My new Hoover Constellation and 119 Junior
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vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Ryry, it has been fascinating to see those pictures. Thank you.
Jamie, I think no one will know the true reason as to why any manufacturer did what they did. Now, I like the push fit tubes above anything else as I think the connection is solid and mostly the tubes do not wobble. However, there is one very strong argument against them, and that is the fact that quite often the attachments and the tubes stick to each other, making removal incredibly difficult.
It could be that Hoover wanted a fitting which was firm but also easily removed. For me, I don't like tubes with fiddly buttons and clips as I think the tubes are just too wobbly. But it comes down to personal preferences. Factor into this also if you will that so many cleaners have used 32mm push-fit tubes, meaning that the consumer could use parts off other cleaners if required. A good deal of people did just that. At least with Hoover's own unique fitting they could cling onto a slightly greater portion of the spares market, even if other companies were making none genuine parts to fit Hoover.
Then going back to what I said a while ago about having to build failure into a product, the tubes and accessories on Hoover cleaners did wear out more quickly than others. So you can chose several reasons for their decision to use the fittings which they did.
Jamie, I think no one will know the true reason as to why any manufacturer did what they did. Now, I like the push fit tubes above anything else as I think the connection is solid and mostly the tubes do not wobble. However, there is one very strong argument against them, and that is the fact that quite often the attachments and the tubes stick to each other, making removal incredibly difficult.
It could be that Hoover wanted a fitting which was firm but also easily removed. For me, I don't like tubes with fiddly buttons and clips as I think the tubes are just too wobbly. But it comes down to personal preferences. Factor into this also if you will that so many cleaners have used 32mm push-fit tubes, meaning that the consumer could use parts off other cleaners if required. A good deal of people did just that. At least with Hoover's own unique fitting they could cling onto a slightly greater portion of the spares market, even if other companies were making none genuine parts to fit Hoover.
Then going back to what I said a while ago about having to build failure into a product, the tubes and accessories on Hoover cleaners did wear out more quickly than others. So you can chose several reasons for their decision to use the fittings which they did.
vacbear58
Well-known member
Pip and clip
Benny
An interesting topic you have raised, inspite of the background noise.
As far as I am aware all Hoover cleaners had some sort of locking mechanism going right back to the start. The mechanism was updated and simplified with the introduction of the 160 and 375, which also brought in lighter weight wands and tools.
The first sign of friction fit tools appears in the UK with the model 402 in 1948 and I believe model 50 in the USA although later versions of that cleaner adopted a locking mechanism again. Although the tool kit for the model 119 was superficially the same as the earlier 375 it too was friction fit although those of the 612 retained the earlier locking mechanism.
In the UK the first sign of "pip and clip", what came to become the Hoover standard, was first seen here in the model 417 in 1953. Curiously these were on the underside of the wands, tools etc. - the only time as far as i am aware they were seen in that position. In 1956 with the introduction of the Constellation and 638 and the "blue" colour scheme with the first stretch hoses in the UK the pip and clip arrangement moved to the upper side where it stayed. But for some curious reason the 417 reverted back to the earlier style friction fit tools - the only model to have them, even dustettes had pip and clip tools. At this time the 417 was somewhat downgraded, presumably to help differentiate it from the Constellation (although there was little difference in price) and probably to reduce cost - a stupid measure as it involved the maintenance of a completely separate inventory line for that one model until 1962 or so when the 417G was introduced - all the tools and wands were unique to that model, where they were consistant across the rest of the range.
To the best of my knowledge, pip and clip (or pip and locking ring) were maintaned here until the end of the 1980s until the launch of the Galaxy although some models retained the locking ring method until the early 1990s. Turbopowers and turbomasters with on board tools had friction fit tools but I do not know when the other models (like the Turbopower Junior) lost their pip and ring fitting.
Al
Benny
An interesting topic you have raised, inspite of the background noise.
As far as I am aware all Hoover cleaners had some sort of locking mechanism going right back to the start. The mechanism was updated and simplified with the introduction of the 160 and 375, which also brought in lighter weight wands and tools.
The first sign of friction fit tools appears in the UK with the model 402 in 1948 and I believe model 50 in the USA although later versions of that cleaner adopted a locking mechanism again. Although the tool kit for the model 119 was superficially the same as the earlier 375 it too was friction fit although those of the 612 retained the earlier locking mechanism.
In the UK the first sign of "pip and clip", what came to become the Hoover standard, was first seen here in the model 417 in 1953. Curiously these were on the underside of the wands, tools etc. - the only time as far as i am aware they were seen in that position. In 1956 with the introduction of the Constellation and 638 and the "blue" colour scheme with the first stretch hoses in the UK the pip and clip arrangement moved to the upper side where it stayed. But for some curious reason the 417 reverted back to the earlier style friction fit tools - the only model to have them, even dustettes had pip and clip tools. At this time the 417 was somewhat downgraded, presumably to help differentiate it from the Constellation (although there was little difference in price) and probably to reduce cost - a stupid measure as it involved the maintenance of a completely separate inventory line for that one model until 1962 or so when the 417G was introduced - all the tools and wands were unique to that model, where they were consistant across the rest of the range.
To the best of my knowledge, pip and clip (or pip and locking ring) were maintaned here until the end of the 1980s until the launch of the Galaxy although some models retained the locking ring method until the early 1990s. Turbopowers and turbomasters with on board tools had friction fit tools but I do not know when the other models (like the Turbopower Junior) lost their pip and ring fitting.
Al
vacbear58
Well-known member
119 Date
Markus
Does the 119 number beging with the letter K or KG. If KG then yours is one of the very last 119 models produced from the latter part of 1956.
Thank you for posting the picture of the Constellation which again confirms the suction control for this model and the metal coupling flip over nozzle. Curious too that it shows an upholstry brush rather than the upholstry nozzle.
I hope you can see the paragraph in the attached scan about housewives in Finland demanding more Hoover washing machines
And you do realise that we shall be GREEN with envy (especially is it is green) when you post the pictures of your new Portable for such a great price, you seem to be having great luck at the moment
Al
Markus
Does the 119 number beging with the letter K or KG. If KG then yours is one of the very last 119 models produced from the latter part of 1956.
Thank you for posting the picture of the Constellation which again confirms the suction control for this model and the metal coupling flip over nozzle. Curious too that it shows an upholstry brush rather than the upholstry nozzle.
I hope you can see the paragraph in the attached scan about housewives in Finland demanding more Hoover washing machines
And you do realise that we shall be GREEN with envy (especially is it is green) when you post the pictures of your new Portable for such a great price, you seem to be having great luck at the moment
Al
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Hello vacbear. Yes, I was mentioning the clips on the back of the tube earlier. It was around 1986 when Hoover reverted to a push fitting, this time plastic tubing, using it on the Spirit cylinder and one of the Portapower models. Although different in design from the cylinder tools, a 32mm push fit was introduced on all Total System Turbopower and Turbomaster cleaners as time progressed. From here, Hoover then ran two styles of tools, with the pip and rings being used on tool kits for upright cleaners which had separate tools, and on the more expensive cylinders.
The likes of the Galaxy which you mentioned, the Jet, Sprint, the Vouge, Aria, Arianne, Telios, and more all used this push-fit tubing, some cleaners even having metal tubes by then. I am not sure when the clip and ring disappeared altogether, but it was widely used across the Alpina range and as far as the Turbopower Junior went, they never did have push-fit tubes, only pip and rings. So I think the pip and rings were used well into the 2000's.
The likes of the Galaxy which you mentioned, the Jet, Sprint, the Vouge, Aria, Arianne, Telios, and more all used this push-fit tubing, some cleaners even having metal tubes by then. I am not sure when the clip and ring disappeared altogether, but it was widely used across the Alpina range and as far as the Turbopower Junior went, they never did have push-fit tubes, only pip and rings. So I think the pip and rings were used well into the 2000's.
vacbear58
Well-known member
Just as well you mentioned it Ryan
As you were in my junk (yeah yeah, I know - in my dreams LOLOLOL)
mail. Should not be a problem, as far as I remember they are not too far buried.
Al
As you were in my junk (yeah yeah, I know - in my dreams LOLOLOL)
mail. Should not be a problem, as far as I remember they are not too far buried.
Al
