Hoover Concept I/II info
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Very interesting thread!
Thanks for asking about this, Casey, I've learnt a lot from this tonight! Concept Ones are very rare in the UK, I only know one collector over here with any. Looks like that flourish only appeared on the Power Drives, Pete's blue C1 looks like a different model to Mark's machine <br
I never knew they were held in such high regard! I've never used one, and had always assumed that they were a bit of a backward step after the ahead-of-its-time Dial-a-Matic was discontinued in North America, and all that plastique gave me the impression it was one of the first of the cheapie built Hoovers. It appears I assumed wrongly.. <br
Are they heavy cleaners? Like DAM heavy? Hope someone gets a chance to Youtube one of theirs, I'd be fascinated to see it <br
Here's a brochure page from the UK in 1981 (taken from Hooverland, hope Steven the OP doesn't mind), showing both models that were available then, along with the smaller Junior Deluxe. We also got the Green Power Drive, but no Concept Twos. <br <br <br
Thanks for asking about this, Casey, I've learnt a lot from this tonight! Concept Ones are very rare in the UK, I only know one collector over here with any. Looks like that flourish only appeared on the Power Drives, Pete's blue C1 looks like a different model to Mark's machine <br
I never knew they were held in such high regard! I've never used one, and had always assumed that they were a bit of a backward step after the ahead-of-its-time Dial-a-Matic was discontinued in North America, and all that plastique gave me the impression it was one of the first of the cheapie built Hoovers. It appears I assumed wrongly.. <br
Are they heavy cleaners? Like DAM heavy? Hope someone gets a chance to Youtube one of theirs, I'd be fascinated to see it <br
Here's a brochure page from the UK in 1981 (taken from Hooverland, hope Steven the OP doesn't mind), showing both models that were available then, along with the smaller Junior Deluxe. We also got the Green Power Drive, but no Concept Twos. <br <br <br
Simon, they are very heavy much like the Kirbys are but when locked in the upright position they are easier to tilt backwards and roll out of the closet. The Eureka self propelled on the other hand are noticeably lighter I found but do not tilt backward to roll very easily out of the closet. The old lady I got the Eureka from said it was just too heavy for her to use anymore. Lifting any of them is out of the question for most older woman
DAM heavy?
almost as heavy. actually i get the impression Hoover purposefully addressed some of the DAMs shortcomings with the Concept, like the wheels and handle strength. in this regard the Concept is an improvement over the DAM. and the lighter weight of the plastic components in the nozzle is also something of an improvement. the DAMs nozzle was IMO too heavy for a floating nozzle design <br
thanks Simon for the cool image <br
ok Hoover fellas, its time to open the faucet all the way. shower us with Concept literature please!
almost as heavy. actually i get the impression Hoover purposefully addressed some of the DAMs shortcomings with the Concept, like the wheels and handle strength. in this regard the Concept is an improvement over the DAM. and the lighter weight of the plastic components in the nozzle is also something of an improvement. the DAMs nozzle was IMO too heavy for a floating nozzle design <br
thanks Simon for the cool image <br
ok Hoover fellas, its time to open the faucet all the way. shower us with Concept literature please!
They were probably scarcer in the UK because of the price. They weren't cheap either in the US or Canada when new but they were no doubt less expensive over here. I recollect looking at some small appliances when I was over there in the 70's and was amazed at how expensive things were. Now I look at UK store websites and the prices are much more in-line with ours.
.swiveltop
Well-known member
Pete
Your blue one is very nice too,thats the color I wanted when we bought Grandma's green one new,but they only had green ones in stock,its a keeper,for sentimental reasons,I like it now. Hoover really fixed that wobbly handle problem they had with the DAM on the Concept,you can barely take one of these handles of if you try. Mark
Your blue one is very nice too,thats the color I wanted when we bought Grandma's green one new,but they only had green ones in stock,its a keeper,for sentimental reasons,I like it now. Hoover really fixed that wobbly handle problem they had with the DAM on the Concept,you can barely take one of these handles of if you try. Mark
swiveltop
Well-known member
Casey
Is the one you are bidding on a powerdrive model? if so the small button on the handle disengages the drive,and the larger button near the cord is the release for the cord rewind. Mark
Is the one you are bidding on a powerdrive model? if so the small button on the handle disengages the drive,and the larger button near the cord is the release for the cord rewind. Mark
swiveltop
Well-known member
Funny story about the red button
One day my dingy blonde Aunt went to vacuum for Grandma,she had never used or maybe never seen the concept before,she thought she had to keep that button on the handle pressed in to operate the vacuum,much to here suprise,it was more work than she thought,she said,I don't know how you use that thing,it almost broke my arm trying to keep that button pushed in and pushing that heavy thing at the same time. LOL
One day my dingy blonde Aunt went to vacuum for Grandma,she had never used or maybe never seen the concept before,she thought she had to keep that button on the handle pressed in to operate the vacuum,much to here suprise,it was more work than she thought,she said,I don't know how you use that thing,it almost broke my arm trying to keep that button pushed in and pushing that heavy thing at the same time. LOL
I think only the powerdrive models had the chrome handle the others were all painted metal, could be wrong tho.
The other thing you have to watch out for when you let someone use any Hoover or Eureka is the tendency for them to try and lift or pick it up by he sliding handgrip, not so good.
The other thing you have to watch out for when you let someone use any Hoover or Eureka is the tendency for them to try and lift or pick it up by he sliding handgrip, not so good.
Yes Pete, I think a C1 brochure pops up on here as POD from time to time, and mentions those big wheels <br
Mark, suprised your poor aunt didn't pull a muscle! I know my DAM Power Drive is hell to push with the drive disengaged, especially on maximum suction. Physiotherapy ahoy <br
I did see a C1 in the UK where the handgrip had snapped off, was that common with these? I know several European Hoover cleaners with moulded plastic handgrips suffered with them breaking off where they enter the handle shaft <br
I can't speak for the Concept Ones, but in 1977 the imported DAM Power Drive cost £121 new, while the UK Senior was £77 and the Junior (the bestselling cleaner in the UK at the time) was £57. I guess the Concept One would have been even more expensive with the added complexity of the cord rewind on some versions, plus all Concept Ones were imports from the USA, so presumably the shipping costs and import duties further upped the price <br
Incidentally, in the Which? report where I found those prices, one of the cheapest uprights at £37 was the McDonald Super, which is basically an Oreck. How times change <br
The Concept One was only sold for a very short period over here. A 1979 brochure I've seen still has DAMs, the C1 features in the 1981 brochure I posted the image from, but then they vanish by 1983, when the Turbopower (Sovereign) range was introduced. After that, the only large Hoover upright in the UK was the Powerplus (ie Decade 80 equivalent) until the introduction of the Turbomaster (Innovation) circa 1990 <br
Si
Mark, suprised your poor aunt didn't pull a muscle! I know my DAM Power Drive is hell to push with the drive disengaged, especially on maximum suction. Physiotherapy ahoy <br
I did see a C1 in the UK where the handgrip had snapped off, was that common with these? I know several European Hoover cleaners with moulded plastic handgrips suffered with them breaking off where they enter the handle shaft <br
I can't speak for the Concept Ones, but in 1977 the imported DAM Power Drive cost £121 new, while the UK Senior was £77 and the Junior (the bestselling cleaner in the UK at the time) was £57. I guess the Concept One would have been even more expensive with the added complexity of the cord rewind on some versions, plus all Concept Ones were imports from the USA, so presumably the shipping costs and import duties further upped the price <br
Incidentally, in the Which? report where I found those prices, one of the cheapest uprights at £37 was the McDonald Super, which is basically an Oreck. How times change <br
The Concept One was only sold for a very short period over here. A 1979 brochure I've seen still has DAMs, the C1 features in the 1981 brochure I posted the image from, but then they vanish by 1983, when the Turbopower (Sovereign) range was introduced. After that, the only large Hoover upright in the UK was the Powerplus (ie Decade 80 equivalent) until the introduction of the Turbomaster (Innovation) circa 1990 <br
Si
hoover1060
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Concept One life
The Concept sold here from 1978-1992. The deluxe U3101 was the unofficial 70th anniversary cleaner, and was heavily advertised.
My own opinion is the first Concept series(1978-82 models U3103, U3103, U4201 and U4203) were the best of the bunch as far as quality is concerned.
My favorite Concept One is the U3305 in grey, always liked that model, even bought one brand new.
One thing I never liked though was the damn needle bearing on the belt side of the motor, that made the Concept very LOUD, and it only got worse with use. I don't know why they didn't do a ball bearing instead, it would have made them much smoother and quieter!
The Concept sold here from 1978-1992. The deluxe U3101 was the unofficial 70th anniversary cleaner, and was heavily advertised.
My own opinion is the first Concept series(1978-82 models U3103, U3103, U4201 and U4203) were the best of the bunch as far as quality is concerned.
My favorite Concept One is the U3305 in grey, always liked that model, even bought one brand new.
One thing I never liked though was the damn needle bearing on the belt side of the motor, that made the Concept very LOUD, and it only got worse with use. I don't know why they didn't do a ball bearing instead, it would have made them much smoother and quieter!
Concept One
I have two of the green power drive model with the striped bag, but somehow, I've always preferred the clean air design of the Dial-A-Matic. To me, they really cheapened the machine when they made the base of the Concept One out of plastic. Nothing would make me happier then to see Hoover revive the Dial-A-Matic, as they did with the Constellation. But with TTI at the helm, it's anyone's guess what they're gonna do. I agree with Petek, while it was one of the last U.S. made machines, the Windtunnel was a bomb.
I have two of the green power drive model with the striped bag, but somehow, I've always preferred the clean air design of the Dial-A-Matic. To me, they really cheapened the machine when they made the base of the Concept One out of plastic. Nothing would make me happier then to see Hoover revive the Dial-A-Matic, as they did with the Constellation. But with TTI at the helm, it's anyone's guess what they're gonna do. I agree with Petek, while it was one of the last U.S. made machines, the Windtunnel was a bomb.
Tuec
i do agree Hoover would have done best by refining the DAM design rather than introducing an all new fan first machine
but as it is, IMO, the DAM is just too flawed to compare favorably to the Concept. and considering that Hoover considered the cord reel an important feature of the Concept series, i think they had no choice but to use plastic in the nozzle. imagine the weight of a cord reel/power drive Concept with a metal nozzle <br
and about the Windtunnel, sure it is an inelegant machine. i never liked their look, but its very effective and is more durable than other machines. it may not compare favorably to vintage machines, but i would hardly consider the Windtunnel a poor machine.
i do agree Hoover would have done best by refining the DAM design rather than introducing an all new fan first machine
but as it is, IMO, the DAM is just too flawed to compare favorably to the Concept. and considering that Hoover considered the cord reel an important feature of the Concept series, i think they had no choice but to use plastic in the nozzle. imagine the weight of a cord reel/power drive Concept with a metal nozzle <br
and about the Windtunnel, sure it is an inelegant machine. i never liked their look, but its very effective and is more durable than other machines. it may not compare favorably to vintage machines, but i would hardly consider the Windtunnel a poor machine.
Well, you're over 21, and certainly entitled to your opinion. I have a Windtunnel, and IMHO, it's heavy, clunky and doesn't clean any better than alot of other vacs out there. Not to mention the fact that they are a pain to service, especially with the dirt sensor.
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