I picked up yet another vintage Electrolux vacuum cleaner yesterday. I've already got a very similar model that I've covered before in the thread linked to here below:-
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/....php?p=1194173
That was the 'Model Z25', I believe that this particular one is the 'Model X11 Universal', looking on-line I couldn't find any direct reference to this exact model.
There's a bit of a story to this one and without any direct 'on-line' reference to the model type, how I know the model type of this particular one is that some while ago I was given the wooden box with the book and instruction card for it, which had the model type on it by the then cleaners owner, but he wanted to keep the cleaner itself. You may think that this was a strange thing to do, but he was about to dump the box and instructions, as the whole lot had been very badly stored and he was convinced that he could see small 'creatures' running around in it and that it was infested with worm - actually it wasn't and just needed cleaning out and drying. Anyway, he decided that as it wasn't being used and was taking up space in his loft he asked me if I wanted it, knowing I already had a similar one - he'd actually forgotten that he'd already given me the box and was apologising for getting rid of it when I reminded him that I was the one that had saved it from the bin or bon fire a year or two back! It doesn't have its full compliment of tools, but has both its metal tubes and the hose is in better condition than my previous one.
These cleaners make excellent blowers for safely blowing the muck and dust out of old radios etc. The hose on my original Z25, although complete, had degraded and hardened internally and had started to break up. This didn't stop it from functioning and there were no air leaks, but despite my best efforts I could never stop bits of hard rubber from the inside of the hose sporadically being blown out while using it as a blower and for this reason I had to stop using it on radios etc. This wouldn't have been a problem using it as a vacuum cleaner, as any bits from the inside of the hose would have just been sucked into the bag with the rest of the dirt. I've tested the hose with this latest cleaner and although it looks well worn, it's actually still nice and supple and not producing any debris from its internal structure.
According to the voltage plate on this cleaner, it's rated for 230 volts, which is much closer to todays mains than my other cleaner, which according to its plate is rated for 195-205 volts. It would be interesting to date this particular model - I suspect it will be somewhere in the 1930s, as was my previous one.
Pictures below showing it reunited with its box - original instruction book and card are in the box with the other one:-