For those unfamiliar with Mr. Benny, he was a U.S. radio and television comedian who had a longstanding joke of perpetually being 39. This year marks the 39th year of Electrolux Corporation/Electrolux Canada's launch of its Discovery L-shaped upright line, so it has that in common with him.
Aerus continues to market an upgraded version of it—the Heavy-Duty Model U165A, and there are more than a few knock-offs of that and the standard household version; so they've been an overall success.
One wonders if the model name with a ‘II’ correlated with the 1984 launch of the space shuttle Discovery, or if it was simply a play on Electrolux Corporation’s second "discovery" of an upright vacuum cleaner design?
Interestingly, I discovered that the production years or at least marketing for color groups sometimes overlapped other color productions. For example, the DII 1572E (with an upgraded 8.5A motor) was marketed in a 1990 Service Merchandise catalog that someone posted. So those listed are unofficial ballpark estimates. The accent color names, too, are unofficial. Another consideration is the company's depletion of overstock at the end of manufacturing periods, which may have produced some cleaners with anomalies not listed below.
I'm uncertain if motors were produced in both the US &/or Canada at the time.
Anyway, in honor of Electrolux's Discovery line relation to Jack Benny during 2025, here's some collected data of Electrolux’s Discovery line by company specs, online information and observations.
This is a discussion starter. Corrections and additions are invited as always.
Photos are from online sales unless otherwise noted.
Aerus continues to market an upgraded version of it—the Heavy-Duty Model U165A, and there are more than a few knock-offs of that and the standard household version; so they've been an overall success.
One wonders if the model name with a ‘II’ correlated with the 1984 launch of the space shuttle Discovery, or if it was simply a play on Electrolux Corporation’s second "discovery" of an upright vacuum cleaner design?
Interestingly, I discovered that the production years or at least marketing for color groups sometimes overlapped other color productions. For example, the DII 1572E (with an upgraded 8.5A motor) was marketed in a 1990 Service Merchandise catalog that someone posted. So those listed are unofficial ballpark estimates. The accent color names, too, are unofficial. Another consideration is the company's depletion of overstock at the end of manufacturing periods, which may have produced some cleaners with anomalies not listed below.
I'm uncertain if motors were produced in both the US &/or Canada at the time.
Anyway, in honor of Electrolux's Discovery line relation to Jack Benny during 2025, here's some collected data of Electrolux’s Discovery line by company specs, online information and observations.
This is a discussion starter. Corrections and additions are invited as always.
Photos are from online sales unless otherwise noted.
