Hoover Discontinuing the Venerable Self-Propelled Windtunnel

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@vacuumdevil

Truth to be told most comsumers today struggle with any vacuum that requires more that plugging it into an outlet and finding the power switch to turn it on and off. Over and above that most are clueless what to do after that.

I manage janitorial staff for the past 30 years. I know from first hand experience. That is why we see so many by the curb on trash day or at the local thrift stores.
 
@fan-of-fans & electromatic

We will never run out of big box disposable vacuums. They will keep reinventing garbage.

Makes me glad I believe in the Kirby. Maybe expensive to buy and weigh a half ton. However it will last forever and and still will out clean most vacuums on the market 30 years from now. Best of all I won't be in a position to figure out which is the best disposable vacuum on the store shelves.
 
I think the trend is going toward the rechargeable stick vacs like Dyson first came out with and now other makers are doing, and secondly the robotic vacuums. As for more traditional corded uprights, it seems to be the Shark style machines are what everyone is following. Even more traditional bagless tools on board machines are getting fewer in favor of these styles.

There may never be an end to big box vacuums, but this is the direction they are headed. They aren't reinventing themselves, they're just following the "leaders" of Dyson and Roomba because that's what people want and need.

Unfortunately the only big box retailer where you can still get a decent bagged upright or canister vacuum just filed for bankruptcy. It may mean an end to that brand as well, not that anyone seems to care...

Of course there's always Kirby, Aerus, Rainbow, Miele, Tacony, etc. But in many many towns all you have available is Walmart stuff. Which means the end of bagged machines and canisters is pretty much sealed.

It is nice that Hoover still offers the Guardsman and Portapower in their commercial lineup, as well as some older machines repackaged. It seems they still put a lot into that line.
 
We are living in a time when people are living more hectic lives and people have little desire to understand anything other than instant gratification. People today desire speed and little else. The bagless propaganda has led people to think it is "modern" and easy. People are falling for the propaganda hook line and sinker. It does unfortunately look like we may be in a Betamax versus VHS type war vis-à-vis bagged and cordless. Sometimes consumers can be manipulated into believing in one over the other. It's sad for those who like quality.
 
People won't be so "gratified" when they find out a bagless vacuum requires MORE care than a bagged one-and takes more time to empty and clean-replace the nasty filters,wash the smells out of the dirt bin.Then to top it off replace the whole vacuum because the motor burned out from the owner only dumping the bin but not cleaning or replacing the filters he doesn't know about because he threw the instruction book out with the box.Then the cycle repeats.
 
The fact that bagless vacuums require more care is the driving force for me that I don't want one.

I have a Rainbow E series I got from a friend. I have no interest in using, much less as a "daily driver".
1. because of the set up and clean up.
2. There are far better performers in my opinion.
3. I don't have any phobias about a dust and or dirt.
 
Engineered to fail...

Modern vacuum cleaners are engineered to fail in a number of ways, from the filters that nobody cleans to the circuit boards inevitably burn out, effectively functioning as self-destruct mechanisms. Now, they're making them cordless and no doubt sealing the battery compartments so users will be forced to throw them out when the batteries fail. The amazing thing is consumers are so damned gullible they not only fall for this shit, they actually fall all over themselves to buy the latest version of it.

This is why we're doomed as a species...
 
I'm pretty sure the Elites and Convertibles will never come back. Although, Hoover does still make the Guardsman Commercial, so the Convertible does still live on in a modified form.

I never heard much about the Quiet Pro. I assumed it was discontinued because it's not on their website that I can see.
 
huskyvacs-


 


"But they actually did a study that Americans associate loudness with power. So just like a supercar, the louder it is the more powerful people think it is and will want to buy it." 


 


Well not THIS "American" !  I actively IGNORE and denigrate noise makers.  lol.  Don't get me started.   
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kirby519-


 


"Truth to be told most comsumers today struggle with any vacuum that requires more that plugging it into an outlet and finding the power switch"


 


I don't find that difficult to believe.  But is it blatant ignorance, or because people feel they've evolved beyond having to worry about such things? 


 


 


vacuumdevil-


 


"pod vacuums" by Oreck?   


A plethora of emotions rolls over me: from being perplexed, to distrust, to disgust, to a subtle 'hoorah' for progress...... and back to disgust....


 


 


tolivac-


 


"People won't be so "gratified" when they find out a bagless vacuum requires MORE care than a bagged one-and takes more time..."


 


 Yep, you've called it.  Will those who are gullible just accept the bad designs as 'normal'?


 


 


human-


 


"...consumers are so damned gullible..."


 


Gullible sounds very true.  But that doesn't let the developers off the hook for bad designs like a sealed battery compartment.


 


My solution to a sealed battery compartment that prevents me from occasionally unplugging the battery and resetting my tablet(also helping to wipe out potential viruses)-   drill a perfect hole in the back behind the battery plug.  I was getting tired of prying that whole body off my tablet.   


 


But most people probably won't have the intelligence to come up with this plan NOR the tools to do it.  What does that make people like us, who can do this? 


 


 

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Who sold the Hoover Windtunnel SP? I used to see them in the trash here pretty often so someone must have. lol

I know Sears used to sell the latest blue one but when I went today they didn't have it on display so must have sold out.

I seem to recall Walmart used to sell the older ones, like the hunter green or maroon.
 
I remember the Hoover stores.

I suppose all those have since been closed, probably around 2009?

The last time I went to one, around 2002ish, they were carrying a commercial tagged canister that was the Hoover Spirit. It was black or red or some ugly colors and didn't say Spirit, but it was.
It didn't have a PN. The Spirit run ended in the late 80s. I seriously thought about buying one for old times sake as I was doing serious collecting at the time; but it was too ugly and would have tarnished the memory. A Hoover Spirit is supposed to be a pastel color.
 
Help!! UH30015

Hello,
My daughter was born 4 months premature. Her twin died in my arms. Scarlett, who survived, has autism. As you may know, these kids bond with machines, not dolls or stuffed animals. In Scarlett's case, up-right Hoover's. I've lost track just how many she has now, but for almost 2 years she's been after me to find model number UH30015, a white model that hasn't been made in maybe 10-12 years (yes, she KNOWS the model number!). My wife, in an effort to calm her, began promising one by her birthday, 4 September. I gave her a hard time about that, because Scarlett was really expecting one then. I've constantly been on eBay and other sites including overseas, trying to find one. I ended up painting a blue one with disastrous results. Naturally she looked first at the model number and noticed it has no light. If you could possibly point me in a direction where I could find even the parts to "make" one (I even have the part numbers!), I and my family would be forever grateful. I'm pretty sure Scarlett would be too.
Thank you kindly,
Allan Beamer
 

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