Plastic vs Metal bodied Electrolux?

[nivico]

I have no experience with the relatively more modern plastic bodied Electrolux canisters... are they still built as well and as reliable as the older metal bodied models?

Theres a Craigslist ad for a 6500SR that I'm considering getting (to actually use day to day), but it just doesn't "look" as well made as the Super J model I grew up using.

...plus the collector in me wants to hold out for a more aesthetically appealing vintage model, lol, but if the drab grey 6500 works as well it's probably the more practical choice.

 

[kirbyloverdan]

They are

very well built and very reliable . My family have owned Electrolux/Aerus since the Super J . We have owned every model since up to todays Aerus Guardian Ultra. Most people will say the plastic bodied Aerus are not any good but thats because they prefer metal . I loved the metal but they get dinged and dented . The "plastic" bodied model stay looking like new longer . They are very strong I can stand on them and I weigh 250 pounds 6` tall . I have droped them down the stairs and nothing has happened to them .If that`s what you want buy it you will be quite pleased .Owning every model since the Super J each and every model made has been more powerful than the last . They always improve the models as the years go on . Good luck

 

[eurekastar]

I have owned a couple of plastic body models and I have them to be very reliable and very durable.  There was an issue with the plastic wands in early models, but I suspect that has been resolved. 

 

[blackheart]

While my experience is fairly limited

I did for a while have a plastic bodied LE and my tristar uses the same type of setup as most plastic bodied machines
The plastic does not absorb sound as well so they are louder than the metal bodied machines
I prefer the pistol grip handles on the metal bodies to the gas pump style it's just more comfortable in the hand in addition to that the pistol grip take standard 1.25 tools allowing more flexibility with accessories

As for durability i can't really say, though i've seen the back cap of those plastic machines cracked twice, but other than that the main body seems to hold up really well

 

[jmurray01]

The day Electrolux stops making well built Vacuum Cleaners has yet to come

Unfortunately the plastic has gotten thinner (not like the chunky stuff my '82 502S was made of), but you can't expect build quality like that to still exist with all the people out there demanding cheap prices and thus lesser quality.

All I have to do is look at my 2000 Electrolux Tango in comparison to the aforementioned 502S to see that the plastic has thinned out by about half, but that Tango is 12 years old and has no cracks or signs of weakening.

I don't know how but from what I've seen Electrolux has managed to still make strong cleaners out of the cheaper plastics these days. For that I am truly amazed and it makes me proud to be a Lux owner.

 

[mark40511]

That's the exact Epic 6500 I have. I bought it reconditioned off Ebay. The body of it is flawless. Not sure what kind of plastic it's made of, but there isn't a single scratch on it. Also, I keep hearing about sealed vs non sealed vacuums. I'm not even sure why all vacuums wouldn't automatically be sealed, but I guess they aren't. I think this particular model is sealed. It has an after filter that fits tightly to the exhaust and the only exhausted air that I can feel only exits through that after filter, so I'm guessing that's sealed? Not sure about the metal bodied ones. I know on my Kenmore canister you could feel air coming out through the hepa, but also, you could feel exhausted air coming out of other areas such as where the cord entered the body. My grandma had an Electrolux and all remember about it was that it didn't have wheels, but it was more like a vacuum on a sled. I'm sure someone owns it to this day.

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Jamie

I think the Electrolux you are talking about are the ones in Europe which are made by Eureka not the US version Electrolux now named Aerus .

 

[sebo_fan]

"The day Electrolux stops making well built Vacuum Cleaners has yet to come "

Unfortunately the plastic has gotten thinner (not like the chunky stuff my '82 502S was made of), but you can't expect build quality like that to still exist with all the people out there demanding cheap prices and thus lesser quality. .."

I agree to a certain degree. Your 'Lux 2000 was built to a better standard than the current Powerplus bagged cylinders sold today. Electrolux U.S and Aerus, are better built in the U.S because, well that's a big market all to itself. Taking Aerus into consideration, the Americans have got it right in terms of offering an older design canister vacuum with better plastics that are robust - but the machines are not exactly cheap to buy - promoted by the fact that "premium" tags are pushing buyers to pay top prices - unless you consider EBay with refurbished or collector's own machines.

The people haven't demanded anything cheap though - it's the brand itself who are at fault; passing off any old tat to reasonable machines at high prices; Asia and other nations where cheap production labour costs exists means brands can charge whatever they like, whether it is detrimental to the buyer or not. Brand loyalty can be hard to maintain if the brand itself isn't meeting the mark.

Electrolux's current range is nothing but sad to see and its former glory has yet to be restored in as far as Europe and the UK are concerned. Their current range has been filtered through to Electrolux's umbrella companies like Zanussi now making what used to be Electrolux's Powerlite cylinder vacuum, the Powerplus itself appearing in remodelled form, also sold as Zanussi, to even the premium "Ultrasilencer," models missing the Electrolux brand name and replaced by the AEG name.

Even John Lewis sell an Electrolux Hi-light upright made under their own name.

 

[sebo_fan]

Whoops - also forgot to mention - a lot of the Eureka canister vacs sold in the U.S appear as "Swan" cylinder vacs from catalogues like Littlewoods and "Proaction" from Argos - but it changes every year, obviously due to the models available and the amounts that catalogue brands are prepared to pay for the models. Where Argos Value is concerned a few machines come from Dirt Devil/TTI.

 

[williamr1248]

pastic vs metal bodied electrolux

where does the Lux Intelligence fall in the line? I like the beautiful braided hose on the machine. Wish they sold them USA.

 

[chuffle]

I own both...

...metal and plastic body Electolux/Aerus machines.

My plastic Aerus Lux Classic, purchased new from the local dealer back about four years or so, sees almost daily use, on the hard flooring here. While I am careful in not banging the machine about, it has bumped into furniture a few times. The plastic housing looks like new. My only complaints about the machine are that it sure is loud, the cord reel is sluggish when retrieving the last foot or so of cord, and the most annoying trait of all is having to hold the machine with one hand (or wedging it between my feet) when pulling out the cord. The machine is light, and the hard plastic wheels allow it to slip and slide on the hard flooring when drawing out the cord. All the same, I still like the machine a lot.

My Guardian would see more use, but the plastic wands drive me crazy, thanks to their bulk.

My Golden J, built like a tank, keeps plugging on and on, as does my model E.

Joe

 

[djtaylor]

From time to time I make digs at plastic vacuums, but those digs are that the cheep 'big box store' vacuums. The Electrolux and Aerus vacuums that are made of plastic are not in the same category as the 'big box' stuff. Plastic Bodied Luxes are very good vacuums, last many years and do a very good job of cleaning. I understand that they are much better performers than my much loved 1205. With that in mind I want to add one of the much newer plastic bodied Luxes to my collection so I can use it more often then the 1205.
Nivico-I suggest you buy that 6500SR and use the HEPA Perfect 101 bags. You will be very happy that you did.
Justin

 

[rugsucker]

Plastic Electrolux

The 6500 has the power and quality attachments to clean anything leaving the dirt and dust in a self sealing 4 ply bag.Everthing is similar to vintage Elux with less weight to pull around and and an after filter that should be changed after using 5 bags.(Put a filter on closet shelf,place 5 bags on top of it and when you use last bag,chage filter.)The 6500 in picture is complete and seems low milage.The few problems with these machines would be from high milage and abuse.You should probably run,not walk,to get this!

 

[mark40511]

I don't change the after filter after five bags because I change the bags so frequently. They aren't NEARLY full or even half full when I change them. Those self sealing 4 ply bags are good, but they seem to lose airflow pretty quickly. However, those bags are dirt cheap so I don't feel so bad about tossing one and putting a new one in after about a week or two weeks max...They don't leak much dust at all.

 

[floor-a-matic]

I wonder why my Model L doesn't lose suction as quickly as the 1205? I've been using the 4-ply bags, changing them when suction drops to 1/2 of what it should be with a new bag OR when the bag gets halfway full.

btw, I'm thinking about getting an Epic 6500 or Lux Classic? As with plastic Lux vacs, I'm happy with my Diplomat (curbside find back in '07) & the Diplomat is the ONLY plastic body Electrolux I own so far.

 

[kloveland]

floor-a-matic

Your fans could be dirty in your 1205, have you serviced the motor? Your 1205 may not have as much suction as the L to begin with, if the fans are dirty.

 

[floor-a-matic]

I don't think either one of those Luxes have been serviced yet.

 

[frank1002us]

if you are changing the bags frequently

just drop a little dry rice in the bag it will help in regard to losing suction.

 

[mark40511]

Dry rice.........Really?

Hmmmm. I'll try that, although I don't have dry rice on hand.

When I say "lose suction" It's subtle. It still has good suction, but not the suction a fresh bag had, and the bag is not nearly full when I change it, I would venture to say it's not even nearly half full when I change it. It has mostly cat hair in it and I notice when changing the bag that the globs of cat hair/dirt are all at the front entrance of the bag, the back of the bag seems relatively empty.

 

[pr-21]

Pretty normal

Mark, I don't have pets, but the dirt in an electrolux bag tends to collect at the collar of the bag before filling up the bottom. I have a Metal Body and Plastic Body that do the same thing. I change bags like you do.....


Bud Mattingly
PR-21

 

[frank1002us]

why dry rice

i do not have pets but i do not think pet hair will stop the airflow of the vacuum. this is caused when there are some fine powder[deodorizer powders] clogs the bag.
use deodorizers that are chip formatted rather than powder. electrolux vacuums have cyclonic air movements inside the bag. dry rice will hit the inner layers of the bag and shake the powders off.

 

[mark40511]

This house I moved into brand new in 2004. There has never been any powder put on my carpet. I hate that stuff.

Am I correct that when putting a new Type C bag in, that you put it in the tank, then close the door, or are you supposed to pull the cardboard tab out of the way, then put the bag in & shut the door? It seems that that cardboard tab is right in the path of the intake if you don't.

I didn't mean to change the subject on this thread. Sorry

 

[frank1002us]

just put the bag in and close the door. Try the rice it would help for sure.it even helps with plaster

 

[kirbylux77]

Mark, the cardboard tab is meant to be in the way when installing an Electrolux bag....the tab gets pushed into the vinyl seal, & closes the hole when taking the bag out.

As for your problem with the bags & losing power, I was told one time by the Electrolux dealer to try picking up rice. I found it was no help at all in restoring power to the cleaner. My particular cleaning situation is that I pick up mostly sand & fine dust, as I don't have pets & my carpets don't let off much carpet fibers. Here is what I have found works best....take your bag out, take it outside, & hold it by the top collar & give the bag a good vigorous shake. Then put the bag back inside the cleaner. You will find that doing this will loosen the dust from the walls of the bag & restore power. Don't be surprised when you do this if there is a small poof of dust & some dust settles on the cardboard bag top that you need to wipe away.

Let us know whether this helps or not....Rob

 

[williamr1248]

Plastic vs metal bodied Electrolux


I was thinking about this thread and I DO AGREE with the idea of adding rice to the Electrolux paper bags,but can you imagine what a non-vac person would think if they were reading this thread.
First you pay a premium price for a high end machiine,then you pay extra for paper bags to use in the machine,then you go to the grocery and buy a food staple to bring home and put in a sweeper bag to help the machine do what is was designed to do in the first place.
Sort of like buying ANY make of premium machine and then the maker forcing you to buy not only expensive hepa bags but expensive pre-motor,hepa after filters for the life of the machine.
Good idea for the vacuum maker but not such a good idea for the consumer.
I remember that the Electrolux salesman was trying to sell me packages of sents to accomplish NOTHING but cover the odor from the bags.

 

[floor-a-matic]

I have the following Lux models:
XXX
G
L
1205
Golden Jubilee
Diplomat
Epic 6500SR

I hope to get my Epic 6500SR repaired soon so I can use it instead of the older machines.

I haven't serviced a plastic bodied Electrolux; but my Epic 6500SR has a short & tripped the house circuit breaker. The Aerus/Lux dealer charges a whopping $300.00 just to repair that problem; does anyone here charge less? Or does anyone have wiring diagram for the Epic 6500? I probably will need a new motor.

I think the Epic 6500SR is the best Aerus/Electrolux canister ever; the larger diameter plastic wands are OK for me. At least I can connect the SideKick II onto the wand(s) or hose handle.[this post was last edited: 6/26/2013-06:48]

 

[floor-a-matic]

Electrolux style C HEPA bags

Has anyone tried Endust brand HEPA bags? I was supposed to receive Perfect style C HEPA bags, but ended up with Endust brand instead. Although the Endust version works (function-wise) it seems like it's too large & mis-shaped (compatibility-wise) Should I use the Perfect version instead?

If the cord won't fully rewind, all U have to do is stand up the canister on its end.

If there is dust around the opening, the first thing I do is stand up the unit on its rear end, open the bag door, turn the switch on & press the bag door switch (on automatic models only) Then close the door & vacuum.[this post was last edited: 6/26/2013-06:52]

 

[kirbylux77]

Erik

I have used the Perfect HEPA bags, JohnnyVac HEPA bags & the Endust HEPA bags you received, & had no problem with any of them. All of them did their job of filtering the air, & did not break. I did notice the Endust bag material did look a bit thinner than the other brand bags, but it still did it's job though. As for the shape of the Endust bag, it expands to normal Electrolux bag dimensions once inside the machine & air flows thru it.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you order these bags from?? Since you say you got Endust bags instead of Perfect bags, I would like to know so I can avoid this seller.

Rob

 

[floor-a-matic]

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I FINALLY got my Epic 6500SR working; it works great!</span>


<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Now that I am using HEPA bags for the Electrolux vacs, I'll NEVER use the 4-ply bags I've been using in the past.</span>


<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The only thing I'm hoping for is HEPA bags for Compact/TriStar vacuums; unless they are available for Compact/TriStar?</span>


<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Crucial Vacuum sent me the Endust HEPA bags for Electrolux style C; they ran out of Perfect C101 bags.</span>