Electrolux Grand Marquise

[kirbylux77]

So, as everyone on Vacuumland knows, there was a thread in the Contemporary forum called "OMG- Finally a rebuild plan for Electrolux's." In that thread, there was discussion of a website called Vacuumman.com, & the owner, Jeff Rego, & some people were questioning the quality of the restored/rebuilt Electrolux's he had for sale, as well as the quality of restoration/rebuilding he did on customer's vacuums. As I mentioned in that thread, I was currently dealing with Jeff Rego, as I had decided to buy a rebuilt Electrolux Grand Marquise from him. I had wanted a metal bodied Perfect canister, but decided that although I liked their power, I didn't like the fact it didn't have the Automatic Control feature, like an Electrolux has, & have heard quite a mixed bag about the quality of the Perfect. I also wasn't thrilled about spending nearly $1,000 dollars on a Chinese-built vacuum, either. So, for me, a rebuilt Electrolux was a much better solution.

I called Jeff Rego, & started negotiating with him first time by phone, then by email, to get the Electrolux exactly how I wanted it. Let me make something very clear- AT NO TIME IN MY DEALINGS WITH MR. REGO DID HE KNOW I WAS A COLLECTOR. I think it is VERY important to stress that I was dealing with him on the basis of being a normal consumer....so I would expect the results I got in terms of finished product would be the same for anyone who dealt with him to buy a rebuilt Electrolux.

So, here are the pictures Jeff Rego sent me of the Electrolux as it was being rebuilt, the finished product picture he sent me before shipping it out, & my own pictures of the vacuum after I got it home. I have also posted a link to the original Vacuumland thread below.

Rob

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?16315

 

[kirbylux77]

First rebuilding pic

 

[kirbylux77]

Second rebuilding pic

 

[kirbylux77]

Third rebuilding pic

 

[kirbylux77]

Here is the pic of the completed Electrolux Grand Marquise that Jeff Rego had sent before shipping the vacuum.

 

[kirbylux77]

Now, here are the pics of the Electrolux Grand Marquise after I got it home & unpacked it. First is of the entire vacuum itself. The hose is an aftermarket hose, that has a on-off switch built into the handle. It is good quality, but I am not thrilled about how short it is! I wish they would have made it a bit longer. The wand is from the Perfect central vacuum kits that he sells....I had asked Jeff if he could get a white one, as he sells the Perfect metal canister as well that uses the white wand, but he says he cannot get them separately, only these gray ones.

 

[kirbylux77]

Here's the Automatic Control on the Electrolux....the lettering is in near perfect shape, not much worn off.

 

[kirbylux77]

Here is showing the bag chamber of the Electrolux. I cannot believe how white the plastic is that was used to make the bag chamber....our Canadian models usually used a creamy white plastic for the bag chambers.

 

[kirbylux77]

Here is showing the underside & caster wheel of the Electrolux. Like it had been speculated, the caster wheel housing is definitely painted. HOWEVER, it does appear to be well-done, & there is a logical explanation for this....it is a rebuilt Electrolux, & the person receiving it is not the original owner. So, therefore, it is painted as this is where the serial # would have been....so the paint hides the serial # so the customer can't try to make a false claim with Aerus about anything about the vacuum.

 

[kirbylux77]

Here are the tools that Jeff included with the Grand Marquise. The 2 in 1 tool & crevice tool are the ones that Jeff can get for the Perfect central vacuum. The crevice tool is crazy long- I have never seen a crevice tool that long before! But that's a good thing though. If you look at the centre of the upholstery side of the 2 in 1 tool, there is a thin strip of rubber- I guess this would help maximize pet hair pickup, & I think it's rather nice that they improved upon the original Electrolux tool like this. The Sidekick has the on-off switch, something I'm sure Danemodsandy/Sandy would like. The flip-over rug/floor tool I am not a big fan of, though- I am used to our Canadian style separate rug & floor nozzles, & while this does an OK job, I still think our tools were a bit better. I have a white Electrolux floor brush that is in brand new shape, that I found back a few years ago, saving for something like this....so it will get used in place of this.

 

[kirbylux77]

Here are the tools that Jeff included with the Grand Marquise. The 2 in 1 tool & crevice tool are the ones that Jeff can get for the Perfect central vacuum. The crevice tool is crazy long- I have never seen a crevice tool that long before! But that's a good thing though. If you look at the centre of the upholstery side of the 2 in 1 tool, there is a thin strip of rubber- I guess this would help maximize pet hair pickup, & I think it's rather nice that they improved upon the original Electrolux tool like this. The Sidekick has the on-off switch, something I'm sure Danemodsandy/Sandy would like. The flip-over rug/floor tool I am not a big fan of, though- I am used to our Canadian style separate rug & floor nozzles, & while this does an OK job, I still think our tools were a bit better. I have a white Electrolux floor brush that is in brand new shape, that I found back a few years ago, saving for something like this....so it will get used in place of this.

 

[kirbylux77]

Here is the side of the Electrolux....a couple of minor dings that couldn't be hammered back out, but nothing major.

 

[kirbylux77]

And here is the other side of the Electrolux

 

[kirbylux77]

Here is the lighted PN-6 powerhead. From what I understand, this PN would have originally came out on the Diplomat & Ultralux models, not on the Grand Marquise....so this is an upgrade. I also had Jeff include 2 axles, so when I got it home I could remove the floating wheel assembly in the back & make the 2 back wheels fixed permanently. This definitely helps the PN bite a bit better into the carpet. The brushroll is the original style, not the newer updated style, but it has plenty of bristles on it & it performs well, so I don't care. Besides a few minor scuffs from normal wear & tear over 20 years, it's in pretty good shape.

 

[kirbylux77]

Here is the box that Jeff shipped the vacuum in. I was surprised to see it showed up in a Aerus Lux Classic box! He used styrofoam ends when he packed it, & since he also sells the Perfect, they were most likely left over from a Perfect he had unpacked & sold. He had done an excellent job of professionally packing the vacuum, though.

 

[Davinator1977]

very nice rob but I bet it would of been totally mint without any mismatched parts if you told him you were a collector

 

[Davinator1977]

here are some luxes I have restored myself, I must say I think it is really kewl he shares pics of the process.

 

[Koobam]

OMG

I'm the original thread starter - and I was just thinking of when Rob was gonna post the completion and results of Jeff Rego's work. Impressive - but not perfect. And is that some little bit of dirt in the blue plastic area in the inside of the feed pipe that feeds into the bag?? IDK maybe it's that he's a one man team and probably gets a fair amount of work each day and doesn't have time to make everything absolutely immaculate, but now I'm definitely considering picking one up from him.


I even told him all about Vacuumland.org and e-mailed him the website and all. It's pretty crazy that it was about 4-5 years ago I first talked to Jeff over the phone (maybe 3-4 years ago) about the Perfects and getting a replacement motor for my Silverado I was restoring, and here he still is.


A few questions -


Does the paint feel properly baked on and durable? Or is it simply spray painted on?

Are the wheels loose at all and wobble off axis or are they snug and straight from the factory like?

Does the Automatic Control work?


How much was the Grand Marquise?


How is the suction compared to a Miele?

 

[kirbylux77]

Brendan:

As for the price, I paid $500 American for the vacuum; $450 plus $50 shipping. Jeff had said the shipping quote he had gotten from USPS was $104, but he wanted to take only $50 for shipping & squared off the price at $500 even. With our Canadian dollar, $500 American worked out to $512 Canadian. Plus, add the $60 in customs duties I had to pay at the post office, & all told I paid $572 for the vacuum.

The paint does appear to be very durable- I would dare to say his paint job was just as good as the factory paint job! It does appear that it was primed first, then spray painted, & then would have been baked on in an oven. The paint on it is very hard, not soft at all, & no way would it easily be scratched or rubbed off. The wheels are not loose or wobbly at all, they are very solidly attached to the vacuum & work properly. The rear wheels do have some marks on them, but are consistent with normal wear & tear one would expect to find on a 20 year old vacuum, & I highly doubt he could have removed the marks without damaging the plastic.

Suction is not as strong as a Miele, but it is as strong as our Canadian Electroluxes were from the 1980's. The dial for the Automatic Control does work, but since I have not had a full bag yet, don't know if it works properly. I am going to assume it does, & he refurbished it- if you look in the first picture that Jeff sent me, the bag door appears to be taken apart. The bag tube has a little bit of dirt around it as it has been used for about a week now....it was clean when I received the vacuum.

One thing I also forgot to mention, is that in addition to the 2 axles for the back wheels, I also had Jeff throw in a spare set of carbon brushes for the motor as part of the sale, as I was concerned about getting them later should the motor need them, being an American Electrolux. I told him I would pay extra for them, but he didn't charge for them, so I thought that was thoughtful of him.

Overall, I had a very good experience with Jeff Rego. He was extremely courteous & professional in his dealings with me, kept in constant contact by email & phone, supplied pictures while the work on the vacuum was in progress, & went out of his way to please me as a customer. And his price was very reasonable for the work he did, & the condition he put the vacuum in. I will be telling lots of people about him & will be recommending him to others. I give his service TWO THUMBS UP!

Rob