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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

The TriStar MG-2 is a minimalist’s dream in it’s simplicity. And there is a certain genius in that simplicity. The ergonomics are very good. It is very powerful and there is not a lot of things to break on it. TriStar came out in 1948 and the basic way it operates has not changed. It was way ahead of it’s time, so much so that several companies have copied it.

How It Works

How it works: Dirt enters through the hose and the dirt gets dumped into a bucket shaped, disposable filter bag. The disposable bag nests inside a permanent cloth bag so your air is filtered by these two bags. There is a final foam filter between the fan and powerful motor. The air, keeps the motor cool. And then there is a disposable final filter just before it exhausts. Generic final filters have a charcoal disk in them for odor control. You can buy an upgraded HEPA final filter direct from the manufacturer if you need more filtration.

TriStar’s are renown for their suction and for keeping their suction as the bag fills. The dirt gets dumped at the front wall of the bucket shaped bag while the air gets sucked out of the rear wall. A “cyclonic” air dam keeps the dirt toward the front as it slowly fills the bag maintaining suction. It works.

The bucket shaped bag has a wide mouth. It’s not as hermetically sealed like modern bags so you can see all the crud this vac has gobbled up. Still, bag changes are easy - far easier and more sanitary than most of the modern bagless machines. Bonus: the wide mouth at the top of the bag means that should you accidentally suck up your kid’s Lego block or an earring, you can fish it out without major surgery.

Features and Pros:

• Die Cast metal alloy body with a rubber bumper all the way around. Almost indestructible. Metal does not absorb odors the way plastic does.
• Compact size. Makes it maneuverable in tight spaces.
• Rubberized hose with gas pump style handle. This drapes well and is easy to handle. Some vacuum cleaner hoses (especially the cheap ones) seem to always be fighting you, this one is well behaved.
• 360 degree castor wheels. The machine turns easily and follows you around as you work nicely. Stays upright.
• Bagged. Bagged machines seem to work better when you have pets because they don’t absorb odors like bagless machines. The bags hold a lot.
• Big on/off switch. Big simple, power switch on the top of the vacuum you can hit with your foot
• Carry handle. Ergonomically placed handle which is right at the weight balance point of the body which makes it easier to carry. With an all metal body, the Tristar is an 18 pound machine so this is important.
• Powerful motor
• Long power cord. Something like 27 feet. For storage you wrap it around the underside of the body. There is a quick release for unwrapping the cord.
• Can balance on end for storage.
• Power head. Well built, L-shaped carpet power head which helps you vacuum around furniture legs. The body of the power head is also die cast metal.
• Good tool set.
• Made in USA.

Cons

• Weight: At 18 lbs. this is not a light machine. Might be too much for an elderly person to carry around. Likewise, the power head is 5 lbs. with the weight all at the end of the wand.
• No Full Bag Indicator: Frankly, I’m not sure this is actually a Con. It’s so easy to just unlatch the lid and take a glance at how full it is, that I really don’t think this is a negative. It’s one less thing to break.

Cost to Operate

This is a big plus. Good, third party bags and filters are easily available on Amazon at very reasonable prices. Most local vacuum repair shops should also have the bags or you can get everything from the manufacturer as well. It just does not cost much to run this vacuum.

Even the parts, either OEM or third party, are reasonable and widely available. There isn’t that much to break and new motors, new switches, new hoses can all be had online at reasonable prices should you ever need them. This is a machine that can be kept running for decades.

Buying a Tristar

New TriStar’s are very expensive and sold door to door by salespeople giving in-home demos. I recommend buying a refurbished Tristar and you can read all about that in my Vacuum Cleaner Buying Guide.

The current model is the CS. The MG-3 was the predecessor and the MG-2 before it. I would expect to pay about $400 - 500 for a professionally refurbished Tristar. YMMV.

Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with TriStar or any other retailer. I actually own a machine that I paid for and base my opinions on that.

Intro

So why do I collect vacuum cleaners, of all things and what do I collect?

I hate housework, but it has to be done and when I do work I like to use good tools and vacuums are a tool just like a saw is. I like quality, both in build and design. And I like performance, that is how well does this machine do it’s job? And just like a saw, there are different types of vacs to do different tasks, (ie. an upright vacuum is very good at cleaning wall to wall carpet, whereas a canister is sort of a jack of all trades.)

I collect brands like Kirby, TriStar, Rainbow, Filter Queen and Electrolux USA (known since 2003 as Aerus).

Building a Better Mouse Trap

I like these old vac designs because they come from an era: 1. when machines were built to be repaired NOT thrown away, 2. everybody was innovating on how to build a better vacuum cleaner than the next guy. Sort of like building a better mouse trap there wasn’t just one way to solve the problem. And I will give Dyson his due, of the modern machines, Dyson tried something different, it’s just that I don’t think they are all that special in performance and materials.

Buying Refurbished

I only buy refurbished machines, with the refurbishment done by a qualified person. I don’t want to buy some worn out $10 garage sale find that somebody cosmetically polished up and is reselling on Ebay for $100.

Here is what I look for in refurbishment:

• Inside and out has been cleaned and sanitized.
• A standard set of tools in good condition.
• New carpet brush installed on the carpet power head.
• New belts. Everywhere.
• Hoses in good shape and without leaks or new replacement hoses.
• Motor inspected, tested so it is up to specs, or rebuilt as necessary.
• New filters.
• Gaskets checked for leakage.
• Everything tested and in good working order.

See more reasons for buying refurbished at my: Vacuum Cleaner Buying Guide

Prices of Refurbished

New prices for the vacs listed above run from $1600 to $3000 or over.

Refurbished, depending on model and brand, start at about $200ish and top out at about $1000, with $1000 buying you something very recently made with very few hours on it. But most of the time you can find something really good for $450 - $700.

Compare those numbers to some of the better quality modern brands: $700 to $1300 or higher. I’ve seen a high end new Sebo canister on Amazon for around $1200!

Price as a hobby

I also collect manual typewriters. What I’m finding is that the vacuums I collect cost about the same as the refurbished typewriters I collect. The difference is, I actually use the vacuums all the time, whereas the typewriters not so much. Although there is something therapeutic about typing with a manual typewriter.

I currently have 5 vacuums in the collection, one of each brand. I don’t see it growing much beyond what I have. My plan is to follow this up with detailed reviews of each of my machines. Real Soon Now.

Thanks for reading.

General Vacuum Cleaning Tips

1. Vacuum carpet several times from different directions. This removes much more dirt, especially in high traffic areas and in homes with pets.
2. Vacuum your matress with the carpet power nozzle.
3. Put your pillow in a plastic bag. Wrap the bag end tightly around the vac hose nozzle and suck out the dust and mites.
4. Dust the tops of drapes and window treatments with your vacuum. Use the low suction setting.
5. Vacuum the clothes dryer lint filter. Use the crevice tool to get down into the filter cavity of the dryer to remove excess lint.
6. Wet a cotton ball with an essential oil and put it in your vacuum cleaner bag. Your house will fill with the scent while you vacuum.
7. It is said that vacuum cleaners are very effective at killing fleas in your carpet.
8. Especially if you have allergies, use your vacuum cleaner as your primary dusting tool.  This puts less dust in the air than a cloth.
9. Slow down when cleaning carpet. Move the power head at half the speed or slower than you generally would. Let the power head brush do it’s job and give the suction more time to lift the dirt.
10. Many upholstery tools have a removable brush. Take the brush off for upholstery. Put the brush on for things like drapes. The brush will help prevent the vac from sucking in the drape.
11. Check and see if your canister vacuum manufacturer makes a pet hair grooming tool. If so, try it out. Provided your pet complies, this will save you lots of time and work brushing your shedding pet. In a pinch try using the upholstery tool with the brush on.

Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner Tips

1. Change the Rainbow water often. Don’t let it get sludgy.
2. With it’s water filtration the Rainbow makes a great dusting machine. Use the extra long non-electric hose. You can kinda just let the Rainbow sit in middle of room as you go around and dust and you don’t have to reposition it as often.  The long hose also lets you get up high to ceiling fans and curtain tops.
3. Put a few drops of PineSol in the water. Smells great. Dirt knocks out any foam.
4. Some people put essential oils in the water. Lemon oil, peppermint, pine, eucalyptus oil etc., to make the house smell great while vacuuming.

Bonus

See also our: Vacuum Cleaner Buying Guide for more details.

More Than One Vac

• A vacuum for each floor of your house. So you don’t have to lug your vac up and down stairs.
• You may want different types of vacuums for different areas of the house. (Example: A canister works better in crowded rooms like bedrooms and for getting under beds. While an upright works best on big open expanses or wall to wall carpet like hallways and minimally furnished living rooms. So even if you have a ranch home, you might want to have different vac types available.
• Basements and workshops are good areas to have a dedicated vac, generally a canister. Retire your old but still working canisters there.
• The garage is a great place to keep an old or a new canister, ready to clean out the interior of your car at a moments notice.

Bags and Filters and more

• Change your vacuum cleaner bag when it is full. Do Not get cheap and try to save money by overfilling the bags, because most vacuums rely on the airflow that goes through the bags and your dirt to cool the motor. If you overfill you will reduce the life of the motor due to overheating. Bags are way cheaper than a new vacuum. Also, if your bag is overly full your vacuum will not clean as well.
• Filters - The same advice holds true for other filters on your machine including the bagless ones. There may be a final filter right before the motor and maybe a HEPA filter before the exhaust. If washable clean those at the intervals specified in your manual or if disposable replace those filters as per the manual. Again it’s about air flow for cooling the motor. Plus your vacuum will clean better with good airflow.
• Do Not sprinkle baking soda or powdered carpet freshener onto your carpet. These clog the pores of your bags and filters causing the same overheating problem. If your carpet has picked up smells then shampoo or steam clean it.

This is the infamous vacuum cleaner post I have been promising to write.

I just bought a refurbished vacuum cleaner.  A Tristar MG-2 canister, if you must know.  It’s a compact model which is handy to pull out quickly when you track something in and for carrying out to the garage for cleaning out the cars.  New Tristars are very expensive.  Refurbished they still are not cheap but they will outlast most of the plastic junk built today.

A family I knew well, bought a Tristar back in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s.  Back then the styling had not changed since the 1940’s.  The family nicknamed it The Pig, because it looked like a little piggy rolling behind them.  It was ugly in a cute sort of way, built like a tank and powerful.  I know they used it for over 20 years and they loved it.

Vacuum Cleaner Buying Guide

Here are the numbers I am seeing: You can buy a new “high end” plastic vacuum cleaner for starting at $650 or more.  It might be made in Germany or the USA.  Or you can spend $250 - 500 for a quality refurbished vacuum cleaner, made in USA, made of metal, that will still be running in 10 - 15 years.  Heck, $250 - 550 buys a heck of a lot in the refurbished department.

Most of the high quality vacuums are made in the USA. I like that.

High quality vacuums can be repaired, Usually it’s just a new belt.  They can be refurbished and have a second life and will probably still outlast the modern plastic ones.  I’ve learned this the hard way.

It is okay to have more than one vacuum cleaner.  I have one for each floor of my house because I’m done lugging a vac up and down flights of stairs.  Also a vac model that is perfect for your ground floor may not work as well upstairs where the bedrooms are.

Bag vs. Bagless

Upright vs. canister

If you have small rooms with lots of tight spaces I think a canister is better.

Why Buy Refurbished Vacuums?

Lower Carbon Footprint: When you buy a refurbished, quality machine like I list here, you are buying a machine that has already served 10 - 30 years since it was first manufactured. Professionally refurbished it will probably serve another 10 - 15 even 20 years. It lowers the carbon footprint. When you buy a cheap $150 vacuum it’s disposable - when it breaks in 5 years, you toss it in a landfill. That’s not very carbon efficient or good for the environment.

Get to the Vacuum Cleaner Models Man!

Canisters:

Pro Tip: If you buy a Rainbow, invest in a non-electrified wet hose, plastic tubes and squeegee attachment if your unit didn’t come with it.  These can be aftermarket but made for your model Rainbow. Cheap insurance!

Even if you already have a working vacuum cleaner, a rebuilt Rainbow with it’s wet pickup can be a good investment and a compliment to your primary vac.  Add the optional carpet shampooing attachment and it has even more uses.

Plus, of course, it vacuums up dry dust and sand like crazy.  It works really well for dusting and not putting allergens back in the air.

There is a downside to the Rainbow, because you have to fill the tank with water before each use, it is not the best for a quick cleanup when the kids track in dirt and the in-laws are due any second, or for lugging out to the driveway to vacuum the interior of the car. The Rainbow is for weekly cleaning day.

Others in no particular order. You really can’t go wrong with any of these.

Electrolux/Aerus:  These are well built machines which are sort of torpedo shaped.  They have a great disposable filter bag system so bag changes are clean and neat.  Also a full bag sensor. The retractable cord is a great feature.  They last a long time.  

Tristar: Made in USA. compact, powerful, they are built to last.  If you need something smaller and lighter for lugging around or in a cramped home or apartment this is perfect.  The Tristar is a handy size for carrying out to the garage to clean the carpet in your car yet it is big enough to clean your whole house.

Update: Up above, when I first wrote this, I had a Tristar on order.  Now I’ve had a chance to really use it and it’s a fantastic machine, very powerful and well built.  I would not hesitate to buy one again.

Filter Queen:  Made in USA. my experience is only second hand but they have a reputation for lasting forever and being very good at cleaning and air quality without losing suction.  These can be good if you have a long haired pets.  They even make a dog grooming attachment.  Refurbished Filter Queens seem to be in high demand, but they are priced right. 

Filter Queen Update: I’m seeing the refurbished older model Filter Queen (red, green and blue color models) often priced at $200 - 250ish range.  That makes these rebuilt Filter Queens one of the best bargains of everything listed in this buying guide.  If money is tight but you still want quality seriously look at the Filter Queens.

Best Vacuum for solving your problems

• Lots of carpet, lots of big shedding pets. Get a newer Kirby model (Diamond, Sentria).  These really work on getting pet hair out of carpets.  You will probably still want to have a good bagged canister for dusting and getting under beds, sofas and other furniture.
• Lots of hard floors, lots of pets. Any of the bagged canisters listed above.
• Sever allergies - Rainbow E or E2 models or newer. Not only do they filter with water but they have a HEPA after filter.  Clean floors and dust furniture with the Rainbow.
• Mildly dust sensitive (temporary sneezing, mild irritation) - Any Rainbow model. The water filtration really works. Again clean floors and dust furniture with it.
• Most portable for carrying up/down stairs.  Tristar.
• Best for cramped rooms with too much furniture. Tristar or any canister.
• Best for bedrooms and getting under beds.  Any canister.

Where else to buy?

I’ve found two potential refurbishers for vintage Electrolux USA/Aerus vacuums: Vacuum Man and TheElectroluxMan.com. The first seems to be a thriving concern. The second site looks dated, I would email them first to see if they are still in business. I’ve never dealt with either.

eBay:  You need to do your homework buying a refurbished vacuum cleaner on eBay.  You want to find a seller that really refurbishes the machine and doesn’t just polish up the exterior with Armor All and pass it off as refurbishment.  Find out: 1. what the seller does for refurbishment, 2. what their return and refund policy is (if they don’t have one pass), 3. what is their sales history and buyer satisfaction rating, 4. how much is shipping and what is the final price with shipping, 5. what exactly you are getting: hoses, attachments etc.  You want to separate the garage sale finds from a truly refurbished model done by someone that knows what they are doing.

Local Vacuum Retail and Repair Shop: Of course they will want to sell you a new vacuum, but many of these shops take in trade-ins, refurbish them and resell. But find out what they do for refurbishment.

Amazon: See above under Great Vacs and Ebay.

What if I Want a New Vacuum Cleaner?

Miele - Made in Germany. Makes high quality canisters.

Riccar - Made in USA. Authorized dealers only so check your local vac store. Good machines, especially their uprights.

Sebo - Made in Germany. Good canisters.

Aerus - Aerus is the successor to the old Electrolux USA. They have both a bricks and mortar dealer network and door to door salespeople (I think). New Aerus vacuums are expensive but you can look.

With all four brands: these are not cheap when new. Expect to spend at least $600 - 700 for a good model but they go higher. Check each brands corporate website for dealer locator.

In my opinion, you will not find a really good quality new vac for $100 - 200 range.  You get what you pay for and at those prices, even the plastic seems 3rd rate and they just won’t last.

What do you have?

I have a Rainbow “D” model bought refurbished as my main machine on my main floor.  I dust with it and sweep the floors with it. I bought this a few years ago online from Great Vacs (see above.)  It’s also my “just in case” vac should I ever have a wet cleanup requiring more than just a quick mop (ie. dishwasher leaks, clothes washer leaks, plumbing leaks, water in the basement, etc.)

Pro Tip:  I dump my Rainbow dirty water on the back lawn in good weather.  The lawn loves it.  In winter I empty the water into the toilet.

When I bought the Rainbow, I already had a subcompact 1990’s Royal canister with shoulder strap for quick spot cleaning, doing the stairs and cleaning car interiors. It was too small in capacity for general cleaning but it was good for those jobs.  The Royal also had a tendency to flop over off it’s wheels when trailing behind.  The Royal finally broke down and repairs were more than the little plastic vac was worth.  The refurbished Tristar, mentioned above is replacing the Royal.

My upstairs is all carpet.  I have a refurbished Electrolux, that I bought on eBay.  It is close to the model we had when I was a kid, so I guess nostalgia.

Update February 2020: I bought a refurbished Kirby and a refurb Filter Queen. I’ll figure out a rationalization later.

Unfinished basement:  I have a Dyson canister.  I originally bought this as a general purpose vac.  I hated it from the start.  I replaced it with the Rainbow.  The Dyson sits next to my workbench, plugged in and ready to suck up sawdust and anything else on the concrete floor in that area and off the workbench.  It works well for that task.

(Electrolux is now called Aerus.)  2018.

I tried to cover everything pretty extensively.  If you have questions feel free to ask in the comments below and I will try to get you an answer.

This was also posted to /en/vacuum-cleaners.