Hello all. I was wondering about this. I have a eureka that has the Dial A Nap and I love it. It is the gold machine. I also have a few convertibles. Whenever I use my Eureka on our deep pile carpeting it seems to pick up more dirt. I know there are some die Hard hoover fans but I was wodnering what really does clean better. I am also expectign a cord away it is the red machien with teh gray bag.

Eurekas,as a general rule DO clean better than the Convertible Hoovers of the day.

did the Eurekas have higher RPMs? sure seems that way. also, the Eureka has a bigger bag.

the classic Convertible brushroll seems better than the wooden Eureka version with the red beater bars, but if the Eurekas spins faster...

also seems the classic 2000 series (3.5 amp) Eureka motor has more torque than the Hoovers. doesnt bog down like the Hoovers.

maybe someone will have some facts on this.

I know Eureka's brush spun about 3,450 RPM and Hoover's about 1,900 RPM

Having sold Eureka wholesale and then retail in my own shop back in the 80's. I personally believed in Hoover Conv's as
a bottom of the line cleaner compaired to Eureka's with the 1400 series motors and wooden beater bars. Also believe that
Hoover had a far less rate of repair being in the repair business. Then compair a Hoover Convert to an older 260 series Eureka upright ( which had a ball baring motor like
a Hoover Conv.) or and 6.5 AMP ESP Eureka with a vibra Groomer
I and I'll take the Eureka any day. So it's a matter of model
and moter, plus the top fill bag did allow far better air flow as the bag filled, over the Hoover type "C"
Norm

Consumer reports noted in the late 50's that the Eureka cleaned slightly better than the Convertible, but was not as easy to handle or quiet as the Hoover.
Personally I feel you'll be hard pressed to find a better rug cleaner than an old two-position Convertible.
4-position models are another story. Once Hoover and Eureka had their height adjusters, the Eureka was definately a better performer. The 4-position Hoovers never sat squarely on their wheels!
The quality of the early 70's Eureka's was also very good too.

until the High performance models came out in 1975, Hoover had one motor and one belt pulley, which meant that the $89.95 deluxe Convertible(like model 1076) would run and sound the same as the $49.99 promo(such as model U4001)
Eureka's ball bearing motor was always the same, but they varied their brush RPM with different sizes of belt pulley. Higher end models got the fatter pulley(faster RPM brush) and the cheapies got the smaller pulley. I believe the 1400 series blender motor models had their own pulley too...

I can't say I like one over the other though I do really like the Eureka Vanguards and the self propelled model works really well without being near as heavy as the sp Hoovers

I have to say that the Hoover would be my choice. It is just my opinion...I like the sound of the Hoover Cleaner better and for me the Convertible series is just easier to use. I like the four position adjustment because I can flick it with my toe and not have to bend over and dial the setting. The rear conversion tools are easier to set up too. The bag on the Eureka seems like it may clog. I prefer to change my "C" bag more often where I can do a quick maintenance check on the machine. I think that the two at least through the early 1970's had very comparable quality and great features. When it gets right down to it...it is more a question of personal taste and style. I think that they really cleaned equally as well as each other when you get right down to the overall action of the machines. Hoover put their famous agitator on all of their machines even the cheapest. The Hoover machines all clean equally as well as any other Convertible machine. Eureka did not do that. However, Eureka had some beautiful machines especially in the early 1970s. I really like the use of chrome on the machines and the box top bags. They looked like nothing else.

Just my two cents...

--Tom