Throw Away Society
It's a shame...I'm only 29 and everything I use basically is at least a decade or older than I am! I've just begun collecting vacuums, but I can say from experience that I will only buy old!!!! Here's my experience with newer vacuums: back when I first moved in with my soon to be husband, he had a yellow hoover bag less vacuum that literally sucked up dirt and spewed it back out! I would clean that vacuum before every use and make sure it's filter was nice and clean, and the suction was bad too! He got it as a gift from one of his sisters. I would hate to know how much his sister paid for that yellow nightmare! It became to the point that I could take an ordinary house broom and sweep the carpet better than the vacuum would suck! Ha Ha! So, needless to say, that vacuum didn't last here very long! After that POS, we garbage picked a red upright plastic Bissell. There was nothing wrong with it! It just needed a good cleaning and some new bags! I beat the tar outta that thing for over 3 years! The bottom of it literally fell out, no pun intended! Ha Ha! It sits in the basement now, one day we'll fix it. So, after that Bissell I needed a vacuum fast, so mind you, this is all well before I started collecting, I went to our local Ace Hardware store, because I didn't have time to go anywhere else, it was a day before Christmas Eve, I bought a brand new upright Dirt Devil. I believe I paid $55.00 for it. I thought that was a ridiculous price, but I needed a vacuum! Beggars can't be choosers! The on and off switch was made of cheap plastic and you used your foot to turn it on and off with, it broke after 2 months! My husband took it completely apart and put in a toggle switch. I didn't even care at that point! From there, I would say about a month later the left back wheel broke off! Let me clarify at this point, I live in a 750-800 sq. ft. house, no hallways, it's literally like living in a cube! When I was done vacuuming a room, I would carry the vacuum into the next room. I don't know why the wheel broke off!!! I actually tried to love this vacuum because I felt sorry for how rough I was to the Bissell! Apparently the Bissell lasted better on neglect! Ha Ha! My husband yet again, re strengthened the wheel and put it back on again, to no surprise it has fallen off a few more times! My husband had dedicated a Saturday to re-building and modifying the wheels poor design, it is about ready to fall off yet again! So, for not even owning this stupid Dirt Devil for a year, I said screw it and remember how well my mom's Electrolux 1205 was! I told my husband if that vacuum had lasted thru my grandma who bought it new, was passed down to my mom and she used it from the time I was about 8 till just up into this past year when she died, I told him that I wanted to get a 1205! So, that's exactly what we did! Old it is!!! Now I'm collecting and servicing old vacuums that will out live me!!!
On a different note: we just went to a garage sale last Saturday and I got a 1970's General Electric stand mixer for $2.00. We took it home, rebuilt it, and I hand polished it. That is the quietest and smoothest mixer I have used yet! I have close to 30 hand and stand mixers. We made homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with it a day ago! I love "Whippy"!!! He is the best and he will literally last my whole life! All vintage things just require a little TLC!
Thought I would throw in my 2 cents!
-Michelle
. Haha, just kidding!
