Yes, the wonderful thing about these economy models is that while they were less expensive and very basic...there was a wonderful added luxury to these models...they were very light weight, so for anyone concerned about weight, these models were the perfect solution. I’ve found that my Mother and an older friend (who has since passed on) really came to enjoy these models as they have aged and had difficulty lifting heavy things. My Mom has an Olympia and an Ambassador...she likes the Ambassador because it is lighter weight so that one she uses upstairs where most of the carpet is and also for when she has to do the stairs.
We shouldn’t forget some of the other economy models...the 1453 “special” model in brown, grey, or sand beige which were stripped down versions of the Olympia, Silverado, and Diamond Jubilee using their motors, and main metal body but with minimal trim and features...no automatic control, etc.
My Mother’s first Electrolux was a Model S which was given to her by her Mother when my parent married and moved into their first apartment together. My parents still have it today, but it was recruited to be the “basement vacuum” in the early 70s when Mom bought a new Model L since they bought new yellow carpet and she wanted to get the new power nozzle feature. My parents mostly tend to choose “basic” models of things such as cars and appliances figuring it does the same job, less to break down, and costs less overall, though Mom has loosened up a bit over the years to choose some nicer things such as a car with leather seats instead of the cloth model, a fancier washer and dryer, but with features she does use from time to time, etc. My Father, on the other hand, still tends to always want the basic no frills models though he says he will buy my Mother whatever she wants. Dad balked at the price of a new Electrolux hose for the Olympia some years ago....he’d rather put tape on the old one to save the money but my Mother doesn’t like rigged stuff like that, so he paid the price with some grumbling to boot.
Sorry a bit off subject... anyway...the Model S is barely surviving as the basement vac. I used it this past holiday season when I visited to clean in the basement and it wouldn’t turn on when I plugged it in, I was able to determine I needed to see if the motor turned and after I moved it a bit, it then started on the next try. Not sure what was up with it. It’s due for a hose as the Silverado era hose on it is leaking so I duct taped it to last a bit longer but I’ll try to get Dad a rubber hose for it.
A con of these economy models is that they have a tendency to tip over and get dented or dragged along on their sides resulting in damage to the paint finishes and dents in the metal bodies.
With no automatic control to stop the vacuum, monitoring the bag is a manual process but that’s about normal for most bag type vacuums.
I had a Model E for a while...I thought the non hinged bag door was an unusual design with its spring loaded metal plate inside. I was able to use it with both paper bags and a cloth bag marked for Automatic, E,F,G and 1205. Though it was a bit tight getting the bag door to latch but it worked.
Always felt the switch on the E, thrift model, S, R, and White L’s were not very good...we had to replace them on our S more than once. They were improved on the bronze era L’s and were a slide switch with a plastic cover that could better be operated by foot.
Have had many Model L’s picked up used over time in the various family homes and Mom still has her original purchase blue one but moved it from their primary home to their vacation home in 1990 when they bought the vacation home. It still runs beautifully today and is on its second hose...from 1983 and second power nozzle (Omni-flo automatic) replaced in 1987 including wands and sheath to “upgrade” to the new automatic electric connection method instead of the plug in wire that hung from the original blue power nozzle sheath.
I notice a lot of people fail to use the cord wrap halo on most of these models and think the combination dusting brush upholstery tool clip is for the cord. Mom never used the cord clip on her model S or model L...instead wrapping the cord under itself to keep it from unraveling. Once I realized the cord clip was just that...I began to use it...though not sure if others in the family using their Models of this series use the cord clip properly...though I think my Sister and her husband do on their Gold L.
I’ve found the handles on these models to not be as sturdy as other models, but often are available on eBay and Aerus still has them so no fret if yours is broken or ripped, it’s easy to fix with a Phillips screwdriver. I made my Sister’s Christmas once getting her a new handle to replace the ripped one on her Gold L. Though I’ve seen interesting do it yourself handle fixes...even ones made of leather straps which actually look quite nice.
Never had a Model R, though my Aunt did and may still have it. Interesting model...sort of between and S and an L, with cream and beige AF coloring. Has the cord Halo of the L and plug in cord of the L, the power nozzle plug, but a slightly improved version of the S bag door which has no hinge or method to prevent use without a bag installed. The front wheels went to dual like the L, but were thin and not as good as the ones on the L. Clearly by studying the chronology of these models, you can see these were a (work in progress) with improvements made from one model to the next with finally the 1453 special models turning the bag horizontally so as to address the tipping over problem and also eliminate the dated metal body design started with the E in 1953.
Never had a thrift model but it clearly was very thrifty indeed, using parts from various other models, the handle and bag from an XXX most notably. Would be interesting to experience one in my life as an Electrolux fan, but have yet to have that opportunity.
Always felt the coloring of the model S was unique...and it was truly indeed unique to this model. During the years surrounding it no other high end model was the same coloring. The dusting brush is a two tone gray and so was the flip over rug and floor tool specifically to go with this model. This is about the only time I saw attachments colored specifically for the economy model that did not go with any other models coloring. I’m not sure what hose came originally with my Mother’s model S when my Grandmother bought it but the first one I remember was blue with the double white stripe on it. Similar to the blue model L and 1205 original hoses. Not sure if the Electrolux man sold her a new hose for the Model S when she bought her model L with power hose and power nozzle to improve the S’s condition. I was just too young to remember the hose on the S before Mom bought her L.
My good older friend who passed some years ago at age 94 had a blue Model L but it has a Golden Jubilee colored non electric hose, the external hose wires in blue, a blue power nozzle sheath, and a Golden Jubilee power nozzle complete with the anniversary sticker on it. It was clearly one of the last of the blue L’s perhaps old stock and they no longer had the blue arrow plastic power nozzles (pn-1). Though I know the pn 2 was introduced during the end of the blue 1205 era. Anyway, I thought it was interesting her model was a mix of two models and personally I preferred using her L with the PN2 to Mom’s with the PN1 and still do to this day. I was paid to vacuum her house every three weeks and she had 3 cats...filled a fresh bag every time I vacuumed the house! She had a generic shag rug attachment I didn’t understand! Seemed stupid....it had holes low and high and I felt it wouldn’t pick up much so I ignored it and always insisted on using the power nozzle on the shag rug and eventually wore out the rug but I had to get that cat hair and crumbs deeply embedded in the shag up, I just felt the rug was left too dirty otherwise.
