Thread Number: 24132
elecrolux super j
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Post# 269820   3/1/2014 at 09:44 (3,708 days old) by Ree ()        

I Have Electrolux Super J, It Works Great. I Got A Really Good Deal On This Vintage Electrolux!! I Was Hoping Someone Could Giv Me More Info OnThis Great Find.Its All Original, You Can Tel By The Pics. What Year Is It? How Much Is It Worth?Should I Sale Or Hang OnTo It? thanks

Post# 269823 , Reply# 1   3/1/2014 at 09:49 (3,708 days old) by Ree ()        
electrolux super j

HerE Is Another pic

Post# 269831 , Reply# 2   3/1/2014 at 11:19 (3,708 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Ree,

Thanks for your inquiry. Here is information I have learned about your air purifier/cleaner:

The Electrolux Model 1401/Super J was manufactured in the USA from 1976 to 1978. It immediately succeeded the 1205 J/Golden J (so called because it marked Electrolux USA's 50th Jubilee) and was the immediate forerunner to the 1401B/Olympia One (a name referring to its sole designation as the official cleaner of the 1989 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY). The earlier versions had the same hose as its predecessor--white with trios of teal-gold-teal stripes, and the later ones had gold hoses like yours. The power nozzle model for both versions was the PN-4 (made only for the 1401 and 1401B), although the earlier ones were cast aluminum (like the PN-2s) while the later ones were gold-painted cast aluminum. The original attachments were all ivory; although the floor/rug tool's metal plate (by the floor brush) was painted gold like the machine.

This model was still made in the era of high quality parts and is an overall durable and reliable cleaner. I would suggest keeping it, although you will want to check or have checked the motor brushes and armature to ensure that they are in good shape. You didn't mention how it sounded, so if that is a non-issue the motor bearings are likely in good shape. Other than that, a good outside cleaning and polishing of the body and power nozzle will restore its original luster.

The value is hard to determine for vintage machines, because "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Those who prefers earlier or later versions wouldn't pay as much, while someone who puts a higher value on that era will pay more. A machine with its original hose and attachments (or more) is always worth more. Correspondingly, a machine that has been cleaned and serviced prior to sale will gain a healthier profit for its seller. As such, the machine could be sold anywhere from $10 to $100; although the average is likely between $50 and $75.

The 1401/Super J is one of Electrolux USA's classics. It would make an excellent addition to someone's collection or be a sound investment for purifying the air and cleaning for anyone.


Post# 269843 , Reply# 3   3/1/2014 at 12:42 (3,708 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Grammatical correction of the third paragraph reply #2 ("Those who prefers ...") should read "prefer". I missed that in the editing process!

Post# 269849 , Reply# 4   3/1/2014 at 13:06 (3,708 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN)        
Super J

Ree,Good information above.Also has easiest and cleanest bag change.The hose can wear and lose suction.To test-take off hose,put in clean bag, feel suction at vac,add hose,feel suction at hose.If less at hose a new hose will improve cleaning.Would have had (and hope you got) 2 aluminum wands for floor or cleaning at ceiling(can be added to power nozzle wands for tall ceilings),floor/rug nozzle,dusting/upholstery brush and crevice tool.
kevin,Small correction-Aluminum Power Nozzles were polished on Super J.Painted PN were brown on Olympia & gray on Silverado.Any could be painted by customer or more likely at vac store to resell.


Post# 269866 , Reply# 5   3/1/2014 at 16:43 (3,708 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
On your

Super J set your unit to 4 bars on your automatic shutoff control, you have it turned off now.

Post# 269867 , Reply# 6   3/1/2014 at 16:46 (3,708 days old) by vacman1961 (North Babylon, New York)        

Your Super J is a late 1977 or 1978 model, you can tell by the 5 year motor warranty sticker under the handle and the gold colored hose. The earlier Super J had a lot of premature armature problems and they had to redesign them. Also the earlier Super J had a white colored hose which was the same as the Golden Jubilee.


Post# 269884 , Reply# 7   3/1/2014 at 18:55 (3,708 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
The problem with

the Armature in the KS series was because the armatures were farmed out after a fire occurred on the armature line equipment. Anyone that had a serial # K___S got their armature and carbon brushes replaced. The one pictured was earlier and was K____P.

Post# 269896 , Reply# 8   3/1/2014 at 20:54 (3,707 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Thanks for the correction in #4, Jimmy. That would explain why I haven't seen many gold-painted PN-4s.

Interesting information in your post of #7, John. I didn't think that the armature problem sounded like an Electrolux problem before; now I know why.


Post# 270032 , Reply# 9   3/2/2014 at 23:34 (3,706 days old) by ree ()        
Electrolux super j

Thanks for the great info. I do plan on cleaning super j up. I have attached a pic of an attachment

Post# 270067 , Reply# 10   3/3/2014 at 10:14 (3,706 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN)        
Super J

Not even Elux was perfect.Part of the problem was more suction and bigger motor(a SJ is longer than a Golden J)meant more vibration.This was fixed with among other things the cross bars over comm area of motor on late Olympia & Silv.When warranty was increased the branches recieved 5 year stickers to update vacs in stock.At this time screws under blower door changed from slot to phillips and Elux on bumper became black.Electrolux sales reps and service managers offered exellent service,pckup and delivery to fix any problems the customer might have.

Post# 278220 , Reply# 11   4/25/2014 at 19:36 (3,653 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Where did the Super Js with the K_______N serial ids fit?

Post# 278233 , Reply# 12   4/25/2014 at 21:15 (3,653 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Tomorrow

the 26th I will scan the complete Super J story( Intro).

Post# 278292 , Reply# 13   4/26/2014 at 15:01 (3,652 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Here is

Super J intro

Post# 278293 , Reply# 14   4/26/2014 at 15:04 (3,652 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Super j

continued.

Post# 278294 , Reply# 15   4/26/2014 at 15:06 (3,652 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Super J

continued.

Post# 278295 , Reply# 16   4/26/2014 at 15:08 (3,652 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Super J

continued.

Post# 278296 , Reply# 17   4/26/2014 at 15:10 (3,652 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Super j

continued.

Post# 278298 , Reply# 18   4/26/2014 at 15:12 (3,652 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Super J

continued.

Post# 278299 , Reply# 19   4/26/2014 at 15:15 (3,652 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Super J

Intro

Post# 278300 , Reply# 20   4/26/2014 at 15:17 (3,652 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Super J

Factory

Post# 278345 , Reply# 21   4/27/2014 at 03:31 (3,651 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)        

bnsd60m9200's profile picture
that company paper suggests very early super j's came with a pn2? is this true? i thought all super j's had a pn4...

Post# 278349 , Reply# 22   4/27/2014 at 08:02 (3,651 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
If you

look at the date it is in the September issue. In October we were introduced to the P/N 4 as well as the Super J. They never told us what was new until April or October and sometimes January.

Post# 278361 , Reply# 23   4/27/2014 at 12:58 (3,651 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Very interesting, John. Thanks for posting. I wonder, though, why Electrolux didn't first think of the improvements with the Golden Jubilee/1205-J--or even the 1205 with the new body style? It makes me think that another vacuum cleaner or vacuum cleaners that debuted around the same time as the Golden Jubilee/1205-J were out-performing it. It's also interesting that the Super J/1401 motor style didn't have a longer run (after the new armatures). I believe someone else mentioned that the motor of the Model 1521 series was of lesser quality than the Super J/1401, Olympia One/1401 & 1401-B, and Silverado/1505.

Post# 278364 , Reply# 24   4/27/2014 at 13:14 (3,651 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
LOVE THE

super-sweeper's profile picture

Vintage newsletters! Those two look like their having a ball putting those vacuums through their phases!


Post# 278809 , Reply# 25   4/30/2014 at 19:18 (3,648 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
I

misspoke about the P/N 4 starting out with the first Super J. It came out as an improvement the following year in April. Changes always came out at kick off meeting to give us something to tell people this is new and that is new. The P/N 2 started out on the new Super J, October 1975.
As far as the remark about the motor of the 1521 (Diamond Jubilee) being of lesser quality I am sorry to say is wrong. We did find a problem with motors going bad in the desert areas of the United States. The motors were improved to take the changes of the area. All motors were replaced free of charge if the people had a problem. Just like the KS series of the Super J- Electrolux took care of the customer and any problem. No one can catch a problem all the time. Ask the car companies.


Post# 278833 , Reply# 26   4/30/2014 at 23:31 (3,647 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Very cool, John. Thanks for posting the newsletter; although some of the pages were cut off on the left side. Is that something you can fix, or is that just the way it is?

Still waiting for a reply to my question in reply #11. If you can please answer that. I noticed that in reply #7 you'd mentioned the serial ids with the K__S and K__P designations but not the K__N.

I still can't figure out why so many years are misidentified with Electrolux's machine history. For example, I've always seen that the Golden J was manufactured until 1976 at which time the Super J was first sold. I understand that Golden Js could have continued to be sold until the stock was depleted, but it still doesn't make sense that so much literature mentions 1976 as Super J's beginning. Then, there is the Model R start year discrepancy--some say 1959 and others 1960. The aqua Model G's beginning is also disputed between 1960 and 1961. Sheeesh!


Post# 278836 , Reply# 27   4/30/2014 at 23:50 (3,647 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Correction in my reply (#2). The Olympia One was the official vacuum cleaner & air purifier of the 1980 Winter Olympics (I mistakenly said '1989').

Post# 278882 , Reply# 28   5/1/2014 at 08:12 (3,647 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Kevin,

according to the people in power at the time the G and R came out G and R were introduced in 1960.The 1933-63 thread is from the company.

Post# 278883 , Reply# 29   5/1/2014 at 08:18 (3,647 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Kevin,

The only series that had a problem in the Super J was the K_S series. I just stated that the machine in the picture was a K_P series but was not involved in any problem. The K_N series was not involved in any problem.

Post# 281481 , Reply# 30   5/22/2014 at 17:46 (3,626 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Thanks, John, because I also recently discovered that there was a K____R serial id for the Super Js.

I'm taking for granted that the serial ids were in alphabetical order according to age: K____N, K____P, K____R, and K___S (there may have been others). In that case, the fire would have happened during the production of the last--or one of the last series of Super Js. Is that correct?

Jimmy, what did you mean by "nose" in reply #6?


Post# 281592 , Reply# 31   5/23/2014 at 19:26 (3,625 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
In identifying

a cleaner by Serial number in Electrolux I was not privy to how they did it. I just know that the serial # started with The Letter 5 numbers and then another letter. If you went thru the complete alphabet that is 2,599,974 units sold.

Post# 467670 , Reply# 32   11/22/2023 at 17:31 by barnuthin (Indiana)        

Sorry to be posting in such an old thread, but I just picked up an Super J for $2.00! Vacuum motor and carpet head both run nice and quiet. Hose may be the weakest link. I'm signed up to educate myself, as I disassemble and clean this thing up. So far everything is cleaning up nicely.

The link is a short video I made to have as my "before" reference.


CLICK HERE TO GO TO barnuthin's LINK


Post# 467673 , Reply# 33   11/23/2023 at 08:51 by human (Pines of Carolina)        
Great find!

human's profile picture
At $2.00, you absolutely stole it! Those are great machines, some of the best Electrolux made. I got one about 10 years ago and paid about ten times that for it. As pretty as the woven fabric hoses are, they do leak. I would strongly suggest getting a vinyl replacement hose for it to fully unlock its performance potential. Did you get a full set of tools with it? The machine would have originally had a crevice tool, combination dusting brush and upholstery tool, and what I like to call the flippy floor tool, which has bristles on one side and no bristles on the other.

Post# 467676 , Reply# 34   11/23/2023 at 13:59 by Thevacomaticiec (Bathurst New Brunswick Canada )        

thevacomaticiec's profile picture

i sure   love my Electrolux Olympia One 1401- B   with a vinyl   hose and pn 6  head .



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