesn't do such a hot job on the deeper ruts. Oh well...just fine for most jobs.