My favorite Compact!

[dysonman1]

The "beast" itself. No decal on the other side.

 

[dysonman1]

Different (and unique) color exhaust port cover and cover-latch

 

[dysonman1]

The hose has a blue suction control sleeve, like an Electrolux Automatic E and F.

 

[dysonman1]

The instruction book is also unique. It has the word Revelation on the cleaner pictured, AND it has "pink stripes" on the cover.

 

[dysonman1]

copyright 1956 on the back of the instruction manual

 

[dysonman1]

Half your Rugs are NEVER Clean....

Until you use a Compact or Revelation. Ironic that the pic in the corner, where she's slumped over a chair, she's just used a Hoover (note the rubber hand grip).

 

[dysonman1]

1958 C-4 with flat lid and orange exhaust port cover latch

 

[dysonman1]

The "PATENTED" Cyclonic action. The decal is cool because is shows how the dirt builds up in the front of the bag, and shows the air path through the bag system. Love these graphics on the decal.

 

[dysonman1]

1947 model C-1. The first Compact. No bumper ring. The motor comes out from the front of the machine. VERY heavy.

 

[dysonman1]

1949 C-2 Compact and 1950 C-2 Revelation

 

[dysonman1]

The Compact had a unique Exhaust Air Deflector, which is of course removable so you can access the blower. The deflector was only on the 1949 model Compact.

 

[dysonman1]

Beautiful in Blue. The C-80. The 45th Anniversary Model, and the first "Compact" to be sold in Vac Shops (the Tri-Star came out, in red and chrome, the same year for door to door sales).

 

[dysonman1]

45 Years of Quality. 1982.

 

[dysonman1]

The last of the Compact models ever. Different shade of blue. 1984. Note the Interstate Built power nozzle instead of the Eureka built nozzle of just two years before.

 

[dysonman1]

47 years of quality. Vac Shop only model. The end of an era, the last "Compact".

 

[electrolux137]

~
~

Once upon a time I had the first-of-the-first Compacts. See link. At the time that I got it, I had no idea what I had because I had never really gotten excited about Compacts and Revelations. I had never seen a single one until I moved to California in 1980.

Anyway, a friend who's a thrift shop junkie calls me from time to time when he spots old vacuum cleaners to see if I want them. He called one day quite a few years ago and said he found an "egg-shaped" vacuum called the Compact, and did I want it? At first I said no because I just really didn't have any interest in the brand. But he said, "I think you ought to get this one. It's in beautiful condition and has a cloth hose that looks perfect. So I told him to go ahead and get it. He paid something like seven bucks for it.

He delivered it to me in a large plastic tub. It was in great condition and ran beautifully. I found out later from another collector that it was "rare-rare-rare" because it was the first version of the first model.

I eventually sold it in one of my many "economic shortfall" periods. As with all the machines I've sold over the years, I've always regretted doing so. Especially since, in this case, it unfortunately caused some hard feelings in someone I admire greatly. But as The Duke said, "Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."

I still have one really nice Compact, the one in the first photo below. It's complete and all-original, another one of my friend's thrift shop finds.

Then about the other photos:

The second one is "Miss Electra," a drag queen from Santa Monica Boulevard who posed for the photo shoot when the model who had been hired didn't show up. True story. You can search for the details here.

Next is a Compact advertisement featuring TWA.

Then I found this photo on my Mac when looking for Compact stuff. It's a Compact I had a few years ago but gave away when I moved. I only now noticed that it's a flat-top Compact! I had no recollection whatsoever of it being different from the other Compacts I'd seen or owned, probably because I hardly ever used it. The photo was taken in the living room of our old apartment, but all recollections of it have disappeared into a bad sector in my internal hard drive. Now I wish I still had it. I really like the design and the way the hose sticks out at an angle. "Oh Well."

"Girl Using Compact" was a photo on eBay. Note that she's using a flat-top!

Then the most beautiful Compact I've ever seen. It belonged to my friend Rick Wilson (R.I.P.) of Palm Springs. This was one of many of his most prized machines that disappeared when vultures descended on his home after he died. Another sad end to the life of a collector who had made no formal arrangements for the disposition of his collection. The landscape of the vacuum cleaner collector's world is littered with many such sad cases.

http://1377731.com/compact/

 

[suckolux]

Lovely pics! Love the stories too having grown up with the 59, still in the hall closet. I had the C 80 and for some reason didn't care for it, sold it in new condition a few years later, ops.

 

[kirbyvertibles]

Was this last compact the c80-2?

 

[airwaylady]

"The Compact Cleaning System"

Hello Compact Lovers! I also have numerous Compacts and love all of them!
Best machines, little army tanks! Remember them on "Queen for A Day" in the early 1960's and just found a brand new C-5 from Henderson,NE. It was stored in an attic from a previous owner of their house. It is BEAUTIFUL with the tag still on the machine. You can find it on completed auctions.
Han's machine is the one I found over ten years ago and Mike Rogers bought it from me to give to Hans for his Birthday. It is indeed a rare Compact!
As the ad stated: Compacts are not only beautiful to look at but a JOY to use!

Enjoy your Compacts!!

Tania

 

[compactc9guy]

Compact fan right here

Hi Tania i own a Compact C9 love it joy to use and joy to look at cant believe the suction that it has whit a new cloth bag and paper bags and filter too i have all the attachments for it rebuild the power head new motor brush roll and wires for it now shes complete just need to get a new exhaust cap as the bracket broke all in all love my C9 compact . Any time you want to talk compact let me know my grand mother had one my god father sold em too .As new as tomorrow The Compact cleaning system.