Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Should I buy a Aerus Lux Classic? Or should I just use my Electrolux 2100? I'm feeling uneasy about using my TriStar CS vac due to the hose handle getting hot The Electrolux 2100 is my upstairs vac; but if I buy the Classic, it'll be the main level vac Lux Classic price about $800.00 (before trade-in; I might trade my TriStar CS)

Long story but... I have had the Electrolux 2100 for some time (bought used at a garage sale yrs ago) & it's starting to show its age (the oblong rear 'end' fell off & the Automatic Control gave out) I also have a 1205 but its suction is not as efficient like it used to be (I bought new GENUINE Electrolux PVC electrified hoses [1 for the 1205 & the other for the 2100] some yrs back) & also noticed that the motor runs slow I'm probably moving to a larger house & plan to use the TriStar CS as the upstairs vac; & if I buy the Lux Classic, it'll be the downstairs vac. I've been used to using Electrolux vacuum cleaners since childhood As a last 'resort' I might buy the 12' hose for my TriStar CS. Its motor had been replaced by a Ametek 115923 2-stage motor 3 yrs ago bcuz the original Johnson motor quit working (vac was still under warranty) The other gripe about the TriStar is the conversion adapter is 'poorly made' bcuz the universal accessories (ceiling fan cleaning tool) won't fit the adapter. Also the hose handle is a bit 'bulky' but not as bad as the Electrolux Epic 6500SR I once had yrs ago Should I still go for the classic? I might trade either the 1205 or the 2100 & keep the TriStar The TriStar hose handle melted at the end where the tool/wand connects; which is why I cannot fully connect the wand or tool As to maintenance I clean out the brush roller & bearings on a weekly basis. Sometimes I prefer using the Lux 2100 with combo flip rug/floor tool for vacing carpet instead of the PN (I vacuum daily & every other vacing session I use the PN)

Wow, you have a Frankenvac! I have used the Ametek 115923 motor to save some old machines that originally came with older two stage Ametek motors but it is too long for the Tristar CS body. I can't even imagine what this adapter is like. A better choice is to convert it to an EXL. The EXL motor mount is Tristar part 70205. Interstar Distributors in California shows them on their website (tristarvacuumusa.com) hiding in the EXL/MG/CS power nozzle parts. Weird. They were unavailable for years, forcing customers to, cough cough. "upgrade" to the Johnson Electric motor in the CS. There has been demand for EXL motor mounts so they must have found a source for them. I can only applaud, a buy a couple as spares ^_^ . The factory in Tennessee that made motors for Electrolux USA back when your old 2100 was made is now on its own and are called Electromotor LLC. I was incorrect in my first post. 6500-242 is an obsolete motor. It was replaced with 6500-293 and 6500-298. 6500-298 is the motor you want. It also will fit your 2100. Many shops sell 6500-293 as a replacement for Electrolux and Tristar but it has a flat fan and less power than the original conical fan motors in the 2100 and EXL. 6500-298 is a big power upgrade over the original Lux and Tristar EXL motor and with an EXL motor mount drops right in to your CS. No adapters, very clean and you will love the power. They retail for $105 shipped from Lighthouse Vacuum Motors in Arizona, known in the net as centralvacuummotor.com/lighthouse . Nice people and very helpful. I would still check the wiring in your power nozzle, wands and hose for poor contact, chafed wires and for something driving a load up the wand that is making the handle hot. Changing suction motors won't fix that problem. Now you will laugh but I have a modern Tristar body from the A101N (MG series) using a Panasonic motor from a Kenmore Elite 21814. Oh my! 600 air watts, just huge power. I did that with a CS motor mount and air filter housing (the motor won't stay put without the filter housing in the motor mount) and wrapped two turns of window screen spline around the Kenmore motor to make it fit super tight in the motor mount. The fan on the Panasonic motor is a tiny bit smaller diameter than the Johnson Electric Motor. I had to remove the brushes from the Panasonic motor to squeeze the field housing into the sleeve part of the CS motor mount (Johnson Electric put the brushes between the fan and field) but once it is in it isn't going anywhere and no suction leaks. Runs cool too. You can tell I like Tristars and Electrluxes. Just me but I'm partial to the SR6500/Epic 6500/Guardian 7000/Legend or the old Epic 8000 but hope to someday afford a Guardian Platinum. I am currently restoring a Royal Lux D975 I bought from Japan (it needs a new main board and I just found one in Japan) and have a Lux 1R D820 also from Japan. I run these on 100 volt converters. In time I'll add a Concordia 2100, the Japan market version of your Electrolux USA 2100 to go with my Japan market Tristar, a "Sunstorm EX-30". Fewer than 1000 of these were ever made and a good many went to Japan in 100 volt form.

I bought a Lux Guardian Ultra canister (I requested the Classic style hose, tools & PN instead of the stock ones) new around 2009-10 but accidentally sold it when I reduced my vac collection, so I'm still thinking about buying the Classic Can I have the PN with headlight (but still use metal wands) if I buy the Classic? I'm not sure about bringing the 1692 PN up/down stairs just to have the lighted PN or just get the matching lighted PN I just spoke to the Lux dealer & they said they'll throw in the combo flip floor/rug tool & SideKick 1; extra bags, afterfilters & charcoal pre-motor filter

Still a good deal less expensive to repair the Tristar and soldier on, but you appear to have your heart set on an Aerus Classic. Six of one, half a dozen of the other for me in most ways but I like that the Tristar is all metal. The Tristar is well worth saving.

Btw, there is a really nice Lux 1R D820 on Yahoo! Japan Auctions right now. You can access them using a site called Buyee that is designed to let people all over the world access Japanese e-commerce sites in their own language, buy what you want and Buyee arranges shipping to your home or business abroad. The D820 is the immediate predecessor to the Lux Intelligence / Guardian Platinum model and at first glance looks similar. Japan uses 100 volt power and the Lux seems happy on 110. The power nozzle says it runs on 120v which is interesting for a country with 100 volt power. It is the quietest vacuum you have ever used, quieter than a Miele. The Ze3 power nozzle is surprisingly effective and similarly silent. Bags and filters are available on eBay or through a couple of European vacuum supply shops that ship to the US, Forrsan Huoltopalvelu in Finland and PG Service in Italy. Both have great customer service and low prices. Both communicate in good English too. We'd have the only two Lux IR D820s in the US!

Bad news ! There was a mistake on the Interstar Distributors website and the EXL motor mount is not available. I ordered two along with other parts and they have to refund my money. Worse yet, they told me that Aerus is going to stop making new Tristar vacuums in a few months. Since new ones come with a 5 year warranty they will probably make parts for them at least that long but after five years, who knows? How sad to see this revered old vacuum disappear. Miracle Mate hasn't made a new vacuum since about 2017 so that leaves only Schoettler and Ghibli Vortech making this sort of vacuum and both of those have resin bodies, not metal.

I traded in my 'beat up' Electrolux 2100 (but kept the genuine PVC hose & accessories) because the canister was falling apart over time & wasn't worth repairing because the plastic was too brittle (had a crack on the bottom; the 'rear end' part was held together with duct tape & the Automatic Control stopped working)

Wow, someone managed to kill an Electrolux! I don't blame you for replacing your 2100 with a Classic. With Aerus ceasing production of Tristars who knows how long they will bother making Aerus Lux branded vacuums? Don't give up on your Tristar. They are well worth saving. I just finished reviving my trusty 1982 vintage Kenmore "Sears Best" 4.1 with variable motor speeds and "Fingertip Control", the first occasion of a vacuum having the on/off switch and power nozzle switch on the hose handle. The motor seemed to be going soft so I put a more powerful motor in it. Even with the new motor it was still weak, making me think the electronics were finally going south. It felt like I was losing an old friend or my dog was on its last legs. Then the bulb went off. Turned out the rheostat that controls motor speed was dirty, causing a voltage drop the controller inside the motor housing interpreting it a low power setting. It was a real brain hurter to figure out how the control came apart but I sussed it out and managed to get enough electrical cleaner into the rheostat to clean it. Weird thing is even after this repair subjectively it felt weak but my digital hot wire anemometer showed it has more airflow than my Epic 8000 (no surprise) and Kenmore Elite, which was a surprise. The Elite is an animal. I guess I fixed it.

You will laugh but I just bought a super clean "Concordia Tiger", which is an Electrolux 2100 / LE in 100 volt form that was sold in Japan. Electrolux USA could not use their name on their products outside the US and Canada so in Japan they were sold under the Concordia brand name and in Europe in 240 volt form under the Globaltek brand name in Europe. Google up "Globaltek Renaissance" and see. Electrolux USA, Tristar, Filter Queen and Rainbow all sell or at least once sold 100 volt versions of their vacuums in Japan alongside Miele, Karcher-Windsor, Lux International and Electrolux AB of Sweden. Tristar's are sold under the Airstream brand name in Japan. I have wanted one of these Concordias for a while so when this really nice looking one came up on Mercari I swooped. Stay tuned, I'll update this when I have it here and can inspect it.

The prior owner who had the 2100 managed to break the machine; that's why there was tape holding the rear end. Also the woven hose was split 1/2 way, which is why I bought the new PVC hose. I'm really liking my new Lux Classic (I don't really like the 'cheap' floor brush, altho I use it for walls & ceiling) but I wish the PN had headlight like the PN from my 2100 At least I got the combo rug/floor tool & SideKick 1