Thoughts on today's Vacuum of the Day

[mjhoshaw]

Greetings all,


 


The fine print at the bottom right of the ad caught my eye: "P.S. Never discard worn or broken parts. They must be turned in for replacements." Most regrettably, today's society is a country mile away from that mindset. Nowadays we throw away the entire machine.


 


I wonder about something else in the ad. It states that women prefer Hoover two-to-one over any other make, and that one-third of cleaners in operation at the time were Hoover. That seems at odds with the bold lettering on my Elux model E's factory carton that Electrolux is America's largest-selling cleaner. If women preferred Hoover two-to-one, did men usually make the buying decision? I'm a huge Elux fan, but in all honesty I would think that with Hoover's massive market penetration, it would have been the top-selling brand of that time.


 


Joel

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I'm sure all companies boast sales, etc

Electrolux was always a top seller.  Hoover did have massive sales, too.


  I, and others, have the books stating how many of each model were made.  It was staggering.


  Nobody threw those cleaners away then.  Just look at how many are still out there working.  How many we collectors have.  My grandmother had a model 28.  During the rough times, she would share it with her cousin (raised like sisters). They'd send it back and forth in a taxi.


 With the research I've done,  it shows reports of sales going through the roof.


 Think of that massive plant, running 3 shifts constantly. It was amazing.

 

[dysonman1]

The ad was from the early 1940's during the war. Brush rolls were rebristled, bearings were lubricated, everything that could be fixed - was. Manufacturers were allowed to make repair parts only during the war, which is why Electrolux (first back in production after the war) used veterans and those repair parts to assemble new cleaners to fill the backlog.

Your model E was made at least 12 years after the ad for Hoover. Right after the war, the Electrolux became so popular (the model XXX) that it was true, they were America's largest selling cleaner. At that time. Things change.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

My great aunt had one of those

and both sisters had 28s
Great machines, indeed.

 

[mjhoshaw]

Thanks for that clarification

So Elux was referring to the XXX as America's Largest Selling Cleaner, not the brand as a whole. Sneaky how they continued to make that boast, giving at least me the impression that they were proclaiming the most total sales.

 

[vinvac]

And we often forget about other brands out there. Here in Iowa, WI and Il, Eureka was more popular than Hoover. Sears was also very popular.

Later Sunbeam also made some great machines.

Advertising gimmicks were no different then than now. Bag-less machines are toted as being so much better and clean so much better because you can see the dirt in the canister. Visual references that make you think it is better when in reality the filters clog quicker and are generally more expensive to replace than bags. Plus the machines require much more maintenance to run efficiently. Washing filters and cyclonic tubes is just gross.

Visually seeing words like "two to one" or America's most popular canister may have been a milder form of persuasion but for the time worked well. Door to door salesmen of the Electrolux time period had an advantage of getting in the home and knowing where the dirt would be that a Hoover would miss. Edges, under sofa's couch cushions...you see my point.

It is all relative to what the salesperson can make you believe.

I don't ever remember Hoover or Eureka being a door to door sales, but Kirby, Electrolux, Filter Queen and Rainbow were sure popular here. And the little dirt pads to show just how much dirt your vacuum missed was all it took to convince the buyer that they had the best machine on the market. I almost forgot. Air-
Way was a very strong competitor in the market as well. My grandmother told my mom she was taken by the Kirby salesman, her Air-Way was a much better vacuum...why you can even use it to defrost the refrigerator...try that with your Kirby!

 

[suckolux]

Actually, my aunt used to dry her hair with the Kirby! Hose on blower port The machine sitting on the oven door and then the oven on low. Yeah she did that.