Before I can tell you about the Silverado, we need to clear up the confusion about the Electrolux name. Here is the short timeline.
1924 - Electrolux USA founded. Made vacuum cleaners.
2000 - Rights to the “Electrolux” name in North America sold to appliance giant Electrolux NA (Sweden). Electrolux USA changed their name to “Aerus”. It is still the same company only the name changed.
Therefore, the vacuums you see today in the big box stores labeled “Electrolux” are now made by Electrolux NA Sweden. They are not the same quality as the old pre-2000 “Electrolux” machines. Post year 2000 the high quality machines are Aerus machines which are only sold through small dealerships and by salespeople, never in big box retail stores.
Vintage Electrolux
I always consider Electrolux USA machines to be the Cadillac of vacuum cleaners. They just had so many luxury features (for the day) that other machines did not have.
- Self sealing bags. This is common now but Electrolux had them in the 1950’s.
- Self winding power cord.
- Automatic shut off when bag is full.
- Easy and sanitary bag changes. These have the easiest bag to change of any vac I own.
- Safety switch so it cannot accidentally be run without a bag in place.
- Blower function.
- Type of Dirt Dial. (I suppose I should read the manual for what this is for.)
- L-Shaped power nozzle to clean around furniture legs.
- Reversible combo rug and hard floor tool.
- Dual dusting brush and upholstery tool.
- Automatic carpet height adjustment on power head.
- All metal construction. (Post 2000 Aerus models are now fiber reinforced Lexan)
- Made in USA
We had an Electrolux Model G from the 1960’s when I was growing up. It lasted for decades. When I decided to have a vac on each floor of my house, I immediately thought of getting a refurbished all metal one for the upstairs.
Electrolux Silverado 1982 to 1985
Model Number 1505 the Silverado was made from 1982 - 1985. I bought this on Ebay, as a seller refurbished model, a few years ago to have a vacuum on my second floor so I didn’t have to lug a vac up and down the stairs. (Worth it!) I checked out the seller’s record carefully and his satisfaction rating. In addition, he listed exactly what he had done to refurbish the machine. Anyway it works just fine.
Like all these all metal machines the Silverado is heavy. It rolls pretty easy. It is long and this makes it a bit ungainly in rooms with a lot of tightly spaced furniture. The rubberized hose drapes well.
There is a large rocker power switch on the top that you can operate with your foot, two different handles which provide flexibility in carry, a slide open blower port and a place to store the combo dusting brush/upholstery tool on board.
The rear of the machine is flat and rubberized so you can store it on end to save space.
All in all, a lot of thought went into the design of this machine. This thing is 35 years old and it’s still running and still cleaning. If it should break I can get it repaired. I can even buy a replacement motor if need be. There is a lot of value in these vintage Electrolux/Aerus vacuums.
Bags are easy to buy either at a local dealer, Amazon or from the manufacturer.
Cons
- Weight - you don’t want to carry it up and down stairs every week.
- Filtration - the Silverado and all the metal body Electrolux cleaners had good filtration back when they were made. If you have no allergies the Silverado works just fine. There is no way to increase the filtration so if you have bad allergies you want something with better filtration. Also, if you have a super insulated home maintaining indoor air quality becomes really important and filtering particulates out of the air becomes more important. One of the newer refurbished Aerus models with a HEPA filter would be better for both allergies or a super insulated home.
Buying or Collecting
Speaking strictly about the metal bodied vintage Electrolux vacuums: I would try to buy one of these 3 models:
Marquise 1988 - 1991 - this is the last of the all metal Electrolux machines. It would be my first choice just because it’s 5 years or more newer.
Silverado 1982 - 1985 - I think they sold a lot of these.
Ebay - you can find some rebuilt Electrolux/Aerus machines on Ebay.
VacuumMan I’ve never done business with him, but the rebuild jobs he does look top notch, more like a full restoration rather than a refurbishment. I suggest emailing him and see what he has in stock and the prices.
Conclusion
Quality wise, I don’t think you can go wrong with a rebuilt Electrolux/Aerus vacuum. They tend to cost a bit more but you get so many features. Unfortunately, for these old metal machines there is no filtration upgrade. If you have no allergies they are just fine. But if you are dust sensitive, then other brand machines like rebuilt Rainbow, Kirby or Filter Queen should be available for about the same price and would be a better choice. Or look for a newer plastic Aerus machine with a HEPA filter.
