EUREKA A Sampling

Gather App
Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support AutomaticWasher.org:

B

brettsomers

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 30, 2005
Messages
1,993
i just took these out of storage and am so happy to have them back that i feet the need to share them with the world.
 
Thanks for sharing Brett, what age is the one on the left?

btw when I was out thrifting today I quickly spotted a Eureka canned ham canister sitting under a shelf, it was a Baycrest rebadge, nice and chromy and I was feeling lucky, until I pulled it out and saw that the original on/off button was gone and someone had screwed in a great ugly Toggleswitch in its place. LOL so I left it behind.
 
Pretty!

Your Eurekas are very nice. I've been trying to find a bargain on one of those Retrovacs forever it seems. The bag is so cool, and I love the graphics on it. You're automatic is lovely too. I have one very similar to yours. They're a quiet classic that's made to last a very long time. I got mine from the vacuum shop I work at. Someone traded it in. The only thing wrong with it was that it had a rubber glove stuck in the fan chamber!

Corey
 
The Eureka "twin power automatic" is from the 60s (i guestimate). is that the one ur asking about? its model 260. anyone have more info?
 
the original Disturbulator agitator is much greater

Boy,that original brushroll really could outclean ALL other uprights in its day,as long as you changed the belt alot,since the belt was under extra load.And,its aggressive action was not well suited to wool carpets,but for all other carpets,it was tops.
 
Eureka 260 Automatic

Nice Eurekas David, I like the chrome one with the slots on the hood and the tapestry bag, thats a RARE machine for sure!

The 260 is from the mid 60's starting maybe 63 or 64. It had a LONG production run too, up til 1969. You have an earlier version if the switch is on the back of the handle, later version if it has the rocker switch on the front of the handle. I think the switch change from back to front of handle was 1968. I have a chrome hooded 260 with the switch on the back of the handle.
That brush roller is Eureka's original "Disturbulator" and awesome that you still have the original.
 
yes, my Eureka Automatic has a squared handle (like the Hoover 60) with a two-speed TOGGLESWITCH mounted on the back of the handle. the switch is kinda tight. it was hardly used at all before i got it, the brushroll has almost NO wear and the bottom plate is perfect. the bagring is same as the sanitaire version used today, they are interchangeable. about the tapestry bagged model being "rare", kidding? i dont know. the tapestry bag one is the SAME cleaner my mom had when i was a small child. looking back, i think the commutator failed somehow (around the time i was 6 or 7?) and she replaced it with a NASTY Kenmore "twin fan" model. and one thing about the Retrovac with the houndstooth bag; i got it new and it had a Cleveland Wood Products (scott & fetzer) brushroll installed at the factory. does this make it a "bojack" right off the shelf? David
 
Growing up we had a German Shepherd and lots of wall to wall low pile carpeting. We had a `1967 green Hoover convertible and a new Dial-a- Matic. Our neighbors had a blue Eureka upright, probably from the early 70's. One day theirs broke, and I offered to "fix" it. (The belt had broken, and no, they were not the brightest family on the block!) I put a new paper bag and new belt, and boy did this machine outclean both of our Hoovers. A lot easier to push as well, plus the bag capacity was twice that of the Hoovers. That made a Eureka lover out of me ever since. Jeff, is our contest still on?:.)
Bobby in Boston
 
bobby, are you trying to start a fight? i see your point about hoover vs eureka. if i was working at Hoover in the 70s, i woulda gone into a panic the minute that Eureka introduced the dial-a-nap/rugulator and, most important, the ball-bearing agitator (Vibra-Groomer). it is when these features were introduced that the eureka became "as good" as a hoover convertible. i dare say the 3.35/3.5 amp double ball-bearing motors on eurekas are BETTER than hoovers motor? eureka also used/uses SEALED ball-bearings on their Vibra-Groomer. still eurekas never quite had the "style" of a hoover convertible. the dial-a-nap adjuster is almost crude compared to hoovers "engineered" adjuster. but its more durable and allows for up to seven stops. of course only "better" eurekas had the ball bearing brushroll and, later in the 80s, only top models still had the "good" motor. im interested in what Jeff Parker might have to say about Hoover Convertible vs Eureka in the late 60s/70s. David
 
Hoover -vs- Eureka

Guys, go to your local library and see if they have OLD issues of Consumer Reports or consumer research in their archives.
Then find some 1960's issues and read.

In the early 60's the Hoover Convertible was the STUFF, #1 top performer and in some cases even named best buy for an upright.
Up against an older Eureka(such as David's 260) the Convertible kicked A**.
The early Eureka's height adjuster kinda sucked. Hoover's 2-position models adjusted themselves just right.

Forward to the early 70's: Eureka now has a height adjuster that moves the front wheels, Hoover has one that moves the rear wheels. In 1974, the best cleaning uprights were the Eurekas, with the Convertible coming in 3rd or 4th.

The "contest" then lies in which is better, a 2-position Convertible or a Eureka with front adjustment. I still say the Hoover will outsweep the Eureka.

See you in St Louis in June Bobby??

Pete: Your blue Eureka is the same model my neighbors had when I was a kid.

David: I have a 1979 Eureka 1458A with that blue bag on it, first new vacuum I ever had. I was a sophomore in high school and not doing too well in math(geometry) My silly mother told me if I could pull B's on a couple of tests that she'd but me any new Hoover or Eureka I wanted. I pulled the B's and picked the Eureka. I still have it today.
 
St. Louis, look out. I'm bringing my Eureka! By the way, there is an old commercial Eureka on ebay. I have the identical one, and it rocks. I dare say it would outclean a 918! (running for my life)
Bobby in Boston
 
commercial 3.5 amp eureka vs hoover 913? my money is on the eureka. i havent done a test. i like the way the eureka "hugs" the surface and it seems the eureka motor turns just a BIT faster? jeff, as always, your cleaner is above reproach! ;) after my mom got the kenmore "twin fan" i tolerated it for about a year. i then saved up my allowance and bought a 600 series Eureka upright at k-mart, since i couldnt stand the ROAR of the Kenmore. i was about 8 years old. i remember the dissapointment at the plastic handle. my second purchase was a Hoover Brush Vac, also at K-mart (i think). Jeff, you mentioned consumer reports and the vacuum ratings for vintage models. been there, done that! ur talking to someone who knew what a "vibra groomer" was by age 10! David
 
That 260 makes me swoon. I've never seen one with a chrome hood. Beautiful!

My 260 has a brushroll and belt setup that's very similar to a hoover 61, or many other Hoover uprights from that time. It has two little clips that hold the brushroll in place, and the bottom plate is 2 separate pieces (with a belt guard thingy). It's 2 speeds. Also, the little tool cover on the front is all metal, not vinyl. It's a very fun vacuum. I love how it sounds.

Corey
 
I love a challenge, even if I lose! This will be great fun, so shake your bags and put on a new belt. See you in St. Louis. :.)))
Bobby in Boston
 
Lets make this clear..

Its a 913/918 -vs- a 3.5 Eureka?
I'll use my 918, with paper bags.

I still think the Hoover is a better performer, I guess we'll find out.
After being a part of VCCC cleaning contests the past few years(and having winning cleaners too) my gut feeling is it will be an even score between the two.

If I am wrong, I won't be afraid to admit it either.
St Louis will be fun!
 
Cleaning competition

Jeff and Bobby,

You better find out what President Vanik is allowing this year for the competition!! I know it is post WWII vacuums but I'm sure there will several hoops to jump through with the written rules. ;)
 
RULES-SCHMULES!!

We can do this "after hours" as a just for fun thing, or enter both cleaners in the monster vac contest and then just see which one removed more dirt.
Sorry I don't jump through hoops....

You're REALLY funny Charlie!!!
 
David, Pete, & Jeff: Beautiful vintage Eurekas!! I don't know what machine I like best--David's chrome & blue machine with the floral bag, his & Jeff's 260 Automatics, Pete's Twin-Power Automatic, or Jeff's Monkey Wards machine with the "box-top" bag!! The original Disturbulator is very interesting as well!

David, which 3.5-amp motor are you referring to; the later, small motor or the older Convertible-style motor? My favorite Eureka models have to be the 3.5-amp machines with the small "blender" motor, front-wheel adjustment, and wooden beater bar (what was the name of this; was this referred to as a Disturbulator as well?). I have two KMart Eurekas; 664A from the late-70's and a circa-1989 630D, and they do an awesome job of grooming the carpet. While they're lightweight (a late-model Eureka definitely gives those damn Orecks a run for their money in this aspect) and extremely easy to push, I would NEVER compare them to a metal-base Convertible as there is simply no contest which is the clear winner in my opinion. However, if you consider the later plastic-base 4.8-amp and "Power Surge" Convertibles, I'd take a Eureka against one of them ANYTIME!

--Austin
 
David on Eureka; continued

The Eureka with the "tapestry" bag, model 1444, is the same model my mom had when i was a child. the only reason i have it and havent sold it is cause of the this. the 1444 has the cheaper/lighter/weaker blender style motor. as you may know, before eureka introduced this motor, the standard motor used resembled the convertible motor. as a matter of fact, its the same motor design is still used today in the sanitare model 888/886. the "good" eureka motor used double sealed ball bearings. the hoover didnt. the eureka motor also ran much cooler than the convertible motor. the later 1400-series eureka with the smaller motor also featured a fan with shorter fins, which i imagine might lessen suction. austin, the eureka upright i bought as a youngster at kmart looks almost identical to the beige and white one i see on top of the wire shelves in your pics. mine had a four position adjuster, ive also seen them with two positions. i actually dislike the eureka wooden brushroller. "disturbulator" is a term the eureka company used for all brushrolls in their machines. for example, "this commercial model has a heavy-duty disturbulator, a Vibra-Groomer". the sleeve bearings on eurekas wooden agitators never seemed to last. this is an area where hoover had it RIGHT. in a vintage eureka, a Vibra-Groomer or a Vibra-Groomer II with ball bearings (i believe the original Vibra-Groomer always had BBs) is the ONLY was to go for heavy duty performance. the bristles on either VG are also firmer than the ones on a wooden brushroll. if you havent had an older eureka with the "good" motor, metal brushroll and full-size fan you really should try one out. i have two of these "good" ones in storage still but "they arent ready to be photographed". one thing i like about the convertible agitator is that the beater bar extends further out than the ones on Vibra-Groomers. however, the aluminum Vibra-Groomer has removable beater bars that can be replaced with bristles, making it double brush. anyone care to talk agitators?
 
some more pics

Here's my Monkey Wards cleaners. The left one is early 70's, the middle cord reel model from about 1975, and the Power Plus model is from about 1980.
All three run as good as they look too!
 
PS, Bobby from boston should be prepared for the 913/918 to be fitted with a double brush agitator. though i think jeff parker is a doll and an expert above reproach, read between his lines and i see a FIERCE Hoover loyalty. i cant wait to meet him!
 
Eurekas

1972 "Golden Vanguard" Deluxe Upright(Winner of 2 ribbons at the 2004 VCCC Convention in Chicago- it tied for first place in one area of the cleaning contest, and 1 for President's Choice)

1979 1458A, the model that debuted the Vibra-Groomer II(my very first new vacuum ever!!)

1989 Self-propelled model(bought new by my sister and given to me last year)
 
WOW...Look At the Monkey's...

Jeff,

My great aunt had the 1980's version when i was younger..and I know where the middle one came from, but where did you find the "Contessa" model? did you already have it before?

Just cleaned the roomies carpet becasue he is a total pig, and used my Premier Commercial fitted with a type W handisac. It did JUST fine. I leave the Kirby Heritage on the main floor...and substitute it with my Miele Mercury.

I have several Eureka's. Each one has a merit that I like. The one that Jeff has, was my very first acquisition after starting my vacuum job in lansing back in 1998...was especially neat becasue I had never really had the opp to use one previous.

Great pic's guys.

Chad
 

Similar threads

newvista58
THINNING #7
Replies
2
Views
334
newvista58
newvista58
M
I have a GE Triple Whip Vertical Mixer and I really need help with the motor housing cover.
Replies
0
Views
172
meandmycow
M
phillymatt53
SONGS THAT MAKE YOU..... THINK.
Replies
0
Views
111
phillymatt53
phillymatt53
Chetlaham
Good Electric Cooking Burner
Replies
16
Views
395
tomturbomatic
T
Chetlaham
Some things are not even worth half of the buying price
2
Replies
47
Views
2K
Chetlaham
Chetlaham

Latest posts

Sponsored
UnlistMe
Back
Top