How old is this New Old Stock Dustbuster I will be buying?

[phoenixman2014]

How old is this New Old Stock Dustbuster I will be buying? It's a Sears Dustbuster. I am thinking Early 80s.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Mid 1980s. This is what it looked like earlier:

~Ben

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

phoenixman2014

However I must say good luck buying it and keeping it for as long as you can since there is not really a market for cordless handheld vacuums such as this.

~Ben

 

[phoenixman2014]

I am only buying a dustbuster to clean hard floors and shavings in the restroom. I am not much of a dustbuster fan. However, the one I am getting is really rare. I've seen new old stock dustbusters on ebay in the past and they were all Black and Decker, which is a common brand. A Sears branded dustbuster is hard to find.

 

[phoenixman2014]

Dustbusters were very popular in the 1980s. You can use them to clean hard floors. They work better in cleaning hard floors than a brush hand vacuum, because if you put a brush hand vacuum on a hard floor, the bristles will wear out and the brush won't work anymore. The bristles will be so worn out.

 

[tolivac]

You cannot clean with these for long-run time like only 5-10 min.They were meant for picking up crumbs off the kitchen counter or table.My Mom had one-was fun to use-but the run time is too short and charge time too long if you ran the battery down.She kept hers in the entrance-laundry room.That was near the kitchen.Was used mostly in the kitchen.She liked using it,too!

 

[human]

NOS or not, I would question whether the thing will even work at all. The NiCad batteries in it are over 30 years old. Hopefully they haven't leaked inside it. If it uses a standard battery, perhaps you can replace it with a modern NiMH battery.

I did that with a Remington cordless shaver a few years ago. The original NICad batteries lasted maybe three years. They were AA cells with solder tabs, so I replaced them with NiMH batteries that had much higher capacity--2,300 mAh vs. 750 mAh. I got another TEN years out of the NiMH batteries I soldered in and the thing would hold a charge about three times longer. Those batteries have finally bitten the dust and I've got another set I need to solder in.

 

[ronni]

Sears Logo Timeline

Congratulations on acquiring such a classic 1980s relic as a Dustbuster. I would agree that the Sears branded one is more rare than the Black & Decker version.

Besides the body style the Sears logo is also telling of the production era which is established as 1984-94. Go to www.searspartsdirect.com to find the exact year using your model # (toll-free # or online chat).

Gleaned from Logopedia @ http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Sears ...

Sears Logo Timeline 1923-Present

1. 1923-67
2. 1967-69
3. 1969-84
4. 1984-94
5. 1994-00
6. 2000-10
7. 2000-10 (alternate, red swish)
8. 2010-present
9. 2010-present (alternate, 3-D version)

 

[hooverboy81]

Congrats on your dust buster!I haven't thought about them in ages! Looks just like the one that was in the mud room in my home as a kid. Neat find!

 

[real1shep]

Fixing vintage dustbusters

These aren't that hard to fix. The problem is almost always leaking/dead cells. Pull the unit apart, see how the batteries are configured, buy 'sub C ni-cad' rechargeable batteries to replace them.

They are 1.2 volts each. The most I've seen starting with model 9333 is 5 batteries. Soldering and arranging pacs in order required. After the max ni-cad rating of 6.0 volts, they launched into lithium.....but a completely different dustbuster.

The new batteries are better than the old ones. More mAh than the originals. I should start a service.....lol. My favorite is the 9338 which has contacts in the nose to match the detachable upholstery/rug cleaner unit with its own motor.

The prices on eBay for bad battery Dustbusters are more than insane. I can't believe anyone is paying that for them.

Dudtbusters don't really work well until you get to 6 volts and at that, they're best at kitchen cleanups(dry), or some crumbs or debris on a hard floor.

I'm always looking for repair units!

Kevin