Thread Number: 41160  /  Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
Electrolux 1205 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 436729   12/27/2020 at 01:52 (1,213 days old) by adiosToreador (Fredonia, NY)        

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Saw this beauty for sale on Facebook a few towns over and I went to go scoop it up and it runs beautifully, I’ve been wanting to get more Electrolux canisters they always seem to keep going and they look so nice.!

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Post# 436738 , Reply# 1   12/27/2020 at 13:16 (1,212 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)        
Love me some 'Luxes...

 human's profile picture
Very cool, especially that you have the literature with it. The 1205 is my favorite Electrolux canister. I have two of them. Yours looks to be from around 1969. The hose has been replaced, which is actually a good thing as the original teal woven hoses leak like crazy. The vinyl hose will have much better suction. Is your power nozzle one of those that's permanently attached to the wand? One of mine came with a leaky, non-powered hose, and of course no power nozzle. The other has the somewhat rare telescoping wand with the early powered pistol grip hose with no external cable. The power nozzle is removable from the wand.

I see you also have a Discovery II. Love those uprights too! With proper care, Electrolux canisters and uprights will last for decades and they're really easy to work on. I have a total of nine Electroluxes—four uprights and five canisters. Three were trash finds and all run great. I really have no earthly need for any more vacuum cleaners but sometimes I think I'd like to have one vintage model like an LX maybe.

Post# 436742 , Reply# 2   12/27/2020 at 14:29 (1,212 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
Nice 1205

 Nice 1205 and nice that you posted that advertising brochure that you must have received with it. I haven’t seen one of those showing the “cut away view” and all of the detailed items pointed out...though we can’t read the detail as the photo resolution isn’t good enough.

That’s an early 1205 with the power nozzle wire connection port under the hose port. That was discontinued after the first year when the electric hose with integrated wiring was introduced. Electrical connection was made via connections on the hose collar that inserted into the vac. If the front collar on your 1205 has a “cut out” at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions in the solver hose port collar, then yours is dual and can also be used with the electric hose. Some were made with both.

The Electrolux’s do last a long time, but the motors eventually do wear out. I have a Silverado I bought used in 1994 at 10 years of age. Used as my regular vacuum for my home, the motor has finally worn out this August. It may just need new motor brushes but I have yet to open it up.

Looks like the original elbow for your power nozzle has been replaced at some point and you have the rare telescoping power nozzle wand on yours. They tended to crack as the upper portion was not metal reinforced so the design was abandoned and replaced with a metal wand with a plastic sheath over it and the wire was changed to be longer with a pigtail cord that had to be plugged into the electric hose or hose wire after the wand was inserted. The wand you have was the earliest version of the direct connect hose handle for the first generation of the electric hoses. It too was quickly discontinued for an older style perhaps due to durability issues and was reworked and reintroduced in 1974 on the Golden Jubilee 1205 version. That version of the hose handle is still in existence today used on the Aerus Lux Classic and has been a staple of these machines since 1974 and proven to be quite durable. It will work with your power nozzle wand should you have the model with the option to use the full electric hose, however care should be taken with your wand since it is not metal reinforced.

If the power nozzle brush is worn or very soft you can get a replacement and the power nozzle will remarkably be restored to best cleaning ability.

Check inside the bag compartment to make sure the screen has not gotten clogged with fuzz. Typical on these older models to find some dirt in there.

The automatic control should be set in the medium dirt range (3-4 stripes) for regular cleaning...if you have pets use a coarser dirt setting (1-2 stripes) and only use the fine dirt settings (5-6 stripes) for special cleaning needs when you might be vacuuming fine dirt that could clog the bag quickly and you need to finish the fine dirt job without the automatic control stopping the machine indicating a clogged bag. To maintain peak efficiency especially when cleaning carpeting, use a coarser dirt setting and the automatic control will signal when it’s time to change the bag by opening and stopping and the red check bag light will come on. While the bag may not be full, the system is telling you that suction and cleaning efficiency has been reduced by the bag clogging with dirt to the point the suction is less than optimal. Bags should only be filled to about 2/3 full or motor damage could occur due to too much stress on it from running it with more clogged bags. It causes the motor to use more power, operate at more stressful levels and build up more heat which damages it and the reduced airflow can’t cool the motor nearly as well.

Many people insist on saving money on bags and set these machines on 6 stripes to pack the bags before the machine will shut off and open indicating a full bag. This is not good practice and they’ll pay much more by burning out their motors and having to replace the motor or the entire machine.

The automatic control constantly monitors suction levels before and after the bag.

The top handles on the 1205s have a tendency to break so be careful with it. The power switch is easily replaceable and still available should it fail. They have a tendency to wear out once or twice.

Jon

Post# 436749 , Reply# 3   12/27/2020 at 15:21 (1,212 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)        
1205

 I also have a 1205, a very nice machine, I love the motor sound on it, very pleasant. I'm guessing mine is a later model since it takes the electric hose, there is no outlet on the canister for a power nozzle cord. Electrolux made great cleaners, a simple design and very well made. Even today, the Aerus classic is a great cleaner, still using a similar design.
Mike

Post# 436752 , Reply# 4   12/27/2020 at 15:50 (1,212 days old) by adiosToreador (Fredonia, NY)        

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This one is able to take both of the connections wired in hose and pigtail. I can repost the picture of the cutaway and see if I can get a better result so you guys can see what it says!:) I fairly certain that it is a ‘69 model as I think that’s what the salesman wrote in for the date of purchase(hard to tell as it’s faded). As of right now it uses the pigtail connection but I’m in the process of looking for a wired hose as for me it looks more nice that way and the cord is starting to crack. I can’t wait to get my Olympia back as these canisters are some of my favorite, I found a Aerus canister for 250 that I’m considering buying it just looks so nice with metal accents and the newer power nozzle.

Post# 436774 , Reply# 5   12/27/2020 at 19:44 (1,212 days old) by adiosToreador (Fredonia, NY)        
Better pictures of the cutaway

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Post# 436794 , Reply# 6   12/28/2020 at 09:10 (1,211 days old) by Kloveland (Tulsa)        

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Nice find! Yup it is the 1969 version with both connectors for the power nozzle as you said.

Post# 436795 , Reply# 7   12/28/2020 at 09:47 (1,211 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
You may want

To get the rubber/vinyl electric hose. They do t leak like the braided ones do. Aerus/Electrolux stopped making the braided ones a little over 20 years ago. Highly unlikely you’ll find one that doesn’t leak.

Aerus still sell the hose it’s $129. Or you can check eBay for an OEM used one and there are also lots of generics out there but I prefer OEM. The OEM ones have the round vent dial on the bottom of the handle. The generics will not have this and may have a power nozzle on off switch on the handle. The OEM ones will not have this switch. Some have found the Generics to have issues with the vent opening too easily and not properly working with the sidekick attachment.

Personally I find the plastic of the ORM to be better quality. Usually ORM used ones that fit your model come up used on eBay frequently so if not in a rush I’d go that route to keep things all OEM.

Did you get the aluminum wands and the combination rug and floor tool with the machine too? Also it would have come with the crevice tool and combination dusting brush/upholstery tool.

Hint: those Mr. Clean erasers with some general household cleaner work well to remove scuffs and general marks from the entire machine and its parts to give it a cleaned up like new fresh look.

The 1205s all the way through to the Silverado’s have a nice smooth soft sound. I only wish the new Aerus Lux classics and Lux Legacy’s would be just as smooth and pleasant sounding but due to changes in the motors to single stage and being outsourced they are much louder and more harsh due to higher rpm’s. Even my Marquise which has a Renaissance motor in it is somewhat annoying in its loudness and pitch as I’ve had to start using it regularly to replace my Silverado. Hence I’d like to get an Olympia or Suoer J to replace the Silverado. I think I’d like the color change. Those all metal Electrolux motors through to the mid 80s were the best.

The 1205 was a complete redesign for Electrolux to become more updated and modern and compete in the market. It surely was a wonderful success and yes, today’s Aerus Lux Classic is indeed similar with the exception of no automatic control which is on the Lux Legacy. Though the Lux Classic is actually derived from the Canadian models but it is today’s closest thing to a 1205! I still wish however that they would include the accessory wands as aluminum rather than plastic and a full length crevice tool and the combination rug and floor tool as standard but I think one can still upgrade to all of these if one wants when purchasing.

Jon

Jon


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