Aerus/LuxInternational discontinuation?

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I don't have it handy but I did see a recent Facebook post for an Aerus company picnic at Bristol VA and it mentioned vacuum operations. My dealer acquaintance was in Bristol last year and said he saw Legacys and Classics being made there.

Here is a 2023 newspaper article mentioning that Active Pure Technologies, formerly Aerus LLC is hiring 50 more people for their Bristol VA plant.

https://heraldcourier.com/news/article_485a21ec-1c23-5713-96f1-365fd88e2c8a.html

More info

https://www.industrynet.com/listing/3679648/activepure-manufacturing-llc

I think the name change to ActivePure is the source of some of the confusion.
 
Thanks for the link. I do not dispute that ActivePure assembles its machines from parts made by another company, and that ActivePure possibly manufactures some of its own parts for other products. I simply have found no evidence of it.

These questions remain:

1. What does ActivePure (and your dealer friend) regard as being "made" and what does "vacuum operations" mean? Do they include BOTH manufacturing AND assembly? How do you know? Have you seen photos of actual manufacturing of parts at the Bristol factory?

2. Did ActivePure presumably leave all its production equipment in place when the plant was closed in 2003 with the hope that manufacturing would one day return? I found no indication of that in the 2003 news, and it's difficult to consider that a company would close a factory and mothball the equipment without such a plan. It's equally hard to believe that ActivePure would/could invest in reestablishing its in-house 1980s-era floor & surface care parts production for a dwindling market. Even if that did happen why is there no accessible news coverage regarding it?

3. Does ActivePure give tours of its plant in Bristol? If so, has anyone on this forum seen parts for surface care appliances and other products being made? No one has mentioned it here that I have seen.

4. Why does ActivePure's website not post information and photo's on its website about what it manufactures, if indeed it does manufacture? I have read claims that ActivePure rebrands its heating and purification products, which adds to my speculation.


It seems to me that ActivePure customers and shoppers are to presume that it operates very much the same way as when it was Electrolux Corporation/Electrolux Canada, Inc. to maintain their loyalty and to broaden the appeal of patronizing a business that is perceived as it once was; although information available to the public lacks clarity to support the notion.

Outsourcing manufacturing is not necessarily a bad thing, but covering it up would be. Customers and shoppers deserve transparency; especially for high-cost products. Aerus floor & surface appliances may still be of good quality regardless (I am unable to personally verify it).
 
One of the news articles I linked showed some ActivePure / Aerus employees assembling something, not sure what, at the Bristol factory.
The Tristar dealer I patronize claims Aerus was casting Tristar metal bodies until 2019 and assembled the last ones in 2022. I bought one of the last ones made. Their air purification technology is proprietary and supposedly very advanced.
If you look at Indeed you see an employee review of working at Bristol as recent as late last year.

https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Activepure-Technologies/locations/VA/Bristol
 
You might also notice that on the Aerus website the Classic and Legacy models are shown with American flags indicating they are US made, which matches what my Aerus dealer friend says he saw on his visit to Bristol last year. The Guardian Platinum, Heavy Duty upright and Veridian cordless stick vac do not as they are imported. The Lite Cordless also has an American flag as it is made in Missouri by Tacony.
 
I thought I had mentioned in an earlier post that ActivePure does indeed operate its Bristol plant. My question is what do its operations include?

Did I suggest that the Lux Classic, Lux Legacy, Lux Floor Pro production occurred outside the United States? I simply question whether Aerus vacuum parts are actually made by ActivePure when there is no concrete substantiation.

It's quite possible that just as the LGP's parts are made overseas and assembled at Bristol, parts of the LL, LC & LFP are outsourced and assembled by ActivePure associates.

The open manufacturing associate positions may be for vacuum cleaner accessories, or parts for heating and purification products.

The questions in my previous post today remain unanswered.
 
I'd agree that the LL and LC are at least assembled in Bristol, even if some of the actual individual plastic pieces are made in China and shipped the Bristol for assembly/packaging.

My 2014 Lux Legacy has PRC stamped into the power nozzle and the mini power nozzle (Sidekick II), meaning they were made in China, but the actual canister has USA stamped into it. I believe that's why Aerus still has the US flag by those two models... The main vacuum itself IS made in the US, but the accessories are not. (Oddly, Type C bags were made in China around 2014, but they have since moved back to the US as a US flag was added to the boxes and China was removed from packaging.)

If the Guardian Platinum is going out of production, Aerus NEEDS HEPA filtration in the lineup. The Guardian Ultra doesn't need to go back in production necessarily, but that unit's sealed system and HEPA filter need to migrate to the LL if not also the LC. It couldn't be that had to do since Bristol made the Ultra out of essentially Legacy/Classic bones.
 
My Aerus dealer friend is on vacation and won't be back till next week. I will ask what he saw in terms of vacuum manufacturing at the Bristol plant.

Did some more digging and apparently ActivePure expanded production to a new site in Greenville. For giggles I looked at ActivePure air purifiers on eBay. Smaller models seem to be made in PRC but larger more expensive models said "Assembled in USA". These are home units though, not the big commercial / industrial units my Tristar dealer says is their current bread and butter.
 
Dave, I totally agree with you! Aerus won't be able to compete with Miele and Sebo if they don't have a HEPA Filter on their TOL model. Assuming the Platinum is truly gone, the sealed internals from the Guardian Ultra should be used in the Legacy, and redesign the top tool caddy/filter cover to accomodate the HEPA Filter from the Guardian Ultra. Also, the PN from the Platinum should be made in black for the Legacy with the Legacy pn neck.
 
kirbylux77 said:
Dave, I totally agree with you! Aerus won't be able to compete with Miele and Sebo if they don't have a HEPA Filter on their TOL model. Assuming the Platinum is truly gone, the sealed internals from the Guardian Ultra should be used in the Legacy, and redesign the top tool caddy/filter cover to accomodate the HEPA Filter from the Guardian Ultra. Also, the PN from the Platinum should be made in black for the Legacy with the Legacy pn neck.
Click to expand...
I think we should all wait before we kill off the Platinum. As far as filtration is you search YouTube there's a person who owns a large vacuum dealer ship in the Midwest. They did a comparison between several high-end vacuums. Both the Miele, Sebo and Aerus Platinum proved to be the very best with filtration. Also the Aerus convention/gala that was help in Denmark this. I have a very good freind who owns the local Aerus Dealership here in the Clearwater area. I'm sure that he'll give us the results of what going to be new and where this coming week. I'm excited to hear what he has to say. Stay tuned.
 
Neither Sebo nor Miele filter to the true HEPA standard, meaning US DOE-STD-3020-2015. That is the original, true and most stringent HEPA standard. This is the standard that requires a filter to entrain 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns in size, a size chosen to correspond to certain radioactive particles present in sites manufacturing and handling nuclear materials. Filter media that entrain 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns in size trap 100% of larger and smaller particles. The standard also specifies a maximum allowable reduction in airflow.

The best Miele filter meets the European Union's H-13 standard, 99.95% particle capture with no particle size specified. Sebo has their own standard they call "S-Class" claiming 99.9% particle capture. If you study global filtration standards there is nothing called "S-Class". It is something Sebo's marketing came up with.

Vacuums like the Hoover Hushtone upright, many Kenmore canister vacs and even the Cirrus VC-439 / VAPamore ( CRAPamore ) MR500 Vento filter to the stricter US DOE HEPA standard.
 
Cheesewonton, you obviously have NOT done your homework on European filtration! If you had, you would see there are actually THREE different standards: Type A, Type B and Type C. Type A filters capture 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter. Type B filters capture 99.999% of particles at 0.3 microns, while Type C filters capture 99.999% at 0.1 microns. So that actually exceeds the American US DOE-STD-3020-2015.

Currently, the only European manufacturer that meets the EN1822 Type C standard is Miele. They redesigned the AH30 and AH50 HEPA Filters for their vacuums to meet the new EN1822 standard in 2013 by removing the charcoal element for odors and stuffing the frame with more HEPA paper. The genuine Original Miele HEPA Filters sold today filter at 99.95% @ 0.1 micron size particles.

Furthermore, Sebo DID NOT come up with the wording "S-Class" to market their filtration system in their vacuums! That's what HEPA Filtration used to be called in the 1990s by various European manufacturers. On Ebay, occasionally you will see old Miele vacuums pop up for sale with their original S-Class exhaust filters - look close enough, and you will see the frame contains HEPA paper.

Now, if we're talking about which vacuum has the best filtration, there are 2 European canisters that are BETTER than Miele and Sebo, and come with ULPA Filtration, the Nilfisk Museum line of canister vacuums, and the Fakir Prestige TS2000 / Soniclean Whisperjet. These canisters filter at 99.999% @ 0.12 microns in size! So, if you want the VERY BEST filtration in a canister vacuum for your home, these should be on your shopping list!

https://www.amazon.com/Soniclean-WhisperJet-C2-Canister-Cleaner/dp/B09B7X5L2W
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Air-CD-TS-2000-Consumption/dp/B074H6K5FP?th=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEPA
https://www.achooallergy.com/miele-hepa-airclean-filter-ha50.html
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
kirbylux77 said:
Cheesewonton, you obviously have NOT done your homework on European filtration! If you had, you would see there are actually THREE different standards: Type A, Type B and Type C. Type A filters capture 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter. Type B filters capture 99.999% of particles at 0.3 microns, while Type C filters capture 99.999% at 0.1 microns. So that actually exceeds the American US DOE-STD-3020-2015.

Currently, the only European manufacturer that meets the EN1822 Type C standard is Miele. They redesigned the AH30 and AH50 HEPA Filters for their vacuums to meet the new EN1822 standard in 2013 by removing the charcoal element for odors and stuffing the frame with more HEPA paper. The genuine Original Miele HEPA Filters sold today filter at 99.95% @ 0.1 micron size particles.

Furthermore, Sebo DID NOT come up with the wording "S-Class" to market their filtration system in their vacuums! That's what HEPA Filtration used to be called in the 1990s by various European manufacturers. On Ebay, occasionally you will see old Miele vacuums pop up for sale with their original S-Class exhaust filters - look close enough, and you will see the frame contains HEPA paper.

Now, if we're talking about which vacuum has the best filtration, there are 2 European canisters that are BETTER than Miele and Sebo, and come with ULPA Filtration, the Nilfisk Museum line of canister vacuums, and the Fakir Prestige TS2000 / Soniclean Whisperjet. These canisters filter at 99.999% @ 0.12 microns in size! So, if you want the VERY BEST filtration in a canister vacuum for your home, these should be on your shopping list!

https://www.amazon.com/Soniclean-WhisperJet-C2-Canister-Cleaner/dp/B09B7X5L2W
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Air-CD-TS-2000-Consumption/dp/B074H6K5FP?th=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEPA
https://www.achooallergy.com/miele-hepa-airclean-filter-ha50.html
Click to expand...
Here are two sources that define filtration standards under DIN EN 1822.

https://airfiltration.mann-hummel.com/en-uk/insights/filter-classification/din-en-1822.html
https://aafeurope.com/solutions-services/indoor-air-quality-iaq/en1822

You see three high level filter classifications, EPA, HEPA and ULPA with further granularity within each high level classification. Under HEPA filtration you see two further classifications, H-13 which requires 99.95% particle capture and H-14 which requires 99.995% particle capture. There is nothing in the published standard about Type A, B or C.

All of the boxes for Genuine Miele brand bags and filters I have ever seen, if there is anything on the box indicating a filter standard it will say "HEPA 13" which implies to me Miele's best exhaust filter meets the H-13 standard. Note their activated charcoal filter is not HEPA rated nor is the electrostatic exhaust filter. If you look at Electrolux Group products their best exhaust filters have H-13 stamped on them. Same for Lux International vacuums like my D820 or European filters for the Intelligence series ( noting carefully that most aftermarket filters are not HEPA rated ). H-13 is not HEPA by the US standard but close enough. The genuine Sebo filters and dust bags I buy claim 99.9% particle capture and at every bag change I find dog hair has passed right through the very best Sebo bag to impale itself on the pre-motor filter. Every time. The reality is the floor nozzle unavoidably stirs up more dust than anything coming out of the vacuum's exhaust. I would say frequency of vacuuming counts for more than nitpicking filtration levels.

For a time in the early 2000s ULPA filtered household canister vacuums were a bit of a fad in Japan. I have examples from Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Sanyo and Panasonic, with the Airsis series canister vacs claiming 99.999% particle capture down to 0.08 microns. Your guess is as good as mine if it actually achieves this. The filter sells for about $85 in Japan, more by the time it arrives at my home in the US. My Hitachi CV-RP9000 uses some sort of electronic process to filter the exhaust air.
 
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Third gen Airsis sold first by Sanyo and after the buyout the same machine was sold as the Panasonic MC-SXJ4000. Sanyo called it the SC-XD31. This is my favorite variant. You might remember that power nozzle as it was sold with the Panasonic MC-CG955, a Kenmore bagless model and by Cen-Tec as the CT10QD Quiet Response. My all time favorite Japanese power nozzle and naturally no parts for it anywhere now. I have extra brush rolls but only two sets of belts and no spare motors. The upper surface of the canister body is translucent and there are LED lights underneath that put on a bit of a light show as you vacuum. It is my favorite because the ULPA filter is easiest to access on this one, through a hatch on the bottom. Three screws and the hatch is off. The motor blows down into the center of the circular filter ( looks like an old style circular car air filter ) then out the sides and out the back of the vacuum. On earlier versions of the Airsis you had to do some disassembly to dig out the ULPA filter. Same filter element on both.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https://auctions.c.yimg.jp/images.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/image/dr000/auc0508/user/10f02bc5e8e7682bcc8a09fac792c6f964e63cd333509383e3fd6db93652a356/i-img1198x898-17248474296343oggbxy341601.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f8ca47406ae39e32f6a94a820c8fcf93eea4759b0dfe43bc00b74c9d65be23d7
 

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