eBay: Eureka Princess 705-A carton

[paul]

Manufactured by the General Box Company of Bloomington, Illinois

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1878421343...cI3nqroZdgGcDv2Pia2nKTMZhC|tkp:Bk9SR7yBhsHkZg

 

[centralsweeper63]

Very cool.

 

[cheesewonton]

Dual exhausts !

 

[centralsweeper63]

Yes, that

 

[cheesewonton]

Yes, that

Today it's turbo this and turbo that but back then the hot cars had dual exhausts. Marketing : /

 

[centralsweeper63]

Yes, very different times.

 

[paul]

Dual exhausts !

These included the bottom fan jet exhaust with a shutter to close when using the rear air jet for blowing.

I wonder if the discontinuance of them in the mid-1970s was due to ineffectiveness, cost-cutting, more powerful motors or a combination?

I agree that such features at times may have been more advantageous for clever and competitive marketing than performance.

Interestingly, "Power Pak" was used with different spellings and purposes by at least three companies: Westinghouse, Eureka, and Hamilton Beach.

Princess 705-B photos from a current eBay listing (marketed from 1963 to 1965; unsure when Type B succeeded Type A):

 

[cheesewonton]

I think it was an answer in search of a problem. Umpteen vacuums back then had exhaust ports that doubled as blower ports you could connect a hose to. Why add complexity? It would be interesting to stick an anemometer on the end of the hose and see if there is a difference in airflow with the shutter open and closed.

 

[paul]

Incidentally, the Princess, model 702, debuted in 1961 in the turtle shape design that what would become the 500 budget series. The Prince came out the following calendar year in a unique shape, which I have nicknamed "trifocal" in keeping with the "t" descriptors of Eureka's vintage canisters (along with tub, teardrop, trapezoid, tire, and trunk).

Anyway, Eureka chose to make the Princess and Prince the same trapezoid shape in 1963 and ID'd them as Princess II, model-type 711-A, and Prince II, model-type 714-A. Both were equipped with the "Stow Away" tool tray that was stored under their lids. The former was only produced in 1963 sans the Power Pak System of the latter. One would surmise that Prince II customer reaction was so favorable that Eureka Williams decided to bring out the Princess 705 with it and retire the Princess II. Why not "Princess III"? Maybe someone found a bunch of unused "Princess" labels that would save on costs? We'll never know. Anyway, at that point the difference between the Prince II and Princess was that the former included the "princely charm" of the power selector on the lid.

The Prince II was discontinued after 5-7 years (likely due to being overshadowed by newer models with power selectors and other added features), while the Princess was continued as a mid-low range option until the early 1980s with the late '60s lid style sporting teakwood trim.

The characteristics of the Princess models that made them unique to other 700 Series canisters is that they excluded Cordaways, lid top Tool-Paks, and Roto-Matic power head electrical ports. They were, after all, Princesses, that were known for their "sweet simplicity" rather than for extra "regal" features.

The trapezoid shape was also used for the 700 Series Cordaway canisters (becoming the 3400 Series—also with air jets, then the 3300 Series—with exhaust-only jets) and Power Team 1260 & 1270 sub-series (which later became the 1500 Series). Albeit, the 700 Series models were equipped with several different lid designs and features. The 3400 Series retained only the 705-style rear-recessed lid, but the 3300 Series did away with it and only had plain flat tops except for one or two early models.

The last part of today's lesson are the attached eBay photos of the Princess II sans the Power Pak System: