Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Hi,

I have yet to see a vacuum's brushroll actually break in two.  Does the material one is made of make a critical difference over time?

The best features I've liked about brushrolls, whether wood, metal or plastic, are those that allow easy removal and replacement of brush strips and beater bars thus doing away with the need to buy a complete new brushroll when brush wear begins to effect cleaning.

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson:

Wear and tear.  Back in the day, the wooden brush rolls would split from poor rebristling techniques.  Yes, we actually rebristled rather than throw away and sell/buy new [early 50's].  Metals were much better for rebristling.  The old HOOVER agits cracked and wore in the belt guide due to a combination of reasons.  Too tight belts.  Bad agitator bearings.  etc.  Rare but it did happen.  Never ever did I see a beater bar fail, come loose or undone. 

Carmine D.

Thanks Carmine.  I didn't know about rebristling.

Venson

We still have that facility in the UK - if you still own Hoover's classic models like the Junior or Senior (Convertible in the U.S, I think) where you can get brush strips to replace existing ones. Of course Sebo also do this with their commercial BS36 and 46 series.

vacmanuk wrote:

Hi vacmanuk,

If I recall correctly Hoover had that facility for years prior the Convertible.  Though they didn't slide in and out, removable cast metal plates that the brush tufts were anchored in could be removed from the metal drum of Hoover's brushroll and replaced with newly purchased ones.

If I'm correct, "rebristling" would the actual extraction of permanently inserted but worn brush tufts from a brush roll, more than likely made of wood, along with the insertion of new brush tufts.  That said, I'd think the process a bit complicated as there'd probably have to be some trimming of the bristles as well.

I'm curious to know if there was a substantial saving by rebristling as opposed to buying a new brushroll.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson:

Vacmanuk makes an excellent point about HOOVER agitator brushes and rebristling.  For many years, I dealt in rebristled HOOVER agitator brushes for repairs and new for over the counter sales to customers who were do-it-yourself-ers.  Gave customers the option.  Rebristling required the metal strip backs for exchange, so it was a likely and ecologically efficient transaction.  Cost for rebristling was initially much less than buying and selling new outright from HOOVER.  But, alas it became a lost art and too expensive.  Went the way of most all other things in the vacuum industry: Gone and forgotten.  To my knowledge the last USA brush rebristler went out of business in the 70's.   

PS:  The new brush inserts were twisted and wired into the brush back strips through holes.  Even the old lux 30 floor brushes and round brushes had brush strips/inserts that could be replaced rather than buying a whole new tool. 

Carmine D. 

CarmineD wrote:

Hi Carmine,

Got it but was I incorrect in assuming rebristling was also done for wooden brushrolls with brush tufts embedded?

Were these metal strips on early Hoover Convertible models.  I only recall the replaceable plastic brush strips.  You twisted off the ends of the brushroll slid out the worn brush strips and replaced them with new ones.

Thanks,

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson:

Wooden brush rebristlers were extremely rare because the wooden rolls lent themselves to splitting in the process.  More common and widespread were the metal brush rebristlers.  HOOVER brush strips were always metal backed up to the Convertibles in the mid 50's which were plastic backed.   These plastic backs had no option for rebristling.  Had to buy and replace these new.  But the old fashioned rebristlers were still available for all the other HOOVER metal backed brush strips until the cost was too prohibitive for the fall off in demand.  if I recall the last of the USA rebristlers bit the dust [no pun intended] in the late 70's. 

Carmine D.

Thanks Carmine.

Venson

I thought the Hoover brush strips were an excellent idea. I wish they still did that today but then again there were complaints in the early 1980s of consumers who had ruined floors because of the abrasive nature of the actual metal bars which has been replaced by plastic these days.

Venson wrote:

The HOOVER upright Commercial 913 all metals with cloth bags made in England used double screw metal back rebristleable agitator brushes [similar to H-28-29 but with different center bar and end plates].  These were made for export to the USA right up thru the 80's and then ended.  No longer around, these HOOVER war horses were once the stalwarts of many commerical cleaning businesses and companies.

Carmine D.