Royal 501, 601, 701, 801, 901

[kirbyclassiciii]

Hi,

For all of you Royal experts out there, could you please guide me through the history of these five early models, introduced circa 1954?

Here is my rough history of these five models:
*501 is the Prince hand vacuum - which initially had a 175-watt motor (equivalent of 1.5 amps), and by 1983 was enlarged to 1.8 amps. This was on the market through circa 1995, and was medium blue in color since about 1970.
*601 was the standard upright, w/o headlight, about 300 watts (2.6 amps). This was dropped around 1965 when the 400-watt (3.5 amp) 880 showed up.
*701 was the standard canister vacuum. This was replaced by the 231 around 1965.
*801 was the deluxe upright, 350-watt motor (3 amps) w/ headlight. It replaced the 601 as the standard upright when the 880 showed up.
*901 was the deluxe canister vacuum, the Pony. It was replaced by the 401 around 1965.
*The 597 power nozzle was available for the 231 and 401, but was there one before that, for the 701 and the 901?

~Ben

 

[hygiene903]

You're Close, With A Few Exceptions

The 601 actually did have a headlight. The only differences between it and the 801 was the 601 had a shake-out bag and a plain front cover plate, and the 801 used disposables and had the adjust-o-rite, different wattage, and possibly a shorter cord on the 601. The 601 was replaced by the almost identical 602.
The 801 actually became a midrange model between the 602 and the 880 when the 880 was introduced.
The 701 and 901 were tanks, not canisters. There is a difference, and for a while, Royal made both. But yes, the 701 was the Pony, or economy model as were the 231 and 401, and the 901 was the deluxe model. Not sure what was the model number of it's replacement, but it wasn't the 401.
A power nozzle was not available for the 701 or 901. Royal didn't sell a power nozzle until the mid 70's.
Jeff

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Thank You, Jeff

... for correcting me about the 601 and others. Now that gives me better knowledge as to why the 602 wasn't a commercial model, at least not so in its early years. If the commercial bags weren't OEM to the 602 in its last years, I'd be betting a gray-colored bag was. Same with the model 603. I do know both the 602 and 603 co-existed during the early 1970s. There were other 600 series non-commercials, such as the 606 and the 611. What was the first heavy-duty commercial Royal you recall seeing, Jeff?

The model 618 from the early '80s, with its 6.0 amp motor, was truly a heavy-duty commercial model, having an 18" wide nozzle.

And about the canisters: it seems the departure of the 901 canister had left a huge void in Royal's non-Dirt Devil canister lineup for many years, until a dark-blue trimmed model showed up around 1990 or so, with a lighted power nozzle to boot.

I do happen to recall a medium-blue trimmed "Power Tank," that which first appeared around 1987, which I believe may be the 901's true replacement, but I am not sure.

~Ben

 

[hygiene903]

Glad To Help!

Couldn't say for sure what was the first actual commercial model I recall, as I didn't (still don't actually) pay much attention to the commercial models. But I do know there were two types of Royal Commercial vacs--one being a regular household Royal used for commercial service, and the other being the ones actually built as a commercial machine, usually with a 3-wire cord and cloth shake-out bag. And as we all know, most Royal household models were built durable enough for commercial work.
Although I have a couple machines with commercial bags, my 1028Z is the only one I have that I consider to be a true commercial machine.
Jeff

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Of Course I'm Referring to Those with the 3-Wire Cords

Does anyone else here familiar with Royals remember what the first "heavy duty commercial" models were?

Again, model 618 was one of them for that it had an 18" nozzle. Model 606 from the '60s-'70s may have been one of the earliest known commercials, for that it shared the same 400-watt (later 4.0 amp) motor as the model 880. Again, I am talking about the models with the 3-wire cords.

The picture seen below is a model 618, with attachments and all promos, with the 18" nozzle, owned by Joe22 in Texas.