Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

This will probably fall under your area of expertise and experience, but all are welcome to contribute. As I transition from being unemployed to being self-employed, I am looking for more specialized services to offer my clients.

There are specialized 'rug dusters' for sale which tap the accumulated dirt, dust, sand, and grit out of Oriental rugs by laying them face down over a grid which gives the debris room to fall. These cost upwards of 4,000.00! These have been developed as an alternative to the huge stationary 240 volt dusting machines. All of this to replace regular vacuuming with a Hoover 300, 700, or 150, the ones with the dual divergent agitator bars, with shorter agitator bars and bristle strips in between on each side.

The magic of the Hoover was that the 5,000 taps per minute during slow motion vacuuming set up a wave pattern that  vibrated the rug, dislodging the dirt, sand, and grit. It was not accomplished with tremendous suction, though the airflow was good, it was the balance of enough suction to keep snapping the rug up after each tap. The sand was not actually beaten out of the rug as much as the rug was pushed down leaving the sand in mid-air to be caught by the airflow generated by the fan, as explained by the laws of Newtonian physics.

My question is this: Short of finding and restoring a few 150 Hoovers, is there any alternative? Would any later model Hoovers accept the dual divergent agitator? How late? A current Guardsman, maybe, with some alteration perhaps?

A Kirby with a cloth bag has been suggested to me. A G series will not accept a full-fledged sani-emptor, and probably is too powerful to sustain the tap/snap action. A cloth bag would yield too much airflow, and a hepa bag too little as it fills. A Heritage I with a cloth bag seems the only other possibility. The Sanitaire Vibra-Groomer I is not sufficient, about the same as the standard Hoover agitator with just one strip of beater bar per side.

The idea of being able to restore neglected Oriental rugs with simple thorough vacuuming for good pay is very appealing. As I understand it, Hoover abandoned this configuration of agitator because as area rugs gave way to wal to wall carpet, it did not grab and hold the wall-to-wall carpet as well as the newer, less expensive to produce version, which had just the one spiral strip per side. Hoover could have ruled if they had stuck to being a status symbol. Imagine being able to switch out the roller and bottom plate to adapt the vacuum to whatever carpet/rug/floor needed to be cleaned. The mind boggles, while the Hoover just beats, as it sweeps, as it cleans...

Trebor

Model 700 was 'The Greater Hoover'

Model 725 wasn't afforded specific a title.

Model 750 was 'The Two-Speed Hoover', part of the 'Silver Jubilee Range'.

Model 800 was 'The Sentinel', and in the UK, 'The Jubilee Hoover'.

Other than these Hoover-given titles, they were referred to by Hoover as 'the Deluxe Model', or 'The Standard Model'.

Since these models have official Hoover given-titles, this is why I do not use the term 'The Greater Hoover' for any model after the 700. The title does not appear in Hoover promotional material after the 725 was introduced in 1929.

But call them what you will- a rose by any other name, etc!

Point 1) Where did I say the term 'overwhelming success' was anything other than an opinion? As a member of the public, not an industry insider, I don't have access to trade figures for Dyson, or any other brand.

Point 2) I thought we'd cleared this up already - the ASA ruled in favour of Dyson, not Electrolux - I posted the report in it's entirety to clear that misrepresentation of the "facts" up. There was no official "ruling" about the DC14 being (or not being) the leading selling vacuum in the UK, it was simply commented on during the discourse of the investigation. The only ruling, ie. the ASA's ultimate decision following the investigation, was that Dyson's objection was sustained, and that Electrolux could not continue to run the misleading advert in it's current state. As an aside, on the American Electrolux website, the section on the Intensity, where the performance claim '50% more suction than market leader' is printed, it's followed by' '*Dyson DC14'. I'd post a link, but for some reason the server's being slow and won't let me access the page in question. You're welcome to check it out for yourself.

And I do apologise, Trebour. I'd much rather talk about the Hoover 725!

Yes, I thought I did clear it up.  Dyson filed against Electrolux Intensity for claiming it has 50 percent more suction.  ASA ruled in favor of Electrolux and said the evidence proved it had 50 percent more suction with a full bag than a DC14.  What ASA said was that Electrolux could not say it gave a deep down cleaning w/o submitting more proof. 

ASA also said it did not have any evidence to prove that dyson was the leading vacuum seller in the UK which dyson imputed in its claim against Electrolux. 

Carmine D.

I use Greater HOOVER for all the 700 series.  Always have and always will.  And the only person who could and would persuade me otherwise is not around anymore to do so.  When I see him, I'll be sure to ask him.

Carmine D.

My final point which seems to elude you.  If the dyson facts and figures were as good as some here claim, including you, they would have been plastered all over the news media and internet early and often.  They are not and haven't been for some time now.  The only reason I can offer is that after coming out of the gate so well, your fave pick has faded quickly and lost steam in the final stretch.  Now, if I'm wrong, I ask you and anyone else here with the information on the current dyson sales to ante up.

Carmine D. 

During your jubilantly and phenomenally successful career, Dear Carmine, I'm sure you had to forego indulgence in 'thrust and parry', however tempting and entertaining it might have been, and just 'let sleeping dogs lie'. They scratch and growl, but if you leave them alone they settle down. They dream they catch the rabbit and all is well. If you have forgotten, please tell your dear wife you need a longer leash, and to let you out of the doghouse more. Throw us all a bone and let the Dyson bunny rabbit go.

Regards,

Trebor

Carmine D.

There you go again. I've already said my 'fave pick' is Hoover. You're just totally ignoring everything I'm saying! I guess that's one method of discussion which is always guaranteed to get the outcome you want!

What Dyson facts and figures have I claimed? You keep stating that without offering an example. I'm looking for some evidence where I've stated, 'Dyson sold x-number of cleaners in these markets this year, generating a total of $$$, compared to x-brand, who sold x-number of cleaners, and generated $$$.' Happy hunting. All I've offered is opinion. If I say Dyson is enjoying overwhelming success, that was opinion, much like when you said, 'In the USA, Dave ORECK is the most recognized face in the vacuum industry.  That is a given and well known fact here in the US vacuum industry.', witthout publishing proof of something like a random poll of the public of their recognition of David Oreck vs. Sir James Dyson.

'The only reason I can offer is that after coming out of the gate so well, your fave pick [sic] has faded quickly and lost steam in the final stretch.' - Pure speculation, with no facts or figures to back it up!

Carmine! Surely you are not saying you are too old to learn, "Sit. Stay." ?

(please forgive me, Carmine, but I'm laughing so hard I can hardly breathe! )

Trebor

Carmine D.