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Thread Number: 7402
A Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby |
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| Post# 81651 9/30/2009 at 09:24 (5,318 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
Ok, so it's really a Candy Apple Red Metalflake Bissel Lift-off upright with detachable 'papoose' bagless cylinder. This design has always intriqued me when it came out Recalling the thread 7276 about Rob Mitchell's Electric Green Germ Guardian and noting the similarities, I decided to spend an evening in an attempt to take two trashed free Bissell Lift-Offs and come out at the end with one. To begin with, both had their cords cut off so I snatched the long supple black cord from a junker Hoover Sprint stickvac. When I remove cords I disassemble the vac to get the full cord & strain relief. One Bissel, in otherwise near perfect cosmetic exterior shape, had no tools or hose, missing the 3 filter assemblies and pads, a cracked bin, a broken cord hook and the pwernozzle base had been sitting in water, rusting out all the screws & metal bits and seizing the motor. The two pin socket on the PN base that the cylinder drops on to was fried - it looked like an electrical short had melted it. The brushroll itself was well won down, wrapped in wet fusty pet hair and synthetic carpet warp & weft (&woof) fibers. It was obviously last run without the bin's cylindrical filter fitting in place but at least the motor pre-filter was still there, tho covered in a felt matt of pet fur. The other Bissell had the 3 filters, hose, tools, wand and a clean running powernozzle but the exterior paint was horribly scratched and gouged all over from being rammed into and under things. However, the unscathed black back half of the cylinder had both cord hooks. CLICK HERE TO GO TO aeoliandave's LINK 
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| Post# 81652 , Reply# 1 9/30/2009 at 09:30 (5,318 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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Both machines were taken apart, best parts were selected, cleaned up and set aside. Here the two cylinders are side by side on the operating table awaiting the wireing harness changeover, the short pigtail cord & socket from one machine having already been re-fitted to the good cylinder. Felix, as always, facinated and attentive... 
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| Post# 81653 , Reply# 2 9/30/2009 at 09:34 (5,318 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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| Post# 81654 , Reply# 3 9/30/2009 at 09:42 (5,318 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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This was enjoyable, fast & fun and the surprise is...it runs hushed and soothing (almost Electrolux-ish) with no screaming motor noise...and it pulls a respectable 85" at the hose. Two power buttons on the cylinder section turn on the vacuum and the other the brushroll motor. The brushroll will not start until the handle is tilted back and then the headlamp comes on. Recipient and donor pile. 
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| Post# 81655 , Reply# 4 9/30/2009 at 09:52 (5,318 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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It's an unusual and striking machine and joins the small collection of contemporary vacuums I consider worthy. It is on the heavy side to hoist in one piece but has a generous and comfortable hand cut-out on the backside. Of course you can also, as intended, detach the cylinder with hose and on-board wand with nested loooong crevice tool and work your way up the stairs and into nooks and crannies up at ceiling height. As much as I think vacuums look much better with all that excessive label-age removed (or why a housewife's first impulse would not be to peel them off !), I'll keep them on. I know how grateful I am when I find a seriously vintage vacuum with labels intact such as on Lewyt Big Wheels and the 50th Anniversary Eureka Roto-matic. 
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| Post# 81656 , Reply# 5 9/30/2009 at 10:01 (5,318 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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Post# 81659 , Reply# 6 9/30/2009 at 10:22 (5,318 days old) by arh1953  ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
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| Post# 81660 , Reply# 7 9/30/2009 at 10:35 (5,318 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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That they are, Alan. The Germ Guardian seems to be a thoughtful and elegant evolution of the Bissel Lift-off concept and very practical turning into a cylinder on wheels with integrated hose, handle and telescopic wand. The hose on the Bissel emerges straight out of the back so it would be difficult to put casters on it, unlike the Guardian that has the hose exiting from the top which become the front end in pill-around mode. I suspect that inside that cylinder is the same set-up as the Bissel, with filter material around the bin cone, a dense foam motor pre-filter and a large Hepa after-filter cartridge. Clever design and I'll keep my eyes peeled for one on discount when I travel the US this winter. | ||
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Post# 81661 , Reply# 8 9/30/2009 at 11:25 (5,318 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
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| Post# 81665 , Reply# 9 9/30/2009 at 13:33 (5,318 days old) by joe22 () | ||
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the green Germ Guardian is now for sale at your local walmart | ||
| Post# 81666 , Reply# 10 9/30/2009 at 14:51 (5,318 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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Yes, the Germ Guardian is now $198.88 at Walmart in Canada...and $299.99 at Wally USA. Both websites listings show the blue one. I may have to pop by the local Walmart in Woodstock tomorrow and have a look-see at what's what... How can it be that something is for once less expensive in Canada? Our dollar did hit 93 cents today. | ||
| Post# 81669 , Reply# 11 9/30/2009 at 16:13 (5,318 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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| Post# 81714 , Reply# 12 9/30/2009 at 18:52 (5,318 days old) by louvac (A) | ||
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So guys....who makes the Germ Guardian? | ||
| Post# 81721 , Reply# 13 9/30/2009 at 22:44 (5,318 days old) by piano_god (British Columbia, Canada) | ||
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| Post# 81781 , Reply# 15 10/2/2009 at 10:03 (5,316 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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Well Lou, the final upside result is that from two free curbside finds essentially I now have one like-new one and a pile of plastic parts for the trash. I did - and do - save every nut, bolt and screw, brushroll, a second belt, wireing, switches, lamp socket and the motor/fan unit for the spare partz bins...one can never have too many spare partz. LOL Here's another curiosity from Bissel I found in a thrift store for $2.99. It looks silly at first glance but quite pretty in transparent blue plastic. But it's well thought out and built. 7 volt rechargable on the base station, solid metal screw-together extension handle, separate motor for the brushroll. The handle pole detaches easily so it can be used as a handheld. The vacuum turns on when the handle is pulled back. 
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| Post# 81783 , Reply# 16 10/2/2009 at 10:12 (5,316 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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| Post# 81784 , Reply# 17 10/2/2009 at 10:15 (5,316 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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| Post# 81879 , Reply# 18 10/4/2009 at 13:28 (5,314 days old) by kenmore81 (Warwick, RI) | ||
Well done!!
I dk how I missed this thread. I had that vac Dave and for modern bagless "junk" It weas the best bagless Ive tried so far. Mine shorted out at the base where the cord goes after in after 3 years but unfortuneately I was not the one using it and it got pitched or I would have called Biseell for a replacment. As long as the filters are clean its a great vac but so many people have a problem doing that lol. As far as the Germ Guardain I to like the Idea of it having wheels. Many times I looked at my Lift-Off and thought how could I put wheels on this lol.. And the GO vac it a great little quicker upper,I wish I could find another. Happy thrifting.... Kenny | ||
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