Thread Number: 31444
/ Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
Tempted by an Epic |
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Post# 347658   3/15/2016 at 19:52 (2,935 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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I don't remember the last time I saw a vacuum cleaner that even remotely interested me at a thrift shop, but a little while ago, I came very, very close to pulling the trigger on an Electrolux Epic 3500 upright. I had run out for some Chinese takeout and pulled into Goodwill on the way home and saw this particularly pristine Epic 3500. It looked like it had had hardly been used. There were no accessories with it and the store had taken out the electrical outlets where you used to be able to test stuff so I couldn't check to see how it ran. They wanted $35 for it, which wasn't totally outrageous, but having just shelled out a a few thousand on a new roof for my house, I wasn't really into making a discretionary purchase.
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Post# 347662 , Reply# 1   3/15/2016 at 20:19 (2,935 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 347680 , Reply# 2   3/15/2016 at 21:35 (2,935 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 347683 , Reply# 3   3/15/2016 at 21:50 (2,935 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Post# 347685 , Reply# 4   3/15/2016 at 22:00 (2,935 days old) by Packardmanken (atlanta ga)   |   | |
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Human! How do I contact you? You responded to one of my posts recently and I would like to talk with you! Thanks! |
Post# 347699 , Reply# 5   3/15/2016 at 23:38 (2,935 days old) by delaneymeegan (Mary Richards lived here)   |   | |
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I switched, around 1996 from Electrolux Olympia to Electrolux uprights. I had 3 of them at one point. The final one had a head light. They are good machine. Easy bag change. Can get an electric hose for using a motorize upholstery cleaner attachment. light enough in weight. and a two motor system.
$35 is reasonable. |
Post# 347729 , Reply# 6   3/16/2016 at 10:38 (2,934 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Post# 347732 , Reply# 7   3/16/2016 at 10:42 (2,934 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Post# 347733 , Reply# 8   3/16/2016 at 11:02 (2,934 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 347747 , Reply# 9   3/16/2016 at 15:24 (2,934 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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I recommend it! Mine came to me, no tools, 50 bucks! I got the tools from the vacuum shop I work at for free
Here are some pictures Also, Edgar, do you mind sending me an Email? i would be interested in buying your Electrolux PN-5 Andy Rousonelos imdafarmer5088@gmail.com |
Post# 347760 , Reply# 10   3/16/2016 at 16:43 (2,934 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Post# 347761 , Reply# 11   3/16/2016 at 16:46 (2,934 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Post# 347768 , Reply# 12   3/16/2016 at 19:28 (2,934 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 347814 , Reply# 13   3/17/2016 at 14:24 (2,933 days old) by Packardmanken (atlanta ga)   |   | |
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Human: Sent you an email. Thanks, Ken |
Post# 347907 , Reply# 14   3/18/2016 at 16:22 (2,932 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Every now and then, the universe allows you a second chance. Today was one of those days. I stopped in at a Salvation Army thrift store I'd never visited before and what do you think I found?
It wasn't an Epic but it was an Electrolux upright, A Discovery Plus, to be exact. I guess the "plus" indicated the built-in tool holders, which unfortunately weren't holding any tools. Overall, the machine was pretty much in comparable condition to the Epic I'd spotted earlier in the week and it was $10 cheaper. After my experience losing the Epic, I did not hesitate to buy it. Other than a few scuffs on the sides and on the bumper around the nozzle, it's in great shape and seems to work fine except for a loose connection where the removable cord attaches to the body of the vacuum cleaner. The only downside I see is it doesn't have a power connector to allow me to use my SideKick with it. It also lacks the Epic's headlight. My initial impression is it works well, although it takes a bit more effort to push around than my G series Kirbys with their Tech Drives engaged. I'll have wait to do any more extensive testing since the bag is completely full. I've ordered some replacements (Walmart doesn't stock them) and they should be here the first of the week. |
Post# 347918 , Reply# 16   3/18/2016 at 17:45 (2,932 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 347919 , Reply# 17   3/18/2016 at 17:47 (2,932 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 347922 , Reply# 18   3/18/2016 at 18:02 (2,932 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Yes, I'm very happy with my purchase. I just spent a few minutes going over it with a Walmart generic version of a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and some L.A.'s Totally Awesome, which is a dollar store product similar to 409, and got rid of almost all of the scuffs. Then I started poking around in my parts box and came up with a combo dusting/upholstery brush that appears to be designed to fit the accessory holder on the front of the handle, even though the plastic is more of a dove gray instead of the Discovery's oatmeal gray. Then I went down to the storage barn in my back yard and dug out a pair of wands and a crevice tool that went to a crappy old shop vac I was planning to donate. After cleaning them up, I test fit the combo brush onto the end of one of the wands and it snugged up real nice. The crevice tool also fits onto the tool holder like it belongs there. The only thing I'm now missing is the hose and I have put in a "best offer" for one on eBay (there's something quite satisfying about playing that little game and chiseling a little more off of an already acceptable price). If that goes through, I'll be in business.
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Post# 347925 , Reply# 19   3/18/2016 at 18:10 (2,932 days old) by delaneymeegan (Mary Richards lived here)   |   | |
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You mentioned that the cord may be a problem. Consider that Electrolux had a safety recall for a poorly located cord on some of their upright models.
If the cord comes out of the machine at the very end of the handle, that is not safe, and you should be eligible for a free replacement handle and cord from Aerus.
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Post# 347926 , Reply# 20   3/18/2016 at 18:11 (2,932 days old) by delaneymeegan (Mary Richards lived here)   |   | |
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Post# 347928 , Reply# 21   3/18/2016 at 18:19 (2,932 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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From what I've been able to find out, the Discovery Plus is essentially a Discovery II with a five-piece toolkit (hose, two wands combo upholstery/dusting tool, and crevice tool) and a pair of brackets to hang it all on the machine. The top bracket holds the two tools on the front and has a pair of hooks for the hose on the back. The bottom bracket holds the wands and provides a pair of channels for the hose to go. The URL below corresponds with a Vacuumland thread (coincidentally originated a year ago today) that shows a Plus, somewhat dirtier than mine.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO human's LINK |
Post# 347931 , Reply# 22   3/18/2016 at 18:24 (2,932 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Post# 347937 , Reply# 23   3/18/2016 at 18:37 (2,932 days old) by delaneymeegan (Mary Richards lived here)   |   | |
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In 1997, I discovered Electrolux uprights and bought two. One was a Discovery like yours. It too, did not have the Side-kick plug, mainly because I don't think Electrolux had a compact electric brush YET. If I remember right, Sears was the first with that accessory in the later part of the 80s.
On other models, the slot next to the handle is where that plug would be.
Just FYI, I have a almost new hose that will fit this. I was planning to list it on Ebay. It's 4' and appears to have been used only a few times. |
Post# 347939 , Reply# 24   3/18/2016 at 18:54 (2,932 days old) by delaneymeegan (Mary Richards lived here)   |   | |
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Post# 347941 , Reply# 25   3/18/2016 at 20:00 (2,932 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 347954 , Reply# 26   3/18/2016 at 21:35 (2,932 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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My eBay "best offer" on the hose came through so it's effectively all tooled up. I still may want to replace the 'bojack' tools with correct ones at some point.
In trying to find information about this thing, I came across photos of a Discovery Advantage (see URL below) that has a trapezoidal adapter that goes between the cord and where the power plug-in is on mine to provide a second plug-in for a SideKick. It looks like it could be a plug-n-play adapter. If so, it might be cool to find one and retrofit mine but I don't know whether I'm really into re-wiring the machine if it isn't. I went ahead and took a few photos for your enjoyment, with and without the accessories onboard. CLICK HERE TO GO TO human's LINK |
Post# 348111 , Reply# 27   3/20/2016 at 13:57 (2,930 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Okay, I'm a little bit in shock right now because the Postal Service just delivered a package of bags I'd ordered from Amazon for my Discovery--ON SUNDAY!!! When I ordered them Friday afternoon, my shipping options were Saturday delivery for a little more than $8 or Sunday delivery for free with my Prime membership. I thought, Sunday? Yeah, right. It'll come Monday and that's okay. But no! They actually delivered it on Sunday. The bags were a pretty good deal also--36 generic bags for $22.18 with free shipping. Anyway, now I can start putting the Discovery through its paces. The hose I got will arrive tomorrow and I can play with that as well. This one's really come together in a hurry!
One thing I did figure out after I took the photos in the post above is I had the crevice tool on there wrong. It goes on much easier, stays more secure, doesn't strain the clip and gives an extra inch of clearance at the bottom if I put it on with the shorter of the two skinny sides against the handle. Even though that's a non-Electrolux tool, it's now obvious to me that's how it's designed to go. Oddly enough, the genuine Electrolux crevice tool from my 1205 is too long to fit on it. This one's about nine inches long at the longest and the one that came in the Discovery's toolkit was actually half that length, according to the Discovery II owner's manual I downloaded from the Aerus Web site. Amusingly enough, it was mislabeled as a Discovery III manual. I am assuming the optional Discovery toolkit, consisting of a hose, two wands, a crevice tool and a combo dusting/upholstery brush, is what came with the Discovery Plus. The only pictures I've been able to find of a Plus are of one that, like mine, was without its tools. It amazes me that so little information exists on this machine. Some Web sites acknowledge it by name but other than the Vacuumland thread referenced in the post above, I have found no specific information, about it, much less actual images. The one thing that particularly baffles me is why there's a double hook on the back. One hook is obviously for the hose and maybe the other is for the cord since the upper cord hook is a little less accessible with the tool holder in place, or maybe there was some other tool but I can't visualize what it might be. I guess the Discovery Plus was just a little ahead of its time when it came out in the mid/late '80s. It seems like onboard tools didn't really become de rigeur on uprights until maybe a the late '90s or early 2000s. |
Post# 348185 , Reply# 28   3/21/2016 at 16:33 (2,929 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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My Discovery Plus is now fully tooled up with the hose that arrived today. It is now quite obvious to me why there's a double hook on the back. You have to wrap the hose around twice to keep it off the floor when stowed. The wands and tools fit the hose perfectly so I'm pretty much in business with what I've got, although I may still try to pick up a shorter crevice tool as clearance is kind of tight, albeit workable, for the hose port when the crevice tool is in its holder.
Vacuuming with all tools stowed aboard is quite an awkward experience. It's pretty easy to tell the machine wasn't originally designed for onboard tool storage. During actual use, it is definitely better balanced with the tools removed. I've also noticed that the handle appears to be bent backward slightly, causing the lid to the bag compartment to pop open too easily, especially with the hose hooked up. It seems the little catch in the lid doesn't go into the hole in the handle far enough. I'm just a little afraid to try to straighten it for fear of breaking it off. Since this seems to be such an unusual configuration for the Discovery, I've added a couple of pictures of the machine with the hose stowed aboard (Note also the corrected positioning of the crevice tool in the front view). I felt sort of obligated to do so since there don't seem to be any other photos of a Discovery Plus fully loaded anywhere on the Web. It took me a few minutes to figure out exactly how to place the hose, so I guess I have it right but who knows? There's not much of a way to tell for sure since I'm working without a pattern. |
Post# 348255 , Reply# 31   3/22/2016 at 13:52 (2,928 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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I agree that hose is too long. It's at least six feet, maybe a little longer. The onboard tool storage is great for just storing the tools with the machine but much less practical when the machine is in use. Of course, I think that of just about every tools onboard upright I encounter. While one of the shorter hose options would definitely work better for this application, a hose with a pigtail connector is pretty much out of the question as there's no place to plug it in to power a SideKick without doing some retrofitting, maybe even extreme retrofitting.
While all of the tools I have hung on that machine do serve the purpose intended by the manufacturer, none are, strictly speaking, 'correct' for it. The wands come closest as it appears many different manufacturers use the same or very similar wands I have a tool set for a Royal hand vac that has the very same ones in a brighter white. To all but the most trained eye, these wands could pass for OEM Electrolux ones. The more I look at the combo brush, the more convinced I am that it is not genuine Electrolux as it doesn't say 'Electrolux' anywhere on it and I've never seen another one quite like it. Perhaps it is for one of those Perfect canisters. Whatever the case may be, I like it with this machine because there's a nice little slot on the back that fits the holder absolutely perfectly and holds it in place quite securely. |
Post# 348343 , Reply# 32   3/23/2016 at 11:06 (2,927 days old) by william (Philadelphia)   |   | |
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Sunday delivery? Wow. I think that either the Universe loves you or it wishes you to clean your carpets one or the other! LOL! Happy cleaning ;) Bill |
Post# 348362 , Reply# 33   3/23/2016 at 14:17 (2,927 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Yeah Bill, I'm still trying to puzzle that one out. That's only the second time I've ever received a package on a Sunday. The other time was a couple of days before Christmas several years ago and USPS was delivering Priority Mail packages on Sunday in an effort to get everything there by the big holiday. The fact that Amazon arranged that of their own volition and at no extra charge is the really baffling part. I would have been just fine with a Monday delivery.
As for the Universe's role in all of this, the condition of my floors would suggest it really wanted me to do some cleaning. |