So we all had to start somewhere. My first vacuum was a Kirby franken-515. It looked perfect even when I first got it. I didn't even have to polish it! I still want to make it all original...

An early 1980s Hoover Junior.
(like the machine on the far right of the picture but creme and brown)

(alas i never found out if it worked ;p)

and sadly I no longer have it.

Ian

Technically this was my first...my mom bought this to use as our upstairs cleaner at my insistance around 1990. It was kept in my bedroom closet. This model 63 belonged to my grandma's neighbor Mrs. Helmick who I knew very well. It had belonged to her mother but Mrs. Helmick did not use it ever. She had a Constellation that she always used. This just sat in the closet. My mom paid $20 for it which she still says was "too much". I took it with me when I had my own place a few years later and used it as my daily driver...until I found the Convertible...see below...

--Tom

Here is my real first vacuum..purchased the day before Thanksgiving in 1995. I went to a local vac shop and told him that I wanted an all metal Hoover. This is what he sold me that day. I even got a new set of U4901 tools with it. I lived in a two story town house and planned to use the 63 upstairs and the U4099 "Custom Convertible" downstairs. This is the first one that I found and paid for all myself. This is one of my personal favorites and has a lot of sentimental value to me. Who knew that 350 more Hoover cleaners would follow????

--Tom

Tom, those are both great. I wouldn't have thought you'd still be able to get a metal convertible in 1995. You've really gathered your large collection in a relatively short period of time!

That model 63 is wonderful. I have a very, very nice one too, that I found at an estate sale. There was only one small area rug in the living room of this house, the rest was bare floors, so this unit was lightly used. Happily, I had picked up a near perfect set of the cleaning tools with the cardboard carry case somewhere else, so I have a nice set.

Everyone's units are fun! I think the first I bought myself in a store was a repo'd Kirby Tradition. Also had several Luxes and a Rainbow in the ensuing years. Now, in addition to Hoover collection machines I use occasionally, I have a Royal for the carpets and a Miele for a canister.

Scott...my U4099 was a used unit that I found in 1995. The guy still had new cleaning tool sets though for it. I was so happy to find it that day. I remember going home and sweeping the whole place with it. This Convertible still runs great too.

I guess living in North Canton makes it a little easier to find these great vintage Hoover cleaners. My great vac friends like Jeff Parker, Buffalo Joe, Mike Rogers, Brother Chris, Tony Mical, among others have helped me find a great number of these machines too. So I have to credit them all. If you read the tags on my machines (yes, I tag each one with the model, year of build, serial number, where it came from, the date I got it and how much it cost), you would read a lot of tags with these names on them. We have traded many machines over the years. Many other folks have contributed to my collection over the years. I have been very lucky to know so many giving individuals. Again this is what this hobby should be about. People helping each other find machines for each others' collections. For me, it is exciting to find something for a collector that they have been looking for. Just knowing that it will be part of their collection is very fun.

Thanks for the compliments.

--Tom

I would have to say my NSS M1 "pig' that I got new 30yrs ago.Was living in an apartment at the time-and in the Wash DC area.The delivorman(bought it from Daycon Janitorial supply)dropped it off and when I came down to pick it up from him-saw several others in his truck-they were all tagged to go to the White House!!Wonder if they are still there in use?I have two other NSS M1's.also have the orig bag for the first one.Has the famous "Horse" logo on it!

That I bought in 1995 for $45 iwith all the attachments, the original hose, and the floor polisher. Patrick Coffey

is a 1970s classic omega

was a Kirby 513, from a Kirby dealer in Maryland where I lived at the time. He picked up that I liked "those old Kirbys" so he sold me one that he completely buffed out and reconditioned, with an original gray "speckled" bag, all-red matching trim, with red attachment kit, the floor polisher and handi-butler, all for $75.00. I was, hm, 16 or 17 at the time. It was so beautiful!!

Later on I went to work for that same dealer as a repairman, fixing and rebuilding machines for him.