New Zealand Connie - Unique bag!

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michaelwalter

michaelwalter

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 6, 2013
Messages
85
Location
christchurch, new zealand
Hi all,

Quite a while ago I posted pics on Hooverland showing the unique bag system that both Australia and NZ introduced in their Constellation cleaners from 1967 and thought it may be of interest to members of Vacuumland. The bag consisted of a cloth bag with paper insert much like the electrolux theme. This bag style continued till discontinuation of the Constellation in 1983. The connie pictured is a 1967 NZ model, 240v, 680 watts.

[this post was last edited: 2/15/2014-00:44]

michaelwalter++2-14-2014-20-47-35.jpg
 
Hi Doug

It certainly is different and i'm surprised considering all our cleaners followed the british counterparts. Must have been a local idea! Back in the 60s / 70s Electrolux had a 69% market share in NZ so any hoover of that era are very seldom found yet alone in such good condition so i'm feeling blessed.this hoover takes pride of place in our Holiday home at Hanmer springs, Canterbury, New Zealand........mike
 
Collection

Hi Mate

I've had 100s over the years but don't have much of a collection due to space.

Ive got a NZ Hoover 407, Goblin Ace, PYE Rotovac, HMV Sweepervac and the hoover pictured! Most were sisters of their UK counterparts. Eg: HMV sweepervac was called the 'Light & Easy' in the UK..don't remember the brand name.

I'm an aussie and what was available there wasnt released in NZ such as Hoover Freedom, Celebrity, Senior, 427 / 429, PYE vacuums etc. I grew up with all those Hoovers but NZ is such a small country there was only 5 brands on the market at any one time and then only two models. Some came and went!!! In saying that Electrolux had such a following in NZ that more units were sold here than in Australia in any one year despite NZ being one quarter of the population...... But I still love hoover!..
Vintage Hoovers in NZ are such a rarity for the above reasons......mike
[this post was last edited: 2/15/2014-02:01]
 
Fisher & paykel

Fisher & Paykel were agents for many big names in home appliances in NZ. With hoover and Goblin they manufactured, assembled and distributed those appliances. With brands such as national and hitachi they were just the distribution agent. We are talking the 60s and 70s though. Interesting though an Hitachi cleaner costed about one third more than a hoover or goblin cleaner as excise/duties on imported goods were exorbitant then thus a few brands found local agents such as F & P to do the lot to remain competitve....mike
 
Hi Mike

The Goblin and Electrolux are my favorites so I have to ask which Goblin Ace? They seem to have re used the name a lot over the years but the one that you usually see is this one.

Strangely enough the only one I have ever seen on ebay Australia was the same machine but had the Goblin Monarch nameplate instead of Ace(Monarch in England at the time was the upright apparently)

Doug

collector2++2-15-2014-09-30-21.jpg
 
Hi Doug

The Goblin ACE and Hoover 407 here were made by Fisher & Paykel. They look identical to the 1950s electrolux. The Goblin was discontinued in 1972 and the 407 took up the role. There were very few differences except the Hoover was more powerful with a 700 watt motor as the goblin had a 510 watt motor. the 407 had a hard plastic handle as the ACE had a leather strapped handle, braided hose. In general the 407 was modernised . The 407 lasted till 1980. ill post photos when I get home later today. There were only 2 uprights in NZ at that time, Hoover Junior and the HMV sweepervac. there were quite a few decades when uprights werent available at all and really have just been introduced back when Dyson came on the shelves.

Personally my favourite of all is the 427 / 429 but they were never made here!
 
Hitachi

As well as the Hoover Constellation being interesting (I wonder why UK models did not retain the original foot switch like this one?), I am intrugied by the high costs associated with importing the likes of Hitachi. Here in the UK, it was in part due to the import of cheap of so many products which has helped in the decline of the manufacturing industry we had. Hitachi vacuum cleaners were always a good deal cheaper than anyone else offering the same, yet there was a strong sense of quality too. Take a Moulinex cleaner; imported from France, functional, relatively inexpensive to purchase, but of a poorer quality than the competition. In this instance you got what you paid for. Same can be said for the likes of Zelmar who imported cleaners from Poland and sold them under many names, such as Spinney and Rotel.

Not so with Hitachi. Whilst carrying a very low retail price tag, their cleaners were very much on a par with other British brands, like Hoover and Electrolux. The first Hitachi upright was every bit as good as the Electrolux 500 series. So much so, it's a wonder we didn't see a good deal more of them around.
 
Vintagerepairer you make a good point about the hitachi cleaners. They were very expensive here but once again due to government import tariffs. They seemed to be well liked by those who had them and as reliable as the day was long. As mentioned earlier they simply didnt get much of a lookin with Electrolux going furiously door to door. A consumer article as late as 1982 condemns their sales tactics in the fact they would sell new cleaners to households who already had near new machines. When you outlayed money on a new electrolux every few years there was little wonder why people never went to a shop to buy Hoover or the other brands.

The Connie foot switch was replaced with a toggle type in 1970 along with a change in colour to blue / white and the intro of the flip over floor tool.

The mid 1970s saw the intro of the GE swiveltop in NZ but it was branded 'Heatway', this was a local manufacturer of electric wall heaters. These machines were branded GE on the bumper skirt but the Sticker on the body was branded Heatway. They were seriously dummed down with cheap plastic hoses and powdercoated wands instead of braided hose and chrome. The Heatway was discontinued 1986/87.
 
I have an old workshop manual for Hoover vacuums with parts diagrams and is shows a special bag like that for certain markets including Sweden and some other markets 
 

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