Reason to love old vacuums

[real1shep]

I actually think we are the most to blame for the poor, low quality, plastic fantastic vacs of today. There is this mentality that permeates our society...wherein most people that go to buy an appliance like a vac, want a DEAL and want a BARGAIN above all else.....to the point where they are stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. I know people who take items back to the store if they find out someone they know got it cheaper somewhere else.  And these are units that were functioning fine with no complaints.


 


I always thought if something was worth having, then it was also worth saving for to purchase later. But these days it's mostly instant gratification and instantaneously purchased on the charge card. If you talk to manufacturers, they'll tell you the same thing;that they could make a splendid product as in the days of lore, but they couldn't sell enough of them to make a profit. A higher priced unit compared to a lower quality, similarly functioning unit won't sell to the masses.


 


And yet you have Miele, Rainbow and Aerus....I have not owned those yet, but I hear favorable things for their price tags. Compared to all the masses of junk vacs sold in the US, I'd have to think some high-end niche marketing is going on.


 


When I hear about the 'good ol' daze'....I remember racism, bigotry, antisemitism and homophobia. If you were white middle class, went to church regularly and were str8, life could be grand.  To hell(injury or death) with anyone who fell out of those parameters. That's what I remember about the 'good ol' daze'.


 


Kevin


 


 


 


 

 

[electrikbroomgu]

Today's appliances

I can say without reservation that the vast majority of appliances made in the past 20 plus years are not at all designed to last and will keep you coming back on a regular basis to buy a new one. Now there are exceptions of course. if you want a good washer and dryer that will last Speed Queen still makes them like they used to be. Kirby will sell you a quality vacuum along with Aerus, Filter Queen and many others. But these are specialized items that cost considerably more. The average day to day items sold in Walmart, Target and Costco as an example are mostly Chinese produced low quality items that are design with a short life span. Below is a compiled list of examples of items that I have personally dealt with

Sunbeam mixer bought at Walmart for 25.00 for mom in 2012. It lasted exactly 2 years before the grey handle paint started coming off. Then the switch starting cutting in and out and mom got nervous using it. It now sits in the cellar in the unused heap pile. I recently found her a vintage NOS Sunbeam from the 1970's that has 10 times more quality and will probably last her the rest of her life.

Roommate back in 2005 bought a brand new Sunbeam iron with a retractable cord from Wally World. He lived with me for 3 months. That was as long as the iron lasted before the cord retractor quit working. In contrast mom and I still have irons from the 1970's that work and look like new despite hard use.

A good friend bought a late model Dirt Devil Classic bag-less hand vac. Within 6 months the tab broke that holds the clear cover on rendering it useless. Surprise! It also clogged up and lost 80% of it's suction after cleaning a few times because the filter is tiny. Mom still has her own mothers Dirt Devil 103 style hand vac that was bought in 1986 and I still have my dad's mother's 103 that was purchased a year before and was the first of the run of those.

At work the faculty staff purchased a lovely white Toastmaster two slice toaster from Dollar general for around 12 bucks. Within a month the lower side became distorted and was actually starting to melt! Yikes I still have a 1980's Toastmaster with chrome sides that works as new!

At the same work place they have a late model Maytag clothes washer where they clean the custodial uniforms in. Well it lasted about a year before the timer crapped out and now it clunks because the agitator is already worn. I can move it side to side with my hand which it didn't do nearly as much last year. My maytag from 1983 has been bulletproof.

Moms 2012 Frigidaire stove has needed 3 new burners and 4 sets of chrome shields because the Chinese steel corrodes within 6-8 months of use. Her old one never needed new ones in the 35 years she owned it.

I could go on and on and on with so many things that myself or a family member or someone I know purchased lately that failed or broke but you get the point. We live in a very disposable society and if you want anything resembling quality you will have to spend a lot more for it and search long and hard to find it.

 

[icee]

For the enjoyment of it all

I do feel, that as a whole but not 100% of the time, products of years past were built with a certain standard of higher quality and ability to be repaired. And I simply love old sweepers, they have so much character, interesting designs, wonderful noises, and just all around are enjoyable.

But

That's not to say some newer ones aren't enjoyable either. Personally, I adore my LG Kompressor Luv200r. As far as bagless goes, which I know is a bit of a no-no word for many, it's very good and I have no complaints about it. I often times call it my "ferrari" of my sweepers for its looks haha. I even enjoy my dirt devil swivel glide (wish it was a vision instead, like my mom used to have, but it works as a substitute). Is it the best sweeper, with the highest air flow and best agitation? Lol absolutely not. But do I enjoy it? Certainly! It's all about what you enjoy.

For me, older sweepers are still my bread and butter, and I'm pretty sure it will stay that way. What's most important though, is what you find enjoyable.

 

[real1shep]

I certainly.....

wouldn't argue that many appliances back in the day were made with superior material & workmanship. But it depends on the appliance company itself where the cut-off date would be(when they started to go downhill). Many would argue that was the Fair Trade Act and the US can't possibly compete with cheap foreign labor......although many of those foreign factories are US owned companies.  Personally, I think the rot had set in before that.


 


For whatever the debatable reasons, we just lost our manufacturing base here in the US.  I'm not sure it can ever return(President Trump), because you have to pay US factory workers a 'living wage'...not for example, those entry level food service crap salaries. Robotics have replaced hundreds of thousands of auto workers in US plants. It's a whole different landscape now.


 


What still seems to be working here are 'boutique' companies that can manufacture on a smaller scale for a much higher priced consumer product. With 300 million people to pool from as buyers, niche marketing often wins the race.


 


Kevin


 


 

 

[luxkid1980]

Well materials years ago were cheaper as well and plentiful.

 

[n0oxy]

comparing old and new vacuums

Very interesting thread for sure. There are definitely some reasons to like some of the older vacuum models, and there are some companies that made excellent vacuums at one time but have since gone down hill. I should say that I'm not a fan of uprights, I much prefer canisters of all types, whether round, tank type or backpack. I would not even consider getting anything that is currently made by Hoover, Eureka, Bissell or Dirt Devil, and probably a few others that I'm forgetting to mention. Certainly, Hoover and Eureka were top of the line at one time, probably until the 1970's and maybe even in to the 1980's. I've been to the vacuum museum, and love the motor sound of the eureka canned ham, I actually think several other vacuums such as the airway and some older Kenmore's used the same ametek motor, and I can understand why, it sounded great and was quite powerful. The sunbeam dual deluxe was another vintage model, in the late 1950's, it was the most powerful canister you could get. And of course the older Electrolux models were made very well and sounded great. I also love the sound of the KenKart vacuums. Interesting that the Kenmore vacuums in the 1970's had all these issues, I thought they were still really well made, they were certainly popular. You can still get good quality vacuums from companies such as Miele, Sebo, Tacony and Aerus. The high end Electrolux ultra one series is also very good. If you wanted something a bit cheaper, the Panasonic canisters were also good, but Panasonic is pulling out of that business. The canisters made by Perfect products are also decent. And let's not forget the Numatic Henry, that's also a great canister vacuum in a tub form factor. As has been stated, part of the issue is that most consumers do not want to pay more for good quality. They want it cheap, even if it means that the product won't last. When I talk about vacuums with people and tell them how much a good quality vacuum costs that will last for many years, most of them say something like I would never pay that much for a vacuum, it's not worth it. Personally I would rather pay a bit more for a product that is made well and is built to last. Of course, these days, even paying more for an expensive model is no guarantee that it will last.
There are some things I definitely like about older canisters. First, most of them used two stage motors. This is more efficient and has a much better sound. These days, almost all vacuums use a one stage motor that sounds like a high pitch jet engine. While some motors such as the ones in the Miele vacuums are supposed to work just as well as a two stage motor because of the fan design, it's still spinning much faster so will probably wear out quicker. As has been said previously, many older vacuums were simply made better, very few manufacturers are still making vacuums that way. Also some good power nozzles still exist, Tacony makes good power nozzles, so does Sebo, Wessel-werk and Lindhaus. I know back in 1972, Eureka introduced a power nozzle, can't remember what it was called, but apparently it was very good. Centec also makes power nozzles, but I don't think they are as good as what I previously mentioned.

 

[davetranter]

Quality or cheap/throwaway??

I agree with others (replies # 19,24, etc.) that there has been a general degradation in the quality of manufacturing in the last few decades. There is now an expectation that NOTHING new will last, no matter who made it, or how much you are willing to pay. I certainly subscribe to this attitude, and will only buy 'used, quality items', be it appliances, tools, or vehicles. If any manufacturers ARE still managing to produce good, solid, lasting products, then I don't envy them the task of trying to convince the 'buying public' of the fact.

I appreciate that things may be different 'Statesside, but I doubt it.

The situation is that we have lived too long in a 'throwaway society', such that the younger generation(s??) expect nothing else. I am not sure that there is any way back to the days when we could trust in the quality of manufactured goods.

Sad but true!!

All best (and feel free to discuss ;-) )

Dave T