Newbie with 3 Vintage vacuums

[silentwater]

Hi, folks! Thanks for having me aboard. I'm Andrew. From the little reading I've done here, I think I may have found the right place to learn more about some treasures that I cleaned out of the family cottage. You guys don't suck at all!

As the post title says, I'm brand new here. So I likely have all the same questions that every rookie does; sorry if you've heard it all before! Will you help me anyway please?

I'd love to know more about these three vacuums, please. More specifically:
1) How old are they?
2) How rare are they?
3) How valuable might they be to a collector? (ballpark guesses are fine - I'm not looking for an appraisal)

Let me preface the "big reveal" by saying that they are all in perfect working order and, while not in exactly showroom condition, they have no blemishes other than typical scuffs from household use. None stink either. No idea if the parts are all original or if the units are complete.

OK, so here goes... pictures will follow.

The granddaddy of the bunch is an Electro-Hygiene 80, serial 215186, made by Continental Electric in Toronto Ontario. Appears to be equipped with a floor polisher and an attachment hose... but no attachments that I could find.

The second is a Hoover Lark 2942, serial 18270 (scratched serial plate so may be off by a bit) "patented in Canada" and made in Hamilton Ontario. This one comes with a collection of bags in their original packaging.

The last is an Eaton's Viking E1214, serial number 005888 (faded so I'll defer to experts for accuracy), Style EB, made in Canada. Found a crevice tool with the same logo on it as the stick vac but no clue how it might be attached...


Well, vacuum wizards? Should I blow the dust off these or tuck them back in the closet for another 50 years or so? Thanks for your help and guidance!

 

[huskyvacs]

Amazing finds there! I do not know if the Canadian aspect makes them any more rarer. But don't pack them back up, they were made to be run! Gotta exercise the motors every once in awhile!

 

[ultralux88]

Yes, do keep them out and run them every so often, believe it or not its harder on a vacuum not to use it than to use it, the bearings will dry out faster if not run.

 

[electrolux137]

~
~


I have one of those Royal / Electro-Hygiene floor polishers. I could never figure out how to use the darned thing!

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

SilentWater

Andrew,


 


The third one looks like a Regina Electrikbroom from the mid/late 1970s. I can even see the Regina logo on the bare floor tool in one of those pictures!


 


~Ben

 

[countryguy]

Nice finds Andrew. Where from in ON? There are a few of us from ON...I am in the North Bay area. Welcome to the group.

Gary

 

[silentwater]

Wow! Thanks for your speedy replies, greetings, and encouragement.

KirbyClassicIII, and electrolux137, I find it amazing how incestuous the vacuum branding business seems to be! Ha! So many of the same units cross brand names or carry forward names from completely different models. When I Googled the Hoover Lark, I came up with a completely different animal in the US - but the same stick vac as mine is call the Hooverette in the UK.

Countryguy, I'm currently in London but the vacs and I have spent more than our fair share of time in Port Franks on the shores of Lake Huron.

Can't wait to hear how long these beauties have been around!

 

[fcs3]

Greetings SilentWater

Vintage post #22598 has lots of good info on
the E-H 80, and other vacs of that era

Vintage posts #7108; #14481 sport Hoover Lark
stick vacs, as well as some useful data.

KirbyClassicIII is right on about that rebranded
Viking. I pulled this pic off of the"imgur" site.
The nozzle shape and bag fabric pattern differ
slightly. But this could mean they're 1-2 years out.

 

[hygiene903]

Hi Andrew!

Nice finds there, especially the Electro-Hygiene! I have about 20 of them myself, both straight suction and revolving brush uprights and 4 tanks. Electro-Hygiene began in 1934 as a wholly owned subsidiary of P.A. Geier Company, later Royal. The model 80 was the first, and had a direct wired cord with an inline switch that clipped to the handle but did not go through the handle (similar to a Kirby cord). Looks like yours could be a bit later since it has a pigtail with the cord running through the handle. Next was the model 94, with a hammered finish that was made until they stopped production for WWII.
After the war they resumed production with the model 230, which went back to a smooth finish and new bag design, made from 1945 t0 about 1953, when a revised version, the 2-230 was introduced. it had a more streamlined motor case and the bag color was changed from black to blue. Here are a few pics of mine. First is the 80, and you should be able to see the inline switch. Second is the 94. Previous owner said it had the original bag but it was in terrible shape, so he cut a section from it with the logo and had it sewn to a generic replacement bag. Third pic is my 230, all original, and last pic is the 2-230 with attachments. However, I am missing the wands, crevice tool, and floor brush. The polisher was optional.
If you give it a good polishing with some Mother's Mag you will be amazed at how beautiful it will turn out. Hope this helps, and welcome to the group.
Jeff

 

[tolivac]

Nice selection of vacuums-note they are for hard floors.Any should still give good service with cleaning and lubing-if the bearings aren't sealed.The floor machine attachment for the Electro-Hygene would probably still work in polishing the wood floors the vacs are shown with.

 

[silentwater]

You're all amazing!

I've definitely hit the jackpot by finding you knowledgeable people!
Thanks so much for the info - so much to digest now.

Hygiene903 (Jeff), it was actually one of your original posts about Electro-Hygiene models that drew me to this site! I was searching for any info that I could find online and stumbled across your wisdom on the subject. So... THANKS! Thought you might be curious to see this: a photo of the E-H 80 with the polisher attached. It's taken from the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation website (link attached). Enjoy!

http://https//ingeniumcanada.org/ingenium/collection-research/collection-item.php?id=1973.0500.001

 

[silentwater]

Oh, almost forgot!

Jeff, based on what I've seen in your pictures, I can deduce that the handle on my E-H 80 isn't original. Bright yellow seems a little out of place with the rest of the unit. But the bag... is mine original issue or a replacement, do you think? Also, you were bang on about the switch; mine's in the handle, not a toggle on the cord. Do you figure that this is an upgrade (a couple years newer?) or just a feature unique to EH-80s manufactured in Canada?

 

[hygiene903]

Hi Andrew!

Glad I was able to help. The Electro-Hygiene was most likely introduced in Canada later than it was in the US, so your handle is probably original. The grip is a replacement though. The pictures I posted show what the original grip would have looked like, black rubber grip with a diamond shaped metal piece at the bottom. The bag is actually an early Royal bag. Before Electro-Hygiene, there were 3 models of the Royal, the Standard, the Super (which your bag appears to have come from), and the Purifier, which became the Electro-Hygiene. The original bag for the 80 (and the 94 as well) would have been black with the name printed in red and gold, similar to the way it is on your nameplate.
Thank you for posting the pic of the EH with the polisher on it. I have never seen the polisher before, let alone one assembled for use. And by the way, the rug nozzle next to it in the picture is for a model XXX Electrolux.
Jeff

 

[eurekaprince]

I can remember our Timothy Eaton department stores selling Viking Electrikbrooms way back in the 1960’s. Up until the Free Trade Agreement with the US in the 1980’s, all vac makers had separate factories in Canada including Regina/Iona, Hoover, Eureka, General Electric and Electrolux. The little “dirt cup that empties like an ashtray” foretold a longer story related to “bagless” vacuums: Regina’s plant was in Welland Ontario (near Niagara Falls and the NY border). The Electrikbroom plant would eventually become home to Fantom Technologies.

 

[cal]

Hi there,
Your Hoover Lark dates from around 1962-63 - here in the UK they were known as the Hooverette, they were originally made in the same colour as yours, mine is a little later, the hop green colour dates it to around 1964. They are great little cleaners, the stick type was very popular in mainland Europe.
Happy hoovering!

Cal

 

[funvacfan]

Great start...

Welcome to the group. I'm in Hamilton...

Guy

 

[silentwater]

Semantics...

Hey, Jeff! Thanks, mister. The grip (being out of place) is what I meant. I'm not accurate with my lingo yet. But great to know that the switch in the handle is an age-appropriate feature! I tripped over a few more pieces that I think might be part of the E-H 80 package. If I post pics, could you confirm (or deny), please? I found an adapter, an upholstery tool, a brush, and a crevice tool... might be for this unit. Same closet, but maybe for a different animal like the hose?

Eurekaprince, Welland is 1.5 hrs away from me and I've been there - mostly because it's close to the Niagara wine route!... and the Welland Canal is the primary shipping lane around Niagara Falls. But before now I knew nothing about the Regina plant. So cool!

Funvacfan, wow, we're neighbours (yes, I spelled that right, didn't I Cal?)! You're as close to me as Welland.

Cal, that Hooverette's hop green is a great variation on the Lark's turquoise! Such fun to be caught up in all this from the get-go.

And I have a surprise....

 

[eurekaprince]

Indeed, our friend Doug Smith from Saskatchewan was the first person who taught me all about the legendary history of Canadian vacuum cleaners coming out of one factory in Welland Ontario. After World War II, Switson Industries set up shop in the town and eventually became one of Canada’s largest producers of Canadian vacuums. As the years passed, it seems that Switson became General Signal which produced Regina and Iona appliances. It seems that this led to the establishment of Fantom Industries in the 1980’s in the same city. I imagine proximity to the US border and shipping along the canal were major reasons for Welland’s manufacturing success. See this great link to Doug Smith’s Switson webpage:



http://smithcollection.altervista.org/switson-ind-general-signal-appliances.html

 

[hygiene903]

Hi Andrew!

The hose you have IS the right hose for your Electro-Hygiene. Both ends are identical with rubber cuffs. Your adapter would insert into one end, and attachments into the other. There were 2 adapters for it. The suction adapter has 3 tabs on it and connects to the front after you remove the nozzle, the exhaust adapter connects to the bag outlet in place of the bag. Looking forward to seeing the pics of the attachments you found, and keeping my fingers crossed for you that they are the right ones! Also, take a look at the pic I posted here of my 2-230 with the attachments. My set is almost complete, but missing the 2 curved wands, floor brush, and crevice tool. The suction adapter is in the hose, and the exhaust adapter is next to the hose. The small bag, short handle, and cord would have been used to convert it to a hand vac. Here's a pic scanned from a brochure that also shows the full set of attachments. Keep looking, you may find the rest of the set elsewhere in the house!
Jeff