Hitachi Powerhouse CV2550

[Jakesvacs]

Hello!
I'm here to find out about the Hitachi Powerhouse CV2550 Vacuum Cleaners....
I would love to know dates, pictures, information, years of manufacture, popularity, colours, variants, TOL:BOL and any other facts or information you can find!

Thanks a million everyone

This thread is for an awesome friend of mine, who will be back shortly!

-Jake

 

[turbo500]

Ooooohh I LOVE Hitachi vacuums. Will post some pics when I get home

 

[sebo_fan]

A photo would be good here to see what models you are referring to.

 

[Jakesvacs]

Ahhh, thank you Chris!

Sebofan- Thats esactly what I was asking for!

 

[turbo500]

Right, first up, here is the Hitachi CV50D, which was the very first Hitachi upright - launched in 1980. It ran alongside the CV160 cylinder in the same colour scheme.

 

[turbo500]

The CV50 was replaced in (approx.) 1986 with the CV60D. This is pretty much the same vacuum - same motor, same brushroll, similar design. The only major difference is the increased use of plastic and more modern shape and colour scheme.

 

[turbo500]

Here is the CV60D and CV60DP "Deluxe" model with variable power

 

[turbo500]

then, in 1988, the CV460 was launched. This was again and updated colour scheme and slight body redesign with no major internal redesigns at all. The CV460D and 460DP Deluxe (the deluxe model featuring variable power and cord rewind). These were absolutely everywhere when I was a kid and are one of my all time favourites. I'd kill to own one of these, but sadly, they just don't come up anymore

 

[turbo500]

The 460 style uprights ran well into the early 90's - until last 92 or 93. They were then replaced by the slightly cheaper in design and quality CV760D. This is probably the one I remember the most as my childminder had one. They were, again, very similar in design to the original CV50, but even cheaper in quality than the rest of the later models. The handle release on these was prone to break and the flap covering the hose port always broke off. Again, I knew of a lot of these when I was a kid but not anymore.

 

[turbo500]

This style ran again for several years - until about 95 or 96 - when Hitachi redesigned their uprights completely. The new CV770 range featured a new design, much more powerful 1000w motor and on-board tools

 

[turbo500]

Again, with the CV770 series, there was a 770D and 770DP which featured cord rewind and variable power. Aside from that, they're the same machine.

 

[turbo500]

Now, I'm not going to post any more pictures of the 770 style machine as once you get past 1998, there were HUNDREDS of the blasted things. They were very popular argos sellers.

I actually really love Hitachi uprights - I've always found them to be well built, reliable and high performing cleaners (even at their cheapest). They have been known to have motor bearing issues at times, which is why I think not many survived today. As far as I am aware, there are only 2 CV50's owned by collectors and 2 of the black 460 style cleaners, but that's it. Pretty rare, especially when you consider how many of us own Hoover Turbopower's and Lux 500 series cleaners from this period.

 

[turbo500]

Now, onto the CV2550.

This was a "bagless" cylinder cleaner launched in 1988 alongside the 460's. Again, there were a million varieties of this that ran well into the late 90's. Here it is pictured alongside it's big brother, the CV4200.

I've owned a few of this style Hitachi and I actually think they're pretty great. I'm not keen on the messy bagless permafilter thing, but as a vacuum, they have strong suction and are very well made.

 

[vintagerepairer]

The style of this machine was very up to date during the 1980s but seemed a bit dated during the 1990s. Not that this matters to me or its performance of course. Hitachi took a long time to adopt an on-board tool kit. I can confirm this was 1995 as it was the same year I decided to stop doing under-guarantee work for Hitachi. As said already a good deal of people owned all different variation of this cleaner. I've seen plenty which had melted rollers and of those without on board tools I saw so very, very many which had the internal plastic hose blocked. It was common to any cleaner which had a kinked tube of course.

My two dislikes of these cleaners was that they seemed hard to move around as the cleaning head was wide but not deep, and I did not like or see the point of the plastic frame which had to be attached to the dust bag to allow it to fit the cleaner. I sold a good deal of those in my time to people who broke theirs or more commonly threw it away with the old bag. How they did this I will never be able to fully ascertain. At least the later ranges with on board tools did not require this set up.

 

[vintagerepairer]

Sorry I was referring to the upright ranges in my last messages.

 

[gmerkt]

Thank you for the discourse on Hitachi vacuum cleaners. I seem to recall that they were never imported into the US, correct me if I'm wrong on that. I've only seen one here, a very thrashed-out canister that I passed on due to condition. Since Canada is only 100 miles away from where I live, it may have come from there but I do not know if Hitachi shipped to Canada either. Oddly enough, I don't recall what voltage it was.

I've been fond of Hitachi consumer products in general for quite some time, having owned radios, televisions, and even a refrigerator made by them. For reasons of business preservation, the company is moving away from making consumer products. They still manufacture all kinds of machine tools, heavy equipment and supply electronic components that go into other manufacturer's products. Even this approach to changing their business model has been criticized. Supplying components is a fairly high-volume, low-margin enterprise, lacking innovation. The makers of the end products reap the biggest mark-ups and get to introduce all the latest do-dads that modern consumers crave. The Japanese like the idea of wringing the greatest amount of use out of their capital investments in manufacturing, but they miss out on being the ones who introduce and market the latest and greatest (and most profitable).

 

[vintagerepairer]

Those bagless cylinder cleaners were very good and very popular. Emptying them was a terrible job, but it seemed to me that people who disliked paper dustbags were more than happy to put up with that. Apart from the occasional cleaner with a cloth bag, there was nothing else quite like it. Although the black cleaner in the picture there was probably the first in this style, they originally started out as a small tub shaped cleaner, like a small Henry, and it had a rather fancy dust filter with a handle which one turned to loosen the dust from the filter before emptying. Hitachi also did a larger commercial edition of this machine in metal. The next cleaner to have no dust bag was much bigger and rectangular and instead of splitting in half horizontally like the tub model, it would split vertically. This model was built with a security screw sunk right into it which was almost impossible to get out. This was the first I noticed that some cleaners were being built with a view to not ever being repaired.

When the black cleaners went on sale, Hitachi also presented us with another tub shaped cleaner but this one was more powerful and had an automatic cordwinder. Hitachi cleaners were almost impossible to repair other than to unblock or change mains leads, as parts were very expensive. This is of course in full contrast to the retail price which was on the low side. Add labour to the cost of the part and it was hardly worth repairing the machines. I think the low price of the Hitachi cleaners along with the brand reputation for TV sets and other such products did seal the successful sales of vacuum cleaners.

 

[turbo500]

Incidentally, if anybody out there has a CV760 that they'd be willing to sell, i might just marry them!

 

[ryry_87]

while we're on the subject...

Heres my 1978 CV160