Electrolux Quietness

[timborow]

Many people have told me over the years that the old Lux cleaners are among the quietest. (I feel a little out of the loop since I have never used a XXX or any of the other oldies. The oldest one I have used is a Golden J.I actually think I saw a LXI run once in a store where I worked, but the cleaning crew worked nights and I worked days. Therfore, i don't remember much about the experience.)Did Electrolux use the quietness of their machines as a selling point? Did they use sound dampening material? Were they really quieter than other vacuums of the day?

I am currently using a Super J that belonged to my wife's grandmother. I love it. It is very quiet, but were there quieter models? If so, what were the decibel ratings?

Maybe one day I will happen up on a XXX or E so I can actually hear one run. Tim

 

[bimmer740]

I dont know if Electrolux used their quietness as a selling point since they were sold many years before my existance, but I doubt they used any sound dampening material. My Aunt had a Electrolux model L until a few years ago when the motor burn out. She had it since it was new and it cleaned well for many years. I can tell you that it was definetly one of the quietest machines I have ever used. It had a great tone and I think the suction from the hose end created more noise than the motor itself actually made.

 

[swingette]

on the contrary, i think several of the machines of the g-era had mufflers built into the machine. and the XXX had a cotton filter disk at the exhaust that acted as a filter. the Lux experts can tell us more about the mufflers on G/L type luxes!

 

[compactc9]

Most older canisters, and even vacuums in general used to be much more quiet than we see today. Now we have soo many screaming plasic things that we are schocked to find something quiet.

 

[waterstreet]

Electrolux Quiet

Good though it is, my Super J is neglected at the back of the closet as the earlier models are noticeably quieter.
I use an XXX and LX upstairs – both with very comfortable sound levels. ( I have a XII which is surprisingly quiet and powerful considering its age - if I could get a replacement hose it could be a daily driver)
Downstairs is my beloved turquoise Model G – which is the quietist of all.
We have a Dalmatian, so we have an ample supply of short black and white hairs to vacuum. We had one of those cyclone black plastic Hoover uprights which was a real screamer (the dog would leave the room at the sight of it). It was continually clogging and was totally unsatisfactory.
It was replaced with a great old Automatic E. The E does a much better job than the plastic thing and the dog is comfortable around it.
It was noted that the older vacuums were in general quieter – I think that has to do with the pitch of the sound as much as the volume.

 

[electrolux-dude]

Electrolux Quietness

I have to agree with everybody--Electrolux's are extremely quiet! I can remember the first Electrolux my mom had, it was a white and turquoise model L, and that was the quietest vacuum I ever heard! Now that I have over 200 Electrolux's in my collection, including 2 or 3 of the Turquoise Model L, there are quite a few of them that are just as quiet. I think that the top winner for quietness is the Model G. I have several Turquoise G's, as well as Tan G's. My Top "Baby" is my White and Turqouise Hospital G, it is really quiet. I also have a CA, Electrolux's first Commercial Automatic, and for a Shop Type Electrolux it's relatively quiet. I would say that 2nd in quietness is the model XXX, and LX. I have several of those in my collection as well as 3 or 4 model XII. They are also quiet, but yet have pretty good suction. For Quietness, I will have to say, you can't beat the older Electrolux models.

 

[converto-skip]

Electrolux G

The Electrolux Model G's are extrememly quiet and I do have the turquiose and the tan one in my collection among my other luxes but in all I have to say all of my luxes are quiet.

Skip...

 

[charles~richard]

electrolux-dude:

As a fellow Electrolux fanatic, I surely would love to see photos of your collection!

The quietest of them all is the Hospital G. You can literally use it in a room where someone is sleeping and not disturb them. The only sound you hear is the air rushing into the floor nozzle. When using the rug side on carpeting you can barely hear any sound at all. It's fabulous.

 

[electrolux-dude]

Hi, Charles Richard

Hi, Charles--You got it! I've taken some pictures of my collection and when I get them developed I'll post pictures on the website. My Hospital G seems like it's a little noisier than my Tan G I use at work--I don't know if some Hospital G's were noisier than others? Anyway--I've got quite the collection--over 200 Electrolux's, and I'll get some pictures of them to you and the club soon! Take Care

Nathan

 

[timborow]

1205

I have heard that the 1205 had the same motor as the G. Is that correct? If so, was the 1205 as quiet as the G, or was it the sound-proofing material used in the G that made it so quiet? Will the motor from a 1205 fit in a Super J?
Also, I need to replace the cord on my Lux Super J. The plug is a replacement,and it is shot. I have heard it's a pretty hard thing to do. Should I take it somewhere to have it done? Tim

 

[frkirby511]

1205 vs Model G

The 1205 is much, much noisier than the Model G. The Model G has all kinds of buffers around the motor to make it that quiet.

I sold for Electrolux during the 1205 era [late 60's -- 'early 70's]. When engineers developed the 1205, they did research into many things and one of them was the noise level of the vacuum. It seems hard to believe, but it's true: research showed that the ultra quietness of the Model G turned out to be something that consumers did not like [by and large] because it did not give the sensation of working hard or of the machine being powerful enough! Go figure...! But that is why the 1205 is noisier; they actually designed it to be noisier than any previous model.

 

[laspirateur]

I think my quietest Electrolux is my prized Canadian Z89 (it probably beats out the G because it has the blower filter that the American models phased out):

 

[timborow]

XXX

charles-richard,

I just looked at your web-site for Electrolux. Man, that is one cool site. I love the old XXXs. Where do you find them in such good shape? The padded filter at the end of the machine must have accounted for it's quietness. I have always wondered how those sled runners did on bare floors. Did women have to pick them up to move them to keep from scratching floors? Was the machine heavy? I hope to find one some day. BTW I looked for your picture for the Super J on your site, but it wasn't there. How many of these do you have in your collection? What's the best Lux ever made? Tim

 

[scott55405]

I had a 1205, and found it to be very quiet, so it was interesting to hear that comment about the G, although I think the G's are amongst the quietest of the Electroluxes. The newer ones, one of which I also owned, are just horrendously noisy to the point where I couldn't wait to get rid of mine, that and those big plastic wands were way too heavy.

 

[bigbubbacain]

I used to play with my grandmother's 1205 when I was little. I remember the power nozzle drowning out the canister. I kept unplugging the PN to see if the canister was really working. I thought my model G was quieter. I wonder if there might have been a different motor on one of the earlier models than on the G because I remember the beige automatic model which had the external cord reel sounding very different from the G. Not just the noise level, but the motor had different tonal quality. It almost sounded like a TV sound effect for a vacuum from the 50's.