Electrolux Aptitude

[rexairman]

I had the opportunity yesterday, for the first time, to do a repair on an Electrolux Aptitude. This is the Electrolux made by European Electrolux and sold in Sears, Lowe's, etc. It is their upright. My observation: What a piece of junk! I don't recall working on anything with such a cheap flimsy "feel" in a long time. And this thing is masquerading as a high end cleaner, selling for around $500. Now I sell some product from this company, but almost exclusively their Sanitaire brand, both household and commercial. They are all first rate in quality and performance. I am finding that customers who buy these new Electroluxes, thinking they are getting something like Mom or Grandma owned, are VERY disappointed.

 

[retromom]

Hey Clay!

Funny that you mention the Aptitude. I saw them at Lowe's yesterday. They had been marked down to $199.00. I guess they couldn't hide behind the Electrolux "high end cleaner" mask anymore.

 

[vacuumkid3]

My local vacuum repairman says they are JUNK! He sells mainly the Panasonic, but I am not too crazy about them. They don't seem very well made. I hear the old Panasonics were very good. Is that right? I will always stick to the old vacuums and Air-Way. Air-Way seems the only brand that has good reliability and excellent filtration. With a multi-layer bag and 3 filters (air, carbon, and microbial), it really seems very good. Yay!

~~K~~

 

[ian88]

Old Panasonics, from what I know, like most old japanese electrical products (70s,80s..maybe just 60s ;p) are built like brick outhouses.

and thats why I love em :]

Ian

 

[tolivac]

At the "Vacuumcleaner Hospital" out my way-there is a "ward" for sick "Electrolux" vacuums.The only "SELF-DESTRUCTING"vacuum cleaners on the market!These keep vacuum repair techs VERY busy!A few in the Vac Hospital ward have been there so long they are in a "coma" waiting for their parts to arrive!

 

[andy]

Clay...

I just had one of my regular customers walk in about ten minutes ago. He has both the Aptitude upright and the Oxygen canister. The Oxygen is sitting in my repair room waiting for a new bag holder. The Aptitude was in here two weeks ago for a broken handle release lever. Today he brought it in with a melted brushroll end and housing. The housing isn't available on Essco's website.

He's going to take it back to Lowe's and complain. The last customer who did that got a store credit towards a new vacuum. I had diligently searched for two weeks trying to find parts to fix their "Electrolux", in hopes that when the time came for a new machine, they would remember me. Well thanks to Lowes I did all that work for nothing, and the same scenario is probably going to happen with this customer.

 

[luxboy]

Andy and Clay

I have three of these "Eurekaluxe's" sitting in my back room right now, one Aptitude and two Oxygen's that have been traded in on "REAL" Electroluxe's. Each one of them has something wrong with them, and none of them are more than a year or two old and in decently good shape otherwise. And these machines aren't cheap. John Pease and I were at Lowe's the other night looking at them. The new Oxygen Upright is the heaviest and bulkiest contraption I have ever seen (other than the Hoover Z) lol, and they want nearly $500.00 for it. The quality just isn't there.

Derreck

 

[tolivac]

The "Vacuum Cleaner Hospital" out here is a Riccar dealer.Now when a customer brings in a bad electrolux vacuum-he suggests they take it back to Lowes or werever they bought it.then get a refund-The customer goes back to Bill at Vac hospital and buys a new Riccar canister or upright to replace the broken "Electrolux"Then the customer is MUCH happier!

 

[kirbyultimateg]

Go to Aerus and buy one of their cleaners...Aerus is the company formerly known as Electrolux.

 

[rexairman]

Guys, ESSCO does have at least some, if not all, parts for these Eureka/Electroluxes. But you have to ask. They're not in the catalog.
And, as for buying an Aerus, Aerus no longer does their own manufacturing. They have contracted Eureka to build their machines (the same good machines as before) in Mexico.