turbo500
Well-known member
Hey folks, A few months back I picked up this Electrolux. Originally, this was intended as a donor machine for a much rarer AEG Vampyr upright that needed a full strip down and a new motor, but when this arrived, it was in such nice condition, I couldn't bring myself to pull it apart. So for now, the AEG will have to wait.
This is a slightly rarer Contour - I seem to recall it being a Comet exclusive. These ones don't seem to crop up very often. It's dated May 1996 (so it only just fits in the contemporary forum) and was the entry level for the ESP (extra suction power) Contour range, with the more powerful Contour 2 running above it and the TOL Airclean 1200 running above that. At 750w, it's the least powerful Contour on sale at the time, with the entry level model from the main run being 800w.
I've just started using this as my daily run around vac and it's actually very good. The brushroll is much stiffer and more dense than on the earlier Contours and the suction is very strong. It also has the later style pedal handle release (thank god!) and not the earlier friction fit/pull handle release that was prone to breaking. The pictures don't do the colour justice, it's come out much more turqoise than it actually is - it's much more of a tropical green colour, similar to the green Hoover Turbopower 2 of the same era. It also has a stretch hose fitted, although not as long as the full stair stretch hose fitted on the TOL models, it's still longer than the earlier models and the 600 hose.
There are only 2 things that let it down. The first being, despite it being considerably more stylish at the time than the 600 series, due to the curved handle design, it can be quite difficult to push. The other is the 2 in 1 tool that is fine as a dusting brush, but hopeless as an upholstery tool - the butterfly tool from the earlier 500 and 600 cleaners would've been better. Even the 2 in 1 upholstery tool from the z1070 with the clip on brushes (similar to a Numatic tool) would've been better than this.
But on the whole, I'm really happy with this and it fits nicely alongside my other Electrolux's.
This is a slightly rarer Contour - I seem to recall it being a Comet exclusive. These ones don't seem to crop up very often. It's dated May 1996 (so it only just fits in the contemporary forum) and was the entry level for the ESP (extra suction power) Contour range, with the more powerful Contour 2 running above it and the TOL Airclean 1200 running above that. At 750w, it's the least powerful Contour on sale at the time, with the entry level model from the main run being 800w.
I've just started using this as my daily run around vac and it's actually very good. The brushroll is much stiffer and more dense than on the earlier Contours and the suction is very strong. It also has the later style pedal handle release (thank god!) and not the earlier friction fit/pull handle release that was prone to breaking. The pictures don't do the colour justice, it's come out much more turqoise than it actually is - it's much more of a tropical green colour, similar to the green Hoover Turbopower 2 of the same era. It also has a stretch hose fitted, although not as long as the full stair stretch hose fitted on the TOL models, it's still longer than the earlier models and the 600 hose.
There are only 2 things that let it down. The first being, despite it being considerably more stylish at the time than the 600 series, due to the curved handle design, it can be quite difficult to push. The other is the 2 in 1 tool that is fine as a dusting brush, but hopeless as an upholstery tool - the butterfly tool from the earlier 500 and 600 cleaners would've been better. Even the 2 in 1 upholstery tool from the z1070 with the clip on brushes (similar to a Numatic tool) would've been better than this.
But on the whole, I'm really happy with this and it fits nicely alongside my other Electrolux's.
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