Has anyone but me noticed that as adults, the relative size of vacuum cleaners seems much smaller now?!

When I found my first Electrolux polisher (attachment) as an adult, not having seen once since I was a little boy, my first thought was that it was a different model because it seemed so much smaller than I thought it should be. It eventually occurred to me that it only seemed that way. The polisher had not shrunk -- I had grown!

I remember as a little kid standing next to upright machines and they just seemed to tower above me, which -- along with the noise and the big scary bag -- was one reason I was so afraid of Kirbys. They seemed absolutely gigantic!!

This was really brought home for me when I found on eBay the same toy vacuum cleaner I had gotten for Christmas when I was four years old (see Christmas thread in the off-topic department). When the one from eBay arrived and I opened it, it was the strangest sensation --- it was EXACTLY as I had remembered it, every detail, and it was quite eerie to see one after not seeing one since I was 4 (I have no idea what ever happened to the one I got back then). EXCEPT that it seemed -- so little! Even when I crouched down next to it, I was surprised and indeed a little disappointed in a way because it just didn't seem as big as I had remembered it being.

The one time as an adult I experienced the very strange sensation of standing next to a vacuum cleaner that seemed "the right" size was the first time I saw Stan Kann's model 961 Hoover. That machine, made for commercial use, is an exact replica of the Model 541 ... except that it is about a third bigger in every aspect! The motor and housing, the agitator, the bag the handle --- all precisely scaled up so nothing looks "out of proportion." Not only is the handle longer, it is also fatter. And the bag is huge! It's really as if someone took a Model 541 and stuck it in a three-dimensional xerox machine that enlarged the copy! When I saw that 961 for the first time and stood next to it, it really was a very strange feeling in a way. I once again felt like a little scrawny kid standing next to gigantic, towering vacuum cleaner!

I am wondering if anyone else has noticed this, or thought about it.

1

Not me! As long as I am taller than the vacuum cleaner, everything is okay. LOL! I am a relatively short kid, so if I am taller than some kids at school, it makes me happy.

Charlie,
I had the same experience. When I was about 4. my grandmother went to the Hoover dealer's a got me a toy Hoover. It was just like the big blue upright but years later when I saw the same toy I was shocked at how small and short it appeared. I can say the same about the Kirby. They came to demonstrate at our house when I was very young. I was afraid of the Kirby but at the same time was very interested. I remember how big the bag seemed and how much noise the machine created. Of course I was used to hearing the low noise of an Air-Way. Thanks for the memory!

good point about the 20s heavy duty Hoover. thats prolly what stuck out to me, the proportion. its soo exact that in pictures it looks like a regular ol Hoover.

It seems like Vacs and kitchen gadgets are inversely noisier.

I notice all uprights are tiny now :p lol

Yes, Charlie, I agree with you 100%. As a child, I remember having a battery-operated Eureka upright. Mine was light blue, and it came in pink as well. It ran on two "D" batteries and had a vinyl bag that would inflate. I thought it was the coolest thing. I may still have one somewhere, but I wouldn't mind having another. I'm sure if I saw it again today, I would think it was tiny. It's really a shame what's happened to the vacuum cleaner industry. The vacuums themselves have gotten smaller (hence they can be made more cheaply), and almost everything today made entirely out of plastic. They've beefed up the motors (most to 12 amps) so they burn out in a relatively short period of time. Even the new all-aluminum Royals have disposable motors. Really a shame....

When I bought my Miracle Mate vacuum-the second wand was all plastic-expandable-but sized for a midget.I use a longer one for the bare floor tool instead-and I often use a metal Compact TriStar bare floor tool-much better!I don't like most of the "bare floor" tools made today-they are HORRIBLE!