Thread Number: 42592
/ Tag: Recent Vacuum Cleaners from past 20 years
Not Enough Female Vacuum Collectors |
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Post# 447268   10/23/2021 at 15:02 (887 days old) by wstonehocker96 (North Carolina)   |   | |
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It is absurd that there are not enough female vacuum collectors out there. The idea of a female vacuum collector is to add diversity. It's not just a male thing. |
Post# 447290 , Reply# 2   10/24/2021 at 04:04 (886 days old) by electromatik (Taylorsville, North Carolina, U.S.A.)   |   | |
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I have often looked back thru the archived pages of vacuum meets and conventions. There used to be a lady named Tania who showed up in many of these photos. Yet, I see no evidence that this person is here any longer. Not to seem nosy, but what happened to this person?? |
Post# 447294 , Reply# 3   10/24/2021 at 10:07 (886 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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Post# 447321 , Reply# 4   10/24/2021 at 16:10 (886 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)   |   | |
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Post# 447332 , Reply# 6   10/25/2021 at 10:34 (885 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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Post# 447363 , Reply# 8   10/26/2021 at 09:28 (884 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)   |   | |
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I've known Tania for more than 25 years. She is the only woman I've met in my entire life who is an active vacuum collector. The late Ruth Hollander was in the vacuum cleaner business and sold thousands of Compacts and Filter Queens, but she didn't collect them and hated to use them. When I was 12 or so, I would go to her store on Saturdays to help her with the (very easy) repairs of those two brands and also I've vacuum her store (with a Filter Queen) because she didn't like vacuuming. She was a brilliant cook.
Perhaps because historically women were 'expected' to clean the house. While many women prized the early models because there were such a tremendous help with a difficult chore, I've never met any women who see vacuums as anything other than a tool, like a mop, that you clean house with. |
Post# 447368 , Reply# 9   10/26/2021 at 11:15 (884 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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At the risk of sounding misogynistic, there is often a difference in the way women and men perceive things. When a device such as a vacuum quits working satisfactorily, women see it as a nuisance--either fix it quickly or replace it--while men will often relish it as a technical challenge. I can think of two examples to support this:
1. When I was married, my step-daughter messed up my Eureka Princess canister by using it as a shop vac to suck up dry cat food she'd spilled. Okay, I'll give her credit for having at least tried to clean up after herself. When I couldn't fix it in five minutes, my (now ex) wife insisted that it was now useless and had to go out with the next load to Goodwill. 2. A (now former) girlfriend complained that the Kirby Heritage 1 she'd borrowed from me a couple of years earlier (and which I never got back) wasn't working right and insisted I take it and fix it. I found the brush roll was completely encased in her long, brown hair. She hadn't even bothered to look and see why it wasn't working. A few minutes of working with a pair of scissors and my pocket knife and it was good to go. While I should have just kept the machine, I polished it up and gave it back. When I tried to tell her what the problem was and how I had fixed it so she could take care of it the next time, she just glazed over with complete disinterest. Of course, when she first borrowed that machine, her Oreck XL quickly disappeared into the dumpster. I'm sure the brush roll was in the same condition. In both cases, it was a matter of 'doesn't work--fix it or get rid of it--NOW!'. |
Post# 447376 , Reply# 10   10/26/2021 at 16:41 (884 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)   |   | |
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I spend 40 hours a week satisfying women. I've satisfied more women in one week than most men do in a lifetime. And I can tell you, men and women are very different when they bring in a vacuum to be repaired.
Women only want to know how much it will cost to fix it. They generally don't really even want the technical details, they just want it fixed. Most repairs are due to the brush roll/belt. Women who have long hair don't clean the brush often enough, as a general rule. And thank God they don't. I charge them $30 to do that and change the belt. Let them come in as often as the brush is covered with hair. Men, as a rule, will have tried to find out the problem first. Even if it is just a cursory look, they will have at least tried to figure out what the problem may be. Many try to fix it themselves, and Thank God for that. I call them basket cases because they bring them in a basket. All the screws and pieces. For me to figure out. And I do. At $50 a half hour. Because men have long had to deal with auto parts stores, men tend to come to the shop knowing what brand and model they have (most have a picture in their phone). Most women do not. They know it's a "blue" rice car or a 'silver' kirby. But that's how I spend my days. Solving problems with vacuums. Women make up my customers 10 to 1. It's such a rare day when a women comes in knowing what she has and what she wants, that I'm somewhat taken aback when they do. I sure do like those kinds of women. |
Post# 447393 , Reply# 11   10/27/2021 at 13:02 (883 days old) by vacuumdevil (Vacuum Hell )   |   | |
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Post# 447410 , Reply# 12   10/28/2021 at 08:36 (882 days old) by oliveoiltinfoil (England, UK)   |   | |
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Why are you advocating for "more women" just because? What will that add to the community? Are you trying to be so tolerant that you've gone full circle and somewhat forcing one type of person to do something because it "adds diversity"?
I see this everywhere and its kind of disgusting. Men and women are different. Men like cars. Women like jewellery. Im not here to debate the technicalities and am full aware the lines cross, and that's okay. There is nothing "absurd" that when choose to like things that men do not, and that men have preference which differ to women. It boils down to basic biology, how our brains are wired, its instinctive and has been this way since the beginning of man. I dont think for one moment anyone here is stopping women from joining, much the same as a man in a respectable business has stopped a woman from getting a job because of her anatomy. Ultimately, the best person for the job, regardless of what's between their legs, who they choose to bed or what pigments make up their skin. The same applies for hobbies. |
Post# 447411 , Reply# 13   10/28/2021 at 09:23 (882 days old) by luxlife (Under a Pecan Tree)   |   | |
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We could give this topic whatever attention it deserves in “Miscellaneous” and not in “Contemporary”. |
Post# 447482 , Reply# 17   10/30/2021 at 11:51 (880 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)   |   | |
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Honestly, most men I know aren't interested in repairing or using things like household appliances or vacuum cleaners.
They might be interested in things like guns, cars or boats and fixing those. But things such as vacuums or mixers for example, they don't have any interest in using or repairing, and most don't even care about owning either. To them it's a "woman's" thing and vacuums and crock pots are for women and they couldn't even tell you what kind they have or whether they even own any. All they know about is how to make a gun work or a truck run. Other electrical things they seem clueless about. |
Post# 447501 , Reply# 18   10/31/2021 at 00:14 (880 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)   |   | |
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I have vacuums,appliances-yes,mixers and---guns!Know how all of them work.BUT----I HATE working on cars and trucks.And at work run and fix BIG SW transmitters. |
Post# 447504 , Reply# 19   10/31/2021 at 00:36 (879 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)   |   | |
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Post# 447534 , Reply# 20   11/1/2021 at 10:30 (878 days old) by kloveland (Tulsa)   |   | |
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"Guns". My relatives were sighting in their rifles while I was inside the house vacuuming and working on my grandparent's Oreck. I felt a little bit less of a man at that point. While, I do support gun ownership and the second amendment. I'm just not into guns.
Vacuum collectors are not excluding woman. I don't think most woman are into vacuums other than getting their house clean. As mentioned above. Although there are a few exceptions. I don't know many woman who are plumbers or electricians for example. Men are generally more mechanically minded than woman are. As discussed above. |
Post# 447539 , Reply# 21   11/1/2021 at 12:58 (878 days old) by compuvac ( )   |   | |
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Well said @kirbyklekter.
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Post# 447544 , Reply# 22   11/1/2021 at 15:15 (878 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 447571 , Reply# 24   11/2/2021 at 13:41 (877 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)   |   | |
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Thanks! He was really just curious why there was so many and so on. Many of mine are in the converted garage space which is the door he enters through he has a key to that door and he parks there so they're a little hard to miss. He said well you know some of my guns I inherited and I said same here but vacuums. That was it he never made any other comments thankfully.
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Post# 447583 , Reply# 25   11/3/2021 at 03:01 (876 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)   |   | |
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Post# 447618 , Reply# 26   11/4/2021 at 14:11 (875 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada)   |   | |
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That answer to your boyfriend is PERFECT! Love it! :-). Jon, same to you. As far as I am concerned, if the person I am dating didn't accept my hobby, thought it was weird, and didn't love me as I am....well they know where the door is and how to use it. Thankfully, my current partner knew me for many years before we ever dated, and he has no issue with it.
As for more women not being into vacuums? I think it would be great to have more female collectors. However, I do think they look at a vacuum as a tool to keep a happy, clean home with. And yes, the role of women in North American society has changed significantly in past decades, but one thing hasn't - the fact that women have children, and therefore feel the need to nest, mother and make a comfortable home. Cleaning that home is a part of it. Now, gay men may have feminine interests such as cleaning, but we also have the interest in the mechanical and design elements of vacuum cleaners. Not saying that women don't have interest in those things, they do....but it will probably never be quite as high a percentage of women interested in that stuff as men are. And there's nothing wrong with that. Rob |
Post# 447619 , Reply# 27   11/4/2021 at 14:15 (875 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 447621 , Reply# 28   11/4/2021 at 16:12 (875 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 447638 , Reply# 29   11/4/2021 at 21:13 (875 days old) by Adambomb (Undisclosed )   |   | |
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One of my best friends is a girl and her name is Cassie. She has been involved with vacuums since she was 9 years old. For quite a few years she has been servicing vacuums. |
Post# 447652 , Reply# 30   11/5/2021 at 09:19 (874 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)   |   | |
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Post# 447672 , Reply# 31   11/6/2021 at 10:24 (873 days old) by Vinvac (Dubuque IA)   |   | |
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I think times are changing. Women have now stepped into different roles. I know many women who can fix just about anything they put their minds too.
I have a good friend who has completely remodeled her entire house. She did not do the electrical or plumbing simply because in order to meet city code she has to have someone who is licensed. My mom, when she was alive always took care of her Kirby. I don't ever remember my dad doing repairs or belt changes. Driving down the road now you see a lot of female truck drivers. The stereotype is still out there, but I don't believe it is true any longer. Miss Tania could repair almost any make and model of vacuum to some degree. It is my thought that on some levels clubs by the nature of their makeup have deterred most women from joining because the perception is that they are made of mostly gay men. We were also blessed to have Barb M. as a member of the club. She was one of the best convention planners to date. She knew how to bargain with hotels, food service and researched the area to provide folks with a good experience while visiting a new town. While I was president of the VCCC we were more welcoming to children and families. We tried to provide outlets for anyone who wanted to be part of our strange hobby of collecting vacuums. With the onset of Facebook and other social media it has become much easier to be part of conversation and see other folks collections which has greatly impacted people wanting to join an in-person group. I particularly like groups like Automatic Washer as they can peacefully talk about off topic items in a more civil and respectful way. We always have to remember we are not only about our collection but have other like minded conversations. Many of our original group were also church organists, had similar professions which added to the group. I am sure there are women watching us and perhaps just feel uneasy about joining. Just My Two Cents! |
Post# 447682 , Reply# 32   11/6/2021 at 17:45 (873 days old) by Kloveland (Tulsa)   |   | |
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Post# 447704 , Reply# 33   11/7/2021 at 13:45 (872 days old) by Vinvac (Dubuque IA)   |   | |
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