I have one of the newer Royal commercial machines, the CR5128Z. There really isn't that much difference between the older and newer royals. The main difference is the brush. Newer models don't have brush stiffeners as the bristles are stiffer. Mine is assembled in the USA. No idea where it's made, likely china. They are like Kirbys, but louder and a bit harder to maintain. The belt, for example, is VERY hard to change if you don't have a belt lifter (pretty cheap. I think i got mine new off ebay for $5) or a screw driver It's a knurled belt, so it won't stretch as easy. The royal also has a habit of throwing some debris into the back of the base plate (mostly it happens when picking up shredded paper). Nonetheless, the royal is a quality machine. The metal helps it last forever and the effective design ensures reliability.