Time Traveling Adventures in Filtration

Here are three curiosities I had hidden away in a drawer of my vacuum collection room.

First off is an unused air filter for the Models 30, 55 1, 55 2, 55 3, 54, and 57. I really can't remember where this came from. It might have been thrown in when I got one of my 50 series machines, or it might have come from somewhere else. Either way, this is never going to be used, but saved for posterity.

Here is an unopened 80 series air filter, although, as can be seen, it looks black (!). I can only say that the package is unopened, and its going to stay that way. This must have been issued during the run of the ZB/Z 89 and 87, although the latter is missing from the model list, and note, too, that the American models E and LX use the same filter (and, presumably, the Automatic E/AE?)

Yet another 80 series replacement filter. This one, going by the graphics and the Consolidated Foods logo, was issued sometime during the AP series run (1973-82). It COULD be during the run of the AP 200/Super J, going by the gold graphics on the package, but who knows?

I'm not really sure about the efficiency of these filters versus modern ones, but I'm pretty sure they're not quite up to par. That being said, they do capture quite a bit of fine dirt and carbon brush dust. They also make the already near-silent 50 and 80 series vacuums even quieter!

As an addendum to 80 series filtration, I wonder if any Electrolux aficionados out there remember a filter that attached to the (outside) blower end of the machines? I definitely remember my grandparents having one for their 86s. It was white in color, and vaguely rectangular in shape. I have never seen one of these before or since, so I'm totally stumped as to its function. Was it the 'hospital filter', not shown, but mentioned, in the ZB/Z 89/87 manual, or was this supposed to be the same as the one on the American Hospital G? 

Another possibility is that this was some kind of scent filter, perhaps a precursor of the Clean Sweep Chips. I do remember a lot of 80 series Electroluxes having a distinct scent...I don't know if they sold some sort of product to suck up in the bag and emit a scent, as with the Clean Sweep Chips, or was it a scented oil on the interior filter, or this mystery filter I'm remembering, or what. I'd love to figure this one out.

Speaking of the 80 series, if I have no other vacuum-collecting ambition (and I really do, but never mind), its to have a complete set of all of the 80 series machines, in all their possible variations, with all possible changes/differences in hoses, hose handles, hose cords, wands, power nozzles, standard attachments, optional attachments, manuals, etc. I want the whole bloody kit and caboodle.

The One That Got Away

A couple of posts ago, I said that the machines presented were the last remaining in my collection to be featured in this blog. Well, I was in the vacuum room this morning, spied the ZB 55 3rd version sitting there, and realized it had never been featured (at least in its own, standalone post). So, to rectify this error, here is the ZB 55:

This particular model was made in 1957, the last year of production for the 50 series machines, and is thus 60 years old as of this year. Its virtually identical to the 55 2nd version (except for colour, of course, and I think there may have been some differences in attachments), and was sold along with the 54 (bottom of the line model) and 57 (top of the line model). As with all the other 50 series machines, this is a quiet, capable performer, and still works fine. In fact, I decided to put it into service for the week as the downstairs vacuum!

I don't think I have many of the original attachments for the 55 3rd version, though I vaguely recall a blue-bumpered floor brush and dusting brush hidden away somewhere.

Bottom view:

Metal ratings plate. Made in 1957, as noted above, and rated at 3.8 amps.

The bottom of the line model, the 54, shares the same body covering as the 3rd 55, I believe, but has a bright red nameplate (gaudy!) and brown Bakelite ends. I still don't have this one in my collection.

Just for the hell of it, here is the view from the closet (i.e. the current upstairs vacuum). Not a bad thing to see when you open your closet door:

Some Family Electrolux History Elucidated

My aunt (my father's sister) was visiting today, and I finally seized the opportunity to ask her to confirm what the household vacuum was when she was a child. In my post on the ZB55, I mentioned that my paternal grandparents had one in their basement when I was a kid, and, after I began collecting vacuums, I recalled my memories of it, and hazarded a guess that it was the old household vacuum.

Well, it turns out I was slightly off. I showed the 55 to my aunt today, and she said their old vacuum was like it, but brown. Could it have been the Z57? Indeed it was. When I showed her the 57, she recognized it right away.

Could I have been mistaken in my memories? I don't think I am. I definitely recall that distinctive black and silver 55 with the black 'Cord-o-matic' cord winder. My aunt opined that the 55 could have been a 'shop vac' used by my grandfather, who had a workshop in the basement (he had been a shoemaker).

So, the household vacuum was the 57. My father would have been 10 or so at the time (he was the oldest), and my aunt would have just been born, so I'm glad that this great childhood memory has been confirmed. Incidentally, the same grandparents had a Super J with the gold hose and power nozzle (quite possibly the gaudiest vacuum Electrolux ever made!) which I always busted out when I was visiting.

After all this, of course I busted out the 57 for a little cleaning!

112 Combined Years of Vintage Vacuum-ness!

Today, mostly for fun (and why do something that makes you sad, I say), and partly because I needed to clean, I broke out my two favorite vintage Electrolux models, the 88 2nd version and the 55 1st version, respectively.

As I've said before, for hard surface dusting and bare floors, a massive amount of suction isn't needed, and, even though these machines are not as powerful as modern Electrolux/Aerus models, they do the job just fine, with less power consumed, and with considerably less noise. These machines are really astoundingly quiet, the 88 being somewhat more so than the 55. I can only imagine how someone who is used to more modern vacuums would react after hearing one of these running. Of course, if you add on the power nozzle, it becomes moot, as Electrolux power nozzles have never really been quiet. In addition to this, I used the 55 to vacuum the 88 after filter, and the 88 to vacuum the 55 cloth bag and after filter.

Note: This particular 88 (I have three) has the "Electrolux" logo stamped on both sides of the plug, as opposed to all the other 80 series machines I have or have seen, which have the logo only on one side. Completely random? Who knows?

Incidentally, I think the 88 2nd version and the 55 1st version are positively gorgeous machines, quite close to the first Renaissance in the looks department. It's a great pity they aren't as useful as the latter, for, on the rare occasions I use a vintage Electrolux, I can't get past the short cord, lack of fingertip power controls, lack of variable speed suction, and lack of on board/lock fit attachments. Sad, but true. However, as I pointed out before, different eras mean different levels of technology and performance, so it's not completely fair to compare vacuums like this. All of my models have their pros and cons (yes, even the newer ones, which I love using!), and the 55 and 88 are fine vacuums which do exactly what they're supposed to, quietly and efficiently.

For the carpet, I used my go-to boy, the Lux 6000. What else is new?

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 Silver and Black Attack

As noted in my "Eluxography", my main interest at present is in the Style R models and uprights, but I do like using models from every period of Electrolux and Aerus history. Today, I decided to use this lovely old boy, the ZB55, made in 1949 by Electrolux Canada*.

When I was very young, my paternal grandparents had one of these sitting in their basement, and I remember being quite fascinated with it. Oddly enough, I don't remember ever turning it on, but I do remember playing with it. Theirs had the (optional) cord winder; I believe this was the first one ever offered. I find myself wondering if this was the household vacuum when my father was a child, but I doubt he'd remember, and my grandparents have passed on. At any rate, the 55 does have a special place in my memories, and now, in my collection.

I got this machine from a fellow collector, with a few of the original attachments, and even after 63 years, it still works fine. Its not what you'd call "powerful" in the modern sense of the vacuum world, but set against that is the fact that its very quiet, and only runs on 3.8 amps. Not only that, but for bare floor cleaning and dusting, it has more than enough power to get the job done. You don't need a massive amount of suction for bare surfaces.

One disadvantage of the 30, 54, 55, and 57 is that the hose port sits too low on the front cover, making these machines at times a little hard to haul around, especially with the metal runners. The dirt capture (cloth bag) and after filtration (gauze-like filter) too, are certainly not up to modern standards, but for the amount of time I use this series of machines, I'm not overly worried.

Close up of logo plate:

Ratings plate (a little blurry):

If you ask me, this is one of the most beautiful Electroluxes ever made (Note: Wilkie Collins is another one of my passions):

*There were 3 different versions of the 55. Mine is an example of the 1st version; the 2nd is identical except the runners attached differently to the body, and the 3rd had a blue "weave" pattern on the body.