Hoover Junior 1348

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cart1531

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
49
I had been wanting one of these for as long as I've been collecting vacuums, and a fellow collector of mine was cleaning out some of his collection and he sent this to me. I really enjoy using this one and I think it will be one of my favorite vacuums. I've attached a before picture, I will have so more pictures once I clean it up a bit more.

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Congratulations, Casey - they're really great little cleaners. It does look strange seeing it without a handgrip, though!

It's a shame they never really took off in the US - I guess you guys had a greater selection of 'Convertible' machines at different price-levels, whereas we just had the option of one Junior model, and one Senior model. And of course, the Convertible was better suited to larger American homes.

Do you have the tools to go with it? Even at half the power of the Convertible/Senior, you'll find tool suction is at least twice as powerful!

The Hoover Junior 1346A was my first ever cleaner - and I still have it today! My grandma bought it to replace her aged Hoover 825, then gave it to my parents when they got married. As you can see, at 16 months old, I'd pretty much adopted it as my favourite toy! We had the full set of tools for it, too, and it was always a fun ritual to attach the hose for cleaning the sofa and the stairs. The converter incorporates an automatic belt-lifter, which disengages the belt from the pulley as you rotate it to lock it in place.

The 1346A's up in the attic right now - I'm torn between restoring it, and preserving history by keeping it in its care-worn state!

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And just to compare...

...at 16 months old, I stood on the hood and barely made it past the handle. I just took this pic a few minute ago, and the handle just about reaches my waist!!

God only knows how many miles of carpeting this Hoover's seen in its 30+ years!

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junior

i had 1 of these and a 1334 out the 2 i prefer the 1334 and tools as the hose is longer and i prefer the metal hose end coupler with the switch release rather than the later bayonet non swivel jobbie!
Si
 
Babysitting!

Jack,

Let me know if you need anyone to babysit you. We wouldn't want you to get your hands in the brushroll while it's in operation!!!
 
Casey, I have the same Hoover JR. It is a very fun machine to use. I got mine from Ken Wagman. He won it at the first Chicago convention and he knew how much I loved it so we traded for and older Hoover I had won. I was so lucky because it needed a new brush roll badly and I was having no luck finding one. On a visit to Florida before I moved down I found a brand new one at a vac shop down here. Since, I have gotten the tools for it from Mark Turbyfill. As Jack mentioned you will be amazed at the suction they have when compared to a Convertible. Have fun with your new machine!!
 
junior conversion

yes i found when you had just fitted a new belt to junior it was a lot harder to turn the converter, and you knew it was time to change the belt when the converter went round easily!
 
I wish I had tools to go with it, but unfortunately they're even rarer than the vacuums themselves. But I have been very impressed with the vacuum so far. It is a lot more powerful than a convertible and it's really nice to vacuum carpeted stairs with it. The only that I wish it had is a longer cord, but that's a problem with most of the older hoovers. I've also had to take the bag retainer from both a convertible and portapower to use as belts until I get some more in the mail.
 
Hoover Junior

Jack,
Just love the pictures of you and the Hoover Junior! We bought my grandmother one as a joke way back in the 70's. She was a very slight person so the joke was on us! In her later years she used it on her kitchen rugs. When she passed away I took it apart and boxed it up. It is in perfect condition and when I used it once many years ago I remember I was so shocked at how much umph that little sweeper had for it's size. I think it only cost about $49.95 and I don't know what ever happened to the tools. It was a nice memory.If I remember correctly it does not sound like a Hoover until you start vacuuming with the nozzle on the carpet.Were they a big seller in England? I only have ever seen the one we bought her on Christmas eve at our local hardware store.
Rob
 
Rob..

..the many different models of Junior were England's biggest seller until the Turbopower was launched in 1984. I think at some point, pretty much everyone has owned, or is related to someone (ie. parents, grandparents etc) that owned a junior. I can name at least 4 members of my family that had them and a maybe 2 or 3 people on my street that I knew had them.
 
My favourite later Junior, Model 1334. This one dates from 1958, and was made during the first 3 months of production.

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Mike that is one amazing collection!!!! We really need to consider a convention across the pond!!! Terry
 
Hoover junior

Jack,Mike and Chris,
Thanks so much for the pictures and information.Now I have to find my grandmother's little Hoover and put it togeather for a run!
Rob
 
I just love the dirtsearchers! It's too bad they didn't have them here. I wish that the blue and white larks were more common too, I think they're really nice looking vacuums. The grey and black square handled junior in chestermike's pic kind of reminds me of a mini 913 for some reason lol.
 
Please forgive my ignorance of Hoovers,,just wondering, did all Hoover Junior's come with hose and attachments,,or rather, were they all meant to take hose attachments?
How did the attachments fit onto the models that have a headlight? (Assuming you didnt/couldnt access the motor fan from the front.)
They sure are neat little vacs,,wish i had room for one!
 
Blue Hoover Lark

Mike
I noticed you have a Blue "lark" in your jr. line up.
It has the wider beater bar. We had them in the States
Back in the early to mid 50's. I have one and really
like it. Needs new brushes when ever I find them !
Would like to find the attachments too. As well as for
my 115
A good size and weigh for my 2 bed apt.
Norm
 
Norm, the Lark Model 14 in the photos Mike posted belongs to me - and I imported it from the US. The Lark was never on sale here, although we did have the Junior 1224, which shared the same colour-scheme!

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Brian - all Juniors were capable of using tools. I don't know if they came standard with any model, or if they were always an extra-cost option.

On the Dirtsearcher models with headlamps, the whole headlamp unit just unclips and lifts off, same as the non-headlamp models. Perhaps Mike or Seamus would post a picture of this - I no longer have my 1354A Dirtsearcher. But that's another story.

On the square-handled Juniors, the tools attach via a pan-converter.
 

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