RIP Silver King?

VacuumLand – Vintage & Modern Vacuum Enthusiasts

Help Support VacuumLand:

blackheart

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 6, 2011
Messages
1,819
Location
North Dakota
I've been searching for their website as i was gonna look for the older 7.2 amp motor as the 11.2 amp one is just much too loud, but i can't seem to find their website anymore. There's www.mysilverking.com but it only lists the number for a vac shop. Have they too joined the ranks of deceased door to door vacuum companies?
 
Update.

I called the number listed on the Website, and it seems the death knell has sounded for yet another US vac manufacturer.

SO.....knowing this and the good poly filters are now scarce Would anyone know where i could find a suitable replacement? They use a disc filter with a diameter of about 12.5. Generic paper filters are easy to find but i'm hoping to find a polypropylene or electrostatic filter as the papers clog up VERY easily and their filtration is poor.
 
Seems like Fairfax is hanging by a thread along with WaterMatic.Wonder how long these will last?Think its going to be "curtains" for the DTD vacuum companies unless they change some of their marketing.Think the days of doorknocking are going to end.
 
So sad. But, on the bright side, I make my own Silver King disc filters out of Simplicity type F HEPA bags, which I cut open and then cut into the diameter of the old paper disc filter. Works like a DREAM. Silver King was never a mainstream unit like Rainbow or Electrolux. They were always a fringe manufacturer, like Fairfax. If Filter Queen doesn't change their selling ways, and update the machine, they are destined to go the way of Water Matic and Silver King too.
 
It's sad to see that Silver King went under.

I think that many of the DTD cleaner companies are using out-dated, high presure selling tactics. And for the love of all things sacred, Lower the prices!

I use a Tri-Star compact as my daily driver. I have used Filter Queen, Kirby etc. NO vacuum cleaner is worth the better part of 3 grand. I'd never pay it. Esp on the latest Filter Queen. I laugh at the price when I hear the (new) FQ's annoying High pitched motor whine- I'm sorry: it sounds like TTI made the motor. It's not worth the better part of 3 grand.

Here's the thing: People aren't going to pay obscene amounts of money for a vacuum anymore. I think if the DTD got rid of a few "layers" and reduced the price of their machines, and moved them in a non threatening, lower pressure tactic, they might probably sell more of them.

I used to work at a vacuum store, I did repair and rebuilding. I am not convinced that the Kirby costs anywhere near 2,500 to make. Anyhow, People's purchasing habits have changed. I do not believe that people have the disposable income they used to ( despite the economic "recovery" we are supposed to be in here in the States). Regardless, I think some of the DTD companies will have to change their promotion and tactics if they want to stay in business.

My two cents.
 
I will agree

That the prices of some of these vacuums are, or rather were in this case, ridiculous.

I've considered cutting up bags to make filters for it, as i've only got 5 new ones left. The genuine ones are hard to find. I called a shop in Sioux Falls, SD, where the silver king would have been obtained, the shop there suggested i call shops in Omaha, NE. I called two shops one of them had never heard of Silver King and the other had heard of them but only had generic paper ones. I also learned that even generic filters are NLA. So it appears that trimming bags to fit will be the only decent option.

So how many filters can you make from 1 type F bag Tom? 3?
 
So sad to hear this news. This must have been a relatively recent development as I bought filter discs from their website not all that long ago. Anyways glad to hear that someone has come up with an alternative. My Silver King is one of my favorite machines, I sure hope to keep it going for a long time.
 
Seems that US manufacturers are going the way of the UK.
Most of our manufacturers have gone as well, nowadays people want top quality appliances but not the prices. Wonder how long Dyson will last at the prices they charge.
 
The last time I was able to look up an "online" price for a Silver King it was $4K!!!No wonder they went down!!The vacuum is a nice commercial quality machine-but don't think its worth 4K.I could buy almost 4 NNS M1's for that price!!!Or buy just one and a good high quality upright and you will have lots of change left over!I would like a Silver King-but not at those prices.So many other vacuums out there at lower prices!Never seen a DTD sale of a Silver King.Were they sold DTD or online only?Did you use the disposable filter ahead of the others in the Silver King?That would keep any cloth ones cleaner.
 
Rex

I have a feeling the online prices were probably inflated to make the door to door sale prices much more reasonable.

As for the filters, the newer style machines with the peripheral bypass only has one filter, a flat disposable polypropylene filter. Long ago they had units that used a flow through motor which had a secondary set of ring shaped filters that went behind the primary filter in order to protect the motor. I'm not sure when they switched over to the poly filters, but they used to use paper filters.
 
Not mainstream enough

They simply weren't mainstream enough. Virtually everyone knows what a Kirby or Rainbow is, but few if any will know what a Silver King is.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top