Honey, I Shrunk the Power NozzleWith electrical power readily available through vacuum cleaner hoses, small
motorized attachments can now be used. The Sidekick, by Electrolux, is a good example of a miniature motorized brush attachment useful for many odd jobs. The small and lightweight design seems best suited for cleaning carpeted stairs, though I have tried this in other places, such as my car and on the couch with limited success. By relying on an electric motor instead of the suction strength of the vacuum, like the earlier Turbo-Tools, the Sidekick performs reasonably well even as the dust bag nears its full capacity. I am led to believe that this attachment was originally introduced in the late 1980's as an addition to the Discovery upright line of vacuums, whose later models had the optional powered accessory hose. Since the upright's hose nozzle is the same as the canister's design, the accessory is interchangeable between the two. Someday I hope that other small motorized attachments, like a sander or saw, will be redesigned with electric motors, resurrecting those wonderfully unique accessories from years ago. It should be understood, though, that there is a limitation on how much current (amperage- the measure of electricity that does labor) can be drawn through the hose, since most of the current is used by the vacuum cleaner itself. There are already attachments available for the serious craftsman, made to work with "real" power tools by connecting them to a shop vacuum. They just lack the charm and enthusiasm that ran at a fever pitch in the 1950's. |    |
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