New To Me - Vintage Hoover Convertible Vacuum

[launderess]

Coming home this evening was walking along minding my own business, when passing a building the porter motioned and said "I've got something you might like".

Now one knows the porter and building of old since it is where one scored a nice vintage Cuisinart and other assorted goodies over years. That and they have thrown away totally good Miele washers and dryers.

So anyway he comes out with it; an older Hoover Convertible in a sort of salmon/melon color (see picture below, not of actual unit but close enough). So he says "want it"? If not it would have gone onto the rubbish as tomorrow is recycling collection.

So here I am with this:

 

[launderess]

Well plugged in a powered on the thing

It works, so guess for now it is a "keeper".

Nearly all our floors are hardwood, and already have a Miele stick vac (which am not entirely thrilled with), an older Mighty Mite, and vintage Regina Electrikbroom, so am quite well off vacuum wise. Just couldn't let this Hoover go to the rubbish, that and or be left out overnight to be vandalized by "dumpster divers" looking for recyclable metal.

Will find a place to stash this until have time to give it the once over. Am telling you this vacuum is rather heavy for size.

On a brighter note thank goodness no one took up my offer for those NOS Hoover convertible belts that have been lying about spare. So am that well off aren't I?

 

[petek]

Yes without wall to wall broadloom it's not going to be of much use.. Convertibles are excellent cleaners for that.  There was an available above the floor tool kit for these, wands, hose, crevice tool etc..  but suction using them is weak..    Someone on Vacuumland may be interested in buying it from you.. comes apart pretty easily,, the handle down to two parts etc.   

 

 

 

[launderess]

Thanks Pete!

You might be onto something there, as it does seem a better option than having thing lying about unused. Well suppose could lay down carpeting, but still am rather traumatized from all that shag floor covering of 1970's.

 

[gyrafoam]

Hans and Donald brought me a fabulous Hoover Decade 80. So much easier to use than the heavy and cumbersome new Miele I bought (at great expense).
I had forgotten how good the Hoover up-rights were!

 

[frigilux]

That Hoover looks like the one my stepfather brought from his house to ours in 1974. Our house was fully carpeted so it received plenty of use. I took our ancient tank-shaped vac (it glided across the carpet on two thin tracks, as I recall---an Electrolux, maybe?) downstairs and used it as my vacuum.

The Hoover was still in use when it was sold at my mom's estate sale in 1986. Don't recall that it ever needed attention beyond the occasional changing-of-the-belt.

My apartment is carpeted save for the bathroom and kitchen, so the 15-year old Kenmore upright (a rebadged Panasonic, I believe) gets far more use than it did at the house.

 

[twintubdexter]

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">I would never have one of those Hoover Convertible cleaners...I don't have the svelte school-girl figure for it. </span>

 

[launderess]

Oh I Can Fix That!

No proper housewife then would emerge from her boudoir without the proper gear underneath her starched shirtwaist.

Pearls and cha-cha heels are optional.

 

[turquoisedude]

Nice save! Although these days, one might be suspicious of anyone who approaches with a line like "I've got something you might like "...

But these older Hoovers are built like tanks, wonderful on carpet or rugs but a little lacking with the attachment set.

 

[launderess]

*LOL*

Well yes, can see your point, especially this being NYC. *LOL*

But again know the staff of this building of old, and have mentioned to them in past if anything "nice" is going to be rubbished if they can to give notice. This especially after they rubbished at least two Miele W&D sets that were in perfect condition. Well they were until rubbishing; doors were removed (not very gently from looks of things), power cords torn out/cut, shifted about harshly, and then waves of scavengers got at them.

Beauty of living in a rather well off part of Manhattan is that people are always throwing away perfectly good (and often expensive) things. There is a reason why people drive into Manhattan from other states (have seen license plates from PA, North Carolina, New Jersey, etc..) to "dumpster dive".

 

[frigilux]

Bonus points for the girdle commercial, Launderess! I remember seeing the displays in the lingerie section of clothing stores. Does anyone wear them these days? Can't imagine having to wear one all day.
[this post was last edited: 11/15/2017-17:39]

 

[launderess]

Well there is *Spanx*

But other than that no, the true heavy duty girdles of the past are no longer produced for the most part.

Once called "foundation wear", such things fall under "shape wear", and apparently this time around men aren't being left out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/fashion/30spanx.html

Pipe: https://www.queerty.com/are-men-really-buying-into-the-spanx-craze-apparently-so-20100601

However if it is a corset you're wanting; that you can get: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/fashion/the-corset-stays-the-course.html

That being said there are tons of vintage corsets, girdles and other foundation wear on eBay and other such places. Much of it NOS and goes for very dear money. So someone out there is strapping themselves in; that or the fetish is larger than many imagine.

 

[launderess]

Since we're both here, why not?

Needed to do a bit of tiding up anyway so powered up the Hoover.

Heft of this thing plus effort required for "steering" makes this one of the more effort intense vacuums one has used of late. As with many other vintage machines with motors there is no mistaking when this vacuum is on. What does it remind one of am thinking; then it came to me; the Hoover TT. *LOL*

Not entirely sure how much dust ended up in the bag versus being blow about the room, but all and all not an entirely bad vacuum cleaner. Fact one can simply plug and go as opposed to having to connect things up (Eurkea Mighty Mite), is a plus.

Haven't had an upright VC in years, since our Kenmore (built by Panasonic) packed up and died. This after spending good money on a new switch the darn thing reverted back to that problem promptly.

 

[dermacie]

Launderess

I have a eureka vacuum of similar vintage that I use quite often to sweep hard floors and area rugs in my home. Though it's more suitable for carpet, that bag still gets full and does a pretty good job. Not as good as a canister but still better than a broom.

I am quite attached to it and that's why I continue to use it.

 

[fan-of-fans]

That's a nice Hoover, and I agree they are heavier than they would seem from the ones I have looked at. I've never actually used a metal one but I have used the later plastic versions and they were easier to push. But I guess metal is sturdier.

I do like how the bags are skinny on these with the C bags.