Vacuums at my Goodwill

[myles_v]

My reason for persuading you to purchase the Prolux is that you haven't really used any bagged vacuums but you're so adverse to the idea of owning one. It's fine to have an opinion, but it bothers me when people develop opinions on ideas without giving the opposing option a chance.

Nice Fury, I've owned a couple of Thunders and a Lightning and they're good machines.

 

[niclonnic]

Sad news...

When I got to work this morning, the Prolux was still there; at the end of my shift, I checked the vacuum shelf, and it was gone! Somebody FINALLY bought it after it sat there for the past two weeks.

Now I would like to reform this thread. I should've titled this thread "What vacuums do you see at Goodwill?" I likely won't buy a vacuum from work; I just want to discuss vacuums you guys see at Goodwill.

Here is today's selection.

 

[lux_luthor]

I have one of those Shark steam mops. I’m a little sad to not see anything really impressive this go around. But then again anything impressive shouldn’t be there.

 

[niclonnic]

This reminds me

My dad's girlfriend has a Shark Steam Pocket Mop. A couple years ago, she was preparing to move in with us, and thus needed her old house cleaned. I noticed this in a closet, and asked if I could use it, and she said I could! It's a pleasure to use, and gets the floors clean without the use of harsh chemicals! We brought it to my house, and now I use it to clean the bathroom floors. However, I can't use it on our new laminate, because it will warp the flooring.

Here's a flashback: In the summer of 2009, my mom fell for an infomercial for the "H2O Mop Ultra" by Thane. She called and ordered it. When it arrived, she used the carpet glider and steamed all of the downstairs carpets. She then steamed the bathroom floor. However, she was ultimately dissatisfied by its performance, so she sent it back for a full refund.

Anyway, I'm on the lookout for any impressive vacuums. Earlier, some customers donated a couple of vacuums: a Eureka AirSpeed One Turbo in black and lime green, along with a Hoover WindTunnel 2 Rewind Pet in gray and orange. The Hoover looked extremely similar to mine except for the color scheme, and it only had the turbo brush.

 

[honestjoe68]

Wow Nick,

Thanks for sharing and I will be out either tomorrow or Sunday at the Goodwill and VOA and this great thrift shop we have, and I will take pictures of any vacuums I see. This will be fun, like a scavenger hunt of sorts.

I LOVE the two Hoovers in your picture.. The Burgundy Hoover Windtunnel brings back fond memories, I remember ordering this off an infomercial on TV and couldn’t wait for it to arrive in the mail. Other than being very loud, it was a great vacuum. The Bagless next to it was the next Hoover I purchased after seeing it at the Service Merchandise Store (Anyone else remember this store??) and I had to have it.. I Loved the Tan color too and at one time I had these two and the Hoover Windtunnel Self Propelled in dark green! I kinda wish I had all three back for my collection.

The other reason I love to refurb Hoover vacuums, the replacement parts are so inexpensive! I can get a new brushroll, belts, bags and any missing tools for the vacuums I rescue and refurb from our Goodwill. I just finished refurbishing a cool Hoover Windtunnel 2 Bagless with the Electronic Surface Control System Auto Height Adjustment. I got really lucky with this one as it was only clogged and dirty, but once I took it apart and sanitized it, the only thing I had to do was order the three black attachments on the back (Dusting Brush, Crevice Tool and Upholstery Tool) The Hoover Mini Turbo Tool was still attached and never used, brand new. I was very happy after checking everything over and finding basically the only reason someone dumped it off at Goodwill, was a clog in the main brushroll hose leading up the back. The automatic height and brushroll control works perfectly, the Dirt Finder works great and the handle is NOT broken, as this is something I’ve heard is kinda common. The only thing I’m disappointed about.. I forgot to take BEFORE pics.. yuck this was filthy and neglected.. full of dirt and clogs. But I saved another Hoover and will set her back into the wild! LOL

I can’t wait now to get pictures at the Goodwill and VOA tomorrow Nick.. I hope they have some nice vacuums for me to get pics of for your thread! I will drop off this beautiful, cleaned and refurbished Hoover Windtunnel 2 at a different store than I picked it up and donate it back.. someone is going to have a wonderful vacuum cleaner. I love giving back!

Thanks

 

[gj3476]

Reply #60, I rather take the Windtunnel Supreme and bagless upright and leave the Bissell behind.

 

[niclonnic]

HonestJoe68

Wow, it's the Hoover with the infamous "self-cleaning" HEPA filter. It just did NOT work as claimed, based off my research and reading reviews on Amazon. There's a video on YouTube from 10 years ago where a disgruntled man shows how he has to manually clean the clogged filter using a screwdriver; it was his 3rd time doing it in less than a year. I'll include a link to it below.

You know, I admire these older Hoovers, back when the company was owned by Maytag. I remember back in 2005, I was in 5th grade, and that was the height of my vacuum cleaner obsession. After school, I would get on my Windows XP computer and look up all kinds of stuff about vacuums, including these Hoovers. Ironically, I didn't actually vacuum at the time, since I was afraid of the noise. But I eventually overcame that. Good times!

Anyway, two vacuums I saw at work today were pretty filthy. The canisters were packed with dirt from the previous owners.

I'd love to see pictures of what everybody sees at their Goodwill/thrift stores!

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-YHBycASms

 

[honestjoe68]

Hey Nick,

Wow I’d not heard of this filter issue and when I got this Hoover, the filter was very clean. It seems to work at keeping itself clean, but I haven’t used it much since refurbishing it.

This one the filter is still white and when I opened it up there was very little dust. I did check deep in the pleats and nothing. I guess it might have something to do with “what” he is vacuuming up??

Thanks for the tip.. I will be returning it anyway and I’m sure someone will enjoy it. Oh and when I bought my first Hoover Windtunnel vacuums off of TV infomercials, it was in early 1997 right after Maytag took ownership but before they put the Maytag name on the box. Windtunnel was a Maytag company design and the new innovation for Hoover at the time. Subsequent purchases in later years I remember the Maytag name on Hoover boxes. It’s SO funny as now TTI owns Hoover (also Dirt Devil, Royal, Oreck and commercial Hoover) but now Vacuum cleaners branded “Maytag” are made by Tacony. Who would have guessed it would go from so many brand names to just a few giant companies owning all the brands. It’s kinda sad we don’t have separate brands anymore.. I miss Hoover in North Canton Ohio, I used to LOVE to visit and take the tour!

Oh well... they call it progress! I don’t know.....

 

[huskyvacs]

For anyone cheap - a strong PSI air compressor (maybe turned up to 70-80) with a precision blow gun nozzle can clean those HEPA filters out that cannot be washed. Just run the nozzle through each cleat. I used it on my Eureka Optima and blew out years of caked-in-solid dirt from the cracks (just cover your mouth and turn away when you hit it). It's the original filter that came with the vacuum and it runs like new again, and the cord doesn't heat up as much because the motor isn't straining so hard to get airflow. I'll get a new filter for it though when I fix it because it needs a total teardown and some parts replaced here and there.

 

[honestjoe68]

Should I buy and refurb any of these three vacuums?

Hi guys,

These are what I found last night at my Goodwill store.

Any thoughts on refurb worthiness of any of these three?

The Kenmore (Left) has seen better days with a brushroll worn to barely no bristles, wrapped with long hairs and the bag compartment is totally trashed with a full bag that burst. Just not sure I could still source parts for it?

The Hoover Preferred (Right) has all its parts and just needs a deep clean and new bag and belt.. possibly a new brushroll, but all tools are attached and barely used. I didn’t have an opportunity to plug it in, but I’m thinking these, like most Hoovers were loud? Thoughts?

The Hoover Tempo (middle pic) is priced so high I could buy a brand new, in box for $10 bucks more.. Walmart had one ordered online and returned in the store priced at $30 bucks.

Thanks guys!

Patrick

 

[huskyvacs]

My local Ace uses a Tempo to clean their store and Amazon reviews on it are all high. The Tempo they sell is about $100.

 

[bryan1980]

I'd at least

get the Preferred and the Kenmore, if you can. The Kenmore was made by Panasonic, and is a design that was around for many years, so parts availability is good. I've been wanting to pick up a machine like that, myself.

The Tempo is a decent vac that cleans way better than most at it's price point. But it's not worth it if it's priced that close to a new one.

 

[tseg]

Once my U1 arrives, if it works as expected, I'll be taking my Dyson DC14 with all the attachments to Goodwill. The rollerbrush clutch foot knob is pretty temperamental, but other that it does fine. It just is not worth my effort to package and ship it for sale for what it is worth. I drop stuff off at the Goodwill about once a month on my way to Costco.

 

[niclonnic]

Update

These days, I don't really see any good vacuums at my Goodwill anymore. I generally see cheap bagless vacuums being donated; occasionally, some bagged machines. One time, I saw a Eureka Boss SmartVac; otherwise, nothing too exciting.

Here is today's lackluster selection.

 

[broomvac]

I, too, feel the selection of vacuums at my preferred location has declined lately.

 

[convertible18]

can we still

get updates?

 

[thevacomaticiec]

id get the shop vac  bissells  and  pro  lux   

 

[panasonicvac]

That thread is over five years old and the author later confirmed here that they're long gone.

 

[niclonnic]

What a flashback...

I'm not sure why someone decided to revive this old thread of mine, but those vacuums are indeed long gone, and I stopped volunteering at this Goodwill after 7 months.

That October, when an opening popped up, I hurriedly applied for it. They reviewed my qualifications, but "however, at the present time we have decided to move forward with another candidate." So I called the store and got ahold of the manager. When I asked him why I was rejected, he stated that I wasn't working fast enough; I had to work twice as fast as my then-current pace in order to be employed at the store. That left me distraught. So I decided, right then and there, to stop volunteering. The manager was perfectly fine with that.

Essentially, Goodwill took advantage of me by having me sort donations without pay. However, this was overall a solid experience for me, seeing what goes on behind the scenes of a thrift store. My work flow went pretty well, but whenever something unknown or of interest came in, I would show it to others, which decreased my productivity. However, I was able to get back to work quickly. On some occasions, I would be sent out to the main floor to rearrange the shelves.

Ever since my Goodwill stint, I rarely came back to the store as a customer. And even when I do, I hardly see any vacuums for sale anymore.