What is the quietest vacuum cleaner of all time, and what is the noisiest? "Discuss."

[charles~richard]

Continuing my chat in the "LUX" thread about noisy vacuum cleaners and diverting it to this new thread.

This can of course apply to both vintage and current machines.

 

[compactelectra]

Model G

The winner hands down. Only one would be considered quieter in my opinion and that would be the Hospital G due to the added filter. I agree Charles, the whooosh of the airflow is definitely louder than the sound of the motor itself. Truly Electrolux at its best. The beauty is they still sell the hoses (albeit vinyl-but still excellent quality.) You can add a more modern power nozzle and you have one hell of a machine.

Noisiest of my vintage machines would have to be the Bison. Jeez, that thing sounds like a jet engine taking off. The Bison roundup is going to be the theme for the Omaha convention. People will see what a beast that machine was. Kirbys have to fall somewhere at this end of the range as well, especially the Classic series.

 

[compactelectra]

Here's My Hospital G

Definitely a candidate for a restoration. Tom Gasko rebuilt the motor for me and it has been patiently waiting for a beauty treatment. This may be the first restoration project for the site.

 

[compactelectra]

Front Shot

Definitely not glam.

 

[myvacsrock]

I think that the quietest vacuum ever made is the hoover connie model 86 i do not even know i'm using it when i do i talk on the phone all the time when i do!!!

Kyle K.

 

[vintagehoover]

My Hoover Model 543 is practically silent in use - without a doubt it's the quietest I've used! Barely louder than the Model O in the video in the 'see it clean' section. The brushroll vibrating the carpet makes a louder noise than the motor!

 

[swingette]

the older Panasonic uprights are very quiet too!

 

[myhooverco]

One of the quietest canister that I have is my model 42 Areodyne and it has good suction. I could easily hear the radio and clean with it. I still prefer an upright though in which case I would say that Hoover's 700 was very quiet...just the tapping beater bars is all that is heard.

--Tom

 

[convertible68]

All of the metal-body Electroluxes, whether early or late, are quiet in my opinion, with just a "whooshing" of air and the gentle hum of the motor. My 1956 Model S is quiet as it is with an open exhaust port, so I can only imagine what a Hospital G sounds like!

The vintage Constellations seem to have a very quiet motor as well, which is probably due to the exhaust blowing downward.

One thing I do like about both is that while they're very quiet, the suction and airflow are second to none. I know some have commented in the past about how the Connies aren't all that powerful, but I disagree.

--Austin

 

[convertible68]

Almost forgot...

While the Hoover Celebrity is a VERY powerful canister, there is a tradeoff to that...it is also quite noisy. Sounds just like my Shop-Vacs with a moderately "whiny" motor.

The absolute loudest vacuum I have, however, is the Eureka 102 electric broom from the 70's, shown below...has the highest-pitched whine I've ever heard. Anyone who has used one of these will know where I'm coming from. Someone mentioned on AW.org that this used the same "blender" motor as the 1400-series uprights.

 

[timborow]

My Electrolux Super J is very quiet. Especially after I took it apart and cleaned the fans. Kenmore's Magic Blue vacuum is also a very quiet running vacuum. My Miele upright has variable speeds. When it is on low it is extremely quiet. The loudest vacuum I have ever used is probably a Dirt Devil Feather Lite. That is one screaming machine. Orecks are also way too loud. Tim

 

[convertible68]

More on noise...

I noticed in the other thread and in this one how some said that Kirbys tend to lean toward the noisy side as well. However, even though they're not whisper-quiet, I don't think mine (1983 ComVac 1300, 1988 Heritage II/Legend, 1998 G5) are ultra-loud either and have a pleasant sound to them. Especially the ComVac with its Sanitronic-style body; reminds me a lot of the early models.

Fred, interesting how you mention the Classic "big nozzle" series being louder than most. I had a 1980 Tradition for a while (nicknamed it "Jaws" like in Mr. Mom) that just ROARED, even though there were no broken fan blades and it ran smoothly. After the height was lowered properly and the nozzle "stuck" to the carpet it did muffle the noise a little bit.

 

[eluxomarty]

Filter Queen Model 31

 

[eluxomarty]

My 31

 

[eluxomarty]

Electrolux G

The G's are pretty quiet especially the Hospital G

 

[eluxomarty]

Hear what I mean?

Mark Turbyfill and Evan Rogers want to know if it's on!

 

[converto-skip]

Speaking of Bison

Here a pic of mine andf it was brand new in the box with all attachments

 

[hygiene903]

Quietest Vacuum

I have to agree on the Lux G. Also, the AE and 30 are really quiet, too, as well as the Filter Queen 350 and the Electro-Hygiene 966. Connies are fairly quiet, but not as quiet as the others I've mentioned.
On the noisy side, in addition to Kirbys, I've seen some GEs and Eurekas that are among the noisiest vacs I've seen.

 

[dualsanitronic]

Bissell does more than whistle

Nasty Bissells ROAR as do the Riccar Supralites,though the Riccar is great in performance.