Generally when buying appliances you want appliances that don't "suck" $50 vacuums dont suck, they "suck"
I've rescued quite a few vacuums from the kerb over the years - some cheap ones and some high end ones. The high end ones are worth sorting out - usually just a bad connection somewhere. The cheap ones are seldom worth fixing, but I waste time on them anyway - I give the good ones to good homes. That's where the Kirby came from. Just shortened the cord by about 2 feet and it was fine. (that's a "high end" upright at $2000 a pop!!!!!)
ANd very few 2 wire plugs are adequate for a 8, 10, or 12 amp vacuum. Might be OK for a $49 walmart special that draws 3 amps and can't pick up confetti, bread crumbs, or pet hair.
I don't see where there would be a difference, unless spending more gives you magic. The 50 buck Bissell has so much suction it will pull the rugs up off the floor if you move it too slowly. The brush does its job too. Don't know the HP, but it draws 10 amps. We don't want a central unit because the wife doesn't want to drag 30' of hose around. Just the hose takes up more space than the upright. Piping to every room, holes in the walls, the hose dragging on and marring the woodwork. I know some people like it, but I think it's just a fetish. If it's expensive, it must be "good." And nothing will clean a carpet better than a carpet beater. Anyway, my wife is happy with the Bissell. She's the one who wanted an extra one in case the first one ever quits. We just have one little dog now, but before our long haired big dog died, her hair messed up the brush bearings on our previous upright Dirt Devil. Think that was 50 bucks too. Bought 2 new brushes for it. Haven't had that problem with the Bissell, but it could be because the dog is gone.
OP here. Thanks for all the comments. Just to end any confusion this is a canister vacuum (Kenmore) with a retractable cord. The non polarized plug that I am currently using (with the neutral blade side painted to show it goes in the wide slot) works fine. Since many say that the Leviton 101-P does have screw terminals, I guess I will try it. Thanks for all your comments.
On the other hand, I think no matter which one goes first, you'll find plenty of dirt in the second vacuum too. That was the secret that door to door salesmen relied on, when they tried to show housewives that there current vacuum was no good.
I've seen the same problem in my area. You can't find a polarized plug next to the light bulb display at the local supermarket. You may not even be able to find a non polarized plug, except perhaps at the dollar store and it looks like it would melt the moment you put juice on it. Perhaps society has decided we can't replace a plug without burning down the house? For a very long time in the UK appliances didn't come with a plug? You had to wire the plug yourself because different areas of the country used different style plugs. Today in the USA a hardware store (if you can find one) or a Home Depot or Lowes might have what you need, but not a mainstream big box store.
I sympathize with the OP. It seems very hard to find a 2-prong polarized plug that is reasonably small. Though I have both a 2 prong and a 3-prong plug like the big ones suggested here, there is nothing inside my house (except maybe a large power tool that I don't have yet) that I would use one for.
I don't see any reason why a polarized plug for a small appliance has to be bigger than the smallest permissable non-polarized plug. Is there a reason?
One can't even easily find an attachable 2-prong polarized plug that is as small as the original 2-prong polarized plug that came on the cord of the appliance. Why is that?
And why have they put wider skirts at the base of the plastic on 2-prong plugs, like in this picture:
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Why can't you get polarized plugs like plugs 1 and 3 in this picture, or just a trifle thicker if necesssary?
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Is this to prevent 3 items from being plugged into narrow 3-in-1's cube tabs like several I have. Don't they trust us anymore to keep track of how many things are used at one time and how much current each one draws. If we can't be trusted why to they allow the sale of cube-taps at all? When I have a 2-prong plug whose plastic base is wider than needed and so wide it interferes with plugging something in next to it, I take a saw and cut off 3/16" or so of the plastic.
I dont understand this thread..... I've seen polarized plugs sold everywhere. For example, Menards, Ace Hardware, and others.... Just shop at a bigger hardware business, or go to an electrical supply company. Apparently you're shopping at a small hardware store that is still selling (OLD STOCK) plugs from the mid 20th century.
On the other hand, you could probably use a standard plug on a vacuum cleaner, since it's all encased in plastic anyhow, but to be on the safe side, buy a polarized one.
Don't. There is a reason OHSA does not allow spliced cords. you would have to solder the connections for them to take the tension and be close to the original cord diameter, and solfering fine stranded cord concentrates bending strain at the solder joint and the splice WILL fail
Do it your way - you will anyway. There IS a reason a spliced or repaired cord on a worksite will be flagged by OSHA and a fine issued. I know OSHA has no authority over what you do in your own home - but soldered connections don't pass inspection in aircraft terminals either, for the same reason.
For the others on the list who may listen to reason - Heat shrink helps stabilize the joint - yes, but particularly in the case of a self retracting cord on a vacuum DON'T DO IT.
And if using a screw-attached replacement plug on the retractable cord, make sure you put a "buffer ball" on the cord to take the hit when the cord hits the end winding in, or you will tear the plug off unless you use a heavy-duty plug with a good cord clamp.
A properly spliced joint with a molded on plug is much better than using a screw terminal plug. It's all sealed against water when you're done and the wires won't pull out due to loose screws or a kid yanking on the cord rather than the plug.
The best solution is a complete cord replacement with a molded plug.
There are some very good, two prong, polarized, plugs available but they aren't small. They have a pretty big plastic body because of the screw terminals inside and because of the strain relief system.
These are two good ones:
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(1.26" diameter)
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(diameter not specified)
It's usually better just to replace the whole power cord if possible. It doesn't cost any more for a good power cord, it's just more work to take the appliance apart. For less than $3 you can buy a 14-3 or 18-3 IEC power cord. For under $5 you can buy a hospital grad 16-3 cord. You can buy a polarized two conductor cord for under $2.
A canister vacuum cleaner is a little more complex because often they have self-retracting cords and you do want to replace the plug and not the cord. Even the ones with non-retracting cords usually have a very long cord. In those cases I'd advise using one of the high-quality two prong polarized plugs like the ones from McMaster. You want something rugged on a vacuum cleaner. It really doesn't matter if the plug is a little larger than the original. Worst case the plug doesn't go all the way into the storage area when the cord is retracted.
That could not be the answer. Did you not read the rest of the post?
Here is the fourth paragraph:
Why can't you get polarized plugs like plugs 1 and 3 in this picture, or just a trifle thicker if necesssary?
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Plugs 1 and 3 have screw terminals. Why can't you get a polarized plug like them, or a little thicker if the length/width of the wide prong is a little too long for the current size?
If you measure the largest dimension, you'll find that it's about the sale as this one: .
Those older style plugs had issues, but you can still find them, i.e. . Again, look at the diameter. That one is 1.25" wide, about the same as . It looks smaller because the diameter at the cord entry is much smaller because it lacks the good strain relief system.
You'll never get a screw terminal plug much less than 1.25" in the widest dimension, only a molded plug will let you get narrower.
The first one is the correct way to fix the vacuum cleaner. Anything else is a patch, not a repair. The reason the small screw type polarized plugs are so hard to find is you can't get proper strain relief in the small cheap plug. The proper replacement cord costs less than even a crappy polarized replacement plug
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