gmerkt
New member
I thought I would share a pic (or pics) of my Hamilton-Beach Model 26 cannister vacuum. We inherited this vacuum from my father-in-law when he died; it was in her parents' home for as long as she can remember and it was known in that household as "Little Monster". This machine dates from the 1940's I believe. All of the original attachments are gone except one, the little aluminum nozzle. The original crevice tool was made of pressed paper, and the rubber fittings on the brushes had become deteriorated. I cloth-wrapped hose had been replaced when I got it, and I added the Kirby crevice tool that I now use. We don't actually use this much for regular household vacuuming; I use it around the edges in the house, but more often I use it as a shop vac. It has tons of suction. It has a cloth dirt bag inside the business end that is very easy to empty and is reusable over and over again. I've never replaced it. I don't like paper bags, as a rule, having grown up with the ritual dumping out of the hopper on the bottom of an old Kirby (including the inevitable reaching up inside the bag with my hand).
