Has Anyone Ever Seen A Royal Prince M5000 Like This!!??

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Panasonicvac,

Actually, contrasting to what everybody else claims, there WAS a metal Dirt Devil branded royal prince. I assume it was around for only a couple of months and was sold in 1992. I found old newspapers ads for it, but for the life of me haven't been able to find them again. I can't comment much on what they looked like, because the paper wasn't printed all that well to show the vacuums detail, but the fact that it did exist is fascinating. If I find the paper, I'll be sure to send the scans here.

Thanks, Garrett
 
Thanks Garret, I really appreciate you sharing that on here! This now makes me wonder if there are any other metal Royals that was sold under the Dirt Devil name other than this heavy duty upright.

panasonicvac-2022012501245001538_1.jpg
 
Wow no kidding, that really is. I'll bet you money it's rare because nobody in their right mind would have paid out nearly $90 for a little hand vac like that when all the other models are $40 cheaper. I know if I seen that back in the day I'd be like "what? no way, give me the cheaper one".

Also those notations about the 501D not being available at those locations at the bottom of the ad - makes me wonder if it had an intentionally limited distribution? Like a regional specific market? Kind of like how in the old days vacuum companies would only sell specific brands in their home city and nowhere else.

This is very strange indeed. It still amazes me the more new collectors that join this site, how they dig up stuff nobody's ever heard of before. I love it!

I love finding and buying vacuums too, that when you get it home to do some research, you can't find anything out about it. Not even an ad or video or anything at all. It really makes you feel like you just saved something special & unique.
 
This is a great thread with lots of good info.
This makes me glad that some people have held on to old newspapers, magazines and catalogs from years past.
Thank you for the contributions!

It makes me wonder that Royal was wanting to just use up the leftover parts and castings to the metal unit after the cheaper plastic ones were introduced.
This would certainly limit production numbers, so wide distribution would not be possible.
The price of $80 (over $150 in 2022) would be a turnoff to most average consumers, as well as no statement about tools included, and the 'classic' design and styling... Therefore it would not be feasible to offer them in production quantities.

I have a plastic DD hand vac from around 2009 or so with the air driven brush and 18" hose - it is quite useless. As soon and the brush contacts anything, it stalls. Suction is good though.
It was used during a car resto when I just needed a compact unit with a short hose.

I got a blue 501 from the 80's awaiting resto now - it will be a great machine when done.
 
Re: "Use up leftover parts"

Given the immense number of Prince vacuums that were sold in the 80s and 90s, long after Dirt Devil's popularity was established, my guess is there was still a reasonable demand for them. I can see door-to-door sales (in an era when the people who were receptive to that tactic were still somewhat young) and commercial venues like hotels being enough to keep them around for a while.
 
I suppose it's also within the realm of possibility that someone just didn't like the switch guard for whatever reason and removed it.
 

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