The Case of the Mystery Hoover 61

[hoover1060]

built like tanks

Times have changed, when that Hoover 61 was sold, you were buying a vacuum to last a lifetime. Today you're not even out of the store before they want to sell you another. I think thats the mentality of many companies today, even those who make washers.
The average life of a vacuum today is 19 months...

I get a laugh out of my mom, every time I go to my parents house my mom asks me to check the bag and belt on her vacuum, a 2000 model Hoover Elite. She loves her hoover, and treats it like it were made of gold. To others its plastic and un-interesting, to mom its a HOOVER, and she's damn proud of it.

 

[tolivac]

19 months-at first it was 3-5 years for modern ones-19 mo is pathetic.No wonder why they are called "Dumpster vacs" at vac shops and by hi end vac salesman.Insted of fixing them-folks throw them into the dumpster and buy another-the cycle continues--Its to the point you won't have to change the bag in them-you throw out the vac with the full bag and buy another-sort of like a disposable camera!

 

[tlee618]

What a neat story Fred. You must have been very excited the day you found it. It really makes one sad too when I go to Sears, Walmart, Kmart, or vacuum shops and see nothing but this cheap platic stuff that we all know won't be around for long. Terry

 

[westytoploader]

Beautiful machine...reminds me of the 60's commercial Hoovers (can't remember the model numbers right now...900-something?), except shinier. I can't believe you found that machine in a vac shop, fully restored! Interesting that Hoover reps would "krush" these machines in an effort to stop sales...but I bet they didn't realize that the Convertible machines would last just as long (assuming this happened in the 1960's or 1970's)!

I don't even bother looking at the vacuum departments anymore. Hoover's quality dropped, IMHO, when they released that AWFUL Elite line. I do have to admit, I don't really care much for the plastic-body Convertibles. At least on the machine I had (an orange 1980's model...near-BOL), there was a metal brush cover and fan chamber. But give me a metal-body any day!!

 

[hoover1060]

plastic yes, BUT

I'm seeing it now, and I still don't believe it.
Beginning in the late 80's Hoover dated everything, with the date being the first 4 digits of the serial number.
I always see Elites, and lately I have seen quite a few old ones, 1988 models, the year the Elites came out.
17 years old, plastic, and still in use, and in decent shape. Some people do still take care of things too.
Who would believe an Elite would last almost 20 years in regular use?

 

[petek]

Let's get some perspective

Just in case non vac lovers are bewildered..connosueirs can shield their eyes

 

[westytoploader]

Soft & Light

Sounds more like the name of a yogurt than a vacuum...LOL! I think they should change it to "Cheap & Light" instead...

 

[petek]

LOL

Cheap and light is right. Unfortunately it looks better in the pic than in real life, not that it's scruffed up or anything because it isn't..you just have to look at it and you can almost hear and see the brittle plastic ready to crack that's how cheap it is. Look at that hose...does that look like it's got any flex in it,, nope, hard and inflexible it is.

 

[hoover1060]

The vacuum pictured is the same model my mom has...

Who's ever Soft & Light that is, my mom has the same machine. Yes we see it as a plastic thing not worth our time. My mom is as proud of that machine as we might be of a brand new model 29 or 63...
I cringe everytime I have to work on it...however it serves a purpose. Mom will be 82 this year, and that Hoover Elite is just right for her to handle. AND it picks up dirt too!

 

[petek]

The Soft & Light's mine I picked it up thrifting, the usual jammed full of dirt bag and, brushroll wrapped tightly with strings, cotton, hair, etc. Now that it's fixed it certainly does vacuum well albeit very noisy and with the shortest cord I've ever seen on a vacuum at about 8-9 feet. That could be a replacement I'm not sure. I haven't really used it only briefly. It does however make a good comparison of what was and what you get now.. still for some people they don't want anything fancier or more expensive..my mom for example has just turned 81 herself,,she needed a new vac a couple of years ago..actually I decided for her when I could see the carpet was coated in dog har, sister mentioned it too. As hard as it was to do I got her the BOL Panasonc at about $99, plain and simple, no onboard attachments either. That's tough to do when you're a vac/gadget nut, settle for the plain jane model..LOL

 

[tolivac]

the Hoover "Soft&Light" reminds me of the Royal "Featherlight" vacs-same sort of appearence-Fan first all plastic design-with the stiff hose.Does the Hoover one have aluminum motor windings?Saw that in a Royal Dirt Devil Featherlight. I have even heard of overheated Featherlights aluminum motor windings catching fire!I saw one of the "victims" out here at "Vacuum Cleaner Hospital"A vac repair shop here.He threw the remains in his dumpster.He does replace a lot of fans in both the Hoover and Royal DD machines.

 

[hoover1060]

Hoover Soft & Light

I believe the motor windings are copper, however I have seen one and heard of others that have caught fire. The reason being that vent on the front of the motor(where the headlight goes) always catches dirt.
When its ignored, it just lets the motor overheat until...
I guess I should note it was 12amp models.
I've had many of the Elites come & go, lots of broken fans/handles/wheels/cords... never a bad motor...

 

[tolivac]

Thats good the Hoover motor has copper windings-In those DD machines-it was amazing they could label it a a "12A" motor even though in its physical size it was small.Both the rotor and stator windings were tiny for a 12A motor-more like a large PN motor.And the frame was plastic-something to warp or melt as the motor heats-causing the motor to strain even more!An it was cooled by a tiny plastic fan.I was tempted to buy one and see it "melt down".there is a lot of them still going in my area-the folks here like those machines-cheap-not fancy-but works.Just don't work it too hard.The one that was thrown out had lots of debris wrapped up in its roller brush.I am sure that caused the Aluminum windings to really heat up.

 

[hoover1060]

12 amps is too much for a vacuum...

I don't know who the Einstein was who decided vacuums should all be 12 amps...
I am amazed at the small size of motors today as well. The Hoover Windtunnel motor is VERY small, and with only a single fan on it. I've often wondered if they were to make that motor two stage and cut the amps and RPM some how much longer it would last...
Its not about lasting, its about how soon can we sell you another vacuum...

 

[tolivac]

I am also amazed by this-but does that motor really draw 12A?In most vacuumsdoubt that the motor is loaded to the current suggested on the vac nameplate-its to make the consumer beleive that the machine is more powerful than a lower amp one.I have Royals,Kirbys,Hoovers,Direct air system vacs that have motors only 2.5A that can outclean the "cleane air" 12A monsters.Its also the DESIGN of the vacs fan-filtering system and its airpath.All the filters on vacs today you do need the big motor in order to pull the air thru all those filters.The direct air machines like Kirby's ,Royal classics,and older Hoovers,etc have their fans close to the item being cleaned-so very high efficiency.Their filtering ability may not be as good though.The clean ir vac makers like to emphisize this.In the New Hoover vac-is it a direct air system?-the fan is AHEAD of the filter system.And is the fan a larger diameter than the twin fan model-a larger fan can move the same amount of air at a lower motor speed-not only longer life-but quieter as well.