Last December, I posted some pictures of what my outdoor laundry building looked like, but in over 10 months it has changed quite a bit, with new acquisitions (both large and small) and added shelf space! After the mess from the wash-in was cleaned up, I decided to take some new pictures. Here's how it looks as you open the door. The machines you can see are (left to right) 1981 24" Kenmore, 1955 Maytag 101P, 1952 Frigidaire WO-65-2, 1977 GE Dispensall.

Detergent/vintage cleaning products on the shelves. The gold machine on the far right is a 1978 Frigidaire 1-18.

The majority of my vacuum collection; not the prettiest arrangement but it saves space. Compared to the elaborate collections of other members, it looks like a sad joke!

David, recognize anything sitting on the shelf to the right?

1961 GE Combination Washer/Dryer, another shelf for "schtuff" above, and to the left, the hand vacs as well as the Celebrity S3005 and Constellation 843.

(And yes, Greg, that's the Frigidaire banner you sent! It's FINALLY on the wall now! ;-) )

Thanks for sharing the pictures Austin. Looks like that vac collection is really growing. My that is a beautiful GE combo!! Terry

do i see a bronze-colored Wards (by Eureka) canister vacuum? and you say the motor runs better than the pretty Bradford? i didnt even get a chance to see what the amperage was on the Eu.. Wards?

Some really nice machines there -- did you realize you have a pre-war Electrolux 30?! And I --LOVE-- the "tipped" Constellation. I'd love to have one of them. Don't need to make any apologies for your collection! :)

Hi Austin,
I like your washer/vacuum building and also your washer/vacuum collection. I especially like the Frankenmore Kenmore washer! I would like to attend a wash in/vac in and see your collection someday.
Rob Gwisdala

I hope to have a room of washers and vacuums one day. I see there you have a Hoover Concept One. Is that a recent find? What do you think of it?

You have an excellent collection of vacuums. Great variety!

Although wimpier...I also love the 1400 series Eurekas. They have a very distinct (and awesome) sound.

You have two of my favorite Dial-a-Matics! I especially love the one thats like a light(ish) avacado (is that what color you'd call it?). :)

Corey!

I too hope to have a space for both washer and vacuums someday!

Corey that lighter green DAM is model 1130, the B line model from the 1969 line. Its colors are spring green with light, medium and deep seal griege. It matches the 1020 Convertible color for color.
Thats one of the more rare DAMs too!

We've had a great time working on the "studio"! It is still a work in progress, as there is always another acquisition just around the corner! I just wish it was twice as large; but, then again, it would get filled up just the same!

Corey, that light green DAM is great, isn't it. When David (Swingette) was here, we compared the two green DAMs. Once is noticably darker, which I would call an apple green. The lighter one he called, "celery". We just happened to have some celery on the snackie table at our wash/vac-in, and sure enough....it is celery green!

Since I am partial to cannisters, my fav is the little Bradford. It's just as cute in person as it is in pics! :-)

Venus

Great pics, Austin! I love the color and all the shiny appliances, large and small!

BTW, that is the exact same Kenmore shop-vacuum I saw at that sale I told you about.

It really does look great Austin and the wall color makes everything pop out. Don't apologize for your collection, mines still a work in progress as well and will probably never equal what other people here have but then as you know I have other collecting itches to scratch as well.

"10/32/2006". LOL I didn't know October had 32 days!

I guess in VacuumLand it does!!

Your Webmaster

My mom still thinks of laundry and vacuuming as a household chore, but she does admit that the styling on some machines is enough to make her believe otherwise! I think the AW.org forum is slowly changing that as well...:)

Charles, I thought my XXX looked different from the others I had seen because of the "narrow" bag cover lever, but I didn't realize it was that early! Thanks for the information!

Corey, the Concept One (Model U3105 with 2 speeds) is a fairly recent acquisition; I bought it from Marty Kaplan on eBay. Why I didn't have an awesome machine like this one earlier is beyond me; I can't believe what I've been missing all this time. It's quite powerful and does a great job on the low-pile carpet I have. The only thing that I need to get used to is the Power Drive...give that handle the slightest push forward and it takes off! The two Dial-A-Matics I have are the model 1131 and 1149. I do agree that the 1131 has a nice color combination.

David, I'll check the amperage of the Wards tomorrow; I know it's higher than the Bradford because of the stronger suction and added noise. Remember how the Bradford just hummed? This one has more of that "Eureka canister whine"; if you listen closely, you can *almost* hear a faint trace of Mighty Mite in it!

--Austin

I was wondering if anyone could give me a few tips on how to tell when my Electrolux XXX was made. I recieved this machine from my previous neighbor a couple of years ago. When I was about 3 I would go next door to her house almost every other day and vacuum. I have the machine up in the attic and I would love to know how old it really is. Im going to go up and dig it out. I know that it does need a bag, but I have almost all the original attachments. The lady I recieved it from is a very old friend of my grandmothers and they are both 93! I know her memory is still working just fine but I doubt she can give me an exact year of when it was purchased. Any help is greatly appriciated!
-Steven

BTW You have a nice collection Austin! It seems like a great space to display your nice collection. I'm not too wild about the power drive Hoover machines since the Dial a Matic my grandmother had when I was little could drag you across the room if you pushed it just a little to hard. You have a nice assortment of machines.
-Steven

I have a Hoover Concept One U3103. I found it in the trash in October 2002. I put a new cord/agitator/bottom plate on it and it runs like new! It looks rough though.

austin, maybe you should keep a lookout for a non-drive machine? ive tried both the regular and PD DAMs and Concepts, and i prefer the non-drive. some folks DO swear by the PD, though. seems from what ive gathered from the various postings and the cleaning contests, the Hoover Concept models cannot be topped when it comes to deep rug cleaning.

IMHO the Concept One and its later updated PowerMax version are absolute best at dog hair. If they weren't so loud. The PM lacks the cord rewind but instead has the built in auto conversion tools and tool holder, a sliding power switch and a built in tray to hold a scent tablet, otherwise they're identical.

Even after using my fair share of self-propelled machines, I still prefer a good old-fashioned "push" vacuum. While Power Drive is fun to use in wide open spaces, it is nothing to write home about as far as control is concerned. When you're cleaning a room with lots of furniture to get in the way, it's better to hold down the "neutral" button and just push it than go go around running into everything. I once accidentally ran into my nightstand with a DAM so hard that it actually pushed it against the wall!

Unless I find one that's really nice at an estate sale, I don't know if I'll have another Power Drive DAM. I recently sold my U6039 on eBay and really don't miss it at all. Since the intake on the nozzle is only at one side, it is quite easy to run over the carpet too fast and not get it clean. I've found that my Concept, however, is such a fantastic cleaner and a great all-around machine, so much that the good far outweighs the bad. I can only imagine how awesome the non-self-propelled version is! Hopefully I'll stumble across those as well as more non-self-propelled DAMs in the future.

--Austin

Hoover power drives are fast or slow as the USER makes them. The amount of force you exert on the hand grip determines the speed it moves. So if your PD machine is wrecking furniture and baseboards, its not the cleaner's fault, its PILOT ERROR!
Once you get the hang of a PD machine, they are wonderful to use and glide across the floor!
Austin the Concept has side suction too, the difference is the quadreflex brush pitches everything into the suction faster than the DAM.
That brushroll also makes the Concept a little harder to control on any carpet, because the cleaner is pulled by its brushroll!
I've tried both PD and regular Concepts, I perfer the PD version myself.

While I prefer the power drive models myself I know what Austins saying. There are just some spots, usually between the legs of a nightstand or end table and a chair etc where no matter how gingerly you are the machine just sort of jerks forward or backward but this usually happens to me when I have the handle maybe just a little to far upright because of the tight spot.

I also have a Hoover DAM U6039-030 self propelled and a Hoover Power Max U3725-930 self propelled with the Quadraflex agitator.

I also have a Hoover WindTunnel self propelled with bag.

Which cleans better?
Is it the DAM/Concept One/Power Max/WindTunnel?

Can't speak for the WT but the Concept/PowerMax is a better cleaner than the DAM with its auto pile adjustment.

Hi Jeff, I guess part of the reason I've had trouble with Power Drive machines is that I naturally vacuum fast, and David pointed this out last weekend. While I'm not pushing it at warp speed across the carpet, I'm still going faster than one should, and it seems that I end up "flooring" something that is self-propelled, so to speak. After reading your post and out of curiousity, I got the Concept out, fired it up on low speed, and started moving it at an appropriate pace for vacuuming. Much to my surprise, I was able to pull up very close to the wall, and come to a smooth stop without even so much as lightly touching it. So now I just need to work on pushing it more slowly!

David, I checked out the Wards canister just now, and it has a 7.1-amp motor (and that big sticker on the top with a claim of 2.2 peak HP). The Bradford is 5.5 amps, which is more than I thought...I was thinking more in the 4-amp range since it's so compact.

Speaking of cleaning ability, Reggie mentioned to me that the 10-amp Royal RY4000 is one of the few machines that can outclean the Concept. While I haven't yet used one personally, I heard they have a horrendous amount of power! I'll definitely be bringing my Concept One to Omaha next year (along with some others), so it will be interesting to find out!

Its all in your grip guys...

Get your powerdrive machines out, wrap your fingers around the grip and then experiment.
YOU ONLY NEED EXERT ENOUGH "PUSH" TO MOVE THE GRIP ON ITS SLIDE. THE POWERDRIVE WILL DO THE REST.
That applies to any PD cleaner: DAM, Concept, Powermax, Powerdrive, or Windtunnel.
Also check your handle grips too. They should slide up and down freely and not be "sticky" This is more common for the DAMs and older Concepts, before the switches were moved up onto the grip. If the grip does not slide easily, remove it, clean under it, and lightly grease the inside of the grip. You'll be amazed at the difference!

Years ago a TV commercial for the 1170 powerdrive DAM showed a man in a carpet store gliding the DAM across all the different carpets using only his pinky.

Austin, like I am ALWAYS telling Tom Anderson(who also vacuums very fast) you are not cleaning anything pushing that cleaner at warp speed. My suggestion for to help you vacuum slower is to take your powerdrive concept and vacuum with it WHILE HOLDING THE DISENGAGE DRIVE BUTTON DOWN.
Let us know what you find out...

Its all in your grip guys...

Get your powerdrive machines out, wrap your fingers around the grip and then experiment.
YOU ONLY NEED EXERT ENOUGH "PUSH" TO MOVE THE GRIP ON ITS SLIDE. THE POWERDRIVE WILL DO THE REST.
That applies to any PD cleaner: DAM, Concept, Powermax, Powerdrive, or Windtunnel.
Also check your handle grips too. They should slide up and down freely and not be "sticky" This is more common for the DAMs and older Concepts, before the switches were moved up onto the grip.
Years ago a TV commercial for the 1170 powerdrive DAM showed a man in a carpet store gliding the DAM across all the different carpets using only his pinky.

Austin, like I am ALWAYS telling Tom Anderson(who also vacuums very fast) you are not cleaning anything pushing that cleaner at warp speed. My suggestion for to help you vacuum slower is to take your powerdrive concept and vacuum with it WHILE HOLDING THE DISENGAGE DRIVE BUTTON DOWN.
Let us know what you find out...

Hey Austin - nice shots of your wonderful studio! You have quite a nice collection of machines and vacuums, and your current photos really show them off with pride!

Ben

Well then explane how Tom showed me the full bag when i visited his house!!LOL Come on it is a hoover it'll get the dirt anyway!!!!

IBAISAIC,

Kyle

It's not to say that the vacuum won't clean at all, it just won't get as much as it would when you push it at a slower pace. I've changed many a full bag as well myself, even after all these years of vacuuming faster than usual! Just my 2 cents on the subject...

of course, if your cleaner has a fast agitator, like concept, you can vacuum a bit faster. and if you vacuum often, like several times a week, you can also run the vacuum quickly and you will be getting most of the dirt. think anderson said he had a higher-amp Convertible with double-brush agitator. it can get a lot of soil in one pass im sure!