Thread Number: 39763
/ Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
The Electrolux Model G! |
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Post# 422081   3/23/2020 at 20:47 (1,493 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Since I am isolating under California guidelines and have gone through my collection with Charles Lester I have renewed my interest in vintage Electroluxes. I have now owned every Lux since the XXX. BTW I did keep a pristine XXX for my collection. The last machine I bought new was a Renaissance which I still have also. I must say without reservation that one of my favorite machines of all time is the Electrolux Model G. My memories of this machine go back to the 60s when they opened a big mall near my home, Right near Sears was an Electrolux branch. On the way to Sears with Mom, I would press my nose up against the front window and drool over the beautiful Turquoise Gs. No way would Mom buy one.
In any event Charles’ visit caused me to pull out the rebuilt model G in Silver that would have been from the era of the Silverado. These machines came back from the factory brand new. It purrs like a kitten and does what it is supposed to do. I am in awe of a machine that still works like this and is over 50 years old. Parts are still available including high filtration bags, attachments and hoses. I remember Consumer Reports did a special on expensive door-to-door vacuums and only had good things to say about Electrolux. They generally rated very high. Designed to do a job well. Here are two pictures of my Rebuilt G. One with the PN 4 and the one from today with the PN2 in the 1205 setup. Since this a rebuilt machine and they would have sold it with the new power nozzle at the time, I don’t feel bad about mixing and matching. Just like to keep the color scheme as close or complimentary as possible. If there is interest in this thread I’ll get out the all original Tan G (except the hose) and take some pictures. I just found out that the Tan G had a more powerful motor than the Turquoise G. You learn something new every day. Any comments on the Model G? |
Post# 422082 , Reply# 1   3/23/2020 at 21:08 (1,493 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 422083 , Reply# 2   3/23/2020 at 21:21 (1,493 days old) by bikerray (Middle Earth)   |   | |
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Post# 422084 , Reply# 3   3/23/2020 at 21:24 (1,493 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Post# 422085 , Reply# 4   3/23/2020 at 21:32 (1,493 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Post# 422086 , Reply# 5   3/23/2020 at 21:36 (1,493 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)   |   | |
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Post# 422091 , Reply# 7   3/24/2020 at 02:37 (1,493 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)   |   | |
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Oh wow, does the tan G have a bigger motor? I have a Electrolux G that was tan but has been repainted in red, and then has a teal back housing. Inspecting the inside of the vacuum reveals it was formerly tan. I bought it from a Seattle Goodwill store operating on eBay and I loved the color combo on it and planned to use it as a "vacuum cleaner cleaner".
www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bi... |
Post# 422112 , Reply# 8   3/24/2020 at 17:46 (1,492 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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The grey trim and cord was brand new so they made it specifically for these rebuilds. The original power nozzle port must have been down by the front wheel because it wasn’t on the door. In the rebuild they moved it to the top for some reason. Could be because they retrofitted the older rebuild machines with the ports for selling power nozzles with them and had the parts. The tan G has the port by the front wheel.
Since I got the Renaissance new and my housekeeper didn’t use it, it still works. The electronic controls for that hose were problematic. It was worse if you left the machine plugged in while not using it. I understand they replaced a lot of them under warranty although I never got a recall notice. It’s actually a pretty good machine. |
Post# 422113 , Reply# 9   3/24/2020 at 17:51 (1,492 days old) by luxflairguy (Wilmington, NC)   |   | |
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Lux model L's always had the PN port down on the side of the front wheels. This also includes the R's. G |
Post# 422114 , Reply# 10   3/24/2020 at 17:54 (1,492 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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The tan G
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Post# 422118 , Reply# 11   3/24/2020 at 19:01 (1,492 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)   |   | |
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~ The first Electrolux to have a power nozzle was the later-style Model F (see link below for details). The power nozzle port was placed in the chrome metal strip on top of the machine near the front cover. Wiring ran inside the chrome strip back to the switch.
The next Electrolux to have a power nozzle was the Model R. The power nozzle port was put into the right side of the front wheel housing. The wiring was contained in a narrow strip of metal along the underside of the motor body and, similarly, connected to the switch.
The next Electrolux to have a power nozzle was the Model G. The power nozzle port was placed in the bottom of the front cover. This proved to be a problem as the plug frequently came undone. With the next version of the Model G, the front wheels were moved back about 2 inches and a power nozzle port was added in a rectangular housing in front of the wheels with a return to the metal strip along the underside of the housing.
When Electrolux started offering reconditioned Models E-A, F and G, the location of the power nozzle was the chrome trim again, probably for consistency's sake and also to avoid the problem with the early G's front-cover location. CLICK HERE TO GO TO electrolux137's LINK |
Post# 422126 , Reply# 12   3/24/2020 at 20:19 (1,492 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Not sure of the year. The Rebuilt G shows the port on top. I assume that they put the power nozzle port on the top because it was less expensive than rewiring under the machine and would fit all Gs whether they were originally outfitted with the port on the door or underneath.
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Post# 422128 , Reply# 13   3/24/2020 at 20:41 (1,492 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)   |   | |
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Post# 422161 , Reply# 16   3/25/2020 at 14:51 (1,492 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Just called the nearest Aerus dealer (50 miles away) to see if they had an original pigtail hose. He thought he might have one and will check and get back to me. Sounds like Aerus doesn’t manufacture them anymore so if you want one you may have to scour Aerus dealers for new old stock. I’ll update you one the search as it progresses.
The aftermarket hoses just don’t make it. |
Post# 422163 , Reply# 17   3/25/2020 at 15:04 (1,492 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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I have heard many stories of the Electrolux salespeople developing good relationships with their customers and talking them into upgrading their older machines to the new ones. The trade-ins would have been a good selling point for a new machine as well as a great source of machines for rebuilding. Brilliant marketing. The interesting thing is that these machines were built like Sherman tanks and given the service level Electrolux provided, there was no real reason to trade them in unless you really trashed the machine which wouldn’t have been easy to do. Folks tended to take better care of their appliances back in those days since it was a large investment.
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Post# 422164 , Reply# 18   3/25/2020 at 15:35 (1,492 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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From the Aerus guy. He’s an old timer. Told me about selling a machine to a sports star in 1950. He also asked me if I was interested in a new machine. Not! They don’t make these hoses anymore so grab any you find while you can. He had 2. I got one. I’ll post pictures when I get it. He offered me a deal on a Super J hose so I'll see what this one looks like before I get it.
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Post# 422179 , Reply# 19   3/25/2020 at 20:13 (1,491 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 422239 , Reply# 21   3/26/2020 at 20:38 (1,490 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Just delivered. Not cheap but definitely worth it. I will definitely see what else this guy has. Will get the Super J hose as well. Might be worth a trip when things loosen up. I am pleased. This will go beautifully with the Silver G.
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Post# 422277 , Reply# 22   3/27/2020 at 14:05 (1,490 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)   |   | |
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Do you mind telling me how much it was? Just trying to get an idea. I heard at one time they were $99. Also, sounds like he shipped it. Did your cost include shipping? |
Post# 422281 , Reply# 25   3/27/2020 at 14:32 (1,490 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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The Aerus guy is on his way to deliver a Super J hose. I have a feeling he is going to try to sell me a new machine. I’ll nip that in the bud by showing him my collection of vacuums. I sent you an email with the total cost. Not cheap but the quality of the original Lux parts makes it worth it. You can still get aftermarket electric hoses for these machines with the pigtail, but for a purist, it just doesn’t make it.
This guy is an old time Lux salesman so I am sure he has some interesting stories. When I got the pigtail hose he said he had two but couldn’t order any more. That’s why I put out the message to grab any NOS while you can. Someone else on the site asked for his contact info so not sure he’ll still have it. If you contact Aerus Customer Service, let me know what they say. This guy may have jacked up the price by creating a fake shortage. |
Post# 422290 , Reply# 26   3/27/2020 at 17:50 (1,489 days old) by ridgidwd0670 (se wood co ohio)   |   | |
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i got a genuine lux hose for my mdl L; b4 that i had a coiled vinyl non-electric hose with external PN cord
i still have the non-electric hose & use it for vacing hopefully aerus keep making the older pigtail hoses bcuz i once bought a generic & returned it bcuz the hose handle didnt swivel & too bulky & uncomfortable & incompatible with the sidekick |
Post# 422388 , Reply# 28   3/29/2020 at 10:59 (1,488 days old) by Air-WayCharlie (USA)   |   | |
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Several folks on here, (Fred Nelson, Keith and Charles Lester for starters), inspired me to go to my storage unit and dig out these vacs for photo shots to share. My husband and I are building a new home and yesterday we went to see how it was coming along. The storage unit was on the way much to my husbands dismay. He is not into vacs.
The first pic is my G and the J. The G is all complete and original. It has the early PN-1 with no reset button and no clean out hole underneath. The J was brought to me by a man when I still had the vacuum business for a, "go over". He never returned to pick it up. Then a turquoise G, "glam shot". On the J, I replaced the original hose which was falling into shreds with a genuine Lux hose that I had. I also replaced the brush roll and belt as I had NOS to use up. I told him at delivery time, I would upgrade his PN-4 with a PN-5 from a Diamond Jubilee that I was parting outand he would get much better results. See next pics. Finally, after all the talk about the replacement pigtail hose.......at the time Fred got one several years ago, I decided to do the same so we could use our older vacs with much more suction, (due to the braided hoses failing), and the newer hoses were much more flexible. We've probably all knocked something off a table with those stiff braided hoses. Last month I found a NOS PN-1693 on ebay and bought it. It was still wrapped in plastic and in the Lux box! I thought that was one of the best PNs that Lux produced and if I am not mistaken, it came on the Ultralux in the color scheme pictured. So, I put the new hose and PN on the G and it makes one hellava cleaner! Those G's has a unique exhaust odor---sort of like cloves with a hint of cinnamon. I'm using the evacuumstore blue HEPA C bags in all of these older Luxes as they provide the best filtration IMO. Pics show vac off and then on with the PN headlight on. Since most of us are in some level of quarantine it sure is fun to bring out the old vacs and get creative. |
Post# 422415 , Reply# 30   3/29/2020 at 20:42 (1,487 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Charlie Watrous’s machines are pristine. I have found that collectors are generally of one of two types. They either go for quality or quantity and Charlie and I fall into the former category. I did a bit of quantity but Charlie’s husband limits his quantity which I have discovered is a good thing. Being a widow lady I haven’t had such limits. Charlie and I used to send machines back and forth and I always appreciated getting machines back from him since he always subjects the machines to a spa treatment and they came back like new or more new. This is why I love watching the postings from Keith since his machines look like they were just delivered from the Electrolux man.
I’ll post some pictures soon of the Renaissance since it went to live with Charlie and came back after a spa treatment. Here’s a picture of how things came back from Charlie.
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Post# 422418 , Reply# 31   3/29/2020 at 21:02 (1,487 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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The Tan G originally came from Charlie and will be going back to him. The Ultralux is going to him as well. There are some great stories about that Ultralux including me buying it brand new in Palm Springs years ago when it was sold new and that it turned out to be my housekeeper’s favorite vacuum to use in Chicago. There’s a story about Charlie meeting my housekeeper Geneva and her almost slapping the crap out of him after he told her she “missed a spot”.
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Post# 422419 , Reply# 32   3/29/2020 at 21:25 (1,487 days old) by Air-WayCharlie (USA)   |   | |
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Hey Fred...………...you are spot on about Keith and his vacuums. Talk about being, "pea green with envy". His vacs are stunning. If I can't find them like Keith does then I try to make them look as good as his. And, you should know, about two years ago I found a really nice Renny. I liked yours so much that I got it.
I ended buying another one and between the two have a super nice one. Over the years there has been arguably more than just a little criticism about the Renny. I find it to be a really nice Lux with what seems to be a slightly longer hose than other models. I like the controls in the handle---it would have been nice to have another set on the base machine too. Recently I bought a new PN motor for it along with belt and brush roll from the parent company of the Perfect line of vacs. The new model uses a serpentine belt so you need the belt and brush roll to go with it. That PN is so quiet now it is hard to tell if it is running properly. But it is! Makes a great machine better. I've always enjoyed working on the vacs and making them look factory fresh. After years of experimenting I have found a collection of products that work with nearly all models. The story of the Hoover 29 is really the one that takes the cake! It did enjoy it's time here at summer camp :) |
Post# 422444 , Reply# 33   3/30/2020 at 11:16 (1,487 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 422445 , Reply# 34   3/30/2020 at 12:20 (1,487 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)   |   | |
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Post# 422447 , Reply# 35   3/30/2020 at 12:41 (1,487 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 422453 , Reply# 36   3/30/2020 at 13:28 (1,487 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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Post# 422457 , Reply# 37   3/30/2020 at 14:21 (1,487 days old) by Air-WayCharlie (USA)   |   | |
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Post# 422479 , Reply# 39   3/30/2020 at 21:39 (1,486 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 422690 , Reply# 41   4/3/2020 at 17:17 (1,482 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)   |   | |
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I've been working on that with my spare upright hose, but the cord and will need to be ground down to fit inside the rectangular cutout for the plug.
My model L did arrive (in better shape than I thought) so when I take a break from packing I will try and get some pictures up. I still need to plug it in and try... |
Post# 435759 , Reply# 44   12/2/2020 at 08:17 (1,240 days old) by Kirboover (Watertown, South Dakota)   |   | |
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Post# 435764 , Reply# 45   12/2/2020 at 09:23 (1,240 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)   |   | |
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Replacing the cord will be difficult for someone who is not an Electrolux repair person. You'll need a drill to drill the rivets, and a soldering iron to solder the wires of the new cord to the brass rings. But first, getting the old one out. You'll have to pry up on the retaining ring in the very middle. It's circular. Then remove the two screws holding the spring bar. You'll have to put your fingers behind the spring coil and wiggle it and the winder UP. Then you remove the spring coil (carefully). Now you can drill the screws on the winder and solder on another cord. Once that's done, return the winder to the machine, wiggling the spring coil back into place. Replace the bar and two screws. Have the new cord fully wound before putting the reel back. Replace the retaining ring, and hand wind the cord three times by turning it around. That puts some tension on the spring. Replace the reel and you should be good. The new cord should be measured and NOT more than 20 feet long.
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Post# 448884 , Reply# 49   12/28/2021 at 20:25 (848 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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I have quite a few vintage vacuums but pulled out the Silver G which is the subject of his thread a while ago and it wasn’t working! I really don’t vacuum too much any more since I broke down and hired a housekeeper here (a reward for quitting smoking.) Not sure if it was the switch or the carbon brushes (ran intermittently and smelled of electricity. ). Proving that this is my favorite vacuum of all time, I just couldn’t let I go so brought it in to my local vacuum shop (has been around for years) here in Palm Springs and it was diagnosed with bad switch. This is the shop that is also my sewing machine shop so they gave me great service for a good price. Didn’t have the energy to diagnose the problem, track down parts and do the repairs myself (used to be able to do it). This is a factory rebuilt unit with little use so I was surprised that it wasn’t working but have heard that these rebuilt units can have problems. In any event, it’s back in service. A tribute to a machine that is over 50 years old. Parts and service still available.
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Post# 448958 , Reply# 52   12/31/2021 at 09:52 (846 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Post# 448962 , Reply# 53   12/31/2021 at 12:12 (846 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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I've never owned a Model G. My oldest Electrolux machines are a pair of early 1205s, both of which came from my dad. One he rescued from the curb in the early '80s and I subsequently rescued from their attic in 2016, and the other he bought for me at a thrift store in 2004, after had I split from my then-wife and needed a vacuum cleaner. I have only seen one model G in the flesh and that was at a thrift store maybe six or seven years ago. They wanted about $10 for it with just a ratty looking non-electric hose. The whole machine looked like it had sustained a fair amount of abuse over the years, so I chose to walk away. Besides, I had just bought a pristine looking Diamond J with a PN5 and an aftermarket hose a few days earlier for $10 at a different thrift store, so I wasn't exactly 'hungry' for another vacuum at that point.
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