What are the main vacuums you have used thru the years

[briant73]

Wanted to start a thread that probably has been posted before but wanted to see what are the main vacuums you have used in your lifetime and what did you think of them.

Here’s a brief rundown on what I have used throughout my lifetime - I may be off on some details or a bit hazy but here it goes.
1 Kirby classic 1970s model. I remember this being quite a vacuum that finally died in mid 80s due to some out of normal cleanup use by contractors. I believe there was no inner bag in this model so in retrospect it was a dirty job to empty. I felt the tools and hose weren’t the easiest to attach but they worked.

2 Rainbow 1980s circa. This cleaned will but I remember it being a bit difficult to move around easily. Fear of it tipping over was main concern. Also filling with water and emptying after each use wasn’t for me.

3 Panasonic upright 1980s - nice upright with bags but remember this needing lots of belts.

4 Hoover Elite (green) 1990s - cheap easy to use bagged vac. Tools and hose were a bit of a let down but it always worked.

5 Kennore progressive direct drive (Panasonic?) 2004-2005. Still have this vacuum a bit bulky and not the easiest to maneuver but tools and hose still work well. The direct drive was a big reason I wanted this.

6 Shark navigator 501 sometime after 2010 - for an upright it was maneuverable and easy to use but the tools and hose weren’t the greatest and wasn’t impressed when the first power head nozzle broke though after some back n forth on what Sharks lifetime warranty covered they agreed a free one time replacement would be made. Still working today though for someone else.

7 Zero g I am now trying out a zero G - still getting used to it but very simple to operate and for a canister it isn’t bad to maneuver. Will share more at a later date.

 

[human]

1960s—When I was really little, we had a Lewyt canister, shaped like a fat fire hydrant on swivel casters, with a pink motor housing and charcoal gray tub. It was a straight suction machine. We kept it until the mid '90s, although it was essentially used as a shop vac after the mid '70s.

1970s-1990s—We replaced the Lewyt with a Hoover convertible, "Brady Bunch" model, tan with a lime green motor housing. It got passed down to me in the late '80s and I kept it until 1998. All told, it served our family for almost 30 years.

1980s—Dad rescued an Electrolux 1205 (standard hose, no power nozzle) from a neighbor's trash pile when they were moving and for whatever reason, I took to it in high school, despite its lack of suction due to what I later discovered was a leaky hose. Oddly enough, I didn't take it with me when I moved out on my own after college and really thought very little more about it until I spotted it in their attic in 2016. I brought it home and it's now in regular rotation, sporting a vinyl hose and power nozzle.

1997-2003—When my parents were moving they gave me a Eureka Princess canister with a power nozzle that Mom said had been her mother's but I don't remember her ever using it. Hell, I don't ever remember her even vacuuming. Still, it was a really nice machine and the first time I'd ever used a canister with a power nozzle, which was a revelation in and of itself. Too bad my (now-ex) wife made me dump it off it to Goodwill.

2001-2003—My (now ex) wife insisted we buy a Kenmore Progressive canister for $375. Worst waste of money ever on a plastic piece of crap. I left it—and her—behind in October 2003 and never looked back.

2004-2013—When I was getting my life back together after my disastrous marriage, the only vacuum cleaner I had was a Douglas ATV wet/dry shop vac so I picked up a fully accessorized Electrolux 1205 at Goodwill for $20. This was my main vacuum cleaner until a dark and drizzly night seven years ago when I rescued a Kirby Gsix from beside a dumpster and this madness began.

2014-present—Having so many vacuum cleaners to choose from these days, I don't play favorites; I just choose whatever strikes me in the moment as the best—or most fun—machine for the job. That said, one that's a fairly consistent 'go-to' is my Electrolux Discovery II.

 

[vacuumdevil]

80s-90s :An Electrolux Olympia special

2001-2006 Sanitaire /Eureka f&g uprights.

2007 Miele s344 with seb217 and TriStar c8

2008-2015 Miele S7 and Miele s312

2015-current
MD central vacuum.



Also the past years I've daily driven and tested a variety of machines through the house. Often I test a machine for a month or two at a time.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Always, a Hoover Convertible

Recent years, add a Constellation, Slimline,Handivac, and for the stairs, a Brushvac.

 

[dysonman1]

Never a Hoover

My mother thought they were worthless.

We had a Compact C-4 that my mother/father bought before I was born. We had a Model G and a Rainbow model D along the way. My mother was always a fan of canister vacuums. Once we were at a neighbors home who had just bought a brand new Dual 80 Kirby. She lived across the street and invited myself and my mother over to see her brand new shiny miracle machine. My mother was NOT impressed with that monster.

When I moved out of the house at 18 years of age (1980), I took the Rainbow with me. Still have it. But I also have more than 500 more vacuums today in my collection. 29 at home in the 'vacuum room' plus the Modern Day central vacuum that I use for the disgusting stuff because it all 'goes into the walls, never to be seen again'.

Thousands of vacuums have passed through my hands over the years, many thousands. As both a vacuum collector, curator of the Vacuum Cleaner Museum, as well as a prolific vacuum repair man - I've probably seen them all. Not really but certainly my fair share.

 

[sanitaire]

growing up we had really old straight suction used electrolux. it died and we got a used kirby heritage... my first vac in my collection as a kid was at christmas a dirt devil handvac, then a broom mate model. in the 90's i saved up my paper route money and bought a SC899 sanitiare from the local vac shop for 225$. still runs great.. since converted it too f/g paper liner bags... from that all the rest of my collection have been freebies. 10+ kirbys, my favorites are the comercial vacs from clarke and advance and nss.

 

[ridgidwd0670]

My parents had a Shetland canister (mid-late 1960s)

Then they bought a Electrolux 1205 canister with PN1 & Rug Washer & the B8 with carpet shampoo brushes & scrubbing/waxing brushes around 1970. I still have the Lux

Then they bought a Sears Craftsman shop vac around 1980s

My 1st vac purchase was a TriStar EXL around 2000

 

[jo]

Primarily...

For my personal home use I started out with my next door neighbors Hoover convertible and their ports power canister when I was mid way through college. I retrofitted the porta power with an Electrolux pn-1 power nozzle and gave the whole shebang away to a good friend of mine who’s mom ran a summer bed and breakfast. I kept the Hoover convertible and it came with me to my first apartment when I moved to Texas. I had unassembled it so it would fit in a small box in the car when I moved as I moved with nothing but the contents of my car since I had otherwise always lived at home for the two years post college until I got the job in TX. (Grew up in NJ). This was spring 1993.

I obtained a set of attachments for the Hoover convertible shortly after at a Thrift store. They worked ok but I was never impressed with them but did the job as I liked to vacuum out my car weekly.

In summer 1994 the Hoover started getting loud and I for some reason touched the top near the sides and found it very, very hot. Turns out the roller brush’s bearings were going bad. I went to several vacuum stores and everyone wanted $35 for a new set of bearings and I thought this was a lot for a Hoover convertible that I didn’t like that much, was free, and leaked dust at where the bag attached to the main unit no matter how well it was attached. At the third vacuum store the guy had some used Electrolux canisters, a Silverado and a 198k LE. He wanted a lot of money for the LE but only $150 for the Silverado and my Mom always had Electrolux growing up so I decided to give it a try and it was really what I wanted anyway. The man gave me $25 off to trade in the old Hoover convertible and I went home with the Silverado which was 10 years old at that point. The main motor on the Silverado finally has given out this summer, 26 years later and at 36 years of age. I did replace the hose over time though with a nice OEM rubber used one from eBay and the belt broke once on the power nozzle which actually was the power nozzle from the LE model the guy had as the one with the Silverado didn’t work when I tried it so I asked if I could just have that one and he could figure out the problem “later on” so I could go home and complete the sale. It was originally equipped with a PN5.

I’m currently using an Electrolux Marquise I obtained off eBay with a bad motor and put my friends Electrolux Renaissance motor in it as the Renaissance hose electronics crapped out and were too costly to fix. I obtained a nice Aerus Lux Legacy in the light and medium blue color combination last year at a habitat for humanity store for $27. It had everything with it including an extra, the flip over rug and floor tool and 47 bags. It was very lightly used and the power nozzle has virtually never been used nor has the combination rug and floor tool. The other attachments show light wear. I bought that because I knew my Silverado was likely nearing the end of its life as the motor bearing was making weird noises upon starting and shut down. And always been a fan of the Electrolux I just knew I would regret not buying that Lux Legacy even though I had also obtained a Lux Classic a few months before from Goodwill as a replacement for the Silverado. I gave the Lux Classic to my Brother as his Brown 1453 was about dead and was beat to hell from a previous owner.

In 2018 I got a Shark rocket stick back from Costco and it has the multiplex bendable wand and the hard floor brush hard floor hero along with the two speed power nozzle and some wonderful attachments. I bought it when my Eureka stick wac’s handle broke and decided to try this for a replacement for that and ai like it a lot. It has an LED light on the base as well as the power nozzle and I was able to buy a flexible hose for it to use it in many different ways. I even configured a 5 foot dog leash with the handle as a shoulder strap so I can wear the main unit and use the flex hose with the attachments to wander around the house dusting with it if I’m interested. But mostly I use it in between my main cleanings with the Electrolux.

For my remodeling job, I’ve had shop vacs, but finally converted to an old Electrolux model AF as I prefer the dirt get sucked into a self sealing bag I can just throw away with no messy filters to clean, etc. and I like the Electrolux and it’s attachments so much that I didn’t want another shop vac when it died.

I’ve experienced many, many, other vacs over time from curb rescues and a goodwill purchase but since the thread asked for what have been my main or primary vacuums I’ve used through the years...I figured I’d focus on that and I’ll likely always stick with Aerus/Electrolux as there have been so many in my family and so many I’ve rescued and repaired that I really find them to be my favorite and I really find them easier to use than any other canister vacuum I’ve experienced. They last so long that they really are worth the trouble of repairing as well compared to today’s “plastic junk”.

Jon

 

[beagledad]

Growing up my parents had an Electrolux Ultralux and when they built a new house it had an M&S Airvac central vacuum. I have a Miele Marin and new house had a Nutone central vacuum. It was a piece of junk. Replaced with MD unit and EBK360 kit. I wish I could use my Miele 236 power nozzle on the central vacuum but the wands are different.

 

[kloveland]

1990 - as a child - mixture of Hoover, Eureka, Electrolux and Kirby.

Present - as a 35 year old adult - same. My preferences really haven’t changed.

 

[zenith12]

My

When I was little my parents had a Electrolux epic and they used run it when I wouldn’t go to sleep for some reason I must liked the sound of it and we had a Kirby legend in the basement and two unknown brand shop vacs I still have the Kirby and the Electrolux they are the machines that started it all . Then two years ago I found a Electrolux 1205 in the trash at our campground then before the pandemic I got a Hoover 450 then a got a free Kirby tradition at a swap meet then I was given a Kirby heritage by my grandma