Posted on 12/02/2007 8:22:35 PM PST by Coleus
In an age when most things are disposable, cell phones swapped annually , cars traded every three years and homes put on the market ever so often, John Nordskog and his Super Dynamic vacuum cleaner appear to be from a bygone era. "This thing is almost as old as I am, and it's running better than I am," the 57-year-old Nordskog said of the dark blue canister machine his mother, Thelma, purchased in October 1952 from Ideal Vacuum Stores in Newark.
At least once a week, Nordskog pulls out the Super Dynamic, shunning the more modern incarnations of the vacuum like Dirt Devils and Hoovers. On Monday, Nordskog pressed a small button on the Super Dynamic's silver handle and a low buzz filled the living room of his Lyon Street home. "It looks old and beat-up, but it runs like a top," he said. With six cats and a dog, Nordskog is happy that the Super Dynamic has done a "wonderful job" so far.
As a child, the city resident had seen his mother attach the long hose and brush to the machine to remove dust bunnies from drapes, under dressers and other hard-to-reach places, but he had no idea the vacuum cleaner was that old. A few weeks ago he found the guarantee certificate with the 1952 date. His mother died two years ago. "I was kind of shocked," Nordskog said of the discovery. "I said, "Holy cow! This is unbelievable."
Thelma Nordskog had the vacuum serviced once in its 55 years of existence, according to John Nordskog. Since taking over ownership, he has bought new cords and new brushes at local appliance stores, but no repair work was needed, he said. Nordskog said his mother's vacuum is testament to the days when American-manufactured products were not only made well, but made to last. "This is what America was," said Nordskog, originally from New Milford. "It's about when people made things with good quality. They cared about things. When something outlasts its warranty that's pretty good. Even today when you buy a car, they tell you to buy the extended warranty.
"I just thought it was cool that old-fashioned quality American stuff still works," he added. Scott Wells, executive director of the Des Moines-based Vacuum Dealers Trade Association, which supports independent vacuum retailers, said Monday that the earlier vacuums were made from sturdy materials. His grandparents had a Hoover vacuum cleaner that dated from 1948 and that his parents used into the 2000s, Wells said.
"It's not uncommon that it would still work," Wells said. "It's a little bit uncommon that someone saves it and uses it that long. Vacuum cleaners from that time period were certainly built to last." Nordskog said he took to vacuuming back in the early 1980s when he became a stay-at-home father, while his now 31-year-old son, Miles, was still a toddler. His mother and father, John, had come to live with the family, and Thelma Nordskog brought the vacuum along with her. With the kids running around and spending a lot of time on the floor and rugs, it was not long before he picked up his mother's old vacuum cleaner and went to work.
"I have been using it ever since," Nordskog said.
Nordskog does not shun modern conveniences: He appreciates that his caller ID system allows him to screen telephone calls so that he does not miss the ending of close football games or movies. Newer, however, is not always better. "Technology is wonderful," Nordskog said. "But sometimes things get too much. Look at the phones with all the video cameras and televisions. A phone should be for making phone calls. You have to read a manual the size of a book. It's ridiculous."
Miles Nordskog also thinks the old cleaner is something notable, although he and members of the family use the Dirt Devil and Eureka vacuums more than the Super Dynamic. In the long run, his father's vacuum, which has a reusable bag, has an advantage over those that require users to purchase a bag, he said. He also likes that the Super Dynamic is made from "real parts that don't crack or break down," Miles Nordskog said.
"It's hard once you find something that's really good," he said. "You're always hearing about people giving negative feedback, and (with) all the recalls we've been having lately ... it's nice to hear about something that was made so long ago, and it still works great. It's a different kind of quality." John Nordskog said he also has used the Dirt Devil but only when it is handy and not without some degree guilt.
"I only grabbed the Dirt Devil thing the other day because it was at hand and my grandson had just spilled some of his dry cereal over the floor," John Nordskog said. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have touched it. I would have gotten the other one." As for his Super Dynamic, he said will use the vacuum proudly until it sucks up its last piece of dirt. "It's like finding a good doctor or a good mechanic," John Nordskog said. "Once you get a hold of it, you don't let it go."
Like in 1952 when your 'new' car needed valves and a ring job after 60,000 miles? ;~))
Somewhere around the family today there is an old Kirby vacuum that my Mom bought in the early 50s and the last I saw it around 10 years ago, it still worked fine. The thing must have weighted 30 pounds. But a sweeper built like that would cost $1000 or more today. You could make them, and make them in America too if you wanted. Problem is, that no one would ever buy one off you.
How many people would buy a new tube radio today, and what would it cost?
At least one.
;-)
In my mother’s kitchen is a pop-up toaster she bought new in 1951.
It also ‘runs like a top’.
I suspect there are thousands of 50-60 year old appliances all over the US that still work fine.
I probably would too, but I don’t know why. Of course, that old Philco that was around when I was a kid did double duty as a space heater. ;~))
Another factor is that maintainability is seldom seen as a major asset. A tube radio from the 1940's may not have lasted any longer than a cheap receiver today before something went wrong with it, but a radio could be serviced many times and provide years of moderately effective service. With today's technology, designing something for serviceability would increase the cost. Since most people would junk an appliance the first time anything went wrong, any extra money spent on serviceability is, for many people, simply wasted.
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