Something crossed my mind.....

VacuumLand – Vintage & Modern Vacuum Enthusiasts

Help Support VacuumLand:

eureka1998

eureka1998

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 19, 2016
Messages
410
Location
New York
I wonder if there was any plans or blueprints for vacuums that never made the cut into actual production. Like during the 90s and early 2000s, I would imagine there were several Bissells, Eurekas, Hoovers etc that never saw the light of day but were thought up.
 
panasonicvac

Thats awesome concepts for that folding handle Kenmore. Really sleek looking machine right there. And the Kirby with the bag in the back looks solid, really would've been neat aesthetically. I also like to think about what I call what ifs. What if several popular machines we know greatly NEVER made it? For example, what if Hoover never developed a self propelled windtunnel and kept the PowerDrive as their primary self propelled unit. Would it have been upgraded to a 12 amp?
 
I would've traded all of the self propelled Windtunnels and PowerDrive Elites ever sold for the original PowerMax uprights to still be made for alot longer. In my opinion Maytag made a mistake getting rid of them cause I don't like the other two as much as the PowerMax.
 
Panasonicvac

Aren't the original PowerMax uprights on the whole similar to the Elite Ones? Similar arm on the front for the self propelled mechanism, the bases are very identical etc. Only difference being the shape of the upper bodies.
 
Yes

Elites were basically a cheaper built design. That was when Hoover went downhill in my opinion ever since they replaced the PowerMax and Concept line. I mean I grew up with Elites and there's an Elite that's my all time favorite Hoover, but I later grew to appreciate the older Hoovers more.
 
PanasonicVac

First off, A., I'd say Hoover started going downhill in terms of quality when TTI bought the company. Sure, you could argue that the Maytag machines weren't as good as the Concepts, Convertibles, and other Hoover-made machines, but the Hoovers of today make the Maytag-made stuff look like Sebos in comparison.

Second off, that's a bogus reason for suing them, as that design had been replicated so many times by that point I think by companies like Eureka, Oreck, Kenmore, and others.
 
I'd respectively disagree quality wise and when TTI took over. The Maytag designed Hoovers I've noticed the plastic had gotten more flimsier yet the PowerDrives and self propelled Windtunnels were both pretty heavy if not heavier than the PowerMax. When TTI took over, they've definitely done many improvements to the existing Maytag Hoovers but some of which they got rid of because they were so horribly designed. TTI also designed some good built Hoovers, the Hushtone Commercial for example I think is one of the best Hoovers that I've ever used and I'd argue it's better than any Maytag Hoover. In fact, they did make copies of SEBO speaking of which as soon as the patents expired called the Profile and the Insight. In my opinion the best Hoovers ever made and I wished they kept them around. The only reason why alot of the other newer Hoovers today aren't being made like they used to quality wise is because they had no choice. To keep with the price demand they have to keep making them cheaper. Maytag on the other hand was a different story, it was their fault that lead the downhill of Hoover and even Maytag themselves. Bad management, terrible decisions, never had good engineers, didn't really made alot of improvements, etc. Still to this day I blame Maytag for ever touching Hoover especially when they were already not in good financial shape at the time of the acquisition. There are some Maytag Hoovers I'll admit I have since grown respect for but definitely there were alot of Maytag Hoovers I wish they never made.
 
PanasonicVac

Ok, sure, maybe TTI has made some decent commercial machines, but that's that just the commercial side of things. For every good machine they've made, they've made like 3 different types of bagless vacuum. Granted, I can't really speak on behalf of their quality, but them being bagless tells me that they're not worth it. Also, if the Maytag machines are so flimsy and poorly made, then why have so many lasted to this day?
 
Alot of the bagless vacuums Maytag made for Hoover were terrible designs in my opinion, I don't see many of those left nowadays especially the bagged models (at least here locally). When TTI took over, they've definitely improved the bagless line especially after Dyson's patents expired. My sister-in-law's parents for example had a bagless Windtunnel twin chamber that I hated using, life was so much better when they replaced it with a bagless Windtunnel T-Series.
 
PanasonicVac

I'm not sure what you're talking about when it comes to Maytag machines being uncommon. There's still plenty that pop up online (bagless stuff included). Also, I guess I should've also clarified that Maytag has also made some stinker bagless machines, but so has TTI. However, they've both made some good bagged machines from what I've seen and used. The difference is that Maytag seeming had a larger catalog of them.
 
If the Maytag Hoovers were still common for me to find, I probably would've had almost half of them in my collection by now. My Windtunnel Turbopower V2 7300 I have for example I consider myself very lucky to have found one when I did. Since then I've never seen another one pop up locally not even online. I've also yet to find a blue one that Sears has sold before. Mainly because this backs my statement from earlier of being horribly designed cleaners, in fact I found one with a bad motor so that I can use the bagged converter for my 7300 since it can be used as both bagged/bagless (I'll give them that but the bagless design was horrible anyways). And speaking of bagless, I've regretted getting rid of a Windtunnel twin chamber because it was cool having one for the collection but since then, no luck finding another one not even online but I'd never buy from online anymore. My last few experiences on eBay was terrible, machines I'd buy ended up damaged upon arrival not to mention how expensive they've become as well lately. But whenever I do find a Maytag Hoover locally, most of the time they're already broken and not worth repairing due to lack of parts availability. My self propelled Windtunnel I had to fix the cable and idler arm when I bought it and was lucky to do so before TTI discontinued them. You are correct that Maytag did had more bagged models produced. Some of which I didn't minded but some I couldn't stand due to lack of filtration they had. I remember I used to clean my old neighbor's house before and she had a red Hoover Encore Supreme (Elite) that was hardcovered with a headlight, that was one dusty machine, I may have even sneezed from that machine but golly it definitely stank to high heaven. Probably the worst I've ever smelled from a Hoover and definitely not even close to some of the bagless Hoovers that I've used from TTI. When I was living at a ranch many years ago, my primary vacuum was a Hoover Windtunnel Air Lite and I remember it didn't smelled very badly. In fact I'd always wash the pre filter in the front loader everytime I'd vacuum with it and it's like a brand new vacuum all over again. Not to mention it was a sealed system as well which is rare to find from a cheap vacuum.
 
My Goodwill find working green V2 took foreeeever to sell for like $25. It is truly random which models are desired AND sell.
 

Similar threads

niclonnic
Retractable cords on upright vacuums
Replies
9
Views
68
panasonicvac
panasonicvac
B
What my Hoover windtunnel twin chamber got out of my carpets
Replies
1
Views
17
panasonicvac
panasonicvac
B
My recent find, a Hoover ultra self propelled windtunnel model U6425-920
Replies
4
Views
27
abobotek
A
niclonnic
Bissell ProHeat Series (Early to Mid-2000s)
Replies
8
Views
65
kirbyklekter
K
P
Eureka Production Overview
Replies
9
Views
31
paul
P

Latest posts

Back
Top