Does anyone know what Hoover meant when they descrived the new and improved aspect of the Aero-dyne as having "controlled suction?" I think the Aero-dyne is a classy looking machine and I have a model 51. But I have always wondered what exactly they meant by this and if there was any particular aspect of the cleaner's design that warrented calling the suction it produeced, "controlled."

I always thought that "Controlled Suction" meant that Hoover added the suction control slide on the user end of the hose. One could open the slide or valve to release the suction when doing something delicate like drapes or keep the slide shut when doing something that calls for maximum suction like carpet cleaning. I do not think that the model 50 began with this feature but was later tacked on when they updated the floor tool.(They also revised the dirt ejector mechanism.) When the 51 came out, its claim to fame was the new Veriflex hose and it still retained the suction control valve as did the cheaper tanks.

Anyone else out there in vacuumland have any suggestions as to the meaning behind "Controlled Suction"?

--Tom

Hey Tom - I would agree with you about the origins of "Controlled Suction". The Hoover 53 was the first machine I can remember that had the suction control knob. They bumped the suction up with two fans on the 53 and I can attest, that is has much more suction than the 51. Now that I see the term used with the 51, I wonder if it has something to do with the design of the tools. After all, the Aero-Dyne was really their first suction-only machine. I just looked back at the ads and indeed, it has to do with the design of the rug tool. Check out this ad with Lucy (one of my favorites.)

Fred..

I just love this ad. I have it framed. To think she was not Lucy yet! This ad (from 1948?) shows the new rug nozzle. I have the original floor tool and it is very BAD and cheesy. This is another example of a Hoover product that was built just because. They wanted to compete in every market. I am not sure at what point they added the suction control. I am fairly sure it was during the run of the model 50. The motor is just a Constellation motor turned on its side. These are very powerful quiet machines. Thanks for posting the ad!

--Tom

I am pretty sure that the suction control knob was added on the Aero-Dyne 53. I have a 51 and a 53 with the Veri-flex hose and the suction control knob in only on the 53. It is fairly clear to me that the "controlled suction" terminology refers to the rug tool innovation somewhere between the 50 and the 51. Definitely marketing hype. The rug tool that came out with the 51 works pretty well though. I was just showing it to my sister-in-law while giving a tour of the "collection." They just don't make them like this any more!

I have a few examples of the Hoover Floor Tool after the Model 50. It is anything but "cheesy." I use it it show the quality of manufacturing "back in the day." You could make a dent in someone's head with this one. A great design. Tom, was this the one you were referring to?