I've looked, so what WERE the first 'lux PN colors?

[mjhoshaw]

I've searched old posts and found that the power nozzles for the 'lux AF matched the main unit's colors, but were they ivory with a brown bumper or the other way around? Just wondering - I don't have an AF but I can imagine the PN-1 that came with the turquoise G's were that same ivory color, with a different color bumper and trim than was used for the AF's. Why do I care? Because I'm wondering what colors the power nozzle would be that was sold to Automatic E owners who wanted to add one. Certainly it wouldn't have matched the main unit.

Thanks for any replies.

Joel

 

[jo]

It could vary

Really it depends on the year and if the customer was buying the power nozzle some time after they bought their AF. I have seen the official AF power nozzle in the main body color with the cram bumper trim to match the main unit. My beat friends mom’s AF had a G hose and she later added the power nozzle during the golden jubilee years and had the PN2 with it with the blue external wire wrap around the hose. I’ve seen Soo many combinations that it was just a matter of when the unit was sold and what the dealers were receiving from the factory. Often the PN colors followed the top of the line model but when the top of the line model was changed, the lower level model was not necessarily changed that same year so the PNs on the lower level models could vary.

Now as far as the Automatic E….it was not equipped with a power outlet for the electric wiring to the power nozzle so AE owners would not have had that option. The power nozzle simply had not been introduced yet at that point. Wall to wall and plush carpet was not the in thing at the time so it wasn’t needed and the switchable (on or off) gleaner on the AE’s rug and floor tool worked quite well. Some may have been retrofitted with an outlet that was used on the AF and rebuilt G’s but is rare to see an AE with that. BUT if so,some had an AE and had the outlet added…the power nozzle they would have purchased would have been whichever one was current for the year they did the conversion…so it could be any model or color scheme as there was no intended power nozzle for the AE so There was no power nozzle so no scheme existed to match the AE. If you want to get one that would go with an AE nicely that is equipped with a power nozzle hose electric outlet…you could consider a blue PN-1 or a PN-2 in Polished aluminum for a nice complimenting look.

The nice thing is even today…if you have any early model which has a power nozzle power outlet on it such as an AF or G or L…you can essentially use even the current power nozzle sold with the Aerus Lux Classic with it.

I have a nice model G and use a nice lighted L shaped power nozzle from an Ultralux LX with it. Though I prefer to put a polished aluminum PN-2 with it for a nice looking pairing to compliment the polished aluminum front and back ends of the G.

Jon

 

[jo]

I just reread…

Ok so the ivory pn-1 with brown bumper was actually a third generation of the 4 generations of the PN-1. It was included with the bronze model G’s and the bronze model L’s. The model AF’s power nozzle was the first generation and it’s main color was gray with a cream bumper. It is very rare because the power nozzle was introduced partway in during the run of the AF and was a “new fangled” option so not many were sold. It matched the main unit colors. The turquoise model G’s were primarily sold with the cream PN-1 with the teal bumper and the bronze model G’s had the cream cover with the brown bumper. Finally the teal with white bumper PN-1s were sold with the 1205’s and teal blue L’s Even once the PN-2 was introduced with the later 1205’s still in blue…the blue model L’s got the PN-1. The PN-2 was paired with the 1205 as an additional sales tool to sell more of the 1205’s over the L’s. Eventually the PN-1 was discontinued during the later years of the blue Los so those too received a PN-2. But keep in mind…the model L was sold either with or without a power nozzle…it was entirely up to the buyer to get the power nozzle if they wanted it or not and it could be paired with an electric hose or a standard hose with the the external wire wrap. I am guessing it was either whatever the salesman had in his vehicle at the moment or dependent upon pricing as I think integrated power hose was the most expensive option of the two when considering a power nozzle. My Mother for example did not like the external wire wrap whatsoever when she bought her L and thought that “lash up” was annoying immediately and as a result bought the full wire enclosed power hose.

 

[mjhoshaw]

Jo, thank you for your thoughtful response. I mentioned the Automatic E because mine has the retrofit port. It's logical that Electrolux never made a power nozzle that color coordinated with the AE, because probably not enough owners upgraded to justify a special production run. And yet they did produce the retrofit port kit. Hmm.

I like to think that if Electrolux had introduced the power nozzle with the AE, they would have painted the body in hammertone blue with a sharply contrasting bumper color. More likely they would have matched the color of the attachments. Still, a hammertone blue PN-1 would be a real looker.
Joel

 

[collector2]

This picture (Courtesy of Charles Lester) shows the first of the PN1's with the AF.

 

[dysonman1]

The salesmen for sure sold the top trim with the receptacle to people with Automatic E cleaners to convert them over to power nozzles.

This is my Automatic F with it's original Power Nozzle.

 

[jo]

Dysonman1

What color is the bumper on that pn-1? It’s kinda blurry so hard to tell exactly. Charles Lester’s pic it is teal but hard to see on yours?

Jon

 

[jo]

Electrolux paint colors

I’ve noticed once Electrolux changed paint colors they never would “go backwards” and run any of the previous colors….such as you might suggest they could have done to make a matching PN-1 for the AE models that were retrofitted with the outlet port.

Since they manufactured almost everything themselves…they likely only had the ability to have one production run which was in the current colors…changing temporarily would have been difficult and time consuming and inefficient. Most people didn’t care about color anyway. Yes, it’s nice to have things “matchl” but for a different attachment most people just accepted that what they were given was just the color that it was. And besides…it’s a vacuum cleaner…a practical tool that lives most of its time in a closet except when in use for a few hours a week. It’s not like it was meant to be a fixture in our homes or a car after all. (Despite the minority of us fanatics)!!!

I have seen hammertoe blue PN-1’s with a teal bumper. They were usually white PN-1’s that were painted for the Electrolux rebuilt models or by companies such as metropolitan or others that refurbished and rebuilt machines. Often though, the hammertoe chips off the plastic and then it looks really bad.

My recommendation would be a white PN-1 or Blue PN-1 to go with your AE because that would have mostly been the models offered as an upgrade for the AE’s along with the retrofit…so that would be as “genuine” as you can get since the power nozzle was not introduced until part way through the run of the subsequent AF.

I’d love to retrofit my XXX with a power nozzle port. I kept the port and the metal box and the cord cover from a bronze model G we had at one time with the intention of possibly using it someday. The color would go well with the XXX body. Then the question would be which PN to use with the XXX to look cool with its deco design. The PN-1 is too 60’s modern to me. The PN-2 or PN-4 with their polished aluminum covers and streamlined lines I guess would go well since the XXX has the polished aluminum bag door cover and streamlined lines as well.

Jon

 

[jo]

Also…keep in mind…

I think not as many AEks were retrofitted because the AE’s rug and floor tool had the switchable “gleaner” bar that actually did quite a good job to pick up pet hari and other lint that sticks to the carpet.

The “gleaner bar” sadly was modified to be one that was permanent non switchable with the start of the 1205 and blue L. Perhaps they felt it was unnecessary to make this item and changed it to something less effective but permanent since most people were now opting for the “new fangled” power nozzle which even outperformed the original style switchable gleaner.

Speaking of the gleaner bar…I think they have scaled down the gleaner bar to just be a smooth bar of steel now…essentially the same as the original in the off position would be. Sad to see it go.

Jon

 

[mjhoshaw]

Funny you should write that ...

Tonight I did some cleaning with my model AE and my model G's PN-1. It's so quiet compared to the later power nozzles! I have a new brushroll in the PN-1 and everything else is in tip-top shape, so why not use it and enjoy it?

Joel

 

[mjhoshaw]

To die for

OMG Dysonman1, what a beautiful array of original AF components! Good on you!

 

[dysonman1]

Jon

Charles and I have discussed this before. The bumper on both our Power Nozzles is the gray to match the gray portion of the Lux's body. The top plastic piece on both of ours is slightly different. That could be due to age in different climates, or the plastic was slightly a different color when it was molded. What's special about those first power nozzles was the brush bearing was smaller and there was no reset button, and of course the cord clipped to the hose. This was to make the power nozzle as much as an 'attachment' as the dusting brush. You could remove the power nozzle and its wiring from the machine completely, just as you did any other attachment. I hate the integral wiring of modern power nozzles, with their bulk and clunky electric pistol grips and huge electric wands.

 

[jo]

Yes..

I have a pn-1 with the full length cord which goes straight to the cleaner…however those clips to clip the cord onto the hose are rare and often break from flexing. I don’t have any anymore and so using the pn without those clips is annoying with the cord flopping around…but it comes in handy as I don’t need an electric hose. I have it retrofitted to a blue pn-1…I don’t have any wands dedicated for it so it is just a nozzle attachment I put on the standard sturdy stainless steel wands that were included with my Automatic F.

I mostly use it when I have to take a vac to another home besides my own. I keep all the attachments and the hose in an Electrolux upright caddy for the exception of the power nozzle. So I just have three reasonably sized items to put in the car…main unit, the power nozzle head and the attachment caddy with everything in it including spare bags!

Jon