When did Eureka come out with a power nozzle for their canisters and for which model(s)?
Gary
Gary
Eureka Power Nozzle
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Hi Gary!!!!! How are ya buddy?
Okay...if memory serves me correctly, Eureka's first Roto-Matic power nozzles came out in 1973. There were three models, all in the 1200 number range. Eureka basically took two versions of their "Sweet Sixteen" canisters, the basic 1620 and the top of the line 1680, and added basic Roto-Matic nozzles to them. The low end model was in harvest gold, and the fancier version was in a nice bright orange - it included a "Control Panel" with a "bag-full" indicator, and suction control dial. The top of the line of the three Power Teams was basically an Empress II "Fast Vac" (I think the fanciest Model 1880) married to a fancier power nozzle with headlight. Consumer Reports loved the first two models, but the Empress II Power Team was rated "unacceptable" because the 360 degree swivel hose could pull out the pig-tail power nozzle cord from the canister, causing a shock hazard.
In Canada, the Eaton's department store immediately had all three Eureka Power Teams on sale as Viking Power Teams. I remember how excited I was to see the first hints of their arrival at a local Eaton's in Montreal!!!! The vac display first just showed the power nozzles without the rest of the machines!
The next year, in 1974, Eureka added a really low budget Power Team which was basically a red Princess canister married to a red Roto-Matic nozzle. It became Consumer Reports' top-rated power nozzle canister in the 1974 tests, and was a Best Buy because it was relatively inexpensive compared to other lesser performers.
Okay...if memory serves me correctly, Eureka's first Roto-Matic power nozzles came out in 1973. There were three models, all in the 1200 number range. Eureka basically took two versions of their "Sweet Sixteen" canisters, the basic 1620 and the top of the line 1680, and added basic Roto-Matic nozzles to them. The low end model was in harvest gold, and the fancier version was in a nice bright orange - it included a "Control Panel" with a "bag-full" indicator, and suction control dial. The top of the line of the three Power Teams was basically an Empress II "Fast Vac" (I think the fanciest Model 1880) married to a fancier power nozzle with headlight. Consumer Reports loved the first two models, but the Empress II Power Team was rated "unacceptable" because the 360 degree swivel hose could pull out the pig-tail power nozzle cord from the canister, causing a shock hazard.
In Canada, the Eaton's department store immediately had all three Eureka Power Teams on sale as Viking Power Teams. I remember how excited I was to see the first hints of their arrival at a local Eaton's in Montreal!!!! The vac display first just showed the power nozzles without the rest of the machines!
The next year, in 1974, Eureka added a really low budget Power Team which was basically a red Princess canister married to a red Roto-Matic nozzle. It became Consumer Reports' top-rated power nozzle canister in the 1974 tests, and was a Best Buy because it was relatively inexpensive compared to other lesser performers.
Hey Brian,
Thanks for the info! Anyone have pics of these power teams?
Gary
Thanks for the info! Anyone have pics of these power teams?
Gary
Oooooo....nice Viking Pete!
Love the "Made in Canada" stickers on the Vikings and Eurekas. Canadian Eurekas and Vikings were made for Eaton's in Eureka's "Onward Manufacturing" plant in Kitchener Ontario....just west of Toronto and a day's drive from Eureka headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois.
Pete's Viking is very similar to the bottom of the line version of the first 1973 Roto-Matic Power Teams. As I explained, instead of the Viking's red, the Eureka version was gold or yellow. The Eureka's power nozzle was "Eureka Off White" with a faux wood grain stickee covering most of the nozzle's hood.
I think there is a Youtube clip somewhere.....and here it is!
Love the "Made in Canada" stickers on the Vikings and Eurekas. Canadian Eurekas and Vikings were made for Eaton's in Eureka's "Onward Manufacturing" plant in Kitchener Ontario....just west of Toronto and a day's drive from Eureka headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois.
Pete's Viking is very similar to the bottom of the line version of the first 1973 Roto-Matic Power Teams. As I explained, instead of the Viking's red, the Eureka version was gold or yellow. The Eureka's power nozzle was "Eureka Off White" with a faux wood grain stickee covering most of the nozzle's hood.
I think there is a Youtube clip somewhere.....and here it is!
And here is Pete's lovely YouTube clip of his red Viking Power Team.....it has that nice Eureka sound to it...!!!
I think this Eaton Viking Power Team is from a later year than the 1973 original Eureka versions. The Tool Pak on top has a slot for a floor brush with an attached plastic elbow. Between the mid 1960's and mid 1970's, Eureka's floor brushes were all "elbowless", as was all their carpet nozzles. These elbowless brushes stored onto one of the fat "nipples" in their Tool Paks, just like their upholstery nozzles and dusting brushes. When they started selling Eurekas and Vikings with the elbowed floor brush, the Tool Pak changed to accomodate it - and that must have been about 5 years after the first Power Teams were made.
You can see the floor brush "slot" on the Tool Pak in Pete's video here:
I think this Eaton Viking Power Team is from a later year than the 1973 original Eureka versions. The Tool Pak on top has a slot for a floor brush with an attached plastic elbow. Between the mid 1960's and mid 1970's, Eureka's floor brushes were all "elbowless", as was all their carpet nozzles. These elbowless brushes stored onto one of the fat "nipples" in their Tool Paks, just like their upholstery nozzles and dusting brushes. When they started selling Eurekas and Vikings with the elbowed floor brush, the Tool Pak changed to accomodate it - and that must have been about 5 years after the first Power Teams were made.
You can see the floor brush "slot" on the Tool Pak in Pete's video here:
I remember seeing those vacs in the Eaton's catalogue. Thanks for scanning them.
Gary
Gary
I second the motion....
thank you Pete K. for these scans and for your great YouTube clips.
Fellow Canuck EP Brian
thank you Pete K. for these scans and for your great YouTube clips.
Fellow Canuck EP Brian
kirbyvertibles
Well-known member
Was there another harvest gold squared body power team model with a cord reel? My Mom had the harvest gold but we both thought it had a reel on it. It wasn't the canned ham empress, it was the 1200 type. Just wondering
Hi Phillip....
All three of the 1973 debut Eureka Power Teams had cord reels, so I imagine your mom's vac was the budget model in the trio of power nozzle canisters which made their debut in 1973. Take a look at the first YouTube clip I posted in this thread - that should be the exact vac your mom had. I call those square bodied canisters the "Sweet Sixteens" because that was the name Eureka gave to their 1600 line of air-only canisters. When Eureka added a power nozzle to two of the Sweet Sixteen models, they changed the model number to 1200 series. The YouTube clip suggests that the harvest gold vac was model 1261.
All three of the 1973 debut Eureka Power Teams had cord reels, so I imagine your mom's vac was the budget model in the trio of power nozzle canisters which made their debut in 1973. Take a look at the first YouTube clip I posted in this thread - that should be the exact vac your mom had. I call those square bodied canisters the "Sweet Sixteens" because that was the name Eureka gave to their 1600 line of air-only canisters. When Eureka added a power nozzle to two of the Sweet Sixteen models, they changed the model number to 1200 series. The YouTube clip suggests that the harvest gold vac was model 1261.
