Thread Number: 37306  /  Tag: Pre-1950 Vacuum Cleaners
This couldn't be for real!
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Post# 398055   9/10/2018 at 19:46 (2,026 days old) by completenutt (West Hollywood, California)        

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I've seen this color blue Model 30 before, but the attachments seem wrong and not made back in the 50s.

 

It's marked NIB?  That would be beyond rare status, if it's true.

 

Or.. Is there still a market for imitation Model 30s?  I can't imagine.



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This post was last edited 09/10/2018 at 21:23
Post# 398056 , Reply# 1   9/10/2018 at 20:08 (2,026 days old) by luxflairguy (Wilmington, NC)        

That is a rebuild I believe from Metropolitan Vacuum.! Yep the same that make new machines today! My Grandmother had one very similar. Grandma's only Electrolux tool was the rug tool! Worked great, though!

Post# 398066 , Reply# 2   9/11/2018 at 03:23 (2,025 days old) by Gj3476 (Prosper,TX)        

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Wow 😮

Post# 398072 , Reply# 3   9/11/2018 at 10:15 (2,025 days old) by dirtmaster37 (Ypsilanti, Michigan USA)        
This couldn't be for real!

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It absolutely was for real. And happened well into the 1980's maybe later?? Jobbers like Electric Sweeper Service, Vacuum Cleaner Parts Co, Star For Parts, and VERY early Tacony; were retailers of these rebuilt Electrolux models. I have two VERY early Tacony Corp catalogs that have these featured, along with rebuilt Kirby, Hoover, Eureka, Filter Queen, Rexair, Compact etc.

Others that carried these budget-pried rebuilds, were catalog showrooms, like Alden's,Speigel and etc. Also, Woolworth's, Woolco, Shoppers Fair, TG&Y, Best Co... basically any low budget, discount department, pre Wal-Mart value type places, and their respective catalogs if they were offered; hawked these "re-built" Electroluxes.

Metropolitan, was in many senses the major non-factory re-builder of Electrolux vacuums from what seems to me, the model 30 forward. I've not seen information that suggest earlier models, but DO know that it was done. All over the US there were fairly large firms that rebuilt vacuums. Re-Nu Sweeper Company was right here in Detroit, and have seen LOTS of their handiwork over the decades.

Anyhoo, Metro also rebuilt Model 60's, Automatic's E, G's L's pretty much anything that could be, and they could get their hands on...which were ALOT!! In the earlier days of me being in the industry, 2 out of every 10 Luxes in my area were Metro rebuilds. Maybe 3 were Electrolux BRANCH rebuilt, an the rest were originals. IMHO, Metro was only usurped in re-building of Luxes by Electrolux themselves, which made quite a business Factory re-conditioning their own oldies. Especially helpful when milady, couldn't find the pocket money to buy a new model.

Several catalogs hold witness to these rebuilds, sometimes featuring all ELECTROLUX parts, but later on, using generic hoses, tools etc. They even went away , as this example attests from using chrome plated wands, to powder-coating them as you see in the pics. Im really unsure of WHEN Metropolitan stopped offering these rebuilds, Im going to wager the mid 1990's. Maybe earlier. Possibly because they saw the writing on the wall of the garbage that we began to accept as new. And probably WOULDN'T have been re-build-able, or would anyone care to buy a rebuilt yucky....

Yanno, Dirty Devils, RegyyyNah House-peepers, and GASP Hoover Elites and Eureka Bravo's, they probably didn't see the Sharks coming, or even Bissell yet. Sharks were still only found in the ocean, and Bissell was hawking their Big Green Clean Machine. Not quite on the verge of dumping the market with horrible quality dust removers they ended up giving us.

So

All told, I believe that Metro survived this onslaught of "cheap seats", by becoming a manufacturer of high-quality , all metal Professional vacuums, based very much on Royal's Pony, but strangely very much like the old Luxes they rebuilt prior to. Simple, effective, no brainer vacuums that with minimal care could last forever...


Post Script-

There is VERY little online about the early days of Metropolitan. Plenty of shot's of their current crop of products: the Vac-N-Blow, Pet Vacs, Computer-Vac's, hand vacuums, etc. It even appears that they have discontinued their household line of vacuums. I do have some catalog shots, and the jobber catalogs and will snap some pics to show the class later on. I WAS however, able to find a pic, from HERE of course of a rebuilt LX or Model 60).

Oh and P.S.S.

I was able to see online a VERY early ad, from 1946 in a newspaper, hawking a Electrolux EARLIER than the model 30, but it was so small and convoluted in pixels, it probably wouldn't show (thats a problem elsewhere too :-O ), from Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Co.

And so on and so on....


Chad



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Post# 398073 , Reply# 4   9/11/2018 at 10:25 (2,025 days old) by completenutt (West Hollywood, California)        
Thanks Chad!

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I read the whole thing! Most interesting!


Post# 398074 , Reply# 5   9/11/2018 at 10:46 (2,025 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)        

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~
~

Spiegel catalog carried Metropolitan-rebuilt XII, XXX and LX machines. I remember seeing all three models in a Spiegel catalog when I was six or seven years old.


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Post# 398077 , Reply# 6   9/11/2018 at 12:09 (2,025 days old) by completenutt (West Hollywood, California)        
Thanks Charles!

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Always love it when you contribute!

 

Amazing how familiar you are with detailed history.  So cool!  Such a valuable resource to us all. 

 

Of course,  I zoomed in and read the ads!  Reminded me of when I used to wait for the new edition of the Sears catalog every year.



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