Dysons are horrible, though great for vac shop business.
What is the Weirdest Vacuums You've Seen?
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just needed a primary drive belt and a new bag. Still runs like new and in spite of the weird design it cleans exceptionally well!
The weirdest machine that I can think of is probably this twin fan Graybar, which has a fan on either side of the motor and the motor being in the middle of the air path.
The Air-Way DirtMaster is also a pretty unusual machine, being one of only two vacuums I know of to use a belt-driven fan and the only vacuum with dual belt-driven fans, not to mention the fact that the fan case is also the handle pivot. However, I am a bit desensitized to its weirdness since I own one.
This prototype Kirby with the Sani-Emptor built into the body of the machine itself is also pretty strange. I believe the whole bottom half hinges down when the latch on the back is opened.
In terms of stuff that never got made, it's hard to be more deranged than this design that has two nozzles, one on the front and one on the back, both powered by a single motor in the middle. I don't really understand what kind of advantage this would provide. I guess it's meant to clean twice as much in one stroke, but seems too bulky to really work well.
The other patent design that rivals it is this Air-Way with two suction motors in tandem.
I recall seeing some sort of early vacuum that I believe has two large fans on either side of the motor, but I can't remember what it is called off the top of my head.
The Air-Way DirtMaster is also a pretty unusual machine, being one of only two vacuums I know of to use a belt-driven fan and the only vacuum with dual belt-driven fans, not to mention the fact that the fan case is also the handle pivot. However, I am a bit desensitized to its weirdness since I own one.
This prototype Kirby with the Sani-Emptor built into the body of the machine itself is also pretty strange. I believe the whole bottom half hinges down when the latch on the back is opened.
In terms of stuff that never got made, it's hard to be more deranged than this design that has two nozzles, one on the front and one on the back, both powered by a single motor in the middle. I don't really understand what kind of advantage this would provide. I guess it's meant to clean twice as much in one stroke, but seems too bulky to really work well.
The other patent design that rivals it is this Air-Way with two suction motors in tandem.
I recall seeing some sort of early vacuum that I believe has two large fans on either side of the motor, but I can't remember what it is called off the top of my head.
This is the weirdest vacuum I've seen. The motor rotates with the cord reel. I guess that allows the motor to be hard wired to the cord instead of using rotating contacts. The top mounted hose spout doubles as a carry handle. Just weird.
It's a Lewyt, they need to play it safe. They do not need any more electrical grounding issues. The last one didn't work out so well!
I have a weird version of this thing that does not have a cord winder or tool storage. The wheels on this one are broken off, though.
Westinghouse roll-a-round can on wheels until I saw a Vorwwerk.
Kirby with integrated emtor- where did you find these images?!
I built the twin fan Airway once. There was a small power increase, but the extra motor made it very uncomfortable to use as the center of gravity shifted. It would also tip backward off the landing gear.
Big twin fan- Menominee vacuum built off a bank teller fan. I have the image to this somewhere in my archive.
I built the twin fan Airway once. There was a small power increase, but the extra motor made it very uncomfortable to use as the center of gravity shifted. It would also tip backward off the landing gear.
Big twin fan- Menominee vacuum built off a bank teller fan. I have the image to this somewhere in my archive.
I have a full page ad for the twin fan Graybar in a box somewhere.
It's scary how much that looks like a Bison
Imagine trying to empty the thing.
I saw that prototype in a Facebook group.The poster claimed that they were planning to purchase it in a few months, but never followed up.
I managed to find some pictures of the Menominee ad and patent on the Internet Archive. It seems to share some features with the other deranged dual fan patent I posted (the dual bag and fans on either side of the motor).
It kind of makes sense, that machine. Though it is a bit silly nonetheless!
I just realized mine is missing the handle on the lower front. Hmmmmm.
I use a 1977 KitchenAid K45 and my vacs are a 1986 Filter Queen K31X/K88 and a 1989 Majestic 95X/AN-96. I am an avid tractor fanatic and farm toy collector and I will say you are 100% correct! I plan to buy it once and use it forever! I hate cheap plastic junk. If I win the lottery, I would go buy my own farm and my first tractor would be a Case IH 7140 Magnum, one of the toughest ever built!True some store vacs do okay for a minute.
Being old I stopped caring if things are ugly, if it gets the job done toss a bag over it...
Fwiw- Ive purchased more perfectly operational Kirbys in estate & rummage sales than I could ever count. Kirbys run forever & being dog owners with Ashma they are must have dirt eaters here man. My mom's Lux ran forever, I used it 4yrs & gifted it to our Sil when we got a Kirby.
I actually sold a lot of used estate/rummage sale Kirbys & Rainbows through a freinds dog grooming business from 1989 - 2006. She stuck a list on her dog adoption board her customers signed to get either one & it was a pretty steady side gig. My guess is people who inherit Kirbys never saw a Kirby demo & have no idea what they were gifted in the end. You know it when they don't even know how to lift one easily.
Seems there's two types of people though.
1) Those of us who fully understand products built like all my Kirbys, restaurant grade Bunn Coffee makers, Kitchen-Aid mixer, True Old Garden Tractors like my old Wheel Horse tractors. Also the old JD, I.H. Cubs & most vehicles built prior to 1980 (mostly steel bumper vehicles) will outlast more than a few owners with a tiny bit of love. We just restore/repair our items.
2)Then we have folks who buy plastic throwaway products over & over, some things annually & never consider fixing the most basic problem that occurs with a product. Just toss it, buy a new one.
They'll even buy items designed to repair with a $10 part & screwdriver yet they'll toss the whole thing out & buy some shiny junk throwaway for $400.
Omg the big corps sure love you folks! Your pay for their new cars/homes/planes etc, no doubt about it.
This "toss it & buy new" mindset has now made throwaway junk being all anyone can find today. Oh' & we're just getting started too.
Farmers just had to sue JD for making their new 1/4 million plus dollar tractors totally obsolete within a few short yrs by not making repair parts & forcing customers to rely on Deere for all fixes etc...
Google: " Right to Repair act ".
Its like being forced to buy a whole new car again instead of an Alternator.
Idk if #2 guy is still fine with that?
I just don't get it but its where we're heading.
Buy a Briggs engine you never change oil on? No drain plug because its only built to last just past an oil change.
Briggs prez stated "Todays Gen doesn't want to fool with maintenance, they'd rather buy a new product instead."
So we all pay $200 up vs $3.40 for a qt of oil. Flip it to drain/fill but its still not lasting decades like they used too.
Congress/laws finally forced Deere to supply parts longer but your lawnmowers/trimmers/saws etc got excluded in the end.
So no more parts if they choose not too make any.
My neighbors 3yr old $3600 Cub rider has sat over a yr because Cub wont make the fuel injector. Its a Cub engine not Briggs/Kohler but both Kohler & Briggs were sold to large investment corps recently. Lots of Briggs parts disappeared already.
So sorry I got so long, my point is it wont matter if its God awful ugly today because sadly' more than likely it really won't be around long anyways.
