Hoover Convertible 704-01

[myhooverco]

I am not sure why they changed the cord reel. I am sure it was some sort of cost reduction. Hoover just was not into the cord reel thing. It was a feature only found on their canister cleaners after this upright was discontinued in 1970.

--Tom

 

[westytoploader]

Very interesting that they did the cord reel for the Penncrest cleaners but not on their own. What years were the cord reel Penncrests produced?

 

[programcomputer]

Why dont we see some Penncrest shots ???

Jeff,

I'm suprised not to see some glam shots of the Penncrest Cord-Reel Convertible. Give us something to drool over!!!LOL

Back when I owned the machine that Jeff has a few vacuum guys that I showed it to had never seen one (Cord Reel Model) before no matter what the style of reel, and some had been in buisness for decades including the one when Hoover toyed with this idea and option.

Even some old roadmen from Hoover diddn't remember it although my District manager when I was with Hoover did.

Bill Smoots, or Smooty as he is called gave me this opinion as to WHY Hoover discontinued them and to HIM for NO other reason as if working for them since 1968 gives him an edge or something.

His personal opinion was that #1. Hoover's engineers felt that Cord Reels were finicky and fragile ( had none of them heard of Electrolux?). #2.That they added weight to what was supposed to be a light weight upright( are they serious here?)#3. They did not fit into Hoover then philosophy of building problem free vacuums that lasted at least 20 years.

Thustly,the Cord Reel idea diddn't fit well into that picture in their opinions. But did so at the insistence of J.C.Penney who provided them with LOTS of additional buisness.

Hoover was (of course)contracted by Penney's to make their upright and canister vacuum cleaners after 1963. During this period over at Penney's major competitor "Montgomery Wards" they were having all their floorcare equipment made by Eureka who would let M-W have this feature for it's premium upright's.

Eureka by this point had been toying with their first Cord-Reel upright's for a few years, and Wards wanted one by 1965. And from what I've seen wasn't offered in their catalogs right away.

He intimates that it would make sense that Penney's got whiff of this and asked Hoover Company to do the same for their TOL upright for the 1966 season and what occured and was sold to us the public; was what you see in the pic's Jeff Parker has down in Hooverland..and what swept my rugs at the old house many a times.

This makes perfect sense to me as well...what do you all think??

Subsequently, Penney's offerd it in 1966 in mint green and white (Jeff's machine), 1967 in dark blue and white (think model 70) and in 1968-69 in baby blue and white. This I believe is the one that Tom Anderson has...or e.r. (myhooverco).

It seems to make sense- and now I'm personally opinionating that Hoover's version of "cord-reel" machine (704-01), was using the square cord reel to differentiate it from the Penny's version but by 1967 they switched to the 704-A as Tom has found for us and has posted. This mainly as he has suggested Hoover did for no reason other than for cost-effectiveness.

However here's where the plot thickens. Hoover sent out for Penney's a FINAL version of the "Cord-Reel Convertible" which appeared for 1968-69 that used the initial square version of the cord reel with the new model 1060 hood with the taller more squarish headlamp. and looking at all of my catalogs none of them ever used a handgrip...doesn't make sense to me...

Of course this final version in the Penney's big book was eclipsed in many ways becasue #1. Penney's was also starting to use Eureka stuff by this point but mainly for canisters...and the biggest point #2. Becasue in 1968 Penney's started offering their Dialamatic clone which came on stream Fall and Winter of 1967..and thence got most of the catalog space on the upright page.

Of couse, after 1970 as was with the Hoover version Penney's dropped the model or rather, Hoover forced them to drop the model as it's no where to be found in the catalogs after that point.

It also makes sense as to Hoover pushing only 5000 units whereas Penney's most certainly pushed more than that. It was offered for four years in two different designs. I would be shocked to learn the opposite.

It's well known that it was Singer who was the pioneer in "Cord-reel" uprights withe the Art-Deco S-1...and later with their famous or infamous if you prefer "TwinFan" model starting in the late 40's. This grew for them exponetically, with their connection to america's big boy in catalog houses Sears from about 1963 on.

Of course Eureka offered Cord-Reels for many years being hot and heavy with these types of machines in the mid-to-late 1970's and early 80's. In fact Wards still was flogging the old cord-reel concept during the mid 80's with their Precision line still being built by Eureka.

Anyone else care to speculate?

Chad

Chad-

 

[petek]

Well it would be interesting to find out if Hoover also put any cord reels on their Canadian rebadges. If I remember they made vacs for the Hudson Bay Co. (the Bay dept store) with the Baycrest nameplate. Eureka made them for the Eatons store under the Viking name.

 

[programcomputer]

I digress

The Penney's version from 1966 did use a hand grip as well as the 1967 model. I dont see one on the 1968 model tho?

Chad

 

[myhooverco]

drooling material...

Here is my Penncrest model A156. It has the square cord reel with a very short original cord. It also features the new for 1969 4 position rug adjuster. Mine does have a handle grip to match the hood. The only part missing is the cord keeper at the top of the handle.

--Tom

 

[timborow]

Could I see?

A picture of the two blue Hoover electric broom hanging in the behind the cordreel cleaner in pic? My mom had one. She got it as a wedding gift in 1966. I always wanted to play with it. She kept it in the pantry in the laundry room. When ever she would hear the door open,she always knew what I was doing. I remember being a little scared of the noise, but will never forget the smell of it while she was using it. Isn't it funny what we remember. Tim

 

[programcomputer]

What a beautiful...

Penncrest convertible. Man if Hoover had just stuck with it and made several versions using this Hood Combination and the later four position rug adjuster it would have been Eureka's match.

On the flipside I have personally had problems with most of the cord reel uprights that I have encountered the two Singer's Jeff P gave me and the Kenmore version have been the least problematic.

Tom- I'm not suprised to see that the cord-keeper isn't there. In fact that is why I stopped using the Penncrest as a daily driver...you could se stress cracks in the plastic, and the little finger that held the cord out was never strong enough to keep the cord from creeping back in.

Besides that fact, I had promised it to Jeff to have for himself and Hooverland, and one day..just decided to send it to him finally. It's in a better place. I know that machine will be alright until he can't deal with vacuum cleaners no more...and knowin Jeff he will have them all buried beside him 50 years from now...LOL

Good picture of your Penny!!!

Thanks

Chad

 

[hoover1060]

1966 Cordreel PENNCREST

Thanks Chad!

 

[programcomputer]

I'm so glad that...you have it....

Jeff,

I wasn't requiring thanks, just a visual reminder of a sweet vac that I used to have once upon a time. The machine is with the person who has offered me so much over the years and has supplied me with many machines that I could not find on my own. If anything I should be thanking you once again...and doing so publicly like I am now.

In retrospect tho, I have recently decided to dowsize my collection that I has some, and therfore have been acutally thinning out my collection recently due the limited space factor. I have kept all the high end or rare things and parted with ones that are either more common or newer than 1979-80.

I still have the Westinghouse Converto-Vac, the Apex model 503 that we found when we went thrifting in Omaha, the Two Singer's, the Hoover model 725 the Eureka Powertouch Cordaway, as well as the 1980 Brandywine series that we found while searching the neverending Alsip flea market and the Kenmore upright from the late 40's. The super rare and beautiful Premier Commercial is out in the hall closet right now next to my Miele Solaris as I revolve that with my Sanitaire Wide Track.

Thanks for the pic.

Chad

 

[mixfinder]

Suck it Up

We had a junky, orange 1956 Montgomery Ward canister, when I was a kid. I could suck a harder stream through a garden hose, than that vacumm. My aunt got an Electrolux, model G, with a power nozzle, in 1968. It was Tan, sleek and QUIET!!!!!!!!!!! I cut asparagus, getting up at 4:00 AM to cut before I did chores on our farm and then go to school and work at a hamburger joint after school. I saved every penny and cut like a mad man until I had enough money to buy one for my mom. It started an addiction and I used Electrolux, sold Electrolux, found refurbed and gifted Electrolux to everyone I knew. In 2002, after back surgery, I bought a Hoover Wind Tunnel Self Propelled. Ugly monstronsity that was so loud it made your ears bleed. But Guess what? It had amazing suction, lifted the nap, had a hose that was connected and ready to vacumm the furniture and baseboards, just like the Electrolux. The last Electrolux I had was a Diamond Jubilee, made in the eighties and steel bodied. I left the Elux in the divorce, and found a nearly new Wind Tunnel at Goodwill for 6.95. It had a beaver dam in the floor intake. I cleaned it and viola! I miss the look and quietness of Electrolux but the Hoover does the best job of any vacumm I have ever used. Proof that a hard headed old Dutchman can embrace a new concept. Kicking and screaming, but....
Kelly

 

[myhooverco]

The Hoover Lark...

Tim,

Here are the two Hoover Lark cleaners shown in the one photo. I took them off of the wall. The taller one is the earlier one and had a unique nozzle and its own handle grip. The one on the right is the newer version with the shorter handle and the usual Hoover floor nozzle. 2940 is the model number and they were made from 1961 to about 1966 and mostly imported from England where they were the Hooverette. Thanks for the story of your mom's Lark. It really is funny what we remember and how important these memories become.

--Tom

 

[brisnat81]

The Concept 1 had a cord reel

Or are you only talking about the Convertibles when you say that 70 is the last Hoover with a retractable cord?

 

[hoover1060]

Cord reels

The 704-01 was the only Convertible to have a cord reel, the next uprights Hoover would offer with a cord reel would be the Conceptr One in 1978

 

[bobbyderegis]

Kelly,
The Windtunnel may be stronger than a tan Elux G, but Lordy, no comparison. It's like comparing Joan Rivers to Queen Elizabeth II.
Bobby in Boston