You'd think that with the gazillion XXXs that were rebuilt by Metropolitan,

[charles~richard]

they would have known which way the runners went on.

(The upside-down front cover is most likely due to user stupidity, however.)



http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Electro...yZ115993QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[arh1953]

Wonders never cease

How charming.

 

[electrikbroomgu]

Metro Rebuild XXX

I remember when I was very young seeing boat loads of these Metro reconditioned Elux's in the late 70's and early 80's. Most were the XXX models but I did see the occasional AE, LX or E. Being the curious kid that I was, I used to open up most of the boxes that were handy to get to and check out the contents. Sometimes the bodys had dents larger than a quarter on the bottom sides, some were bashed in where the runners screwed in on the motor end of the machine(XXX), some forgot to screw the switch in place(XXX) so you could litterally lift it out of the machine while others had over spray on components that were not supposed to get it. The quality control was appalling on some machines and great on others. Even our local drug store sold them along with Metro Hand vacs and old stock Regina Electrikbrooms, usually for blowout cheap prices. I have one complete XXX rebuild from Metro in it's box that I posted in another thread. It is a later model with the round runners and saloon doors but it has an old 475 watt bakelite motor than had great suction but groans and has a broken or worn engine mount. I found this in the garbage while going to garage sales and the original sticker price from Carls Drugs was $69.95 and it was on sale for 54.95. I sure miss those days when you could walk into most any store and see these neat old vintage machines brand new or reconditioned.

 

[charles~richard]

For a while, mail-order catalog Hammacker and Schmeckler or whatever it is, was selling reconditioned Electroluxes. The machine shown in the catalog ad was a Model L but the fine print said, "actual machine may vary" meaning of course that you might get anything from an E, AE, F, R, S -or- L.

And yes, they were Metropolitan "dipped in a vat of blue paint" rebuilds. I've seen some where even the dusting brush clip, switch plate, and halo were painted. I'm surprised they didn't also paint the cord, handle and wheels!

The very earliest machines that Metro were doing (XXX and LX, even the occasional XII) were rebuilt with much better care and quality control, but even those were grossly inferior to Electrolux's own rebuilds which were finished with real, baked-on hammertone paint instead of spray paint.

The later Electrolux factory rebuilds from the 80s -- AE, F, L and G - were pretty crummy. They looked lovely when they were new, but the minute you start using them the textured spray-paint would start to crack, flake and peel. They were done in both brown and gray flocked-finish. (Or whatever you call it.) I have a beautiful gray Model G that was a gift from Fred Nelson and Charlie Watrous that's gorgeous, but I am afraid to so much as breathe on it lest I mar the repainted finish!

And another oddity -- during that same time, 1980s, or maybe a little earlier, Electrolux was also selling reconditioned Model XXXs! Stranger still, they were outfitted with very cheap, white plastic bojack attachments! I have an instruction folder for one of them. Very bizarre.

 

[normvac]

Charlie, the discription says "with Pop out disposable bag"
Was there ever a converson unit for the new C bags? That was
adapted to the rebuilt XXX's?
Norm

 

[charles~richard]

Yes Norm there was, but it was a genuine Electrolux after-market item and I am pretty sure the Metro et al did not have them. I think that it's just this seller not realizing the bags he's got there don't go to that machine.

See link for "Souped Up Super Deluxe Electrolux XXX" with retrofitted paper bag assembly!


http://www.137.com/bagchamber/

 

[crevicetool]

Charles,

I know you've lived in a lot of places in your life, did you ever hear of Alden's? (I think I'm spelling that right), they were strictly a catalog only outfit, had no stores. My mother used to buy a lot through them. They may have been based in just the Midwest. Anyway, I remember seeing a XXX, all globbed with blue, like you mentioned, but they had completely removed the runners and inserted black swivel casters through the runner supports. It then had four wheels. Ugly, but I imagine they worked pretty well. Now that I think of it, it may have been Aldon's.(?)

 

[crevicetool]

It was Aldens.

I just googled it. They were a Chicago based direct mail-type business. There are Vintage Aldens catalogs on EBay from 1965 etc. It would be fun to see the old ads. I would probably recognise some of the stuff my Mom bought!!!

 

[hygiene903]

I Remember Alden's

Like Spiegel's, they didn't have a store, but in when I was growing up in Mansfield, OH they both had ordering offices there. Alden's was on the square, and Spiegel's was out at the shopping center (remember when we had shopping centers instead of malls?). You could look through a hardbound catalog and turn in your order, then pick it up there when it arrived. I think there was a substantial savings in shipping costs if you did it that way as opposed to having your purchases sent to your home. My folks did a lot of shopping with both Alden's and Spiegel's back in the day. They bought a Mansfield-Holiday movie camera and projector from Alden's when I was about 3 and I still have it.
I've seen their catalogs on ebay, too, and would like to have one from the late 50's, but for some reason they're so much more expensive than Spiegel's, Sears, or Wards.
Jeff

 

[charles~richard]

I have a couple of Aldens catalogs but they don't have any rebuilt Electroluxes. But they DO have some cool things, including the Westinghouse "big tire" canister that was similar to the G.E. Roll Easy!

 

[charles~richard]

Another Metropolitan masterpiece...


http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Electro...ryZ43519QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem