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.
