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Thread Number: 44898
/ Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
Now, I own a Royal |
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Post# 466147 , Reply# 1 9/13/2023 at 15:27 by JustJunque  (Western MA) |
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One crappy picture, just to show it "as found". Picture will most likely post sideways, as usual. Apologies.
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Post# 466151 , Reply# 2 9/13/2023 at 16:35 by VacMadMan (Pueblo Co.) |
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Nice
Barry,
That is an interesting Royal that looks like it will clean up nicely. One thing that I don't care for when it comes to some Royals are those stickers, they like to put all over their vacuums. They did the same thing with their hand vacs. Once the stickers get damaged it gives the vacuum a cheap look unless you remove them. Pictured is my Royal Prince 501 hand vac with its stickers still in good shape and looking almost untouched. Good luck with the new addition to your collection, and please take some more pics when it's done. Jim | ||
| Post# 466163 , Reply# 5 9/14/2023 at 02:39 by hygiene903 (Galion, OH) | ||
Hi Barry,
Congrats on getting a Royal! I agree with Jim, it should clean up nicely! And you don't need power tools to make it look great, just Mother's Mag, terry or microfiber polishing cloths, and elbow grease. Judging from the model number and the pic you posted, it's one of the later models, so it most likely is a screamer, due to the high amp motors they put in the later models. If you post the serial number (located on a label on the back side of the nozzle) I can determine the month and year it was made. I think your guess of the 90's is pretty close. The label will also give you the amps or wattage, the higher the number, the louder it will be.
In answer to your questions, I have never washed a bag so I can't help you on that one. As for the disposables, as new as yours is, it will probably take the Royal type B bags. If there is a long tube with an elbow on it that goes almost to the top of the outer bag it will take the type B. If it's a short tube at the bottom of the bag it will take Royal Type A bags or Eureka F & G bags. The nozzle is not removeable like the Kirby nozzle. If you want to use attachments with it, the rubber cover on the front swings up and to the right, then you reach in and remove the belt, and the hose adapter connects through the nozzle. But if you want to remove the nozzle for more thorough cleaning and polishing, you need to first remove the fan case, which is held to the motor housing by 4 screws, then you will see 3 screws inside the fan case that hold the nozzle to the fan case. Hope this is helpful. Jim, that's a nice 501 you have there! I have one just like it, the newest of four 501's that I have. Jeff | ||
| Post# 466170 , Reply# 7 9/14/2023 at 11:54 by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
An old regret...
That Royal looks like one I almost bought at a thrift store several years ago, and it's one of the few vacuums I actually regret walking away from. It was sitting next to a Kirby G5, and both were in immaculate condition, no polishing needed. The similar color schemes and condition made me wonder if they had come from the same donor. For whatever reason, I did not feel inclined to buy both of them, but I probably should have. Each was priced at $19, and I couldn't decide between them, so I left them both. And of course, I returned the next day and they both were gone. The immortal words of American Pickers' Frank Fritz once again rang true: The time to buy something is when you first see it.
The only Royals I have are three of the Prince 501 handhelds--an early one with a red and gray bag and gray plastic on the handle, and two blue ones. One is from what I think is the last year they made them, 1988 or '89, and has a little rubberized metal guard in front of the power switch. The other one is in its original box with all its paperwork and most of its accessories. Missing were the dusting brush and crevice tool, but I had extras of those from an old Douglas ATV shop vac I had gotten rid of. They're identical to the originals, except they're dove gray instead of white. For small jobs, especially getting cat fur off of upholstered furniture, there's really nothing better. | ||
| Post# 466176 , Reply# 9 9/14/2023 at 15:18 by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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I hear you. While I still occasionally do the 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' thing over that Royal and G5 pair, I look around me and realize I've got too damn many vacs and am running out of room for them. I actually declared a moratorium on new 'vacquisitions' a couple of years ago, but I fell of the wagon twice this year, once for a $10 Kirby Legend II, and then a few months later for a $30 G4 and a $20 Gsix to use as a parts donor to fix up the G4. Now, whenever I go down to the barn to get something out of the freezer, I see the partially disassembled Gsix and think maybe I should get some parts and fix it up. I have to remind myself that I have this weakness/sickness/character flaw, whatever you want to call it, and the very last thing I need to do is throw away any more money on vacuums. I just need to enjoy what I've got, and perhaps find more creative ways to use additional parts off of that Gsix in the process. I've got a G5 and a G3 that could probably use some freshening up. I mean, it's not like these are classic Corvettes or something, where the whole 'numbers matching' thing matters one whit. They're still just old vacuum cleaners.
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| Post# 466177 , Reply# 10 9/14/2023 at 16:28 by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada) | ||
Barry, I don't think you will regret getting that Royal the first time you use it on your carpets - those are truly BEASTS at cleaning! Even better than a Kirby G Series. So much so, that especially considering the price difference, if they were still selling Royal Metal uprights new, I would take it over a new Kirby.
The Royal Type B bags are hard to find in HEPA Cloth material. But the Perfect Commercial clone of the Sanitaire uprights does use a HEPA Cloth Type B bag, and they are pretty easy to find. What I did for my 3 Royal's is I wrapped the filltube with some red Tuck Tape to increase the diameter a bit, and made it so that Kirby HEPA Cloth bags will fit snugly on the filltube, since those bags are available in aftermarket and dirt cheap. | ||
| Post# 466197 , Reply# 12 9/15/2023 at 01:22 by hygiene903 (Galion, OH) | ||
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Hey Barry,
Glad you enjoyed the info and found it helpful. The serial number does indeed confirm that it was made in May of 1997 and the A indicates plant 1. Unfortunately, 9 amps means that it is a screamer. Hopefully the excellent cleaning job it will do will compensate for that! You'll also find it to be very maneuverable and easy to use. Since it is your only Royal you should hang on to it, but you might want to keep an eye out for an older one, such as a model 880, 801, or a Royal-built Electro-Hygiene 903. They clean just as well as the one you have, but with a lower amp motor they have a sweet zoom sound instead of screaming at you. Here are a few pics of some of mine. First is a group pic of Royals, then a group of Electro-Hygienes, then a Royal 880, and finally my newest Electro-Hygiene 903 (built in 1983) with attachments and Extra Equipment Kit.
Jeff | ||
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Post# 466303 , Reply# 18 9/18/2023 at 15:58 by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
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JustJunque
Hi Barry,
I have owned four Royal metal uprights since 2012, but this 1987 model 662Z is the first heavy-duty-commercial upright in my collection. ~Ben
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Post# 466308 , Reply# 20 9/18/2023 at 18:40 by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
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JustJunque | ||
| Post# 466346 , Reply# 22 9/20/2023 at 18:22 by Vacuumman (California) | ||
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Belts You can probably use a knurled Kirby belt in your Royal. | ||
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Post# 466358 , Reply# 24 9/21/2023 at 13:11 by VacMadMan (Pueblo Co.) |
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Looking good! | ||
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Post# 466359 , Reply# 25 9/21/2023 at 15:11 by JustJunque (Western MA) |
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Jim, Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm my own worst critic. All I can see are the parts that didn't come out good. Kind of like my Kirby. I have to try to learn to be satisfied with "better than it was". | ||
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Post# 466360 , Reply# 26 9/21/2023 at 17:16 by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
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JustJunque | ||
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Post# 466363 , Reply# 28 9/21/2023 at 19:45 by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
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Tylerhawkins84 | ||
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