stricklybojack
Well-known member
Okay gonna start another thread of uglies with this monstrocity from the Hoover Corporation.
A face only a mother could love...
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Hoover Windtunnel
This vacuum here pictured above I would consider rare. Maybe others don't, but these are not common near me at all. The dual brushroll design is why I like them so much. It is a good idea too for dual brushrolls. Is this machine yours though?
This vacuum here pictured above I would consider rare. Maybe others don't, but these are not common near me at all. The dual brushroll design is why I like them so much. It is a good idea too for dual brushrolls. Is this machine yours though?
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Vax
I have no problem with the Vax being listed as ugly. Do I think it is so? No, but then I am used to it. That particular design was first seen here around 1990, sold as the model 2000 & replacing the 122 which came before it. This same style is still to be found today.
I have no problem with the Vax being listed as ugly. Do I think it is so? No, but then I am used to it. That particular design was first seen here around 1990, sold as the model 2000 & replacing the 122 which came before it. This same style is still to be found today.
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
121 cleaner, I meant to say.
Miss Mercy
Well-known member
OH MY GOD!!
My mother bought a green one identical to that one and so did my grandmother. We didn't hate that vacuum, we DESPISED it!!! Loud, heavy and made a hell of a mess emptying it. It was then I went to Kirbys. Although the older metal based Hoovers are built really well and clean great!
My mother bought a green one identical to that one and so did my grandmother. We didn't hate that vacuum, we DESPISED it!!! Loud, heavy and made a hell of a mess emptying it. It was then I went to Kirbys. Although the older metal based Hoovers are built really well and clean great!
ultraperformer
Well-known member
I remember my grandparents having a Vax very similar to that in the early 90's it wasn't ugly and was a very good machine if not on the bulky side for everyday use.
stricklybojack
Well-known member
Not my Hoover...
but dual brushes sound intriging & headache inducing at the same time.
I love that Vax! More orange vacuums please. I found that same model/color Vax at a thrift store but it needs a hose. What kind could i use? The store still has the vacuum & i see it every time i go in. Without a hose nobody is inersted in it. If something standard would work i'll pay the $15 & make it my bench vac.
but dual brushes sound intriging & headache inducing at the same time.
I love that Vax! More orange vacuums please. I found that same model/color Vax at a thrift store but it needs a hose. What kind could i use? The store still has the vacuum & i see it every time i go in. Without a hose nobody is inersted in it. If something standard would work i'll pay the $15 & make it my bench vac.
dysondestijl
Well-known member
Any hose from any vax tub vac will usually fit
fan-of-fans
Well-known member
The orange and black Vax in the photo above was sold in the US. I have a Sears catalog from the early '90s that has the same machine in it. There was a shampooing kit that could be purchased separately as well as squeegee tools, etc.
Was it really?
I did not actually know that. I dont see any Vax cleaners in the US so thats why I do not know much about them. I would like to own one though. It would be a nice addition to my collection. How much were they when the came out in the US?
I did not actually know that. I dont see any Vax cleaners in the US so thats why I do not know much about them. I would like to own one though. It would be a nice addition to my collection. How much were they when the came out in the US?
sebo_fan
Well-known member
Actually Im a big fan of the old Vax tubs. I had a blue one passed to me from my parents; a Powa 1400. Had it for about 15 odd years until I gave it to a local shop who were susceptible to floods. It was a good all rounder and reminded me much of the old Shop Vacs you get in the U.S I'd never say they were good looking but more practical looking than anything else. The old 101 (before the 121) was very much a door-to-door sales machine before they arrived in the stores and a lot of brands tried to copy Vax; in fact I think Hoover UK were rapped over the knuckles with their advertising of their similar 3 in 1 tub canister as being the first to offer the shampoo tools when Vax had been doing it well beforehand.
They've since been produced in Australia now as opposed to the UK though the UK ones in the 1990s were solid and much heavier than the present ones you can buy now = and most models now don't come with the rather helpful variable suction control dial.
They've since been produced in Australia now as opposed to the UK though the UK ones in the 1990s were solid and much heavier than the present ones you can buy now = and most models now don't come with the rather helpful variable suction control dial.
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
A wrap on the knuckles
Hoover got more than that, they were sued by Vax and had to bring out a whole new cleaning head, though quite how that differed from Vax I never did see. Hoover later made a claim against Vax over the use of the name "New Wave" which Vax gave to it's second attempt at an upright 3-in-1 cleaner. Hoover had been using this name for a range of laundry appliances for a short while before hand and they did not take kindly to a competitors cleaner using the same name and being sold alongside their laundry range.
The second Vax picture in this thread is of a 121 cleaner and the hose of this will not fit the later range of Vax machines. I am intrigued that it was not sold in the US as a 3-in-1 cleaner as standard, as this was the key selling feature of it here in the UK. I do remember one of you gentlemen saying it was also sold in white as the Wash Wizard cleaner. Vax were very clever; they must have known that the success of a wet carpet-cleaner would be rather limited, but adding a standard dry-vacuuming function as well was a stroke of genius as it instantly had a place in everyone's home. Vax cleaners were purchased by consumers who always wanted the most up to date gadgets possible, by consumers who were already in the process of buying a new dry vacuum cleaner anyway, and were soon on the wish-list of a good deal of consumers who vowed to by Vax the next time it was necessary to replace their existing vacuum cleaner.
Hoover got more than that, they were sued by Vax and had to bring out a whole new cleaning head, though quite how that differed from Vax I never did see. Hoover later made a claim against Vax over the use of the name "New Wave" which Vax gave to it's second attempt at an upright 3-in-1 cleaner. Hoover had been using this name for a range of laundry appliances for a short while before hand and they did not take kindly to a competitors cleaner using the same name and being sold alongside their laundry range.
The second Vax picture in this thread is of a 121 cleaner and the hose of this will not fit the later range of Vax machines. I am intrigued that it was not sold in the US as a 3-in-1 cleaner as standard, as this was the key selling feature of it here in the UK. I do remember one of you gentlemen saying it was also sold in white as the Wash Wizard cleaner. Vax were very clever; they must have known that the success of a wet carpet-cleaner would be rather limited, but adding a standard dry-vacuuming function as well was a stroke of genius as it instantly had a place in everyone's home. Vax cleaners were purchased by consumers who always wanted the most up to date gadgets possible, by consumers who were already in the process of buying a new dry vacuum cleaner anyway, and were soon on the wish-list of a good deal of consumers who vowed to by Vax the next time it was necessary to replace their existing vacuum cleaner.
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
For cleaning houses, I have never liked the idea of any type of wet & dry machine as their bulk seemed to be unnecessary for housekeeping tasks. Compared to the Shop-Vac cleaners sold in the UK (they were branded Aqua Vac here), the quality of the Vax was far, far superior, but then they could be as much as double the price of an Aqua Vac, so one could expect the extra quality really. Vax was also a good deal quieter as Aqua Vac cleaners were always as loud as loud could be. I always thought wet & dry cleaners were more suited for use outside of the home, though for what Vax cost back in the day, I wouldn't have wanted to spend that amount of money on a cleaner to use outside.
However, for the UK, it was all about the idea that Vax did it all - even though very few consumers would have washed their carpets with it as a regular thing. Wet & dry vacuum cleaners were never all that popular here as the need to suck up water was minimal. So in effect if one bought an Aqua Vac, it would be mainly for dry vacuuming and would not be a practical choice for the home. Vax changed turned this idea on it's head as it offered even more; it sucked water and it washed carpets too. Had it been sold as a wet & dry cleaner only, I doubt many consumers would have purchased it. Likewise if it had been a carpet cleaner only. It's success lay in the fact that it did something everyone needed (a dry vacuum cleaner) as well as something which consumers were prepared to pay extra for.
Vax was very good for my business, because a good deal of upright vacuum cleaner owners replaced their upright cleaner with a canister Vax. Many of these people quickly realized they preferred an upright cleaner for dry vacuuming. However, such was the price of the Vax, buying yet another cleaner was extremely decadent, and I lost count of the times an old upright cleaner was brought in for repair on the basis that although it's owner actually wanted a new one, the Vax canister which had replaced it had proven to be a poor and expensive choice. Likewise I sold many a reasonably inexpensive reconditioned Hoover Junior or Electrolux upright to someone who'd recently bought a Vax canister.
However, for the UK, it was all about the idea that Vax did it all - even though very few consumers would have washed their carpets with it as a regular thing. Wet & dry vacuum cleaners were never all that popular here as the need to suck up water was minimal. So in effect if one bought an Aqua Vac, it would be mainly for dry vacuuming and would not be a practical choice for the home. Vax changed turned this idea on it's head as it offered even more; it sucked water and it washed carpets too. Had it been sold as a wet & dry cleaner only, I doubt many consumers would have purchased it. Likewise if it had been a carpet cleaner only. It's success lay in the fact that it did something everyone needed (a dry vacuum cleaner) as well as something which consumers were prepared to pay extra for.
Vax was very good for my business, because a good deal of upright vacuum cleaner owners replaced their upright cleaner with a canister Vax. Many of these people quickly realized they preferred an upright cleaner for dry vacuuming. However, such was the price of the Vax, buying yet another cleaner was extremely decadent, and I lost count of the times an old upright cleaner was brought in for repair on the basis that although it's owner actually wanted a new one, the Vax canister which had replaced it had proven to be a poor and expensive choice. Likewise I sold many a reasonably inexpensive reconditioned Hoover Junior or Electrolux upright to someone who'd recently bought a Vax canister.
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Bulky
Yes, that is exactly what I always thought, and upright users did not take to them either.
Yes, that is exactly what I always thought, and upright users did not take to them either.
