WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[decade80]

Just won a Hoover model 700 on ebay!!!!....I paid $20.00 for it. The model 700 is missing a few things but it can be fixible.

 

[vintagehoover]

Congratulations!

Great cleaner, very revolutionary in it's day! Lovely-sounding motor, too (assuming bearings are good, etc!)
Looks like yours will polish up nicely too, all it takes is a little metal polish, a duster and some patience!

You can see my restored, almost-complete 700 if you click the link below:

http://www.freewebs.com/vintagehoover/thedeluxemodels.htm

 

[decade80]

Thanks

 

[sfovacman]

Got 700 when first started collecting

One of the first vacuum cleaners I got when I first started collecting vintage vacuum cleaners in 1997 was a Hoover Model 700. The first vacuum cleaner I got when I started collecting was a Model 61 Hoover.

From about 1949 to 1951, may family and I lived in a four-plex apartment house in Fort Worth, Texas. The "house" vacuum cleaner, kept on the back porch of the landlord, was a Hoover Model 700.

Congratulations on your find. The Model 700 introduced the beater bar brush and the slogan "It beats as it sweeps as it cleans."

Jim Kirby, Kansas

 

[hygiene903]

Congratulations!!

Nice looking Hoover. Hope when it arrives that it runs as good as it looks! And welcome to Vacuumland! It's always great to see another member from the Buckeye State!
Jeff, in Galion

 

[decade80]

thanks everyone

 

[myhooverco]

Congrats on the 700. They are very good quiet machines that will run on and on. Let me know if you need something for this machine when it arrives.

--Tom

 

[charles~richard]

Beater bar

Jim, actually the beater bar was introduced on the 543, not the 700. It just so happens that I just found a 543 - one of those unexpected surprise machines that just landed in my back yard the other night. Details forthcoming - stay tuned!

 

[lux1521]

543

I thought the 543 was introduced at the same time as the 700 as the low end model. The 543 was just a 541 with the new brushroll as far a I know. The old style brushroll was then used as a floor waxer type thing. I have the manual and it I can't see any other mechanical differences between a 543 and 541 aside from that.

Now another interesting thing is I have seen many uses of the "beats as it sweeps as it cleans" slogan on models prior to the 700. My 541 actualy states that on the name plate, even though it does not really beat anything like the later models would.

Regardless of what happened when, they are all fun machines to use and collect.

 

[charles~richard]

It could be that the 543 was a "budget" model with the 700 but if so I would be surprised. It's so much more primitive looking. I have put in a call to Antique Hoover Central - Stan Kann! - to ask him about it but he's been "as busy as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs" since the weekend, and he hasn't had time to talk.

What I do remember from him is that there were three different 543s. I don't remember offhand the three differences, but I know that two variations were that the early one had a straight handle and the later one had a curved handle. There was one more variation but I don't remember it now. Oh, I think i know what it was --- I believe the third variation has the power switch up in the handle instead of down on the motor.

He also told me that the 543 is not a very good Hoover really, because the 541-style motor, which was fine for driving the bristle agitator, is underpowered for the larger, heavier beater bar. Even when the motor is adjusted to full power, it doesn't really have enough "oomph" to drive that beater bar.

I do seem to recall him telling me that the 543 was the first to have the new-style beater bar but I can't give a definitive answer on that until I talk to him. He said he would try to call me later today.

 

[lux1521]

It will be intersting to see what Stan Kann says. My reason for saying the 543 was the low end model was the info on "The Vintage Hoover Emporium" and an advertising booklet that I have.

I have scaned it in for everyone to see. This booklet is also very intersting is it has one of the few images of a model 961. Clearly the model 700 is not shown in the image but it the current model line at the time (including 543 and 700) is documented at the bottom of the page. The entire booklet is about 20 pages so if anyone wants to see more I can post it in a different thread. I don't want to take this thread too far off topic.

 

[vintagehoover]

lux1521: PLEASE! If you get a chance, I'd really LOVE to see the rest of the booklet, it looks fascinating! I'd appreciate it so much if you were able to post it

I'm not nearly as knowledgable as Stan Kann, but I'm positive the 543 and 700 were sister models: The 541 was renumbered as 543, given the Agitator brushroll, the new duventine bag, and was sold as the cheaper alternative to the Model 700. I have several scans of adverts of the time showing this, but unfortunately, they're on my other computer, so I can't post them at the moment. Don't want to hi-jack this thread either!

I have a 543, and it really does struggle to cope with the Agitator, it takes maybe 10 seconds to get up to full speed. It's whisper quiet, though - I have a video of mine in use on youtube (see link below), and it really is as quiet as it sounds. Seamus can confirm this, it was one of the ones we played with when he came to visit recently! When you've watched the 543 clip, watch one of the others for sound comparison!

It's not a terribly effective cleaner, more a carpet-sweeper with suction! Does ok with surface litter, but I doubt it's getting much deeply-embedded dirt out!

 

[charles~richard]

I have been trying since Saturday to reach Stan Kann but he's been on the go ever since then. Among other things, he told me he was doing a show with Tony Bennett! WOW!! I called him again today, and he was waiting at his front door for a ride to arrive, and she pulled up just as soon as we started talking. He said he'd try to call me this afternoon.

 

[sfovacman]

Charlie, will you be in Omaha in Sept.?

Charlie Lester,

Do you think you'll be able to attend VCCC convention in Omaha in Sept.? I live only about 4 hours from Omaha; so I should be able to attend.

This afternoon I'm going to run one of my Hoover 700's--perhaps also a 543.

Jim Kirby

 

[myhooverco]

The 543 was a "popular" priced model to the deluxe model 700 both introduced in 1926. They both used the new agitator with the beater bars. This was Hoover's positive agitation that got out the deep embedded grit from deep within the carpet. I agree that the 543 just did not have enough power to do the job. The early ones did have the wooden handle and the later ones had the metal 700 style handle but it was much plainer (it did not have the silver trim on the grip like the 700). The 543's replacement was the 575 which was just the 700 painted black. The 575 was a much better vacuum and it was introduced in 1929 with the model 725 which used a larger more powerful motor.

I wish that there was more interest in the older Hoover stuff. It seems today everyone is very interested in the Convertible line. Hoover made many, many great cleaners before the introduction of the Convertible.

--Tom

 

[decade80]

Is The model 700 more powerful than the 543 or the 541 cleaners?

 

[myhooverco]

Yes...the 543 and the 541 used the same motor. The 700 had a new ball bearing motor that was physically larger.

--Tom

 

[decade80]

what exact year is my model 700....about 1927?

 

[vintagehoover]

Model 700...

It was made between 1927 and 1929. You could date it exactly with the serial number, if anyone in the US has service manuals which date back that far!