The Vita-Vac!

[electrolux137]

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Back in 2014 I brought home a haul of goodies from a local vac shop, including a Vita-Vac vacuum cleaner. There was just the machine with no attachments.

The Vita-Vac was a re-badged Air-Way. When Air-Way went out of business in 2008 they were bought out by Vita-Vac who manufactured a clone of the Model 88 for several years. They're no longer being manufactured. I don't know whether or not the Vita-Vac company is still in business.

I had always wanted to try out the Vita-Vac because I had heard that it has great suction. However, without any attachments I couldn't really tell anything about its performance.

Then one day I realized I have an Air-Way 88 Mark II with all the attachments, including a perfectly sealed woven hose.  Hmmm.... I thought that black and turquoise might look good together


 


I finally got around to hauling out the Vita-Vac and the Air-Way from a back corner of my workshop. I really like the appearance of the black and turquoise. And the machine does have great power. Not the most power of any machine I have or have used, but it's really nice, and quiet. This will be my daily driver for a while.

 

[tolivac]

Have one of these-just the vacuum and the hose.Was a "left in" at the vac shop-lingered there for months.The owner never came back to claim it.The vacuum went to me.Only thing wrong was a bad cord.I know the cord color on my replacement cord wasn't right-just wanted to get the Vita-Vac to work.Used a cord from a scrapped TriStar.

 

[dysonman1]

The Vita Vac was made for the Vita Mix Corporation by Air-Way. Vita Mix never built them. They were distinguished by the horizontal carrying handle as well as the side pin striping. Until 2002, they all came with the Douglas power nozzle. Once the Air-Way Signature Series was launched, Vita Mix wanted that configuration as the Vita Vac Plus. I recently was given an Air-Way that has the horizontal carrying handle, but not the nameplate nor the pin striping of the Vita Vac. Very interesting machine. I make by own HEPA bags for it. It's one of my favorite machines.

 

[electrolux137]

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Thanks for the corrections, Tom. I don't know much about Air-Way since I've only seen a few of their machines over the years. And I know even less about Vita-Vac. This one here is the first one I've ever seen in person.


 


I was just going by what I found on-line (in another vacuum cleaner forum), which said that when Air-Way went out of business the Vita-Mix company bought them out and began making Vita-Vacs at the former Air-Way plant. Obviously, this is just more of the "fake news" that pollutes the Internet.


 


btw, I have some of the Air-Way bags with plastic tops. Are they better than the cardboard-topped versions?


 


One last question ... I don't like the way the swivel-dome locks on each side. Is there any way this could be modified so it freely swivels 360 degrees?