My Vacuuum collection.

[amtraksebo1997]

I wanna show you guys my vacuum collection, because I think it's got a lot of cool/rare vacuums (not to brag) that I think you all might enjoy. I mainly want to collect 80s, 90s, and 2000s vacuums like Hoovers, Bissells, Dirt Devils, and Eurekas. However, I do have vacuums that are older than that, with my oldest being a 1965 Kirby Dual Sanitronic 50. However, i don't want to pull it our right now, because it's buried in my tiny but long closet, and because I'm worried that it might have asbestos in it, as well as some of my other vintage vacs. At the moment, I've got two of my favorite vacuums behind my desk. A hoover windtunnel Supreme from 2000 that has the electronic bag check indicator, and a Bissell Lift Off Hybrid that Im not sure of the date. I'm hoping to be able to fix these machines up and use them as daily drivers in my house, but anyways here they are:

 

[bnsd60m9200]

it's extremely rare for vintage machines to have asbestos in it, and when they do its only for sound deadening insulation. NO kirby, hoover, eureka or any major brand from that era except some older GE canisters like the roll easy have any asbestos. and if you do its perfectly safe. asbestos is only harmful in dust form, inhaled in high amounts over DECADES. fiber woven asbestos insulation in normal vacuuming use won't cause any issues. and again it was extremely rare vacuums to have it.

that DS50 will outperform and outlast any 80's or newer vacuum and kirby still makes parts for everything mechanical on it and is easily fixed. have more faith in the stuff older than you or your parents (stuff from the 1970's or older), its easy to maintain, and cleans far batter.

 

[human]

Yeah, what bnsd60m9200 said...

You really have nothing to fear regarding asbestos from that Kirby and it will seriously outperform and outlast any modern plastivac. The best part is it's designed to be repaired, not tossed into the landfill after two or tree years of (ab)use, which is today's norm. One modification you might consider is a filter bag conversion so that you can use modern disposable bags in place of the dump bag. There are several members here who have had zippers put in their dump bags and retrofitted them with newer (usually Heritage/Legend) mini emtors and fill tubes. You can also just use an entire bag assembly from a Heritage, Heritage 2 or Legend 2 in place of the dump bag for cleaning purposes and keep the dump bag for display. I love my Kirbys.

 

[amtraksebo1997]

Well, that's a relief, but what if my kirby was used to pick up asbestos, as well as my old kennmore magicord canister, and my old Montgomery Ward private labeled Eureka canister? They were both trash finds btw. Sorry for the low quality image, i took it from a distance.

 

[bnsd60m9200]

stop hyper focusing on asbestos. id be more worried about a rats nest and rat crap in a machine. youll wash it out to restore it anyways.

 

[amtraksebo1997]

bnsd60m9200

yeah... About that, I'm not good at fixing vacuum motors and stuff. I'm really only good at doing basic maintenance on vacuums. I've taken apart and put back together a few of my vacs, but never really done any motor servicing. Also, the Montgomery Ward Eureka is in horrible shape, it's probably not salvageable. The Kenmore on the other hand I think is, though it needs a new hose, bag, filter, power nozzle (it didn't come with one when I found it),a new set of attachments, and a good clean out. As for the Kirby, I never used it often because it uses a dump-out bag, that's a pain to clean out. I was thinking on replacing it with a heritage II bag, but I kind of just put that on the back burner, along with most of my other projects. Right now, I'm more focused on getting the Windtunnel up and running.

 

[bnsd60m9200]

well if youre not good at it, then teach yourself. i started collecting vacuums at age 27, and did my first full restoration with motor service (classic III) 3 months into collecting. if you screw up or dont know how to do something, then you ask and learn. when you have a collection of stuff that requires knowledge to repair it and keep it going, tossing it to the side due to fear of screwing it up isnt a good reason. make the mistake, learn and gain new skills.

 

[amtraksebo1997]

Im just worried hat ill electrocute myself in the process.

 

[human]

Just trust your instincts...

There's very little danger in electrocuting yourself as long as you make sure the machine is unplugged while servicing it. If you're unsure how to do something, ask questions here and check out the myriad YouTube videos on the topic. I had never worked on a motor before I got an Electrolux power nozzle with a frozen motor. I ended up getting one from a newer power nozzle that wouldn't fit, but I made it fit by using parts from both to make what I needed. It fired up first try and I had a great sense of accomplishment.

 

[amtraksebo1997]

Maybe I could get my dad to help with fixing one of the vacuums in my collection, idk. Anyways, you guys are probably waiting for me to show you my collection, so ill show ya'

 

[amtraksebo1997]

First up

My 2000 Hoover Windtunnel Supreme, model U5450-900. I got this as a birthday gift from my dad. I've been wanting to get a Supreme ever since I got my Windtunnel Self Propelled, which I no longer have It's pretty rare model I think, because it has the electronic performance indicator, that yellow light next to the embedded dirt finder lights. It came with all of it's tools, and aside from being a bit dusty, and having a few cracks on parts of the machine, and the bag door and tool cover not staying in place when the vacuum is flipped over, it was a great runner! It really groomed my carpet, even though the brushroll's bristles were very worn down. Unfortunately, the brushroll is very bad shape, and needs replacement. I've already ordered some parts for it, including a new brushroll from Cleveland Wood Products, new HEPA bags, new belts, and a new post-motor filter. You couldn't pay me to give up this machine, it's one of my absolute favorites!

 

[amtraksebo1997]

After that, we got...

My Bissell Lift-off Hybrid Pet upright vacuum, model 3760-6. I got this one off Cragslist for $35 I think. The person who was selling it offered to take one of my other vacuums as a trade, and he would pay me a few bucks for it. I gave him my Hoover Sprint Quickvac. I've wanted a Lift-Off, or any other 2000s-2010s Bissell for a while. Mainly because my mom has a Bissell Cleanview Heilx 82h1 that I have fond memories with, but I also wanted one that was a little more feature rich than the 82h1 (not to say that it's very basic). I also think that this one is pretty rare, because I wasn't able to find many pictures of it online, though I did find an old listing of it on Kohl's, maybe it was exclusive to that store, idk. Anyways when I got it, it wasn't horribly filthy, it was about what you'd expect from a vacuum that's been used for a couple of years. However, when I got it, the guy for some reason decided to turn it on outside when there was snow on the ground. Or at least, I think that's what happened. Thankfully, I don't think it did too much damage, but the motor sounds pretty bad, can't say I'm that surprised, considering there's a lot of dust that got through the motor. Anyways, it came with all of it's on board tools, however, it may not have the correct crevice tool, because it doesn't quite fit into its holder. Also, this was definitely one of the higher-end Lift-Offs, because it apparently came with a bare floor tool, a shoulder strap for the canister unit, and an extra set of filters, none of which I have unfortunately. I haven't used it a lot since I got it, because one time when I was using it, I thought I felt a little shock from the cord. I didn't see any sparks or anything, but I think I felt it. So it needs some cleaning, a new cord, and potentially a new motor, or not idk. Anyways, here it is:

 

[amtraksebo1997]

Next,

My Oreck Xl, model Xl9100. This was originally one of my school teacher's vacuums. I think every week, we were assigned with some task to do, i.e., board wiper, folder person, and floor cleaner. There was a patch of carpet in the classroom that took up about a 1/3 of the classroom floor, and our teacher had a vintage Dirt Devil sweeper to clean it. One day, the teacher brought in an Oreck that she found in the trash. The motor worked fine I think, though it wasn't was fast sounding as other Orecks I've heard, then again, it's only 4 amps. The cord was chewed up really bad, and I tried to fix it as much as I could, hence all of the green electrical tape. It also had the wrong bag in it, it was using a bag for the later Orecks with the bag dock system, which this one doesn't have. I wish I had known that when I took one of the spare bags from my grandparents' Oreck Xl Pro Plus II (don't worry, I didn't steal it ). The bag kept falling off of the collar and getting the inside covered with dust. Anyways, when the teacher was retiring, I asked if I could have the Oreck, and she was ok with it. So yeah, now I've got my first Oreck. Even though I'm running it with the correct bags, it still leaks dust from it, so I decided to tape the bag opening to the bag port. It might not be a permanent fix, but it works (not really ._.). However, I've been storing it under my bed because of the previously mentioned cord problem, I'm also running it with Arm & Hammer paper bags (yeah, I know, and I'll try to get HEPA when possible). One of the headlight bulbs is also flickering, so that will need replacing. Anyways, here it is:

 

[amtraksebo1997]

Up next,

This one I'm not that interested in keeping, but it's in my collection nonetheless. This is a Eureka model 1432D, I got it as a trash find. The motor smoked when I used it, and I for some reason threw out the belt, even if there was no reason to do so. Also, the screws that hold the outer bag onto the machine are missing, and there's also a screw that fell through into one of the grills at the bottom of the vacuum, idk if it's still there. Anyways, I don't intend on keeping this one, even though it's apparently hard to find, it's just it too bad of shape. Besides, if I were to find an F&G Eureka, I'd want it to be a commercial Sanitare with a disposable bag. I made another thread about this vacuum, and another Eureka I plan on selling or getting rid of, here it is:

https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?44059__0#start_44059.458939