Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Notice the absence of the Dutch Tech canisters? The presence of the Edge, which was supposed to have been an dealer exclusive? So much for integrity. Oreck dealers fared betetr when Dave was at the helm.

Venson wrote:
Up until 1987/88 Hoover continued to sell the "last of the classic lines," which meant Junior and Senior/Convertible/Powerplus uprights having the last of the metal beater bars. Hoover UK continued with the Junior before being replaced eventually by the Turbopower range which had a plastic roller and plastic tufts. Hoover weren't happy of course that their old Junior was missing out on sales and made a limited run of "last batch" models with a plastic roller similar to the style of the Turbopower. I know a few owners who have these models and say quite happily that the plastic rollers are better on pick up. However I much admired the old fashioned metal bars until it our Junior sliced up our vinyl floor! Hoover made a lot of campaign adverts in the UK (most of which you can find them on You Tube) but I have to say, that over the compeititors such as Electrolux and a few other brands, Hoover stood out as being better designed and having a much better pick up because of the beater bars - the Electrolux Z500 didn't have any beater bars until Electrolux changed the brush roll to adopt a single line of plastic to act as a beater bar - it however, wasn't as successful on pick up due to its straight design compared to Hoover's turbine effect of the beater bars.

The two quintessential and unique rug cleaning features of HOOVER vacuums are the beater bars [once metal] and windtunnel technology.  Both developed and marketed first in the USA by HOOVER engineers in North Canton, Ohio.  Now sadly gone.  These features are still very much a part of vacuum history for the past, present, and no doubt future.  My bases for declaring HOOVER the gold standard of rug cleaning.  Past, present and likely into the foreseeble future.

ORECK started and kept its product manufacturing, at least for its signature lightweight uprights, wholly in the USA for the last 50 years and still [roughly 1963].  Until this changes, ORECK is part of a handful of vacuum name brands that can still claim made in the USA.  We recently discussed RICCAR going the USA route, not just for its uprights as was always the case but now also for its line of canns.  Part of the first increase in new manufacturing jobs in 2010 since 1997.    

Carmine D.

A link to an article in the Las Vegas Sun Review Journal.  It uses the Wall Street Journal's article from this past Wednesday where I got the facts for my posts here.  It doesn't use patriotism for US companies locating in the USA/upgrading existing facilities in the USA.  Uses words like increase job growth, new manufacturing jobs in the US, utilizing Americans with skills, revive stagnant cities and so on.  

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jan/21/made-america/

Venson wrote:

HOOVER's engineers designed and marketed the first 2 in 1 vacuum in the early 60's: The Dial with on board tools.  As Americans plushed up their carpets and rug piles, the HOOVER Dial, with its excess rug suction power and beater bars posed a problem for the ladies of the house to maneuver.  So it short order HOOVER desined and implemented the self-propel feature on the Power Dial.  Also a part of vacuum history past, present and future.  Others, like EUREKA and KIRBY, copied.  Gold standard of rug cleaning:  HOOVER.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

Hi Carmine,

I'd thought that ease of movement was the purpose of dial since for whatever Hoover didn't bother to work in a rug height adjustment for the first Dial-A-Matic.. 

The dial was actually a suction diverter.  Turn it one way and you could adjust the cleaner's level of suction delivery for attachments. Turn it the the other and suction for the cleaning head was adjusted not so much for need of its reduction but for easier pushing.  Just a teenybopper at the time of the Dial's introduction, I was left to believe that the maker had intended tthe suction adjustment to allow for easier pushing since no height adjustment was on the cleaner and because Hoover claimed its design compensated for the lack  (row if wide rollers at the front of the cleaner's base were intended to help "float" the front end.).  

However, the Dial-A-Matic  not have onboard tools.  Its hose locked on with a twist and a plastic bag for holding tools was first supplied. Though it is possible the hose could be left locked onto the machine while you used it for upright tasks the arrangement was too clumsy for most users to bother with.  There also was first, a soft plastic piece attached to the hose to allow the user to hook the hose on at the top of the cleaner's handle if you needed to leave off above floor vacuuming to go do something else.  Later down the line they came up with another hard plastic concoction to hold attaqchments near the end of the hose that held the dust brush, upholstery nozzle and the crevice tool near where the hose was locked on to the cleaner.   That same piece was also used as an attachment holder for the little Porta-Power vac.  Despite the power-drive models intorduction, I think the regular dials sold more.  Especially when Hoover saw he light and  introduced manually pushed dial models with a height adjustment installed.  These endured on the maret for a good while without many alterations otherwise.

Venson

Hi Venson:

We're getting off the subject of ORECK but for a good cause.  You're right on all accounts........well almost.  For a teenie bopper at the time you were pretty vacuum savvy.

HOOVER Dial was the first clean air system upright or dirt by-pass upright of the era as opposed to the conventional fan first design of the times for uprights.

On board tools:  You forgot the plastic see thru attachment bag that had a slit that hung on the lever clip that held the bag compartment closed.  

First Dial [63] had the infamous self-adjusting floating head that a recent bagless maker copied and stole 40 years later.  I told the NC HOOVER people who came out to demo the Dial to me, it wouldn't work on high pile and shag, newly coming into vogue.  Just as I told that bagless vacuum maker in 2006.  I was right on both.  To its credit HOOVER within a year added a manual 3 level rug adjuster to the floating head.  Not good enough.  The other maker took 3 more years after I told them to add carpet adjustments.

HOOVER warned its Dial users [in the User Guide] never to exceed medium rug carpet suction.  For several reasons.  One reason was because it made the vacuum hard to push and pull on high and shag rugs.  Users didn't read/listen.  Truth of the matter was that the "adjuster/diverter" lever turned so easily, it was really meaningless for carpets andf on floors most users went with the max level.  Users adjusted to the max or it ended there anyway by default.

By '67 HOOVER intro'ed the Power Dial.  Just about 4 years after the first Dial.  The rest is vacuum history.

The biggest drawback of the Power Dial was the 7 extra pounds added to the vacuum weight by the transmission for the self-propel feature.  I recommended the SP Power Dial for people with high-shag carpets and lots of it.  If not, the HOOVER Dial with adjustments was fine.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:


The Electrolux Z500/Volta 500 was about the same appearing in the 1970's and made in many different versions throughout the years. Seen here on the furthest right hand side next to our Dial-A-Matic inspired Hoover Junior Deluxe or "Starlight" as it was known. The 'Lux Z500 had a dial at the back (if you look closely you'll see an Orange dial at the back) that effectively mirrors and copies the Hoover function of the suction regulator. Twist it one way and it gives the machine full suction, twist the other way and it lets out air at the back. The whole dial came up on a clip to which a slide in lock hose and tools could be used, effectively giving it a "bottom end" hose release and thus never falling over. The Z500 was also, in Europe at least one of the very first clean air suction vacuums.

Trebor wrote:

Hello Trebor:

Apparently, if all goes right, MIELE's canister with ORECK name will replace the Dutch Tech cann as the high end model in the ORECK line up.  With the panasonic made in China Quest to round out the bagged ORECK canisters.  These pano made canns have been around for awhile under the HOOVER and EUREKA names and for considerably less prices than the ORECK Quest.  The customary ORECK compacts [part of the duo team pairing with the lightweight uprights], will still be an integral part and mainstay of the ORECK venue.

Dave is taking a back seat now in operations likely due to his age and younger family members who have vested personal and professional interests in the business. 

Carmine D.

Oreck is not offering the Miele cans with the Oreck nameplate. They are mere making a peace offering (avoiding a class action lawsuit, (My opinion)) to the franchise dealers that they screwed when they undercut them on their Corporate website, QVC. and Boxstores. They can now carry Miele Badged vacuums. In essence Oreck Corporate screws with their own dealers and then gets Milele to bail them out and then pass the screwing onto the Indies who have given birth to Miele USA...NICE! Carmine I have a question about Dave. I thought he was long gone and just a figurehead and Oreck is now owned by a holding company backed with Chinese Money. What's the real story? Thanks Lucky

Lucky1 wrote:

Hello Lucky1:

Thanks for the clarification on the MIELE and ORECK canns. 

Dave is and has been a figure head.  Now in his 80's.  Allowing Judy [who changed her name after the divorce only to change back again] and Tom [her ex] to have the face time at the stores.  Dave is still pictured in all the stores, ads, mail outs and such.  He is still the face of ORECK. 

ORECK, after Katrina in 2005, needed money quickly to keep operations afloat and move locations.  ORECK was on ground zero.  Lost everything.  Chinese investors as you might imagine came to the rescue with the needed capital BUT with stakeholder rights and interests.  Can't fault Dave.  He really didn't have a choice in the matter except to save the company or see it sink.  ORECK family still owns a considerable interest in the company maybe even the majority ownership and Tom leads the company helm. 

As mentioned here by me, Chinese investors are buying up property in Las Vegas at rock bottom prices, paying cash and getting the homes even cheaper than the listing prices and appraisal values [cash money talks].  Such is the world we live in.  Like the now infamous TV ad showing the Chinese professor teaching his students in 2030 about the fall of the mighty financial empires of Greece, Rome and the US.  Chinese own our the majority of our debt now and hence will eventually own us [that's US]?  Wishful thinking on the Chinese?  

Carmine D. 

CarmineD wrote:
You say Panasonic made them under HOOVER  and Eueka, then which models are they?  I will use a quote you used on HARDSELL, "Once again not correct [as usual]". The company that makes "A" HOOVER,  also makes this new ORECK, but not this model/design.  I would like to know what Eureka models are made by this company. 

ORECK sources from different companies and not just one.