Does anyone keep this hobby a secret?

[Nivea]

Does anyone keep this as a secret hobby?

I wouldn't wanna tell anyone about this hobby since I would feel embarrassed as this is such a niche hobby. I think my embarrassment comes from the fact I used to like vacuums as a child a lot
(im 25 now) and I would go around asking people what there favourite vacuum was. I grew out of it when I was 11 but then it returned and I have been secretly been in the hobby ever since.

Im wondering if anyone feels embaresment from it like i do. It makes getting vacuums a pain since I live with my parents but I dont want anyone to know about it.

Let me know if i should move this post to off topic it's about vacuums so I think it shouldn't be in off topic but I will move the post if needed.

 

[blackheart]

Yup.... this hobby was discouraged by a parent and it got made fun of by my peers growing up so I tend to be a little secretive about it outside of closer friends and fellow collectors. I think it's just hard to get away from that mindset ya know?
So you're not the only one out there who does so.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I am quite open about it and I haven't had problems (yet). I am in middle school currently and I have always been open about liking vacuums, bringing them in, vacuuming parts of the school every day, etc. People have been quite kind to me about it so far. My mum hates the sound of vacuums and dislikes me using them as the wall of her childhood home caught on fire from internal wiring isseus with the vacuum plugged in. (it was turned off though)Other than that my mum nor my Dad have minded. My dad flew me up to Auckland a few years ago to meet the owner of Godfreys and Kiwivac. Godfreys sent me to HarveyNorman and they sent me to Dyson. More stuff was done up there than originally anticitaped. Anyway, my nana gives me access to a portion of her 200 square meter shed for my vacuum hobby. I am also allowed to stuff my bedroom with vacuums.

 

[royalfan103]

Does anyone keep this as a secret hobby?

I wouldn't wanna tell anyone about this hobby since I would feel embarrassed as this is such a niche hobby. I think my embarrassment comes from the fact I used to like vacuums as a child a lot
(im 25 now) and I would go around asking people what there favourite vacuum was. I grew out of it when I was 11 but then it returned and I have been secretly been in the hobby ever since.

Im wondering if anyone feels embaresment from it like i do. It makes getting vacuums a pain since I live with my parents but I dont want anyone to know about it.

Let me know if i should move this post to off topic it's about vacuums so I think it shouldn't be in off topic but I will move the post if needed.

I keep it a secret unless someone's interested. It's been discoruaged by my family, unfortunately...

 

[centralsweeper63]

That is a shame it is so discouraged by everyone else.

 

[cheesewonton]

My wife makes sure everybody knows her husband collects vacuums : / Sigh

 

[centralsweeper63]

Oh well.

 

[hygiene903]

I guess you could say I'm kind of in the middle--I don't keep my collection a secret, but I don't exactly broadcast it either. Most of my family and some of my friends know, some don't. My wife knows many of my collector friends, helped me host a few mini meets several years ago, and went with me to the VCCC Convention in Canton and North Canton in 2008. My youngest son shared the hobby with me, we used to work on restorations together, and when he bought his own home he took 4 of them with him. I wanted him to take more, but that's all he wanted. And several of the vacs in my collection have come from family members or friends that knew about my collection. So I would say it's all good!
Jeff

 

[centralsweeper63]

That sounds really nice that it is multi-generational.

 

[vacerator]

Try not to have internal phobia about it. My dad teased me when I was little because I liked to vacuum, but not for long. My aunt told him, "it's just a machine John!" No different than the washers and dryers you repair. The kid's gonna like what he likes!
Then we found an older Hoover in the basement left behind by a prior resident. A dusty chrome upright that was quite noisy. Dad cleaned it up and oiled the motor and replaced the brush roll and belt.

 

[centralsweeper63]

That is a funny quote. What model was the upright?

 

[huskyvacs]

I've been mocked for it many times. People see it akin to collecting cans off the street or something, I dunno.

Joke is on them with how much vintage vacuums sell for, you could pretty much buy a car with what you get for them.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I just push non-supporters to the side.

 

[hoover300]

I don't outwardly broadcast it anymore. Got sick of being exclusively known as the vacuum guy. My college literacy essay on vacuum collecting got 98% though! lol

I do occasionally bring them to work to use and some of the people get a kick out of it. One coworker in particular who originally was kinda apprehensive about it shyly asked to buy a 50s Kirby a few months ago.. And just a couple weeks ago asked for one of my Bisons...

I'm turning people. XD

 

[centralsweeper63]

I did the same thing. A Bison, wow, decently researched.

 

[huskyvacs]

I did the same thing. A Bison, wow, decently researched.

I do prefer the styling of the Bison over a Kirby. Traitorous, I know.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I do love the styling of a Bison, and the speed control, though I think the Kirby is better and more reliable.

 

[huskyvacs]

I do love the styling of a Bison, and the speed control, though I think the Kirby is better and more reliable.

Absolutely. The Bison was only created out of spite, they didn't intend for the company to exist for decades. They made it just to prove they could.

 

[centralsweeper63]

It is a very funny story.

 

[amtraksebo1997]

I'm the complete opposite. I'm pretty honest with my passion for vacuum cleaners. Probably like half of the papers I've done in school have been about vacuums and vacuum collecting. I try to explain to people that it's a hobby in a similar vein to collecting and repairing cars. Despite this, I have had people make fun of me for it unfortunately. So yeah, I'm open about this hobby, but I am self-aware that some people see it as weird.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I am pretty much exactly the same as that too.

 

[FilterQueenEthan]

People know I'm into the Filter Queen stuff, and if they have questions I am kind of the go-to guy on the subject.

 

[centralsweeper63]

That is how I operate too.

 

[centralsweeper63]

It just sucks when you give advice and are completely ignored.

 

[cheesewonton]

People know I'm into the Filter Queen stuff, and if they have questions I am kind of the go-to guy on the subject.

Do you think a Numatic dust bag would fit the spout on the Optima? The reason I ask is that there is a reasonable looking Optima on ebay right now.

 

[SeboU1]

I am a rather private person and usually won’t tell people any personal details unless they ask. There were occasional times where my hobby of vacuums came out, in kindergarten I wrote that I wanted to get my mother the new Dyson ball. I had a second grade teacher that would vacuum her classroom rugs every morning because the cleaning crew didn’t clean to her satisfaction. I always ensured I got to the classroom in time to see the commercial Riccar (earlier 8900 series) being ran, one time the Riccar was broken and she used the Windsor Sensor. I always had difficulty in school when we had to say what we like to do, I couldn’t say what my hobby was. My family knows that I collect vacuums, and will ask if I still have them or they will ask me if their vacuum has an issue. My mother was always my biggest critique on my collecting, she says any women would find it strange. I’m sure any women would be thrilled to have a husband that likes to vacuum. Collecting runs on one side of my family, my great grandfather had numerous refrigerators in his basement, full of National Geographic magazines. I believe that as long has you are in the process of defining yourself with some sort of career, any collecting is just a hobby, no matter how strange it might be. I have told one professor that I collect vacuums, and hinted to another (had to make a scenario, and I said the person worked for Kirby). My field works around the idea of the authentic self, and exposing my hobby allows for me to be completely authentic as an academic and middle class professional. I am usually busy, and my hobby gives me outlet for stress.

 

[vacerator]

Anyone remotely interested in nostalgia should at least reply with "oh, I remember those!" when shown one or a photo, especially in fine or reconditioned shape.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Yes, probably.

 

[centralsweeper63]

By the way, I thought I should say that post 24 (my post) is about friends and family, no one on here.

 

[cheesewonton]

Anyone remotely interested in nostalgia should at least reply with "oh, I remember those!" when shown one or a photo, especially in fine or reconditioned shape.

I don't know. I'm 68 and am constantly finding out about vacuums I had no idea existed courtesy of this site. One of the glories of V-L !

I just retired and am pretty sure the majority of my co-workers, except for a couple of the other old OG gray beards, have never seen or even heard about 90% of what's in my collection.