Electrolux Super J

by Elaine
(Moorestown, NJ, USA)

I have been using an Electrolux since about 1980. A picture of my current model Super J is attached. Shown with it is the blue floor attachment to my first Electrolux (a blue canister similar to the Super J whose model I cannot remember); it works fine with my Super J model.

The Super J is a gold-colored canister, probably 25-30 yrs old. Only recently has its performance deteriorated to the point where I am considering the purchase of a new one. What I like best about the Electrolux is its power. When I was given my first Electrolux (the blue one – given to me by my father-in-law, a retired Electrolux salesman) it was a reconditioned, used model.

I was young and living in an old, rental house – one of my first homes after leaving the home I grew up in. It was out in the country surrounded by sandy dirt, horses, pigs, chicken, ducks, turkeys, cats & dogs… and occupied for many years by renters who seemed to not care about keeping the place clean. The living room’s shag carpet came right up to the front door which was on ground level with the dust. You can imagine the dirt that had accumulated there over the years.

When vacuuming the living room near the front door you could hear dirt hitting the sides of the wand as it got sucked up through the hose into the blue canister. Sometimes I would leave the nozzle in one spot for an overly long time trying to suck up ALL the dirt from under the carpet and in the pad; but never was able to leave it there long enough to hear the vacuum run clean.

This may be an extreme example but before the Electrolux, I used a Hoover canister vacuum in the same house & never noticed any sounds of dirt being sucked up – only the sound of the vacuum. As a matter of fact, I have cut open many an Electrolux vacuum bag over the years to retrieve something accidentally sucked-up due to being a bit too close when vacuuming.

Which brings me to the Electrolux bags: they are lined with layers of various material that helps lower the dust output which can go right through thinner bags and can clog the vacuum itself which eventually degrades its power. The canister is light weight so I can carry it easily up & down stairs or even hold in one hand while reaching into odd places with the other hand to clean some obscure area (for example the top of the curtain rods).

I also prefer a cannister because of its ability to go under low furniture – lower than an upright can handle. The Electrolux Super J has an upholstery attachment, a dusting brush and a crevice attachment. It can also blow air with a flip of sliding door and attaching the hose to a different spot (though I never had much use for that feature).

I have always boasted the efficiency of an Electrolux and am still partial to that brand. I plan to shop around before purchasing my next vacuum which I expect to use for the next 30 years.