Getting its Bearings

Presenting Renaissance #2, or Model C104H. I've had this fellow for a while, but he had a terribly bad front bearing, which has been replaced. Now, he's quite his old self again.

Putting the bearings and other things to the test:

The C104H is definitely not up to the C104A in terms of looks, but its true that the solid battleship grey machines have a certain kind of homely charm. See the picture at the end for a fantastic exhibition of battleship grey-ness. I'm not sure why they didn't make the trim on this one darker grey (i.e. the same color as the body of the first Renaissance) to give it a little extra dash.

Come to think of it, it really doesn't look that bad, does it?

I believe the major difference between the two Renaissances is in the hose handle circuit board, as the first was apparently problematic. Other than that, the differences are cosmetic: graphics rather than words on the hose handle, and battleship grey body, power nozzle, Sidekick, wands, and hose ends. It's also possible that the C104H floor brush had the openings in the front row of bristles, but I'm not sure, because this one is 'stolen' from the matching-in-color Epic 6500. Incidentally, the Renaissance C104H had color-matching models in the Epic 6500 (which I have), Epic 3500 (which I have), and Ambassador III.

At all events, the Renaissance C104H is back on regular cleaning duty, and that's great. Naturally, he performs as well as his near contemporaries.

The full-on ensemble shot, after a washing, magic eraser-ing, q-tipping, re-washing, and Armor-All coating. The plastic (?)/lexan (?) bodied models really look quite nice when cleaned and detailed...you can even see the shine.

A Little Vintage Vacuuming

It had been some time since I had used these particular machines, and all were somewhat hungry for a little dust and dirt.

The average age of these lovely old fellows is 63 years, or, if you like, a combined total of 251 years! Not content to rest in dignified retirement, all still perform exactly the job they were intended for, perfectly quietly and efficiently. Amazing, and, for an Electrolux enthusiast, heartwarming.

Naturally, these are strictly for dusting and bare floors. None are equipped for a power nozzle (in fact, the power nozzle, I think, hadn't even been invented by the end of the run of these machines), so carpet duty is out of the question. And yet, before power nozzles, that's exactly what these machines were used for. In these days of homes with non-carpeted surfaces, you wouldn't do TOO badly with one of these as your regular vacuum, provided, of course, that you emptied and kept the cloth bag clean, and that you weren't noticeably allergic.

Clockwise from top: 57, 55 3rd version, 30, 55 1st version.

The Renaissance Gets Hosed

As soon as I saw this, I had to have it. It's an original hose for the Renaissance C104A; not new, but in good condition. I had been contemplating getting a spare hose anyway, because the Renaissance models are unique in using the push button hose handle with different circuit board, unlike the models that followed with the slider switch handle. I have more than a few of the latter type, but only one of the former, so an extra hose was indicated.

All I need now to make this King of Electroluxes and Aeruses complete is a set of dark gray wands, and a dark gray Sidekick II. I could use an original plug as well.

One thing I've noticed about most or all of the Electrolux/Aerus vinyl hoses is that the color, other than the handle and machine end, never matches up with the machine. This one, as well, is most probably slightly discolored with age. Another point...the handle on this hose can't be detached, for whatever reason, unlike all of the other hoses I've seen.

I've also heard it said that this hose had a problematic circuit board, which could be easily shorted out if dropped and so on, but I haven't experienced this yet, and hope to never experience it. Of course, I tend to be rather careful with all my vacuums, but accidents can happen. In fact, because I put my vacuums through actual use for serious cleaning, I have bumped/dropped them numerous times. The Style R hose handle, too, being rather heavy compared to others, can easily fall on the floor when connected to the wands and power nozzle, when the assembly is left standing upright. To be honest, I rarely do this, preferring to lean it against a piece of furniture, or disconnect the hose entirely.

Portraits Fit for a King

This post isn't strictly about vacuums; rather, it's about an iPhone app I happened on called "HDR", by "Lucky Clan" that takes very good, clear, crisp, detailed, and well-lit pictures.

The Renaissance was on furniture/dusting/bare floor duty yesterday, and I thought he deserved a little photo session, both to celebrate his handsomeness, and as a congratulations for a well-done cleaning job.

Picture 1 was processed with the 'auto' filter, and 2 with the 'contrast' filter. Don't get me wrong...I'm not a professional, and don't fully understand all the things a professional would in taking pictures, but I find these pictures are light years beyond those taken with the normal iPhone camera. It's great to see a fitting subject (the Renaissance) immortalized in fitting pictures.

Don't worry, I didn't vacuum the driveway with it!

It's not uncommon, when looking at pictures of vacuums for sale online, to see said vacuums posed dramatically in all manner of outdoor positions: in the driveway, on the patio, or even on the lawn.

Well, even though my trusty old Guardian isn't for sale, I thought I could make a contribution to the world of outdoor cleaning appliance photography. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm, so I thought I'd bust out the Guardian and vacuum the car. This explains the missing HEPA filter; there's no need to purify the air outdoors, so I sometimes remove the filter when I'm vacuuming the car. One drawback: the HEPA filter-equipped models are incredibly loud when run without a filter, but for the time it takes to vacuum the car, it isn't a huge drawback.

The Sidekick isn't pictured here, but its an absolutely indispensable attachment for car cleaning, at least for me. Straight suction on carpets and seats doesn't cut it for me, unless I happen to vacuum the car again very shortly after having done so.

A Little Light Cleaning

Presenting the Electrolux Trivac. This is an Electrolux Canada product, made somewhere in the late 1970's, and I believe this particular model was the first ever made. It carries the same colors as the AP200 cylinder, which I also have. In fact, if memory serves, I got the Trivac and the AP200 at the same time, from a fellow collector.

The Trivac is, I suppose, either an electric broom or stick vac, whichever you choose to call it, and it works just fine for lightweight cleaning, especially on bare surfaces. It is a bagged machine, and I was surprised to find that Aerus (at least my local outlet) still makes and sells bags for it, but it could be used without one, technically, since it employs a 'through-fan' design (i.e. the dirt passes through the fan first and gets blown into the bag).

The Trivac is not by any means a powerhouse of cleaning perfection, but it does, as I said, do an adequate job on lightweight pickups, and, of course, you have to appreciate its retro 70's yellow colouring and style, with wood grain accents.

The handle is detachable, so it could be used as a hand vac (although this would be a little awkward). Any of the standard Electrolux attachments would fit it. I use this little old fellow on a fairly regular basis for quick and lightweight cleaning.

I believe they stopped producing the Trivac in the mid '80's. There was, to the best of my knowledge, a Trivac to match each of the following models: AP200, AP280, E2000, and 2100.