The Dustbuster: Cleaning Up After You Since 1979
Unveiled in 1978 but released in 1979, the Black & Decker Dustbuster was a revolutionary home-cleaning device, and the only power tool a parent was likely to let a children play with. Vroom!
Reading this retrospective, I’m both surprised and unsurprised at how innovative and well-designed the Dustbuster is. It was rechargeable, wall-mountable, used a high-tech (for the time) design based on a familiar product (the dustpan), had an immediately catchy name and was instantly indispensable for every suburban family in the country. I remember sitting on the carpet and playing with it, which is certainly not something I was likely to do with a damn cleaning product, and the product’s name quickly became both a universal noun and verb (”Oh yeah, I Dustbusted the stairs yesterday.”).
The Dustbuster is, I’m comfortable saying, the gadget nerd’s cleaning tool. It’s portable, battery-powered, cute, and versatile, and has definitely made our lives better. Cleaner, at least. [Popular Mechanics]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
im really glad that im not the only one that played with a dust buster as a kid
89macrunner
I remember when this first came out. One of the advertisements was that you could use it to clean the interior of your car. But the suction was so bad that the battery would go dead before you could finish.
MichelleDatsun
@Whydoesthisalwayshappentome: Lots of companies do that... Unfortunately, it does not represent cleaning power of any sort: http://asumag.com/mag/university_working_vacuum/
Myth #3
Jakooboo_WantsACheeseDanish
@Whydoesthisalwayshappentome: Holy crap, I'd be afraid to use that.
Wow this just reminded me of how I used to play with a portable vacuum cleaner as a kid. My parents didn't mind since they knew I was playing and cleaning (win-win).
Yes I know I'm lame :(
I used to rev it like a race car.
makk
That was one of my more expensive toys when I was young.
nerve11
i found one of these in my house about 3 weeks ago
so kewl and just as good as the ones we have today
sc4tt3rbr4in
Didn't they make one that could pick up a bowling ball?
I used to torment my cat... and attack my G.I. Joes with a GIANT DEATH VACUUM!!! "Thoop*cracklecrrrakcle*"
Jakooboo_WantsACheeseDanish
@GeneralGozz:
I would vacuum my hair.......
defuse
I used to pretend it was a Star Trek phaser. A really big one.
GeneralGozz
still using mine lol
jcj23
These things drive me crazy. The battery lasts a year, then you have to buy a new one!
@Jakooboo_WantsACheeseDanish: Ok, thank you for clearing that up.
@(Zombie) Goldwings: I actually liked cleaning as a kid...
Of course you step on a lego like I did, and you find yourself becoming quite passionate about clean floors.
Robotic Bilbo Bagins has no use for fleshy ones
I just bought one for the GF, the new ones are considerably improved.
@Jakooboo_WantsACheeseDanish: My cats ran for cover whenever they heard the little whine of the Dustbuster come to life. Mum was always pissy with me since I kept running the batteries down on it before she had a chance to use it.
Nighthawke
As a harbinger of things to come, the battery was not user-replaceable. And it seemed to die really quickly.
Maladjusted
Dustbuster nostalgia, who knew I would *ever* have this?
Isn't saying that any modern Dyson would clean a 1979 dustbuster's clock much akin to saying that any modern Alienware gaming pc would clean an early IBM laptop's clock?
Muaddib1116
@Whydoesthisalwayshappentome: Has nothing to do with cleaning power. In fact, I can pick up at least TWO bowling balls, and I'm still horrible at cleaning.
psychiccheese
My memory's fuzzy, but I swear this thing worked better than the POS shark vac I have now which owes it's existance to the Dustbuster.
Also, "Dustbuster" carried on well into the '90s to describe any Chevy Lumina minivan amongst my friends.
Maybe you're the one riding a f***ing crazy train, but i've been the Prince of Darkness since 1979!
mr.leman
i had that exact model. friggen awesome. i played around with it as a kid pretending it was some ray gun that revved up before shooting.
on that note, all ray guns should rev up before firing. it just sounds so badass.
willyolio
@phaota: Sorry, meant "wouldn't".
@phaota: Sorry, meant "wouldn't".
They should have called it the "No-Sucker" since it would pick up much of anything.