A Blaze of Christmas Cheer and a Great Childhood Memory

The ZB86, or Z86, or 86 2nd version has a special place in my 'vacuum heart', as its the first ever Electrolux I ever laid eyes on. I was a wee lad of 4 or 5, and every time I went to my grandparents' house, I would see the 86. Actually, they had two of them: one was the primary (upstairs) vacuum, and the other was used mainly downstairs, or in the shed by my grandfather as a shop-vac. I don't recall the year of manufacture of these models, but as my grandparents moved house in the year I was born (1972), and had owned both of these machines before that, they could have been made anywhere between 1963-7.

I only recall seeing one set of matching attachments for the 86s anywhere in my grandparents' house, in the cardboard handikit. I also recall two hoses, one with the metal end, and the other with the plastic handgrip. In 1972, my grandparents purchased a green electric hose, green telescopic wand, green PN IV, and green B-21 shampooer/polisher, all of which obviously matched the 89. The red hoses and attachments, after this, went by the wayside, I suppose, as I mainly remember the green add-ons. I have no idea if the two 86s already had power nozzle connections in the carrying handles, or if they were upgraded along with the add-ons.

I'm happy to have two 86s in my collection, although both are in pieces. The rubber ring around the motor housing has deteriorated in both, and both have no suction. I suppose I might find some replacement parts myself and get them put back together one of these days.

A picture of one of my 86s, the very day I got it from a fellow collector:

And now, particularly appropriate for the holidays, is the configuration I remember best from my early years:

A weird color combination, but very user-friendly.

Here is the 86 with his top-of-the-line older brother, the 88. The 86 looks a little bigger, because of its placement on the shelf and the angle, but its actually slightly smaller, because of the lack of the automatic bag shut-off machinery inside the front cover.