Hoover Junior

[turbo500]

There would be absolutely no market for a Hoover Junior these days. Even bagged cleaners have been pushed into a neiche market and are now, for the most part, marketed as higher filteration, more hygenic cleaners, rather than being "the norm".

The Junior, being dirty fan, having beaters, no on-board tools and poor suction through the hose in an age where the consumer wants high filteration levels, powerful suction, convenience and where hard floors are becoming increasingly popular, just wouldn't sell.

Oreck went bust, the relaunched Constellation hardly sold, Panasonic's light weight upright with attachable tools barely sold. Plus it's important to consider the rise in popularity of reacharable cleaners - Dyson cordless vacuums are now reaching 60% of Dyson's overall sales and the GTech AirRam has become a best seller.

Plus, lets not forget that the Hoover company of old that manufactured the Junior no longer exists.

Despite how we feel about them as enthusiasts/collectors, if you look at it from a marketing perspective and what look at what cleaners are popular on today's market, the Junior just doesn't fit anywhere.

 

[sebo_fan]

It may be the case that the younger generation today are being forced to buy bagless vacuums or even rechargeable types but there's still a market for bagged uprights, Chris.

The no "on board tools" and upright only certainly worked for Vax through TTI and their commercial "VCU-02" series.

When they brought out a limited run of VCU-02s which are external soft bag dirty fan uprights, all of the allocation was sold out. The Oreck like design coupled with lightweight action, a long cord on the back of it and large capacity dust bags seems to still be a popular request from generations of buyers, not just "what their parents had."

Bags and belts still appear to be selling online presumably because there's a demand for them.

Looking on Ebay UK indicates a move to bagless, but there's less bagged uprights being listed. I would expect the opposite if bagged uprights are falling out of favour, wouldn't you?

 

[vintagerepairer]

I think as long as people buy what is on offer, there is no incentive for a manufacturer to make much of a change.

 

[paulinroyton]

Hoover Junior

Hi guys.

Very interesting comments on the Hoover Junior. I think back in the day they where the most popular vacuum cleaner in the UK household. The cleaning head just the right size for UK houses and the cleaner being so light to move around. I admit the attachments had no suction power, but they did a great job at cleaning carpets. A good quality metal agitator with metal beater bars and good brushes. I have watched on YouTube some Hoover juniors in action and you can see them lift out the grit from the carpet.

My partner works with older people and he mentioned about me getting this mint condition vacuum. Nearly every service user remembered them, especially the one with the light as one service user said.

I wonder how many modern day vacuum cleaners will be going as strong some 40 years.

 

[sebo_fan]

Well...my SEBO X1 will be 20 years old this year.

 

[paulinroyton]

Sebo

@sebo fan, Sebo are a very reliable vac. I have an x4 in the loft.

 

[tolivac]

I feel there IS still a market for such a vacuum-I have an old 115 and it beats the pants off an Oreck.Its quieter and performs better.And the Hoover 115 is METAL--not throw away plastic.For someone with a small floor to clean the machine would be ideal.And unlike the Oreck and other compact uprights the Hoover machines of this type can be used with hose and tools.I could see commercial cleaners using these to clean around desks adn furniture in an office setting.I don't think it would be difficult to outfit these machines with HEPA type bags.Like the Convertible-these are machines that WORK!!!Not embelished--justs gets the job DONE!!

 

[sebo_fan]

Sadly though these machines were made at a time when innovation and technlogy were taking off. "Reliability & Dependability," were common used phrases when it came to declaring how well the vacuums performed. Our society now gets forced with cheap appliances with that age old word "planned obsolescence."

Only some brands offer reliability & dependability over planned obsolescence. I dont know what I would be using by now if I hadn't heard of SEBO's X1. Probably just rely on bagged cylinder vacs with a separate old upright.

Chris does make a good point here that the Junior design format would sell poorly in the UK. The limitation of just having an upright vacuum probably wouldn't affect a lot of buyers who would are used to the upright with on board tools bt now.

Yet, there is a market for bagged uprights like the Junior, it is just a pity that it seems to be a commercial market that these upright designs have seemingly been pushed to exist in.

 

[Griftermucca]

Very nice indeed, I have never seen one so clean!, Lovely junior