Actually, he's the sole upstairs vacuum at the moment, and has been for the holidays. I just didn't have the energy to carry up an upright, I suppose.
Now, to present a couple of longstanding machines in my collection, the American Model E and Model G.
Model E:
I bought this (motor unit only) on eBay. Its not what you'd call all-original, as it does have a Lamb replacement motor, which makes it louder and more powerful than the original, and a replacement cord (but I do believe the original cord would have been black). Nevertheless, I'm quite satisfied to have it, although it is, beyond a doubt, the least used vacuum in my collection.
This was the first North American Electrolux to have a fully painted metal body. Prior models had metal bodies too, but were adorned with leatherette coverings and (usually) had plastic or Bakelite end caps, so the E is a step forward in terms of styling. As far as I know, it was the first Electrolux to ditch the metal skids or runners in favor of wheels.
What really distinguishes the Model E is the attachments (which I don't have, at least the original ones). It was the first Electrolux to feature the combination dusting/upholstery tool (which could be stored on the top clip, as seen above), and the combination 'flip-over' rug and floor tool. These advances, combined with the incredibly light weight of this machine (even with arthritic fingers, I can literally carry this machine with one finger), make the Model E an incredibly easy to use machine.
In action. Note that the hose, wands, and attachments are not original.
Next up is the blue (or whatever derivative of blue you choose to call it) Model G. This model, along with its younger brother brown version (which has already been featured in this blog) is my favorite American Electrolux. It's stylish, quiet, and powerful, and I'm quite pleased to have examples of both models in my collection*
A picture of the G on the day I got it. The motor unit, hose, power nozzle, and combination rug/floor tool are all original. The switch isn't; it should be in the same teal color as the bumper, and I'm not sure if the hose cord should have been light blue. I don't have the combination dusting/upholstery tool or crevice tool for this model.
As noted above, the G is a very quiet and powerful model. Its also a much more streamlined design than previous (American) models, having the cord winder inside the main body of the machine. I daresay the impetus for this came from the Canadian 80 series, which also integrated the cord winder into the body (at least when closed).
Connected up and ready to go. For the time**, of course, this model was deluxe, but today, the lack of an electric hose and separate wands for the power nozzle and other attachments would render the G user-unfriendly. Still, its not fair to judge vintage vacuums on what came after them.
*The Model G also came in another version known as the 'Hospital G'. This version featured a large filter on the blower end, and was mainly colored white (with blue and brown accents, respectively), but was otherwise the same as the regular Model G. I wouldn't object to having these versions in my collection.
**As far as I know, the blue Model G was produced from 1961 - 1967.
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