Hoover Dail A Matic Day

[williamr1248]

Hoover Dail A Matic days

Eric,
That is the exact color the bag door has always been. In fact the machine that was demonstrated at the Hoover dealer's was all one color ( very light beige-brownish) so when they got it home and unboxed the machine they were surprised that it was such a strange color combination.
Now 42 years later, I think the color combination is somewhat more interesting.
The metal nozzle and handle grip have almost a slight pinkish cast to the paint. I have seen this color combination before and some were packed with a darker brown hose and attachments. Interesting note is that the attachment kit came with BOTH the regular sofa tool and a smaller sofa tool with the brush plus all the regular Hoover dusting tools. I always wondered if that was a mistake during the original packing at North Canton.
This is the original colors of the paint and trim. It was always stored in a dark pantry closet. The tools were never used and the attachment bag has turned a little yellow over the years.

 

[hoovercelebrity]

The all beige model is the model 1178 - like the one you described being demonstrated by the Hoover dealer. I also have a model just like you have, Rob. I found it on CraigsList maybe two years ago; it's in line awating a restoration (as so many machines are), but it is in really nice shape. I'll have to check the model number on mine; I am pretty sure it's an 1176 as well. I know that the model 1178 was produced for a few years through the mid 70s; I bet the 1176 is a model that wasn't produced for very long, perhaps a transition model. You certainly don't see nearly as many 1176s as you do 1178s. Perhaps the 1178 had just been introduced when your parents went in for the demo, and the Hoover dealer was trying to get rid of older stock, that's how they ended up with the 1176. I think the 1176 is a much sharper looking machine compared to the all-beige 1178.

 

[williamr1248]

Hoover Dail A Matic Days

Fred,
I agree with you. After all these years I have grown to like the strange colors.
I got my Spirit out today and just look at the difference in the amount of dirt leaking . Very little from my Hoover Spirit.
I did notice it has a GREEN Hoover bag and the Dail A Matic has a gray Hover bag.

 

[williamr1248]

Hoover Dail A Matic Days

Here is a shot of the cover. Not much leaking dirt here either.
I can see a little in the corners but to me it seems very good for it's age.

 

[williamr1248]

Hoover Dail A Matic days

Not sure why but this has always been one of my favorite canisters and the only Hoover canister I kept when I sold off the vacuums last year.
It is light weight, tools on board, came with floor brush and I like the deluxe wands and power nozzle. I love the color combination as it almost looks retto Hoover from the 40's. It seems to be very good rug cleaner too.

 

[hoovercelebrity]

I found a picture from the day I brought the 1176 home... I got it because the base is nearly flawless. I'll have to dig that out and breathe some new life into it...

 

[williamr1248]

Hoover Dail A Matic Days

Fred,
Now we have Sister vacs!
Your's is the only other one I have seen with that color combination.
I do remember seeing a Convertible once that had the same brown base, handle, cord, trim with the bag door color used on the on the hood. It was one with the light. Strange, ugly and at the same time very appealing.

 

[nycwriter]

Well ...

"I think people used to take better care of an appliance years ago, not expecting to replace it every year at a discount store with another cheap ,plastic, made in China junky vacuum."

They DID.

For two reasons:

1. They paid the equivalent of $926 for the Dial-A-Matic (as opposed to the equivalent of around $600 for the Convertible).

2. There were no cheap, plastic, made-in-China junky vacuums in existence back then. The only options were well-built vacuums starting at the equivalent of $600 (and upwards). If it broke, you took it to the repair shop.

 

[electrolux137]

.
.

Funny, as popular as Dial-A-Matics were (even Samantha Stevens had one!), only once did I ever seen one in someone's house. That was a high-school friend of mine whose mom had one.

It was off-white with a medium blue panel in the front and a tan handle. They kept it in a shallow closet in their rec room. The attachments were in a box in a corner of the closet. I never saw his mom using it.

Every time I'd go over there I'd peek in the closet to look at it. I was amused that it was never put away the same way -- sometimes it was front-in, sometimes back-in, and sometimes sideways!

 

[nycwriter]

I think ...

Electrolux, the reason you didn't see very many Dial-A-Matics was because they were so darn expensive. I also didn't see very many of them, and the ones I DID see were in the "rich" households.

 

[ronni]

Re: Reply 18

Here is information I located regarding RetrObright at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retro_bright:


Retr0bright is a public domain chemical mixture used to remove yellowing from ABS plastic computer and electronics cases, including computers that were manufactured by Commodore, Apple, and Amiga in the 1980s and 1990s, and various video game consoles and cartridges.

Yellowing is caused by both bromine and exposure to UV light. Bromine is added[clarification needed] to ABS plastic, acting as a fire retardant.

Retr0bright is hydrogen peroxide, a small amount of an "active oxygen" laundry booster TAED as a catalyst, and a UV lamp. Sunlight can be used instead of a UV lamp.

The optimum mixture and conditions for reversing yellowing of plastics:
- Hydrogen peroxide solution, the stronger the better. 12% works fine; 6% works also, just more slowly.
- UV light, either from sunlight or a UV lamp.
- Approximately 1/4 teaspoonful (4.9 ml) per gallon (3.8 l) (1/3072) of Tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED)-based laundry booster (concentrations of TAED vary).
- Xanthan gum or arrowroot can be added to the mixture, creating an easier-to-apply gel.

NOTE: When making and applying the mixture, users are advised take proper safety precautions and wear protective gloves and goggles. Hydrogen peroxide can cause serious chemical burns and blindness if splashed in the eyes.


BE AWARE: (from http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/)

​It has come to our attention that some individuals are offering for sale "kits" similar to some of the Retr0bright recipes on auction and other sites. Please be aware that these are not endorsed by this Wiki in any way and the Wiki organisers shall not be held liable for any loss or injury caused by the use of these "kits".

Hydrogen Peroxide is classified as a hazardous substance and, as such, is not accepted by many postal services and couriers without declarations and special handling procedures. It also has other uses besides hair bleaching and Retr0bright, so we strongly advise caution on where and how much of this you buy.

This site's founders and authors do not sell Retr0bright for these very reasons and do not endorse or recommend any resale of premixed Retr0bright. If you see it for sale, it is not with our blessing or consent and we strongly advise caution: if you order some for delivery and it leaks in transit, you and the supplier could have some interesting questions asked of you.

We are also aware of something similar to Retr0bright being sold on eBay, with the seller using a picture taken from this Wiki. This is nothing to do with any of us, and we encourage you to ask the seller if they are complying with the Creative Commons License for the picture as we believe that consent has not been granted for this use, but, more importantly, also whether they are fully declaring the contents of their packages to their courier and are following best practice on shipping hazardous goods.

 

[suckolux]

My friends mom had one, with the attachment bag hanging just like in the pics here. I asked her about it and she said its not a good cleaner, use yours. I thought, hmm.Maybe it had a bad belt they never fixed?

 

[jmurray01]

<span style="font-family: times new roman,times;">What a beautiful Hoover!  Here in the UK we had them but under the name "Convertible" and they are quite rare.  </span>


 


<span style="font-family: times new roman,times;">I will definitely have to find one someday!
</span>

 

[kevin]

Ad from 1971 (eBay):

 

[countryguy]

They wouldn't get away with that slogan today - "All it needs is a woman's touch".

Gary

 

[williamr1248]

Hover Dail A MAtic Day

Kevin,
Thanks for posting the ad. I have NEVER seen any ad with the exact colors of the machine. Of course I wonder WHY in the heck would they have ever thought to put a brownish/orange color with a pinkish beige and think it looked good?

Of course NOW is do like it because it is so strange.

Gary,
"Woman's touch"-have you ever tried to lift that machine? It takes a real man!
That is one beast of a Hoover.

 

[jfalberti]

Even the non self propelled models

weigh a ton.  No wonder so many of them have wobbly handle syndrome from people trying to carry them from the handle.

 

[countryguy]

Rob,

Yes I know they are heavy! I had a power drive model but I found that it really did not groom the carpet that well even after I installed new brush strips so I gave it to another collector.

Gary

 

[super-sweeper]

Gary!

I thought the same thing reading that add!