The Fabulous LX Rug Nozzle!

[charles~richard]

Today I decided to use my late (1954) Electrolux LX. This was the last version of the LX before the last of that series, the LXI, came out in 1955.

As you will see, I have one in beautiful condition. I've hardly ever used it because I tend to prefer the earliest LX with the elaborate red and yellow side-rails, or the LXI due to its scarcity.

But tonight the 1954 LX got its due!

What occurred to me, not having used any older Electroluxes in a while, is how incredibly efficient the rug nozzle is. Now, the last XXX rug nozzle and all the LX nozzles are the same on the "business end" -- the bottom side, but the top of the newer LX nozzle is different aesthetically, slightly different shaped, has blue-gray plastic covers on the length of the nozzle, and the air-flow concentrator on the top side is different.

I used the LX on my living room oriental carpet, with the "Gleaner" activated, and it got up every speck of dust, and nicely groomed the nap. Just out of curiosity, I followed with my Hoover 825 to see how much the Electrolux left behind: Very little! This really is a marvelous rug tool.

And, now, some piccies!

 

[charles~richard]

Swiveling the nozzle to bring the air-flow concentrator into play (useful for picking up thread, lint, etc.).

 

[charles~richard]

Using the air-flow concentrator side. Note how the bottom side is the same, as I said, as the late XXX and early LX nozzles.

 

[charles~richard]

Just sitting there looking pretty!

 

[charles~richard]

Note the original hose!

 

[dial-a-nap]

Very nice machine, I was surprised at how well the rug tool worked the first time I used it. Thanks for the pics!

 

[logan]

Gleaner

Hey Charlie I've tried using the gleaner but it always sounds like it is shredding the carpet. I also have a hard time moving it across the rug. Is this how it is suppose to work?

 

[vintagevacs4me]

Nice Electrolux LX

Well the Electrolux LX and LXI are my all time favorite Lux's. I love all versions of the LX, both with the earlier red/yellow side rails or the later plain silver ones. There is something nice about the simplicity of the later silver rails. I use my LX's for all my above the floor cleaning. But to clean my wall to wall sculptured carpets i use my vintage Hoovers. It appears that you have low pile Persian carpeting. And the Gleaner will do a good job on these types of carpets. But on higher pile rugs it will only pick up surface litter. Which is fine for quick ups. But if you want deep cleaning this attachment won't deliver. I agree that these Electrolux's have the good suction and are very well made. I defiantly prefer them to the model E. Which looks very cheap in comparison. Maybe that's why i find more LX's then E's.

 

[charles~richard]

About the Gleaner, it works best on natural-fiber rugs (wool, cotton etc.) On the newer manmade-fiber rugs, it does tend to get hung up and feel like you have to drag it across. On my Oriental rug, it glides across effortlessly.

I also have the "Tuftor" insert for use on smaller rugs. There's an interesting story behind that attachment, how it was incorporated into the design of the new Model E combination tool, and then abandonded again during the run of the Model F. I'll try to remember to post this when I return from Cincinnati.

 

[charles~richard]

P.S. That LX ad has always amused me -- it looks like the poor thing is puking!!

Actually, when you think about it, it IS puking when it ejects the bag!!!

 

[normvac]

Yes, it is best to turn the rug gleaner off on any of the Nylon or synthetic (as Charles suggested) As I have seen
these newer/synthetic fibers totally ruined, All combed out
by a customer who did not turn the gleaner to the smooth
side, for her new carpeting!
I think the Touquise green caps on that tool were a plactic
cap to give it lighter weight? Correct me if I'm wrong!
Norm

 

[charles~richard]

Norm, the blue covers don't affect the weight any, as the metal underneath is the same size, construction, design, etc., as the older version. The center "air concentrator" section is a little different - not as long, a bit wider, but otherwise the rug tools are the same. The blue covers were purely a cosmetic touch.

 

[crevicetool]

I like the "heftiness"

Of the older tools....The manuals all say "simply glide the tool over your rugs", later tools, I'm talking all, or mostly plastic, it seemed you wanted to really force that tool into the carpet because they were so light. Nice stuff Charles!

Also, I've got the same empties itself ad, but a two pager. They've got arrows from the machine to the bag on the next page. It doesn't seem to be puking so much as directing. Rather like a controlled spew.

Rick

 

[aeoliandave]

Plea to Paul & Rick!

Saw those ads and overexcited myself [:{>

Do you two have scanners? If so, could you do a high rez scan of those ads and email them to me? Even if ya have to scan in sections, as long as they are the full page available I can knit them together.

The LX is my mostest favoritest Electrolux ever...I guess that's not too obvious but I'm enamored of the mechanism. And I sure don't have those ads.

Well, let me know and maybe we could do a ftp send fastest on an Instant Messenger of some sort.

Dave.

 

[vintagevacs4me]

Hello My Dear Friend Dave.

Yes Dave those are great ad's. I just bought a new scanner a few weeks ago and have yet to set it up. I'm not the most technical man around. Once i do I'll find a way in sending them to you. Write to my e-mail address so we can communicate there. I have a lot more ad's to share too. It warms the cockles of my heart to hear that others love the LX just has much as i do. If only they could have been refitted later with a plug for a power head my dream would have come true. Then I'd use my LX all the time. BTW, i have the two versions of the above floor tool. One is green and it matches the corresponding plastic upholstery tool and dusting brush. The other floor tool is blue and matches the blue leatherette of the LX itself. If you find them and there really dirty and nasty. Wash them with hot soap and water and use Comet cleaner on them. Works great and it won't damage the plastic at all.

 

[crevicetool]

Dave, I too have a scanner

and will try to give it a shot tonight.

Rick

 

[aeoliandave]

Worked great, Rick.. Excellent detailed scans.

I've joined the two pics together but have to take the file upstairs to the other printer which is more 'photo quality'.

This a a really superbly salvaged double page magazine ad - not torn out leaving ragged edges into the image. Razored out at the binding seam?.

Question - When your scanner does it's first pass does it produce a proof picture with software-imposed crop lines? And then you accept, it scans again and saves to file? If so, before doing final scan, run the crop lines right out to the edges so the image is full size of the image glass.

I had to slightly resize one of them to get the proportions to match. No sweat, tho. Just a suggestion to anyone who wants to share high rez scans - let the recipient do the cropping. For personal printing of such ads I usually scan at 2-300 x. Big files but they print all the detail, and most folk's email programs can handle up to 10MB attachments now...don't they?

Oh, that sounds ungrateful..but really it's just my paternal side goin' all Daddy on the young'uns' edjumacation.

Dave, tickled to have this ad to print and frame on the Lux Tower walls.

 

[crevicetool]

Glad you were able to fix the pics, Dave...

Wish I knew more about the stuff I do have. That was the first scanned item I ever E-mailed. Only about the third time I've even used the thing. Like that time you were flashing Kenmore photos that one Saturday night....I got the stuff, just don't know how to use it. Takes me forever. The ones I sent you I E-mailed to myself just to see if it worked. If you were able to fix them, then that's even more amazing! That ad was carefully un-stapled by the EBay seller and was packaged like you would not believe...Took a while to get it out of it's packaging...

Rick

 

[aeoliandave]

Well done, Rick!

Fine work for a lumbering giant of a man with sausage size nimble fingers, I like to imagine...

Next to final output looks like this. A bit more jigger to the alignment and it's healed, ready to print and mount.

Darned consumer software - my Paint Shop Pro 6 shows it perfectly aligned on screen then prints out with a tiny offset. So I have to unalign them just enough for the printer to fuse them together. But in the absnce of the real thing this will do mighty fine under some glareless glass.


On the power take-off idea, I've had the same one. I have a late LX with some sad dents in the sides but no rents in the vinyl fabric. Also the only one without a saddle. After I get 'round to stripping down the machine and bumping out the dents I may very well upgrade this one with a well placed recepticle (like a G) so the cord slack would not impede the door and eject action & speed. I agree that Electrolux engineers were no doubt chomping at the bit to do this, too, but were waylaid by the dang bag ejection problem and development of the on-the-front burner E and AE. And of course it is also the heaviest Lux to haul around without wheels. It's a Man's Vacuum. LOL In fact, I think it looks like a Lincoln, Cadillac or Imperial accessory, if not rooftop/hood ornament.