An Elusive Model Finally Shows Up

I'm not sure why this particular machine is 'elusive', but it is true that I very rarely saw it for sale or elsewhere. Today, however, the 'Guardian by Electrolux' Model C134E arrived, in great cosmetic and working shape. 

Full ensemble shot, including the unseen small attachments, which were the only accoutrements to come with the vacuum. The wands, combo nozzle and Sidekick are shared with other models, while the hose was received some time ago. The power nozzle is shared with the later Aerus by Electrolux Guardian C154B. 

Attachment door logo. They certainly wanted to emphasize the 'Guardian' with this one...the 'By Electrolux' is not very visible unless you look closely.

Side bumper. Identical to the C154B.

Ratings sticker.

Some comparison shots of the C134E's brother models. First, a side view of the C134E and C154B together. Identical save for the attachment door badge, the 'Made in USA' sticker (which I have seen on some C154Bs), and, in addition, the C154B has a different motor.

Attachment door badges. 'Guardian by Electrolux' and 'Aerus by Electrolux', and, of course, there is the later 'Lux Guardian by Aerus'. I miss the straight-up 'Electrolux Guardian' nomenclature, but, what can you do?

The C134C (Guardian Encore) and C134E together, looking almost identical.

There you have it. It should be noted that, despite my nitpicking the details out of the Guardian and Lux 9000 Style R models, that they are pretty much all exactly the same in terms of cleaning efficiency, power, and usage, except perhaps for the C154B and C154E, which have different motors. I haven't measured, of course, but I daresay the latter two are a little bit more powerful. 

My Style R collection is nearly complete. All I need now is the Guardian 75th Anniversary C134B and the Aerus Lux 9000 C154A, and I daresay they'll come along. I wouldn't mind, in addition, having a complete set of attachments and accoutrements for each of the machines, instead of having to share them. We shall see.

Some Forgotten About Pictures

I was tooling through my 'Vacuums' picture folder on my external hard drive, and came across a few pictures that I thought looked nice, and a few oddities as well.

First, a blurry picture of the (later) 88. I like the perspective on this one.

The 89, with the PN III, cleaning the carpet. A very common sight during my younger days.

The Epic 8000 sits on the table. It isn't as elegant as the Renaissance C104A, but much more so than the C104H.

Yet another table picture, for the Guardian C154B.

This is the second of the vacuums I had when I was living in China, the Electrolux Ingenio. It was fairly powerful, had a variable speed motor, reusable cloth bag, and a telescopic wand. I regret not snagging this and bringing it back home.

The bronze Model G. Very elegant...in fact, the most elegant American Electrolux.

Another view of the bronze G:

The blue Model G, decked out with hose cord and power nozzle. I'm not sure if the original hose cord would have been in matching blue or not.

Black vacuums look better in the shade?

The first of the two vacuums I had when in China, the Electrolux 'Tabby'. This is the first, and to date only (thank heaven) machine that ever conked out on me. I was vacuuming with it one day, and it gave a dismal groan and blew up in a puff of smoke. Oh well. It did serve me well enough for a couple of years.

The Last of the Collection (For the Time Being)

Here are the two machines remaining in my possession that have yet to be featured in this blog.

First up, the Electrolux Golden Jubilee, or 50th Jubilee, however you choose to put it, Model 1205J. This was released in 1974 to celebrate the first 50 years of (American) Electrolux*, in gold with beige trim. My model is in all-original condition, albeit with a dent in the side that occurred during shipping. In my (humble) opinion, this is the gaudiest machine Electrolux ever made, but hey, it was a 50th/Golden anniversary model, so what can you do? I do happen to have an original power nozzle for this machine, but I couldn't be arsed to dig it out...its in solid (silver) aluminum, not in gold as you might expect. I don't have the original hose or attachments for this one.

Full view, with dent:

50th Jubilee logo:

Front panel, with check bag light, automatic shutoff selector, and switch:

I'm not an aficionado of the American Electroluxes, but I do know that this basic body style (with a few modifications over the years) was used, more or less, from 1968 - 1984 (or thereabouts).

Next, this gigantic, heavy old beast of a Canadian Electrolux shampooer/polisher, the BX-10. I got this along with the GE polisher (featured elsewhere in this blog), and, I daresay I've used this thing for actual polishing once. That being said, its in decent condition, except for the end where the cord plugs into the machine and part of the 'T' handle, and I do have an original set of brushes for it. This machine, by the way, would have been the accompanying shampooer/polisher for the ZB/Z 88 vacuum cleaner, and I believe it was released over the run of both the first and second versions of the latter. As far as I know, the shampoo tank was a slightly later addition in the run of this machine; when it first came out, it was intended solely as a bare floor cleaner.

Closeup of logo. I believe this is the original Electrolux logo, used when the company started up, sometime in the 1910's or 1920's.

A pic of the BX-10 and GE on the day I got them:

*I'm reasonably sure that Electrolux Canada started up in 1932.

The Holiday Vacuum and A Couple of American Gems

What better Electrolux to end the old year and ring in the new with than the Renaissance?

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.

Gee, it's a Model G

I'm definitely on a bit of a vintage kick these days. The brown* Model G makes his debut here, after being put into service for some light cleaning.

This is my favourite American Electrolux model. It was made between 1967-8, I believe, and sold in the U.S. I got this on eBay (cylinder only), and later got some of the original attachments and the original hose from a fellow collector. It works just fine, and is very quiet and powerful. To make it complete, I'd like to have the original power nozzle with plastic wand, brown and white combo tool, and brown crevice tool. 

Motor unit shot. This is in unbelievably good condition, with little to no paint loss, scratching, or denting. 

The distinguishing feature of the G is the vertical orientation of the bag chamber. I'm not sure why they did this, but it definitely makes the G a 'tall' machine compared to other models. I doubt it makes any difference in performance.

Immaculate bag chamber:

Front end. Automatic!

Rear end, with blower diffuser:

Logos:

Bottom view, with four wheels and caster. Note the power nozzle connector.

Ratings plate:

Plugged in and good to go. This is a super quiet and powerful vacuum, somewhat less so than its Canadian contemporaries, but it still holds its head up high today. In fact, considering the 80 and G series, I really don't see why Electrolux and Aerus had to continue to make their motors louder and more powerful than this. It's unbelievable how soft and pleasant these vacuums sound when running (minus the power nozzle, of course!), and this makes them a pleasure to use. 

*I've seen a variety of different color names for this G...tan, bronze, etc., but I'm calling it brown, as it's definitely a derivative of brown.