Thread Number: 34514
/ Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
My vacuum collecting sickness |
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Post# 373161   6/3/2017 at 15:24 (2,512 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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After finishing my post to the 'vacuums wanted' thread about how I don't really want any more vacuum cleaners right now, I started thinking back on my collecting fetish and realized this has happened really just in the past two years! When I moved into my house in March 2014, I had just three vacuum cleaners, my trusty Electrolux 1205 that I'd had for about 10 years, a Kirby Gsix that I'd rescued from a dumpster about 15 months earlier, and an old Douglas ATV shop vac that I never used. Then in late January 2015, I found a blue Royal Prince 501 hand vac for a few pennies less than $3 and at that point, the demon had hold of me. A month later, I got my Kirby G5, which is now my frankenkirby, and a month after that, I found another Gsix at Goodwill that was just too pretty to pass up. Later in the spring, I acquired an Electrolux Super J and shortly after that, another Royal Prince, just because I liked red and gray bag. In the summer, I picked up a Hoover QuikBroom Supreme to suck up cat litter and I rescued a Dayton shop vac from a store where I worked after the manager told me to pitch it in the dumpster. After that, I was okay for about eight or nine months, then the cycle started all over again. The spring of 2016 saw me pick up a Filter Queen Majestic for $5 and then spend ten times that much fixing it up. A few weeks later, I grabbed an Electrolux Discovery Plus upright for $25 and acquired a 1980s vintage Hoover QuikBroom from a fellow VL member. Then the summer came and I helped my parents clean out their house in preparation for a move and brought home another Electrolux 1205 and another Hoover QuikBroom like the one I'd acquired a couple of months earlier. In early December, I finished out the year with an Electrolux Diamond Jubilee that I totally didn't need but couldn't pass up for $10. Count it up. That's 13 machines acquired in about 22 months and we won't even talk about the parts and accessories! That's freakin' insane!
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Post# 373162 , Reply# 1   6/3/2017 at 15:31 (2,512 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)   |   | |
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Hmm I'm kind of to that point too. I really started collecting vacuums in early 2012 after discovering Habitat had some cool ones. I acquired several in the space of a year or so, I found a Constellation an Electrolux I wanted at the time as well as an early Elite II and the first Bissell Lift Off and a Eureka 1934A. I also got a few newer Kenmore canisters in that time frame.
I'm not really into it anymore other than if I found some very specific models I want, I've been able to pass up the temptation so far. If I had my own house it might be harder to not get more, but I am mostly into collecting smaller things that take up less space. I've kind of learned that vacuums are fun to look at, but after you get them the novelty kind of just wears off and they become another thing that gets in the way in the house. At least to me they do. |
Post# 373163 , Reply# 2   6/3/2017 at 15:56 (2,512 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Fan-of-Fans wrote: I've kind of learned that vacuums are fun to look at, but after you get them the novelty kind of just wears off and they become another thing that gets in the way in the house.
I reply: I hear you. Stepping over my Diamond J in the dining room every day because I have no place to put it serves as a good reminder that I don't need any more machines. A week after acquiring it, I spotted an Electrolux Model G at another thrift shop and just let it go. Then, a couple of months ago, I walked away from a Kirby Ultimate G Diamond Edition. It was nice, but not as nice as the Kirbys I already have. Truth be told, it actually felt good to exercise that will power. I've also had an unintentional intervention over the past year as I've started selling off a portion of my dad's 50-year collection of electric trains and model cars. It's bringing in some good money but it's yet another reminder of the dangers of over-collecting. |
Post# 373166 , Reply# 4   6/3/2017 at 16:43 (2,512 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)   |   | |
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Edgar,
It's starting to bite me now, too, because I am almost about to get a Kirby Heritage II... well, not one but two! The garage is the only place I can really keep most of my vacuums when not used, but space out there is filling up. I still don't have one proper heavy duty/commercial vacuum yet, but every time I get another Kirby, the slots I intend to use for a heavy duty/commercial vacuum will run out for me soon.
Like you, how much longer can I keep doing this?
~Ben |
Post# 373169 , Reply# 5   6/3/2017 at 17:16 (2,512 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 373172 , Reply# 6   6/3/2017 at 18:49 (2,512 days old) by KirbyCollector (Columbus Ohio USA)   |   | |
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Post# 373173 , Reply# 7   6/3/2017 at 18:54 (2,512 days old) by KirbyCollector (Columbus Ohio USA)   |   | |
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Post# 373176 , Reply# 8   6/3/2017 at 19:52 (2,512 days old) by rohmell (New York -> Long Island)   |   | |
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I don't go to thrift stores for my finds, I simply find them at the curb, ready for the trashman. I don't even go out of my way, I simply look to see what is being thrown away on my daily commute to work. Generally find run-of-the-mill Hoover, Bissell and Eureka bagless plasicvacs, but have also gotten a flawless Regina Housekeeper, a GE swivel-top from 1959, a Kenmore upright with tools that have never been used, and other assorted gems.
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Post# 373221 , Reply# 10   6/4/2017 at 19:12 (2,511 days old) by crazykirbydude (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 373246 , Reply# 12   6/5/2017 at 09:43 (2,510 days old) by countryford (Phoenix, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 373251 , Reply# 13   6/5/2017 at 10:57 (2,510 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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"plan" a collection. They appear, and multiply. I used to be able to count them. I KNOW all of my HOOVER appliances exceed 400!!
I've been called 'obsessed'..... by someone who printed color 8x11 prints of me from this site....and is not even a member. This person collects crystal.. (another story... another time). I've often wondered about what to do with all of it......I've NEVER moved in my life, so, one can see how 'space' has never really been an issue. Although, having a very large, old home, 12 rooms, 140 years old....... can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. |
Post# 373395 , Reply# 16   6/7/2017 at 08:53 (2,508 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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I hear what you're saying. Please understand that I'm only questioning my own sanity. I'm not calling anyone else 'sick' but myself. I know all too well that the 'hoarding gene' runs deep in my family and I know that it can easily take over one's life and living space. It's very front and center in my consciousness right now as I'm in the process of liquidating my dad's collection of electric trains and model cars that he accumulated over about 50 years. It takes a lot of effort to list all that stuff on eBay, but I am making some good money doing it--something that would be much less likely with my vacuum cleaners. But while I'm doing that and working a full time job, the stuff is taking over my home. I like the vacuums I have and with the exception of maybe one or two of them, I don't really regret acquiring any of them. That said, I also recognize that it's very easy for me to get caught up in the thrill of acquisition without putting it into the perspective of what I already have. The reality is I've got a small house with too much stuff in it, so there's no room for any more vacuum cleaners. By publicly acknowledging that, I am making it more real for myself in a way that can help me curb the urge to accumulate more stuff when I can't really justify it. Several others here have expressed the same thing and some are even struggling with disposing of much larger collections than mine, so I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. Yes, collecting can be fun, regardless of what one collects, but everything has its limits and at least on vacuum cleaners, I've reached mine for now and the foreseeable future. That said, I still enjoy sharing knowledge and camaraderie with those who have similar interests. And the best part is that aspect of collecting doesn't take up any physical space.
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