Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

How long until someone exposes the rubbish and lies of [vacuum cleaner] *clubbers and *dealers who use YouTube as their platform? 


DIB

*Not all, just many (are dirty).

Model2 wrote:
Model2,

Many thanks!!  The Spangler Hoover story is a great story (the little I know).

A few questions...
When was the Suction Sweeper name/brand changed to Hoover?  And what vacuum was the first Hoover model (do you have a pic of this too?).  Was W H Hoover a preacher or the son of a preacher?  If you have more Spangler vacuum photos, please share.

I love hearing of backyard inventors who's innovations ultimately create industries and wealth.  Have you seen the Modern Marvel video on Spangler and Hoover?  It shows some old footage (few seconds) of the underside of a Suction Sweeper (I believe it was a Suction Sweeper) and it used casters.  I just assumed these casters were fixed to the unit by a home user and not from the factory.  You cleared this up.

Thanks again,
DIB

On August 8th, 1908,  Spangler's 'Electric Suction Sweeper Company' was reorganized , with William H Hoover as president and treasurer, Herbert W Hoover as secretary and general manager, and James M Spangler as superintendent. On January 3rd, 1910, the company was renamed 'The Hoover Suction Sweeper Company', so the first Hoover machines would have dated from around then. However, some late Model Os (or possibly, Model O Improved) bore the name 'Hoover' on the front...the great problem I've had in my research is that very few, if any, official records were kept from this time; the company comprised of fewer than 20 people at this point, and cleaners were being built in a corner of Hoover's leather goods workshop! Everything's very vague, and it's a case of piecing things together from old photos, adverts, sales literature etc, which itself is very thin on the ground. I feel very lucky to have obtained what I have!

The first cleaner Hoover could really call 'all new', as opposed to a variation on Spangler's original design, would have been the 1909 Model 2 (my user ID here!). Before this came the Model O, Model 18, Model O Improved, Model 1 and Model 1 Improved - all within the 1908-09 period; improvements came thick and fast! Here's a picture of Model 2, on display at the Historical Center - a total departure from the large, bulky Spangler-based machines, and infintely more efficient!

Here are two cleaners patented by Spangler; the 1912 Hooverette (the first compact upright; the Dyson DC24 of it's day!), and the 1915 Hoover Baby. Both of these 'budget' models used a brush-roll driven by the front wheels like a carpet-sweeper, combined with an electric suction-only motor:

To answer your second question, W H Hoover was indeed an ordained minister, and also New Berlin/North Canton's first mayor. He was a very generous benefactor to the town and community of New Berlin/North Canton, and is still held with great respect and affection by the people of the town. There's even a statue and plaque in his honour.

I haven't seen the Modern Marvel video on Spangler and Hoover, but it sounds very interesting! Can it be found online anywhere?

The HOOVER Web Site has a one page synopsis of HOOVER's beginnings which may be of interest to those inclined and worth a read [see link to Company Information].  Here is a relevant excerpt:

W.H. "Boss" Hoover, owner of a leather goods manufacturing shop, bought the patent from Spangler in 1908, retained him as a partner, and soon had six employees assembling six units a day in a corner of the leather goods shop.

More can be found on BOSS HOOVER on the internet and his charitable ways, i.e. paying the bank owned mortgages anonymously for residents of North Canton, Ohio during the Great Depression of the 30's to prevent home foreclosures. 

The early portable HOOVER models pictured show the iconic features of the HOOVER upright vacuums of the era that continued on all the HOOVER uprights right up to the late 1920's and early 1930's with the intro of the most famous "Greater HOOVER: The 700 series."  The top mounted motor, white aluminum metal base [lighter than traditional metals of the day], fork bail, power switch on the rear of base, large full cloth bag with the signature HOOVER brand name of the era, front name plate on the base, and rubber bumper [furniture guard] all around.  Even appears the electrical plug is of the screw in variety for light bulb fixtures, typical of the electrical sources of the day.

Carmine D. 

Model2,

You helped answer some questions I have had for some time.  Many thanks!  I did not know Hoover was the benevolent man he was.  Wilbur and Orville’s father was a minister too.  It is not uncommon to see men of faith invent, become leaders, financially successful and then give back to society.  R. G. LeTourneau was a man of Christian faith and invented far ahead of his time.  Many of his inventions were dismissed by the big corporations (when he was a small company), and these inventions/concepts are standards today. - Sounds like Dyson (rejected and then was proven to be ahead of his time).  The company now is credited with the worlds largest [rubber tired] front end loader.  Like Hoover he was a philanthropist/giver and founded a university too.  

Did you hear?...  James Dyson gave a large donation to the RCA.  
http://www.rca.ac.uk/Default.aspx?ContentID=501968&GroupID=504590&CategoryID=36538

LeTourneau clips...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJBF7Hbggoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dODuWTI0GdY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvmnc0TJFto

Here is the Modern Marvel - Spangler Hoover [short] story...
http://www.viddler.com/explore/InventBig/videos/55/?secreturl=24707784


Thanks to you too, Carmine.


DIB

P.S.  I use a Mac, and it is impossible to create hyperlinks easily in these posts.  So, no hypelinks.

We often read and hear about the brilliant ideas that inventors come up with out of frustration with the current crop of product limitations.

Sometimes we even hear the practical ones, like reinventing one's business to survive.  Such was the case with BOSS HOOVER.  Leather goods?  Like horse saddles and gear?  With bicycles and cars rapidly preempting horses.  Good case of reinventing oneself and their business to survive.

Carmine D.

Well said!  Many things about this story are inspirational!       DIB

DysonInventsBig wrote:
No problem, the Company's early history is my particular area of interest - I'm happy to share what I can! Any other questions?

Model2 wrote:
I’ll take you up on your offer.  Was Spangler a tinkerer prior to inventing the upright?  How long until the vacuum business became successful?  What was the reaction from people when they saw a vacuum cleaner for the first time?  I was curious of the Spangler Hoover relationship. - How did Spangler and Hoover get along?  How was Spangler compensated?  Was he part owner or an employee?  Do you have any pictures of Spangler or Spangler working on the vacuums or Spangler and Hoover together?  Did Hoover pioneer DTD or any other business ideas?

Thank you,
DIB

Q) Was Spangler a tinkerer prior to inventing the upright?

A) Yes, he was an inventor. His former, less famous inventions included a grain harvester, a velocipede wagon, and a ‘combined hay rake and tedder’, which he invented when he was just 18! He lived off the proceeds of these devices until his finances were depleted, as he reinvested his earnings into new projects. His financial situation forced him to take a temporary evening job as a janitor, cleaning rugs in the Folwell Building. Lucky for us that he did - this was where the idea of a machine which would sweep up and remove the dust, without stirring it into the air, first came to him.

Q) How long until the vacuum business became successful?

A) Building up sales was a very gradual process; in 1908, Hoover found just 372 customers. During the years 1909-11, just over 2000 a year were sold. But in 1918, 70,000 Hoover cleaners found owners! By 1923, Hoover had sold their 1,000 000^th cleaner. Hoover’s market was severely limited by the price of their product, and most significantly, by the fact that very few homes at this time were wired for electricity!

Q) What was the reaction from people when they saw a vacuum cleaner for the first time?

A) Curiosity, I suppose – as we will be when the first hover-cars appear for sale! When H C Booth first introduced his horse-drawn vacuum cleaner in Britain, society ladies would hold dinner parties while their house was being cleaned, so their friends could witness the spectacle of several long hoses being fed through the windows and doors of the house, while uniformed men did the cleaning! Owning a vacuum cleaner was the height of luxury, and became a status symbol among those who could afford them.

Q) How did Spangler and Hoover get along? How was Spangler compensated? Was he part owner or an employee? 

A) I’m not sure about Spangler’s relationship with Hoover - W H Hoover’s wife was Spangler’s cousin, so he was a member of Hoover’s extended family. Spangler was the Company Superintendent, on salary and royalties. He went on to design several other machines for the company, as well as many small improvements to the suction sweeper design. He died suddenly in January 1915, but his family continued to receive income generated by his many patents until 1925.

Q) Do you have any pictures of Spangler or Spangler working on the vacuums or Spangler and Hoover together?

A) Whenever Spangler is mentioned, online, in books etc, one particular photo is always used. This is the only one I know of:

Q) Did Hoover pioneer DTD or any other business ideas?

A) Hoover did pioneer door-to-door sales, and over its 100 years in existence so far, too many other business ideas for me to list! They led the way.

Model2 wrote:

As the story goes, J. Murray Spangler had severe allergies to dust and dirt.  So he was unable to get up close and personal with the dirt by using a broom and dust pan [the usual tools of the day].  Spangler's first portable vacuum was made of rudimentary objects that he put together into a vacuum.  After he acquired enough money he fitted the electric motor and bag to a manual carpet sweeper of the day.  These were in use for several decades by this time and sold commonly through the SEARS catalogue for just 5-6 times the cost of a broom [2 bits at the time].  Early vacuums even used the generic name "electric sweeper" in deference to its carpet sweeper roots.

Rather a motley looking picture of Mr. Spangler.  Probably in his early 50's. 

Carmine D.