My vacuum collecting sickness

[human]

After finishing my post to the 'vacuums wanted' thread about how I don't really want any more vacuum cleaners right now, I started thinking back on my collecting fetish and realized this has happened really just in the past two years! When I moved into my house in March 2014, I had just three vacuum cleaners, my trusty Electrolux 1205 that I'd had for about 10 years, a Kirby Gsix that I'd rescued from a dumpster about 15 months earlier, and an old Douglas ATV shop vac that I never used. Then in late January 2015, I found a blue Royal Prince 501 hand vac for a few pennies less than $3 and at that point, the demon had hold of me. A month later, I got my Kirby G5, which is now my frankenkirby, and a month after that, I found another Gsix at Goodwill that was just too pretty to pass up. Later in the spring, I acquired an Electrolux Super J and shortly after that, another Royal Prince, just because I liked red and gray bag. In the summer, I picked up a Hoover QuikBroom Supreme to suck up cat litter and I rescued a Dayton shop vac from a store where I worked after the manager told me to pitch it in the dumpster. After that, I was okay for about eight or nine months, then the cycle started all over again. The spring of 2016 saw me pick up a Filter Queen Majestic for $5 and then spend ten times that much fixing it up. A few weeks later, I grabbed an Electrolux Discovery Plus upright for $25 and acquired a 1980s vintage Hoover QuikBroom from a fellow VL member. Then the summer came and I helped my parents clean out their house in preparation for a move and brought home another Electrolux 1205 and another Hoover QuikBroom like the one I'd acquired a couple of months earlier. In early December, I finished out the year with an Electrolux Diamond Jubilee that I totally didn't need but couldn't pass up for $10. Count it up. That's 13 machines acquired in about 22 months and we won't even talk about the parts and accessories! That's freakin' insane!

 

[fan-of-fans]

Hmm I'm kind of to that point too. I really started collecting vacuums in early 2012 after discovering Habitat had some cool ones. I acquired several in the space of a year or so, I found a Constellation an Electrolux I wanted at the time as well as an early Elite II and the first Bissell Lift Off and a Eureka 1934A. I also got a few newer Kenmore canisters in that time frame.

I'm not really into it anymore other than if I found some very specific models I want, I've been able to pass up the temptation so far. If I had my own house it might be harder to not get more, but I am mostly into collecting smaller things that take up less space.

I've kind of learned that vacuums are fun to look at, but after you get them the novelty kind of just wears off and they become another thing that gets in the way in the house. At least to me they do.

 

[human]

Fan-of-Fans wrote: I've kind of learned that vacuums are fun to look at, but after you get them the novelty kind of just wears off and they become another thing that gets in the way in the house.

I reply: I hear you. Stepping over my Diamond J in the dining room every day because I have no place to put it serves as a good reminder that I don't need any more machines. A week after acquiring it, I spotted an Electrolux Model G at another thrift shop and just let it go. Then, a couple of months ago, I walked away from a Kirby Ultimate G Diamond Edition. It was nice, but not as nice as the Kirbys I already have. Truth be told, it actually felt good to exercise that will power.

I've also had an unintentional intervention over the past year as I've started selling off a portion of my dad's 50-year collection of electric trains and model cars. It's bringing in some good money but it's yet another reminder of the dangers of over-collecting.

 

[kenkart]

Well

I have been collecting since I was a teenager, I have about 700 or so machines, I really don't know I have never tried to count, and as long as I can find something odd I am still collecting, I have never drank or smoked or done any drugs, never even been the slightest bit drunk in my entire life and I'm 51, so I figure my 2 vices are well deserved, I eat what I want....and really need to stop doing that...and I collect all sorts of appliances, and I intend on finding every dream machine I ever wanted.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

human

Edgar,


 


It's starting to bite me now, too, because I am almost about to get a Kirby Heritage II... well, not one but two! The garage is the only place I can really keep most of my vacuums when not used, but space out there is filling up. I still don't have one proper heavy duty/commercial vacuum yet, but every time I get another Kirby, the slots I intend to use for a heavy duty/commercial vacuum will run out for me soon.


 


Like you, how much longer can I keep doing this?


 


~Ben

 

[vacuumlad1650]

My name is Andy, and I'm a Vac-A-Holic...

 

[KirbyCollector01]

I'm not sick of course levying, but I started collecting in September 2010, when I was nine years old. I started with a Kirby Gsix, a Shark Euro Pro Handvac, and a Bissell StickVac. Almost seven years later, am delighted close to turning 16, I have 65 machines. 1/3 of them are Kirbys.

 

[KirbyCollector01]

auto correct can be stupid sometimes

I meant to say vacuum collecting, not course levying.

 

[rohmell]

I Collect 'Em, But Don't Buy 'Em.

I don't go to thrift stores for my finds, I simply find them at the curb, ready for the trashman. I don't even go out of my way, I simply look to see what is being thrown away on my daily commute to work. Generally find run-of-the-mill Hoover, Bissell and Eureka bagless plasicvacs, but have also gotten a flawless Regina Housekeeper, a GE swivel-top from 1959, a Kenmore upright with tools that have never been used, and other assorted gems.

 

[thermokid]

Vacuum collecting is a bad habit I have picked up...

I have grown my collection too 426 machines.. I have so many I keep tripping over them. That is not good and healthy for me since I now have something wrong with my body Because I keep falling down and getting dizzy. So I have convinced myself I need to get rid of about 400 or more of them. I have so many stuffed in this house I can't even vacuum.I am glad they don't have a show on TV that is hoarding of vacuums. I know I would be on it...After I had my second stroke a couple chistmases ago I have come to the conclusion I have to move in to a small one bedroom apartment and out of my house because I can't take care of the lawn and scoop snow anymore. So I might have to start throwing the machines away.Oh well I will have to seriously think about this. So needles to say I certainly will not want to collect any more even though there are a very few choice models out there I still want I Live in such a small town their aren't anybody who can come and get them for free.... Tired of vacuums in Wyoming... Dan

 

[crazykirbydude]

Don't throw the good ones away!

 

[thermokid]

Good ones!

What do you mean good ones?? They are all vacuums there are no bad ones... I want them all... LOL But seriously If anybody wants to come and get them they are more then welcome to them.. Unfortunately I am not in good enough health to ship them.. The closest place to ship them from is 55 miles away.

 

[countryford]

Thermokid: How soon were you wanting to have them gone? I'll be in Denver, CO(about 4 hours from you) in September. I could always make the extra drive to come and get them to help you out and to help save them.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I don't think many people

"plan" a collection. They appear, and multiply. I used to be able to count them. I KNOW all of my HOOVER appliances exceed 400!!
I've been called 'obsessed'..... by someone who printed color 8x11 prints of me from this site....and is not even a member. This person collects crystal.. (another story... another time).
I've often wondered about what to do with all of it......I've NEVER moved in my life, so, one can see how 'space' has never really been an issue. Although, having a very large, old home, 12 rooms, 140 years old....... can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.

 

[thermokid]

Country Ford --- Free Vacuums

I will just have to put them in storage after I get moved so I will still have them when you go to Denver in september so you can come get them or anybody else wants some just come and get them... If I am in my new apartment by them I will still have them in storage.. Mike

 

[rainbowd4]

Sickness....

I really would avoid words like sickness, and the like. I know you didn't mean that in a derogatory way, especially when speaking about yourself, but it's very reminiscent of things that were said about, and too most of us as kids. Until I was well into adulthood, there were no end to hateful things to be said about my interest in vacuums. Back then I didn't collect them either. I never would have ventured to try getting away with such a thing. I didn't find out there were actual vacuum collector's, or even other people interested, until I was in my twenties. I found out over the phone from someone at the Electrolux corporation, because the club had just finished touring their facility. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I literally thought I was the only one on this planet, and you can bet your ass I made quick work of telling certain family members about it. Now it's grown into an even bigger thing than it was back then. Anyway, none of us are sick (well, not because of vacuums at least). So please don't run yourself down like that. There is nothing wrong. If you don't have a true interest in the machines, there are others that will. Collecting among many nowadays seems to be more about amassing numbers of vacuums, and not only that, but they want them ready to go, like new, so they are ready to stand in the corner. In times past, most of us took years to add certain machines to our collections, and put in hours of work into a particular machine to get it how we wanted it. Often, I would have to take the best parts from several different identical models over the years, to get one perfect one, and in pre-ebay times, that took a long time. Anyway, enough rambling, I just wanted to give an alternate point of view, that I think many here can relate to. P.S. There are still ugly things to be said, by family and "friends", even though they know I'm not the only one. However, when they need something repaired, they shut up...

 

[human]

I hear what you're saying. Please understand that I'm only questioning my own sanity. I'm not calling anyone else 'sick' but myself. I know all too well that the 'hoarding gene' runs deep in my family and I know that it can easily take over one's life and living space. It's very front and center in my consciousness right now as I'm in the process of liquidating my dad's collection of electric trains and model cars that he accumulated over about 50 years. It takes a lot of effort to list all that stuff on eBay, but I am making some good money doing it--something that would be much less likely with my vacuum cleaners. But while I'm doing that and working a full time job, the stuff is taking over my home. I like the vacuums I have and with the exception of maybe one or two of them, I don't really regret acquiring any of them. That said, I also recognize that it's very easy for me to get caught up in the thrill of acquisition without putting it into the perspective of what I already have. The reality is I've got a small house with too much stuff in it, so there's no room for any more vacuum cleaners. By publicly acknowledging that, I am making it more real for myself in a way that can help me curb the urge to accumulate more stuff when I can't really justify it. Several others here have expressed the same thing and some are even struggling with disposing of much larger collections than mine, so I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. Yes, collecting can be fun, regardless of what one collects, but everything has its limits and at least on vacuum cleaners, I've reached mine for now and the foreseeable future. That said, I still enjoy sharing knowledge and camaraderie with those who have similar interests. And the best part is that aspect of collecting doesn't take up any physical space.

 

[louvac]

I hear all of you guys loud and clear!

I, too, need to stop collecting. I do realize that I am more or less "rescuing" them as well as collecting them. I simply absolutely cannot resist a machine and more often than not feel like I am "saving" its life-as though its a person. I also know I am not just a "twofer", (two for...), but a threefer, (three for...) since three are better than one. Seeing two of the same things together really trip my trigger. Now imagine three of them!!

And lately, I feel like they are better having around and hanging around with then some people! LOL! At least, they don't give me any grief!

For me collecting takes into account many different aspects such as: form--the engineering style of the machine, function--the manner in which the machine operates, and purpose--what the machine is designed to do. All of these things are what really intrigue me.

I also see things from this angle as well with other appliances. As I am known to say, if it has a motor, buttons, runs on electricity, and makes noise--I am attracted to it.

I will never understand how someone could spend a lot of good, hard-earned money on a machine and not take care of it and appreciate its value. It annoys the crap out of me!

Anyway...these are my thoughts...anyone else feel the same?