Strange Hoover Plug...

[vintagehoover]

I bought this plug on eBay last week, and it arrived this morning. First of all, it was brown - from the eBay photo I thought it would be a black one. No matter, it's gone on my Model 262, rather than one of my older models.

Secondly, it's pins are way larger than all the other 2-pin Hoover plugs I've seen! They're too big to go in the adaptor I normally use. Luckily, I can run it with the bayonet fitting it came with.

Has anyone else seen one of these plugs with large pins before? Any info on them?

In this photo, the one with the small pins is on the left, the ones with the large pins is on the right:

 

[rolls_rapide]

Maybe...

... it is because of the mish-mash of standards that existed before the BS1363 square-pin plugs came into being.

Weren't there 2A, 5A, 10A and 15A round-pin plugs and sockets around at that time, and different voltages and AC and DC?

 

[rolls_rapide]

Small Pin HOOVER Plug on left...

...Granny used to plug that into the old Russell-Hobbs Kettle flex. Gave her an extra foot or two cleaning radius!

 

[vintagehoover]

This picture shows the size difference better:

Rolls_rapide: I think this must be a 15A plug...I just find it strange I've never come across one before.

 

[chestermikeuk]

Hoover - Who Better!!

Hey Jack, that is indeed a 15amp plug, my nan had these in her house, in fact there was only 2 MK sockets with the big round holes for the whole of the downstairs rooms....some of these plugs you could unscrew the bigger round pins to reveal the small round pins etc...

Cheers, Mike

 

[vintagehoover]

Aha!

Thanks for that, Mike!

Here's the new plug proudly displayed on my 262. I just need a manual now, to complete the ensemble:

 

[Socketman]

Pin Spacing

I came across this thread today, I know it is five years old but I am curious. The plug on the left is a standard 5A two-pin UK plug, they were made to BS 372 - part 1, first published in 1930 (the earlier version of that standard, BS 73, originated in 1915).

The plug on the right has pins which look like they are the right diameter (0.278 inch) and length for the 15A size in those standards, but they are closer together than the standard spacing for 15A, which is 0.875 inches. I am wondering if the plug has pins whose spacing can be adapted to fit either the special 15A vesion of a bayonet adaptor, or a standard 15A 2 pin socket?

 

[davetranter]

Socketman

I don't wish to hijack this (resurrected) thread, but I have many old and (in some cases) odd-ball connectors (including 'professional / military types'). If this is a field of particular interest to you, perhaps we should utilise the 'messaging' facility on this wonderful site to share some ideas/information.

All best

Dave T