Thread Number: 41012  /  Tag: Brand New Vacuum Cleaners
Another Decent Machine Discontinued
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Post# 435402   11/24/2020 at 16:05 (1,219 days old) by Jake1234 (greasby)        

Hello,

Just another post with me moaning. Ha!

This will apply more to the UK collectors, but I am sad to say that the 3 in 1 range from vax that has been going since about 1978 has been discontinued. These machines were brilliant, they always were plastic and yes the quality has gone down over the years and production has moved to China but the machines were still the same style and still worked quite well. It all started with the 101 that came out in about 77 or 78, this machine was the famous orange and black that we all associate with the original vax machines, it had an orange and black body with a white tool kit and was vaxes first ever machine and is what sparked the 3 in 1 trend. It seemed like everyone who was anyone had a 3 in 1 in the 1980s, ha. In about 1982, this machine was updated and the model changed to 111, the tool kit was black but the main machine still the ssme colour. However the recovery bucket was translucent but you have to look very carefully to see that. In I think about 86 the model was changed again to the 121, this was the final and longest running machine out the original design and is even today the most common out the three. By now the VAX trend had caught on and everyone in Britain wanted one, you were a nobody if you didnt have a vax! The 121 rocketed to the number 1 best selling vacuum cleaner and vaxes sales soared. Literally thousands and thousands of 121's were made and dare I say it, even today they are quite common and easily available as used machines on ebay. The huge success of the 121 made vax want more, and they thought of bigger and better ideas. In 1988 the machine was completely redesigned and the vax 2000 was released, this was the first of the design that we still know and have today. The classic original 121 carried on alongside the new 2000 machine for two years, until 1990 when the original 121 was finally dropped. The 2000 was another huge success and made vax have another think about ways to improve. This happened in 1992, as this was the year that vax brought out the Powa 4000, vaxes first pumped machine, the older models relying on a gravity feed system. The 2000 wasnt discontinued though, it was sold alongside the Powa 4000 and the price was reduced significantly and it was sold as a budget machine next to the Powa 400. So basically if money was of no object to you you were supposed to buy the Powa 4000 and if you were on a budget you were supposed to get the cheaper gravity fed 2000. This went on until 1994 when the 2000 was dropped, the following year in 1995 the Powa 4000 was discontinued to and a new model was introduced. Pretty much from the 2000 onwards the machines were all the same, they just went through a series of colour changes and different names, but they were all the same machine. Vax brought out other models of uprights and cylinders as the company grew, but the 3 in 1 was what started it all and to me it will always be the best, most important and special VAX machine there is. Obviousley rival brands brought out there own 3 in 1 machines as a solution and win some customers back of vax, Hoover brought out the Aquamaster and Goblin brought out the Aquavac. None of the others were quite like or as popular as the vax though. I will post a few pictures of some of the most significant cleaners down below, but I am just saddened that another great model has been discontined. And if you read the reviews online, they were still selling in the thousands right up until the very end! I suppose all good things come to an end, it long outlived the Aquamaster and Aquavac. A 32 year run, WOW! They were obviousley doing something right wernt they! The 3 in 1 series from vax will be dearly missed by me and I am sure it will be dearly missed by a few other collectors too.


Post# 435404 , Reply# 1   11/24/2020 at 16:11 (1,219 days old) by Jake1234 (greasby)        
The Machine That Started It All, The 121!



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Post# 435405 , Reply# 2   11/24/2020 at 16:12 (1,219 days old) by Jake1234 (greasby)        
The Newly Redesigned 2000!



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Post# 435406 , Reply# 3   11/24/2020 at 16:13 (1,219 days old) by Jake1234 (greasby)        
The Advanced, Expensive, Upgraded, Upmarket, Powa 4000!



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Post# 435408 , Reply# 4   11/24/2020 at 16:16 (1,219 days old) by Jake1234 (greasby)        
And The Final Version, The 6131-T, Which Was The Last One



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Post# 435419 , Reply# 5   11/24/2020 at 19:32 (1,219 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)        

fan-of-fans's profile picture
That's a shame! I figured that would happen soon since they were down to only one or two models.

We had a couple of Vax 3 in 1 models here in the States, I know Sears sold them in the late 80s/early 90s and likely other retailers as well.


Post# 435421 , Reply# 6   11/24/2020 at 19:52 (1,219 days old) by cam2s (Nebraska)        

Always sad to see a machine with such a long lineage be discontinued. They do pop up over here in the states from time to time, I found one at a good will.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO cam2s's LINK


Post# 435554 , Reply# 7   11/27/2020 at 15:36 (1,216 days old) by kirbyklekter (Concord,Ca.)        
Jake12343

Hi, I was just curious what price range was the full on Vax Powa 4000 selling for. I imagine with a 32 year run the price inched up. It looks so much nicer than the later models. Billy

Post# 435600 , Reply# 8   11/29/2020 at 08:44 (1,215 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

turbo500's profile picture
The 111 had white tools like the 101 did. The black hose and tools arrived with the 121.

Love them or hate them, they’re definitely iconic and responsible for the very popular trend of carpet washing machines, though I always found their rival, the Hoover Aquamaster, was better


Post# 435601 , Reply# 9   11/29/2020 at 08:58 (1,215 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        
you were a nobody if you didnt have a vax!

turbo500's profile picture
I remember very well the Vax craze, but I also remember how many people bought them on the strength of adverts making them look VERY easy to use but realising how much of a faff they were to convert from dry to wet and back again, so ended up buying an upright to go alongside them OR kept hold of their old uprights.

My godparents had a Vax 2000 but kept their Hoover Turbopower U2332 to go alongside it, as did their neightbours who had a 2100 and a black Littlewoods exclusive Turbopower. This was such a problem that Vax brought out the 8100 upright to try and conquer the upright market, but that was a disaster.


Post# 435602 , Reply# 10   11/29/2020 at 09:00 (1,215 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

turbo500's profile picture
Here is the Vax 111 Brochure

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Post# 435603 , Reply# 11   11/29/2020 at 09:01 (1,215 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

turbo500's profile picture
121 Brochure.

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Post# 435604 , Reply# 12   11/29/2020 at 09:04 (1,215 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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The 111 was still on sale in 1986, the 121 didn't arrive until 1988

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Post# 435605 , Reply# 13   11/29/2020 at 09:07 (1,215 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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Vax 2000, from 1991. This is the earlier version, the floortool was upgraded to the wheeled version in 1992.

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Post# 435606 , Reply# 14   11/29/2020 at 09:07 (1,215 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)        

fan-of-fans's profile picture
Seems this type of cleaner caught on better in other countries than here in the US. We had a few brands of canister/tub carpet cleaners from Bissell and Kenmore/Singer, but I never knew anyone who had one. The upright cleaners like the Bissells and Hoovers were far more popular, and most people I knew that had a carpet cleaner had one of those and then an upright for regular vacuuming.

Not sure how long the VAX was sold here, but Bissell was the last to market a 3 in 1 cleaner here as far as I know, but even that was discontinued recently and I am guessing a low seller.

Well, other than Rainbow of course, and maybe others I'm forgetting, but are more expensive specialty makes, but do have carpet/upholstery cleaning capability.


Post# 435607 , Reply# 15   11/29/2020 at 09:08 (1,215 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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1993, the 2000 and Powa 4000

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Post# 435608 , Reply# 16   11/29/2020 at 09:10 (1,215 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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1995 range showing both the tub range and uprights.

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Post# 435609 , Reply# 17   11/29/2020 at 09:11 (1,215 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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New Wave brochure from October 1994

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Post# 435610 , Reply# 18   11/29/2020 at 09:13 (1,215 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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1997 - the updated Rapide range.

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Post# 435611 , Reply# 19   11/29/2020 at 09:16 (1,214 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

turbo500's profile picture
1988 Vax 121 Advert






Post# 435612 , Reply# 20   11/29/2020 at 09:17 (1,214 days old) by turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

turbo500's profile picture
1992 Vax 2000 advert






Post# 435682 , Reply# 21   11/30/2020 at 17:57 (1,213 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah)        

panasonicvac's profile picture
We also used to have these here known as the Dirt Devil Cyclone, always thought that they were neat looking machines.

Post# 435698 , Reply# 22   12/1/2020 at 00:30 (1,213 days old) by Hooverman99 (Pennsylvania )        

hooverman99's profile picture
We had those Vaxs cleaners in the US for a while but never took off. We have the 221 that looks like the 121 but for the US market and the Wash Wizard. We also the dirt devil version like the previous comment mentioned. I've haven't use one myself since they're quite rare here but from what I heard they pretty good cleaners and I would like to have one for myself. Sad to see a design that been produced for 30 years going away.

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