This "sucks"... the Hoover And Other Vintage Vacuum Cleaners

[tonyb]

A small appliance repair shop, then? Cool.

Used to be one of those near my old house. A Vietnamese immigrant fellow ran it. I always supposed he quite deliberately chose the (then) somewhat down-at-the-heel district (since gentrified) to open his little enterprise -- seeing how lower-income folks may well be more inclined to attempt a repair on an old labor-saving device than just go out and buy a new one.

 

[Bingles]

So, I'm walking downtown in my dinky little Midwestern town and I'll be darned if I don't see this new shop open:







Repairs. A collection of old Hoover machines in the window.

I'd take that Kirby D50

 

[scotrace]

I've got a Kirby that has had the brush head swapped for the floor polisher, and the brush head is missing. They can't be that scarce...

 

[Bingles]

They are easy to find on Ebay

 

[scotrace]

Sweet.

 

[Jim B]

You know, I blame my buddy Anthony for my interest in old electric cleaners. He has almost 20 cleaners of different varieties from Hoover, Apex, Regina, Eureka and so on. He even has a late 20s Air Way cleaner which are very unique and rare.

His collection and his passion for these old cleaners had sparked an interest within me. I then wanted one for my own, I find a model 575 Hoover and I acquired it. My friend gives me a bag for it since it was missing and then I start using it.

I now enjoy vacuuming! When I do ordinary chores with old appliances, I seem to look forward to it since I get to use my fun old stuff. lol Whatever it takes to get it done right?

Scott, since you live in Ohio, you may find many Hoovers there since they had a plant there. Keep your eyes open and maybe you'll find one or a few!

 

[VintageEveryday]

we have a 1950s electrolux that still works perfectly, aside from a missing wheel. We were recently offered a lot of money for it, though i can't remember how much. I believe it also says automatic on the silver part where the hose attaches. anybody know the model name or years this was made? I was always told it was a model e from 1954, but i never could be certain.

apologies for the small, crooked photo.

 

[mflemming]

That is a Model G, made from 1961 to 1966. More info here:

http://blog.evacuumstore.com/post/2012/06/22/History-of-All-Electrolux-Vacuum-Cleaner-Models.aspx

 

[scotrace]

So yesterday, I brought out my five year old Shark Lift-Away, the one with the taped up hose to cover the cracks that started appearing almost right away, and the tank latch is pretty much shot. The whole thing is useless now. It worked really well when new, but fell apart fast.
So I got out my 1926 Hoover 700 and did the job just fine. I'm thinking I might just try to locate a set of attachments for it and use that one all the time. With that, the little Hoover Dustette from the 30s and my shop vac, I should have things covered.
There's a vacuum repair shop in my town, remarkably, which has parts and stuff going back into the nineteen teens. I'll check there today. eBay has never been a good source for me for Hoover stuff. Even if you find something, shipping is ridiculous.

 

[scotrace]

Newly arrived via eBay. Now I have the 17 page instruction manual. I can't believe the dealer charged an extra 25 cents for the book!

 

[Nobert]

Well, I bit the bullet. I figured a man my age should have a vacuum cleaner of his own, having previously relied on housemates' machines, carpet sweepers or just plain sweeping the rug with a broom. So I ponied up for a Hoover Special #541 on Ebay. It should arrive Friday. I have to admit I'm nervous, as I am after making any major purchase, partly because this wouldn't have been my first choice in a perfect world, but after reviewing about 12 possibilities, this seemed like the best deal, and the seller made an offer.

My biggest qualm is that there's another one I liked much better currently without any bids for a much lower price than I paid, but I decided to take the "bird in the hand" approach. I'm watching it just praying that it goes up to something I couldn't afford anyway before the auction ends. I hope you're out there, Snipey McGee, for all the heartache you've caused me in the past.

I'm not sure why anyone would care about this, it just helps my anxious uncertainty to put it down in pixelated type.

 

[scotrace]

And now, finally, all the chimes rang at once: A complete set of tools, in the box, located nearby to reduce shipping costs, and offered at a good price. Whole set came in at $35. eBay "guaranteed shipping" arrived three days late, so I got the shipping refunded.

Tools are like new wth hardly a scratch, hose is pristine. Apparently from the estate of a collector. Stuff is going begging these days. No one interested in old things.

(I wish it would trickle down to a Ronson Touch Tip lighter like the one in Falcon.)

 

[scotrace]

And now, to add further to this completely dead thread.

I now have a 1949 Kirby 509, rebuilt in 1972. It came to me with a broken fan, which I replaced. Once you get the height adjustment right, it works very well, though as with most of these old bag vacuums, it's a pain to empty, even with the fancy empty canister feature. You still have to reach into the bag to get the dog hair globs.

Kirby's were (and are) made in Cleveland. They're supposed to be very effective, and new models come with an army of attachments, including a carpet shampooer. The vacuums have always been respected machines, but the company's door-to-door, pyramid scheme sales plan featuring high pressure sales tactics preying on the elderly, have brought numerous lawsuits from consumer groups over the years. You still have to buy them from the local sales rep via a home visit, and they're expensive, with prices set by those independent contractor "distributors."

This would have come, in 1949, with a dark gray corduroy bag, rubber bumpers, and wheels. The handle cover is also red rubber now but would have been gray from the factory. All the red replacements, and this bag, came with the factory rebuild in '72. It got a new serial number tag then, also.