Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Carmine,

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

Carmine,

Thank you for your response

Today, I tested a Decade 80 with an beater bar agitator assembly. It did not suck up and hold the rug quite like an older Hoover. Those were specifically designed for Orientals, it's all they had to test them on. Would the center rod and end caps from a newer agitator bar fit on a 150 style agtitator? I'd give it another shot with a cloth bag assembly.

It's amazing how something perfectly designed is unappreciated until it is no longer made. I never thought I would be in the market for an older Hoover. The Hoover Guardsman with the steel line fan chamber, cloth bag and 150 agitator assembly would probably be a winner, ya think?

Trebor

Trebor - I don't think putting a 150 Agitator in a newer machine will give you the performance you're looking for, and I'm pretty sure it's not possible to achieve, either. I agree, though - nothing will clean that sort of rug better than a Model 800 or an 825.

Trebor wrote:

You're welcome.  The HOOVER Decade 80 is an excellent choice.  Sorry to hear it did not work quite the way you hoped.  Excellent vacuum.

No, not straight out.  It would need some expertise and work from a machinist.  

Trebor wrote:

Here too it's unlikely that a HOOVER 150 agitator would ever work in the HOOVER Guardsman.  Tho, a Guardsman/the older Elite and HOOVER uprights like the Guardmans may achieve the rug cleaning action you want.  Why?  Despite the lack of beater bars, the direct fan and rug adjustment on the nozzle head may be just what's needed for Orientals. 

Tho I too share Model2's opinion that the best set ups are usually designed and fitted for their specific applications.  And once you start to retrofit and redesign, you run into problems, if not initially, then eventually.  [Hence my feelings in part with the Kirby bagless device]. 

Also, don't rule out the 1980's style EUREKA uprights [1400 series] with the metal agitators and beater bars.  Those may do the trick too, if you can locate one/more.

Carmine D. 

Thanks to everyone who responded. I may settle for a Decade 80. There were older Guardsman models which used the more modern style agitator beater bar assemblies, too. Those come the closest to the performance of the 150 style agitator.

Nothing else has the same 'sweet spot' of vibration, suction, airflow, and brushing that cleaned Orientals so well. Think about it. The demise of the older Hoovers has allowed a multi-million dollar industry to emerge selling rug cleaning equipment to people who charge the owners of these beautiful rugs outrageous prices to periodically clean  them. All they need is an old Hoover to use a few times a week. I have concerns about the stiffness of the new bristles employed without beater bars.

Trebor

Nothing they make today is quite as beautiful, either!

Trebor wrote:

A respectable choice. 

Carmine D.

Today, I scored a Hoover 725, which I intend to rebuild. This model, I have learned was the pinnacle of Hoover engineering. It was the first air-cooled motor, AND the last agitator with the small veritcal beater bars. It was after the Model 725 that cost became a guiding factor in design and manufacturing.

Trebor

Ah, the Greater HOOVER.  Excellent.  Check out the brush strips in the agitator.  Makes sure there good!

Carmine D.

Trebor wrote:

'Model 725 is the finest electric cleaner ever built. 25% more efficient than any previous Hoover. A new type cloth bag with an opening on the top for simplified removal of the dirt. A more powerful, smooth-running ball-bearing motor. An improved fan. An automatic friction-stop handle control. Non-rusting, Nitralloy beater bars. It is also newly beautiful in line and finish.' 

The purpose of those smaller vertical bars is not to beat, but to prevent lighter rug from hugging the Agitator too closely. It ensures the beating action is gentle but effective. They serve the purpose the nozzle-guard did on the pre-Agitator models.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say ' It was after the Model 725 that cost became a guiding factor in design and manufacturing.' - Models 750, 800 and 825 were every bit as well-made, durable and efficient - more so, in fact, thanks to the 2-speed 360w motor.

(Model 700 was the Greater Hoover)

Model2 wrote:

Having been in the vacuum biz for many many years I took the liberty and license during my professional career to refer to all the HOOVER 700 series:  700, 725, and 750 as the Greater HOOVER!  I'm sure BOSS HOOVER, a friend of mine, forgives me for my sin.

Carmine D.