Views on new Hoover constellation?

[luxlover]

Ive always wanted a vintage Hoover contsellation but can not find one, But i knowest on there site they still make them and i was wonder what you guys think or if you know anything about the new ones? are they worth buying? and also i heard the hoses arnt that good?

 

[vacman117]

I really like mine. I bought it about 4 years ago from Hoover's website. It has an insane amount of suction. The tools are really great as well. I was surprised to find that it came with an actual dusting brush and a stiff bristle upholstery tool. The telescoping wand is also pretty nice. Not very many people like the turbo nozzle, but I really like it. You just have to make sure that the wand is pushed all the way into it. It also comes with a very nice bare floor brush. Not many people like the hose, but I do. The handle is very comfortable to use, and it has a suction relief. It can stretch all the way up my stairs, which I found surprising. I really only have two complaints: since the exhaust shoots out the bottom, it blows my kitchen rugs upside down, and it shoots pet hair and dirt all around bare floors.

Hope that helps,
Chase

 

[director12]

I found it obnoxious that Hoover wouldn't add a power nozzle to the Constellation.

 

[twocvbloke]

From speaking to a couple of people who have had them in the past, they're good at invading your personal space, thanks to the stretch-hose, so unless you like bruised shins, I'd avoid it... :&#92

Plus, there's the problem of the hovering bit that made it unique, it blows all the loose, fluffy dirt about on hard floors before you can get to it, so that's quite a drawback, and there's the turbo-nozzle which can clog up pretty easily, and not actually pick up much (hence the need for a Power nozzle, which doesn't restrict the airflow to power a turbine)...

So, as a novelty, yeah, maybe, but as a serious vacuum for proper cleaning, there are better makes and models...

 

[jmurray01]

HOOVER are still making them!? That's the first I've heard...

 

[jmurray01]

Good point David (about it slamming into your legs), I never thought of that.

I personally never saw a problem with a wheeled cylinder, but maybe I'm just too boring (your answer to that is "of course not!").

 

[williamr1248]

Views on new Hoover Constellation

As stated earlier in the thread as a "novelty vac" it is great but as a vac for everyday use no.
Mine has very good suction,quiet,long power cord and fun to see operate but it blows the dust EVERYWHERE. I think it would be very hard to use if you had pet hair or allergies.
Both of my machines arrived with defective hoses. The attachments or ok. I wish they had used the old Hoover style tools and for me,the turbo nozzle is useless.
I would have preferred either a regular power nozzle or a straight suction floor tool. I also did not like the oversized floor brush or the fact that the tools are friction connect which to me was very un-Hoover style.
They started out very good with the canister itself but the hose and tools fall short.

I

 

[jmurray01]

Not just that, but the stainless steel body, although looks nice, takes it away from its heritage of yellows, blues and pinks etc...

 

[williamr1248]

Views on new Hoover Constellation

Jamie,
I agree with you. I have both the painted off white and the stainless. I was just shocked that Hoover came out with a metal machine! The life of Hoover products and the Connie took a different turn for us in the USA from the mid 1950's unto the 1960's.
When I was very young,ONLY the finist department stores,best electric appliance shops and high end furniture stores sold the Hoover. When the Connie was first out it was right up their in price with the other Hoovers. I have seen adds for it at about $89.95 which would have been a lot of money in those days. By the end of the 60's it seemed Hoover had chosen a different route. They were selling their products in every outlet possible,even discount stores. Of course a product can ride on it's name for a few years but in the end they were selling the Constellation for as low as $29.95. Hoover's days of being a high end product were over.
I think a lot of collectors had a glimmer of hope when we saw that new metal Hoover Connie!
Something interesting to me was that in our area we had a HUGE beautiful building that was the place you could take you HOOVER to be serviced.
It is such a shame of what became of the Hoover name and reputation.

 

[twocvbloke]

"HOOVER are still making them!? That's the first I&#

I don't know if they still are making them now, but they did have them for sale a few years ago, and here in the UK, as the Hoover name is owned by the Candy Group, TTI had to market it as the "Maytag Satellite", same thing, just a different name...

I'm surprised they didn't call it a Vax though as they do with all the other Hoover-US products that come to the UK as Vax... :&#92

 

[jmurray01]

Yes, it is such a shame that HOOVER is no longer the desirable much sought after brand it used to be.

Back years ago (my mother informs me) when you needed a new Vacuum Cleaner you initially went in search of a HOOVER, regardless of the costs, but now we just go for the cheapest possible Vacuum Cleaner.

It is a shame people don't still have the brand loyalty they used to, like back in HOOVER's golden years.

 

[jmurray01]

"I'm surprised they didn't call it a Vax though as they do with all the other Hoover-US products that come to the UK as Vax... :&#92" That's very true David. So does Candy own Vax too then ?

I never knew of this Maytag Satellite - I'll have to look it up!

 

[twocvbloke]

No, TTI owns Vax, hence why they offer Hoover-US products (owned by TTI) in Europe & the UK as Vax products with some minor alterations...

I think there are the odd one or two Maytag Satellites on ebay now and then, obviously not being sold under the familiar Hoover Constellation name, people didn't really know it was on sale, so there's not too many about... :&#92


As for brand loyalty, for those who haven't been conditioned by the worldwide anti-free thought movement, there is a lot of brand loyalty still out there, as can be seen on this forum with people preferring specific brands (even if the reasoning is somewhat questionable), so it's still there, though it's mainly from the few, as the many prefer just anything that makes a whiney-whirring noise and pertains to pick up dirt... :&#92

 

[twocvbloke]

I should also point out, it's easier to just search the "Cleaning, Laundry and Vacuuming" section for just "Maytag" as nobody on ebay seems able to spell "satellite" properly....

 

[jmurray01]

Very true. I'll admit I do have a brand loyalty, if you wish to call it that, to HOOVER. I do very much like Electrolux and Numatic, but nothing beats (pun intended) a HOOVER in my opinion.

Where exactly was the Satellite sold ? I don't remember seeing a Connie style machine in any Argos catalogues etc... I think I'd have noticed! Ha ha.

 

[jmurray01]

That is also true David, the amount of times I've seen it spelled "sattelite" is unbelievable.

 

[twocvbloke]

I not too sure who sold the Satellite, a lot of Maytag products here tend to remain well under the radar when it comes to retailing them, I think I once saw them at T. K. Maxx, or TJ Hughes, or one of them stores who piles high and sells cheap stuff that went out of business in the past 5 years, it's just one of them things that's been missed...

 

[sebo_fan]

The Hoover Satellite/Connie was never intended to be sold at Argos. It arrived at Comet and eventually sold at Currys and then Miller Bros before they went bust. Same with Maytag upright vac - sold at John Lewis, Currys and Comet before disappearing.

In the UK, not all the franchise sellers sell all the same vacuums. Dependent on the market and the type of consumer they are trying to attract, brands offerings are divided between them all. This is why if you were to go through several of the catalogues like Kays catalogue or Littlewoods online you might find an exclusive Hoover vacuum that hasn't been added to the home brand UK websites yet

 

[jmurray01]

A bit like the Whirlwind which is (the name at least) exclusive to Argos ?