[geeks] Vacuum!

[Brian Dunbar]

On May 25, 2004, at 10:44 AM, Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:

> Mon, 24 May 2004 @ 21:28 -0400, Phil Stracchino said:
>
>> Yup.  The plastic latch bar in the end of the wand wore/broke out.  I
>> just repaired that by making a sheetmetal patch and riveting it in.
>> I've also had to take apart and retension the power cord reel once,
>> replace the power head once because the motor siezed, and replace the
>> locking pedal on the replacement power head (cannibalizing the old 
>> head)
>> because both pivot ears sheared off it.  And the power switch is 
>> giving
>> trouble.
>
> Personally, I find most vacuums on the market today are crap.
>
> They have far too much plastic, they can't handle abuse, and they are
> usually too fancy for basic needs.
>
> One of my favorite workhorse vacuums was an 80s model Royal.  Simple
> metal canister, nice and small, and very powerful.  It did get a little
> hot, but mine was only abandoned when it completely wore out.  I think
> that took like 12 years.

We have a Rainbow that my wife and her first husband bought nearly a 
decade ago - still running strong.  We've needed to replace the water 
container* and It's down after the power cord was severed, waiting for 
me to solder it together.  When we had our place in Texas it sucked an 
amazing amount of crud out of the carpets.

~brian

*one of our children thought it, with the wheels attached, would make a 
keen skateboard, which introduced stress fractures.  The local rainbow 
guy sold me a new container at cost.