charles~richard
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2006
- Messages
- 3,021
A nice lady has emailed me asking about my interest in a Hoover Commercial Model "918." I wrote back and asked if it wasn't a 913, the U.K. version of the U.S. commercial 91 that, once upon a time, was ubiquitous in every church, hotel, theatre, lodge and restaurant until Eureka Sanitaires (and Orecks and Windsors!) took over that market.
She replied that she just checked again and she's sure it's a 918. She sent me a photo of it (attached) and it sure does look like a 913 to me. Does anyone know if there was indeed a 918 and, if so, what the differences were between it and the 913?
I used to have a really nice 913 that I got rid of, and of course regretted doing so the minute it left the house. I have some very fond and humorous memories of that model of Hoover from my childhood.
One time, when I was 4 or 5, we visited my Uncle in Maryland. I was in Heaven there as he and my aunt had more vacuum cleaners than anyone I knew! They had an old upright Royal that I was afraid of because it looked like a Kirby, then a tan Hoover Constellation, some kind of porta-vac (GE maybe?), a Singer hand vac, and one of those huge commercial Hoovers.
My cousin Jackie still teases me about how when we were visiting, I brought that big Hoover outside from the garage where it was stored, and vacuumed their entire cement driveway with it! With the motor running!! For some reason I fell in love with that huge old sweeper, and the entire time we were there I dropped very broad hints about how we had "only one sweeper and you have a lot of them," and how I would love to take it home.
When we got ready to leave, I had my little suitcase in one hand and was rolling the big Hoover out with the other hand. Mama told me I had to put the sweeper back. I looked at my uncle hopefully. He said, catching Mama's frantic 'NO!' expression, "Why don't we leave it here, and whenever you come to visit us you can use it."
Well, I started bawling and crying, just utterly despondent and FURIOUS that I could not take the Hoover home with us! There was no consoling me, and I stewed and pouted about it for several days.
Another uncle was a pastor at a large church in Richmond. One time when we went there, the custodian was vacuuming the front area of the sanctuary with one of those big commercial Hoover uprights. I asked him, "Would you mind if I helped you run the sweeper?"
Mind?! He gladly handed the duty over to me and I spent the entire morning vacuuming the expansive sea of carpeting in the large vestibule, then pushed it inside the auditorium and did all the carpeting in there as well!
So anywaaaaay... her offer on the "918" is very reasonable and it does appear to be in very nice condition so I think I am going to agree to it. I do promise not to take it outside and use it to vacuum the driveway!
She replied that she just checked again and she's sure it's a 918. She sent me a photo of it (attached) and it sure does look like a 913 to me. Does anyone know if there was indeed a 918 and, if so, what the differences were between it and the 913?
I used to have a really nice 913 that I got rid of, and of course regretted doing so the minute it left the house. I have some very fond and humorous memories of that model of Hoover from my childhood.
One time, when I was 4 or 5, we visited my Uncle in Maryland. I was in Heaven there as he and my aunt had more vacuum cleaners than anyone I knew! They had an old upright Royal that I was afraid of because it looked like a Kirby, then a tan Hoover Constellation, some kind of porta-vac (GE maybe?), a Singer hand vac, and one of those huge commercial Hoovers.
My cousin Jackie still teases me about how when we were visiting, I brought that big Hoover outside from the garage where it was stored, and vacuumed their entire cement driveway with it! With the motor running!! For some reason I fell in love with that huge old sweeper, and the entire time we were there I dropped very broad hints about how we had "only one sweeper and you have a lot of them," and how I would love to take it home.
When we got ready to leave, I had my little suitcase in one hand and was rolling the big Hoover out with the other hand. Mama told me I had to put the sweeper back. I looked at my uncle hopefully. He said, catching Mama's frantic 'NO!' expression, "Why don't we leave it here, and whenever you come to visit us you can use it."
Well, I started bawling and crying, just utterly despondent and FURIOUS that I could not take the Hoover home with us! There was no consoling me, and I stewed and pouted about it for several days.
Another uncle was a pastor at a large church in Richmond. One time when we went there, the custodian was vacuuming the front area of the sanctuary with one of those big commercial Hoover uprights. I asked him, "Would you mind if I helped you run the sweeper?"
Mind?! He gladly handed the duty over to me and I spent the entire morning vacuuming the expansive sea of carpeting in the large vestibule, then pushed it inside the auditorium and did all the carpeting in there as well!
So anywaaaaay... her offer on the "918" is very reasonable and it does appear to be in very nice condition so I think I am going to agree to it. I do promise not to take it outside and use it to vacuum the driveway!
