Electrolux Grand Marquis

[fan-of-fans]

I think this is the model anyway, I can't easily tell it and the other model apart.

Anyway, I have this Electrolux. I got it ten years ago now when I started to collect vacuums. Habitat had way better selection back then.

I think I got this because it was only $10 and I was in that phase of wanting to own all the classic door to door models. Which never happened and I don't want to any more.

It's a nice vacuum, but I've never been able to "get into" it. I've never even bought any new bags for it.

I think part of it is because of the short, stiff woven hose it has. I know a new vinyl hose would fix this. And also, I've never cared for the power nozzle it has. It's bland looking beige, and I wish it had a headlight. I do like that it has brush shutoff and a little stationary brush underneath to actually sweep hard floors with the brushroll turned off, which most any power nozzle I know of lacks. The attachments are nice too.

Anyway, what do you all think? I just think it's funny I've had the thing ten years and have only fired it up only once that I recall. Once I started taking it apart, waxing the paint and giving it a good detailing. Then I just stopped, put it back together and it's sat in the corner behind the door ever since.

Usually I really like metal canister vacs - I have gotten several Hoover Celebrities, have a Slimline, etc. But this metal Lux, which I'm sure is a great vac, I just have basically forgotten about.

 

[human]

Give it a chance; you'll come to love it...

Metal Lux canisters are my favorites. They're powerful, quiet, easy to operate. While they don't have the massive array of tools that Kirbys do, they're well thought out and cover most tasks for which you would need a vacuum cleaner. I would highly recommend getting a vinyl replacement hose for it as that would boost performance immensely over the leaky braided one. I'd also recommend getting a SideKick, mini power nozzle, if you don't already have one. They're very handy for steps, furniture, etc.

 

[jo]

Well…

The Electrolux canister is by far one of my favorites. I grew up with them and consequently there are many among the family. I really love mine, and the combination dusting brush and contourable upholstery tool and the combination rug and floor tool are among my all time favorite vacuum attachments. Both 2 in one tools which makes for easier use. The automatic control system on your machine is wonderful too. It senses a full bag and pops the door open, shuts the machine off, and the check bag light comes on when it’s time to change tha bag and the sensitivity of this feature can be adjusted for optimal use.

While you may not like that the power nozzle doesn’t have a light…it is self adjusting for height. I can tell you have an L shaped model and it likely says Omni-flo Automatic on it. This is because the suction flows from all areas of the opening so edge cleaning can occur and also the automatic is for the automatic height adjustment. If you press down hard enough on the power nozzle you will realize the back wheels are spring loaded. On a forward strike on deep carpet the wheels would adjust in some as needed and automatically spring back out at the end of the stroke during the pull back and then ago adjust for the next forward stroke. This also makes pushing the power nozzle easy on most all carpet.

These are regarded as some of the beat vacuums out there and you might want to get some bags and give you haouse a cleaning with it and see if you like if. I have run into a few people in my life that haven’t cared for it but it’s about maybe 5 percent of all people who have had one…while most others say they loved theirs and kind of wish they had it again because for some reason or another moved on to something else.

As I mentioned I grew up with the Electrolux canisters and then once out on my own I had a hand me down Hoover convertible from my parents neighbors and it was ok but heavy and finally crapped out as the roller brush bearing crapped out. Being too expensive to replace the bearings…at my last vacuum shop I visited the guy said no one will have just the bearings and he had a nice Silverado deluxe Electrolux there used for sale. I traded the Hoover in to him for it. It was 10 years old at the time and that was 1994 and the motor finally has gone bad just last year. I have other Electrolux canisters so using another. I just find them to be the easiest to use and most logically designed vacuums out there and I’ve experienced a lot of other canisters over my collecting time only to continue to return to the Electrolux as the best. I now have back issues and using anything hard to push is out of the question. So again, the Electrolux canister continues to be my favorite as I can use it with ease and no pain.

Yea the woven hoses are stiffer than the vinyl ones a definite improvement.

What do you use that you seem to like better? Though it seems you haven’t give that Grand Marquise a chance. Gets some bags…give it a try…I think you might like it!

Jon

 

[gvox]

Old metal body Electrolux vacuums are my favorite as well. 


 


Primarily because they just work reliably, and if they do break them they're easy to fix.  Next to Electrolux my new favorite are old TriStars (C-6, CXL, and DXL), primarily because of their classic mid-century look, and even easier simple design.  I can have a TriStar completely apart and back together in minutes.   


 


If Toyota made vacuums, they'd make something like TriStar or Electrolux.  If reasonably serviced older Toyotas are million mile cars, TriStar and Electrolux last decades, and when or if the motor craps the bed (usually just dirty armature/motor, carbon brushes or bearings), you can switch them out easily.  The same can't be said for today's plastic wonders.   Modern manufacturers build vacuums for a consumer throw away society.  


 


I'm a conservative environmentalist (different then radical leftists environmentalist), if you want to reduce waste, buy things that will last for your life.  Quite buying the latest greatest gadget using it for a few years and throwing it away.   Instead buy things you can repair.  


 


 

 

[jo]

Agree

I do agree. Much better to repair so waste is reduced. Throwing away a worn out part is much better than throwing away the entire unit. And the whole concept of “throwing away” something just bugs me…it just gets out somewhere else on this earth, NOT DELETED. If I do have things that need to be “thrown away” they get taken apart and as much as possible gets sent to where it gets recycled. The nice thing about most large appliances today is that most of the time they are broken down and recycled.

My Silverado lasted close to 40 years…about 17 years longer than the marketed life expectancy of 20 years. Yes I replaced the hose sometime around the 20 year mark and also replaced the power nozzle brush. Also the switch got replaced at around 30 years. I still have it all and I may try to see if it’s just the motor brushes that need replacement. If the motor is needing to be rebuilt however I may allow it to be a parts machine hence recycling several of its parts into other machines that need those parts.

I’ve considered a tristar canister as often I can pick them up relatively cheaply from craigslist or elsewhere. I’m not sure though that I would like the unsealed bag situation considering I’m used to the self sealing bags of the Electrolux canisters. To me that is a wonderful convenience and perfection. All the dirt gets trapped away in the self sealing bag. Nothing to smell, touch, or see and they don’t leak dirt into their bag chambers like many others do.

Jon

 

[fan-of-fans]

Yeah, I dunno. I've always preferred Kenmores since that's what I grew up around, but I can tell Electroluxes are quality machines.

To me it wasn't that quiet, most of my canisters the power nozzle is louder than the canister motor, but this was opposite. A lot of people say Celebrity QS's are loud, but to me mine are quiet, and this seemed louder than that.

I'll have to try it again, I think I've only used it once.

I do have the Sidekick (which seems very similar to the older Kenmore Powermate Jr, in fact the newer Lux Sidekick II's also look very similar to the current Kenmore Pet Powermate for some reason), and I have the combo tool and the crevice tool, which look new. I do not have the floor brush or the wands for the floor brush. They were with it when I first saw it, but when I bought it a few days later they were missing. Someone must have bought them.

Yes it is the L shaped Omni-Flow nozzle. That's interesting about the airflow, didn't know that.

I did see a Tristar at an estate sale last weekend, the newer black/gray version. It was $75 but it was the last day so was half off, but I just don't have anywhere for it!

 

[rugsucker]

"Electrolux is better-Better buy Electrolux"

The above slogan from Mo XXX days applies to newer Elux also.While the Kenmore with 5055 bags is one of the best choices you are right to see the 'quality'.The sidekick is one small example having a gear belt that does not slip and stretch.The 4 ply self sealing bags are among the very easiest to change with a better automatic signal.The cordwinders are better.And much more.I agree that older hoses were too stiff.Would be nice to have wands,rug/floor tool and crevice tool to have and use a complete vac.
As another old slogan said--"Try it, you'll Like it--"

 

[jo]

Haha! Love the slogans!

“Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick!” Surely this slogan could apply to Electrolux as well. So easy to use and easy to convert from a rug and floor machine to use the attachments. The see no dirt, smell no dirt, touch no dirt disposable dust bags make emptying the Electrolux a pleasure!


Then there was another company that used the brand name then hyphens then “better by design” this could apply as well. Although it may have been Electrolux on one of the postcards.

I know they used “Housecleaning pleasure with the Electrolux” on the 1205 postcards.

For me…I’ve tried so many vacuums and one still remains as my favorite. The Electrolux canisters. I’m hard pressed to find something I like better for it’s overall logical well thought out design, ease of use, durability, dirt capture and ease of emptying and it has a brain and will tell me when it’s time to change the bag and I can communicate with it if it tells me that not quite right by tweaking the performance of that feature! I upgraded my power nozzle to the lighted model when I had an opportunity to do so to add that feature. The hose swivels at the handle which is ultimately the best location and the whole thing is so well economically designed that it is comfortable to use and cleans and glides beautifully on almost every surface and carpet type. The geared tire cord reinforced belts in the power nozzle and sidekick prevent stretching out and slippage on thick carpets and rarely break. In the 28 years I used my Silverado which was 10 years old when I bought it I only replaced the power nozzle belt once and that’s because I did something stupid with it getting it caught on the rubber backing of a car floor mat corner I shouldn’t have even been going over it with.

Only a Miele I used one time was I mildly challenged as it was so quiet in comparison but I quickly realized the battery powered power nozzle they use is not very good and the hose also was generally annoying just like most other canisters.

Jon

 

[mjhoshaw]

Jon, I too was lured by Miele's siren song

I grew up with Electrolux in the '60s and '70s but never owned one as a young adult, probably, truth be told, because I had a love-hate relationship with my parents' model E. In 2007 when we purchased expensive new area rugs, I fell for the advertising hype and got it in my head that Miele was the bee's knees. I think I had a "German-made is the best" mentality, so I bought a S5280 Callisto from a local dealer. It is amazingly quiet but it has its shortcomings. The SEB 217 power nozzle is also very quiet, but its path is narrow and it's really hard to push on some of my rugs, so much so that I always have to vacuum them only in the direction of the pile. The bags filter well but I have to help them unfold as they fill. With four cats I can fill one each time I clean, so the cost adds up. The hose is stiffer than I'd like. Onboard tool storage is nice but I don't like the Miele's tiny tools.


 


I've had vintage Electroluxes on and off since the early '90s. For awhile I had none, but up from zero a year ago, I now have nine, ranging from a model E through a Lux Classic. Someday when the Miele needs a major repair, I'll let it go and the Lux Classic will become my DD. I cleaned with it today and it's not all that loud. To me, Electrolux has always had the most thoughtful design and ease of use.


 


Joel