Recent content by 74simon

No problem! In the UK, class 0 and 01 appliances were legal to sell new until 1975, although I think they were few and far between by then. The Hoover 612 and 638 are good examples, fifties models that were available as class 01 or 1 - presumably the 01 was intended for homes without earthed...

A lot of good advice there, Vintagerepairer! One thing that's worth adding is that you might sometimes come across a class 0 or 01 appliance, particularly with anything built before the late 1950s. These are not earthed, but not double insulated either - mainly found with appliances designed to...

I'd posted this on my Facebook, but thought I should share it here as I know not everyone that might be interested is on there. I remember this, and always hoped it would appear on Youtube, was great to see it again. Name those vacuums!

Doug, thank you for scanning those, I appreciate what a faff that can be, seeing period literature is always a treat! Alistair, I literally LOL'd at the GL777 page, I could do with a pair of baffies like those, with a quilted nylon housecoat to match, hehehe! I've always looked at Goblin...

Welcome to the forum, Gordon! This ebay listing has just ended, looks like it didn't sell - may be worth asking the seller to relist it? Vintage floor tools can be almost impossible to find if one gets damaged or is missing, even fairly common types like this...

Yes, in the UK the only blue the 1346A came in was Dolphin, umless anyone knows better... Oddly, in Australia their version of the 1346A, which was known as the Lark, came in Mandarin blue! Glad to be of help, I've learnt a lot from fellow collectors too!

Hi Mark, Alistair has covered a lot, but here's a couple more bits of info that I'm aware of regarding the machines you want to know about: The pink versions the 652 and 1334 were officially Rose and white, the grey versions Light and medium grey. The pale blue used from 1968-76 was Mandarin...

I think the 500 series was a very impressive design, and certainly put other manufacturers to shame! Essentially it took all the best features of the Hoover Dialamatic/Convertible in a cleaner that was lighter, cheaper and easier to use. The hose arrangement and the suction adjuster (operated by...

I'd personally say a 3a fuse is inadequate for a two speed Senior, as the maximum wattage of the motor at 650 watts may cause the inrush current to be higher than the 720 watts a 3a fuse can take. But it is good practice to keep the fuse as low rated as possible. I run my Seniors on a 5a fuse -...

Hi Mark, Your 1334A is fairly easy to date, as the version in hop green and jonquil with the alloy hood was only made for three months - March to June 1965 - before it was replaced with the plastic hood version. Simon

It is hard to know where to draw the line, I do agree, and also making things safer can also make them more dangerous, paradoxically! I once heard a driving instructor say that if the government wanted to make people drive more carefully, they should take car seat belts out and replace them with...

David, love your cat's hat! shame about the motor, my 652A has the same problem, the carbon brushes were just a tiny wee bit worn (see below...), and the armature grooving means the new ones won't sit properly - main issue being the sparking interferes with my downstairs neighbours' freview...

Gareth, what a great find, looks like it has been well cared for. My 160 has a similar tool box with a basic label stuck on, I think this indicates it was built after WW2 started, but before production ceased, possibly an ink shortage? Very lucky the flex and handle are so good, they...

Hey Al, some fabulous new additions there! Glad you got the Powerplus, very handsome colourway on it, how low is the serial number? The standard Pp are rare enough as it is! Can't help but wonder if it was influenced by a Mr Dyson when he was submitting his design to the big name manufacturers...

Nice to see such a late example with all of its bits in such nice condition. Think it must be from 1981/2, if you post the serial number you can find out to the month!