Eureka power nozzle canisters of the 1970's

In 1972, Eureka officially realeased their first line of Powerteam caniters. This line conisted of three models: the model 1285-A, model 1265-A, and 1260-A. The 1260 was the top of the line powerteam, it was branded �Empress II,� and it had the most features of all of the powerteam canisters like push button sucton controls, two speeds, swivel hose, an extra pet grooming tool which was exclusive to this model (otherwise it could be orderd at extra cost), and cord reel among others. The 1285 was also naturally the most expensive too. The 1265 was the next step down and still boasted some features like suction control and cord reel, but was not near as flashy as its sibling the 1285. The 1265 had the body style of what was preivioulsy known as the "Sweet 16", or the suction only 1600 line. The next and last was the budget Powerteam model 1260. The model 1260 did not feature any of the previous mentioned suction controls, or even a cord reel, it was the basic canister with a one stage motor and the standard tool kit and the electric hose and power head. These 3 were introduced in 1972, and ran untill 1975. These very early Powerheads were very distinct in the sense that the bottom plates did not screw on, they were held by two metal latches. Their wands did not have the typical, plastic cord tracks that were glued to the back of the wands. These had a plastic cord sheath, that was held in place by a total of 6 metal clips. These were very difficult to undo, so the powerteams initially came with a second set of wands to use for suction only cleaning of bare floors and such. Also, all Eureka powerheads made untill 1978 ONLY had the wooden, gold, painted disturbulator brusroll with one row of brushes and one row of red plastic beater bars. Their upright counterparts did have the Vibra-Groomer one at this point (why this is, I do not know). I also think it worth mentioning that in 1975, after a 16 year break from the thought of having a power head canister, and having it go south with the Lewyt lawsuit and ditching a Constellation prototype with Power head , Hoover relased its first 3 models of Celebrity II (The Roman numeral II indicating that this was the line with the Powehead). These three were the first to feature the Hoover Powermatic head, which had the same agitator as the Dial-A-Matic upright, and also the top of the line Celebrity II Elite featured a headlighted powerhead as well. This was something that Eureka had not offerd yet. I do think it is interesting that Eureka had the Empress II Powerteam and Hoover had the Celebrity II Elite that were both premium canisters with push button controls, electric hoses, poweheads, and catchy names ending with the Roman numural II. The only thing Hoover had was the headlight and the uprights� agitator, but not for long.....
In 1975, some would argue after a prompt from the ever competing Hoover, Eureka made some changes to their Powerteam line. They relased their three premium options, which were now the model 1288-A, model 1266-A, and 1261-A, as well as a few new models to fit the more budget market, such as the model 1255-A, model 1248-A, 1246-A, and finally 1245-A. The new 1288 and 1266 now featured a headlight in the powerhead. Also the Empress II canister had changed color to gold now, but still retained all the previous features. The 1266 looks almost identical to the 1265, but no longer had the spring loaded hose lock, and as mentioned, now had a headlighed power head. The 1261 also looks much like its orginal predecessor, the model 1260, but without the spring loaded hose lock and the one number change in model. The ealier run of these machines still had the early basplates that were relased by latches, as well as the plastic cord sheathes and metal cord clips. But in 1976, that was changed to the base plates that used screws and the wands with the plastic cord tracks. The remaning three budget models were the Princess canister (Suction only 500 series) with power nozzle recepticals added and sold with the electric hose etc...The lowest model, the 1245, had a suction only hose and a external powerhead cord that was strapped to the outdside of the hose like an Electrolux. This line lasted untill 1977. Then in 1978, the four models of Brandywine Powerteams were introduced in the famous dark Brandywine color. This would also be the line where the Eureka company finally added their Vibra-Groomer brushroll to their canister. Much like the aforementioned two lines of machines, this set consisted of one feature packed Empress II and 3 various models of canisters to fit the remaning needs of the consumer. Two of the Princess Powerteams were carried over from the previous line, and two more budget PowerTeams were added. One in a blue with a glitter finish and one in the equally desirable Wild-Moss Green. These would be produced to about 1980.
Now, since that covers the first 3 lines of Eureka canisters, I am now just going to do some outlining and say that, the hoses, and power heads were changed once more in 1981. The hoses were changed from a molded pistol grip end, to a end with a larger curved metal handle, and of coarse, a slightly longer power head cord too. The other change was the redesinge of the powerhead casing that became more curved and not so boxy. There was also the addition of the belt veiw window, that allowed the user to see if their belt was turning correctly, and to indicate when to change. The Vibra-Groomer II was also added to the upper tier Power heads in 1981, after being introduced for Eurekas upright line in 1978. These would be features used on every PowerTeam canister made up until 1993 when the metal body Eureka Powerteam canister was finally discontinued in any format. The last being two machines, one in black, and the other in white, that were branded Ironside. Which is where the name comes from.


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Post# 428828 7/20/2020 at 19:44 (1,375 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)
Checkrate/Likes Wondering if there any Eureka experts who might be able to provide more information about Eureka power nozzle canisters from the 1970's. Here is part of an article that Tom wrote for the VDTA magazine. During the mid 1970's Eureka built three designs of their canisters to use power nozzles -- the "Canned Ham" version (type S bags), the "Ironsides" version (type B bags), and the "Roto-Matic" (type H bags). I would love to know what was unique about these three different models, was one considered top of the line, another mid range and the third one bottom of the line, or were all three of them similar but with different shapes? Did some come with more attachments than others? I would absolutely love to know more about these. I'm guessing they used either the disturbulator or the VG1 for the brush roll. I do think it's somewhat ironic that two of the biggest vacuum manufacturers, Eureka and Hoover were actually the last ones to introduce power nozzle canisters to the market. Mike

Post# 428846 , Reply# 1 7/21/2020 at 07:09 (1,375 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Hi Mike, I guess this question is one I could answer for you. But I think what I will do first is finally treat myself to the set of Eureka canister spec sheets that are available from Vacuumland's sister website Automatic Ephemera and then I will be able to make sure all my model numbers are correct. Just as a teaser: the 1974 edition of Consumer Reports really answers your questions. Though the orange Sweet Sixteen power team (bag style B) rated excellent, the top rated vacuum was the little red Princess power team (bag style H) because it was a Best Buy for something like $120. The first edition of the Empress Two FastVac canned ham tear-drop shape power team was actually rated unacceptable in the first tests because the pig tail wire leading to the canister would unplug if you swiveled the hose all the way around. I think they fixed that later by restricting the hose swivel to less than 360 degrees.

Post# 428872 , Reply# 2 7/21/2020 at 19:14 (1,374 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)
Checkrate/Likes *canned ham* So I'm wondering if the canned ham was Eureka's top model power team, then the ironsides and the rotomatic at the bottom? I think they may have all come with the same power nozzle but not sure. Mike

Post# 428915 , Reply# 3 7/22/2020 at 14:14 (1,374 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Roto-Matic was only used for a Eureka canister model in the 1950's and 1960's. It was the tub vacuum they made to compete with the GE Swivel-Top, the Lewyt tub vac and other barrel-shaped vacuums. When the Eureka Roto-Matic canister was discontinued in the mid 1960's, the name was put on hold and only recycled later for the new Eureka power nozzles of the 1970's. Any Eureka canister in that decade which used the "new" Roto-Matic power nozzle was called a Eureka Roto-Matic Power Team.....no matter what the shape of the canister was.

Post# 428926 , Reply# 4 7/22/2020 at 17:37 (1,373 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)
Checkrate/Likes I'm guessing that they made models for Singer also?

Post# 428946 , Reply# 5 7/22/2020 at 23:44 (1,373 days old) by electromatik (Taylorsville, North Carolina, U.S.A.)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I'm not exactly a Eureka expert, but I have always had a special place in my heart for their power head vacuums. Especially those green and burnt orange models. I really love the quintessential 70's design and colors. www.google.com/urlQUESTIO...

Post# 428970 , Reply# 6 7/23/2020 at 15:56 (1,372 days old) by Opelgtkarl (Puyallup, Washington)
Checkrate/Likes *The History of the Powerteam and Those that Follow* In 1972, Eureka officially realeased their first line of Powerteam caniters. This line conisted of three models: the model 1285-A, model 1265-A, and 1260-A. The 1260 was the top of the line powerteam, it was branded �Empress II,� and it had the most features of all of the powerteam canisters like push button sucton controls, two speeds, swivel hose, an extra pet grooming tool which was exclusive to this model (otherwise it could be orderd at extra cost), and cord reel among others. The 1285 was also naturally the most expensive too. The 1265 was the next step down and still boasted some features like suction control and cord reel, but was not near as flashy as its sibling the 1285. The 1265 had the body style of what was preivioulsy known as the "Sweet 16", or the suction only 1600 line. The next and last was the budget Powerteam model 1260. The model 1260 did not feature any of the previous mentioned suction controls, or even a cord reel, it was the basic canister with a one stage motor and the standard tool kit and the electric hose and power head. These 3 were introduced in 1972, and ran untill 1975. These very early Powerheads were very distinct in the sense that the bottom plates did not screw on, they were held by two metal latches. Their wands did not have the typical, plastic cord tracks that were glued to the back of the wands. These had a plastic cord sheath, that was held in place by a total of 6 metal clips. These were very difficult to undo, so the powerteams initially came with a second set of wands to use for suction only cleaning of bare floors and such. Also, all Eureka powerheads made untill 1978 ONLY had the wooden, gold, painted disturbulator brusroll with one row of brushes and one row of red plastic beater bars. Their upright counterparts did have the Vibra-Groomer one at this point (why this is, I do not know). I also think it worth mentioning that in 1975, after a 16 year break from the thought of having a power head canister, and having it go south with the Lewyt lawsuit and ditching a Constellation prototype with Power head , Hoover relased its first 3 models of Celebrity II (The Roman numeral II indicating that this was the line with the Powehead). These three were the first to feature the Hoover Powermatic head, which had the same agitator as the Dial-A-Matic upright, and also the top of the line Celebrity II Elite featured a headlighted powerhead as well. This was something that Eureka had not offerd yet. I do think it is interesting that Eureka had the Empress II Powerteam and Hoover had the Celebrity II Elite that were both premium canisters with push button controls, electric hoses, poweheads, and catchy names ending with the Roman numural II. The only thing Hoover had was the headlight and the uprights� agitator, but not for long..... In 1975, some would argue after a prompt from the ever competing Hoover, Eureka made some changes to their Powerteam line. They relased their three premium options, which were now the model 1288-A, model 1266-A, and 1261-A, as well as a few new models to fit the more budget market, such as the model 1255-A, model 1248-A, 1246-A, and finally 1245-A. The new 1288 and 1266 now featured a headlight in the powerhead. Also the Empress II canister had changed color to gold now, but still retained all the previous features. The 1266 looks almost identical to the 1265, but no longer had the spring loaded hose lock, and as mentioned, now had a headlighed power head. The 1261 also looks much like its orginal predecessor, the model 1260, but without the spring loaded hose lock and the one number change in model. The ealier run of these machines still had the early basplates that were relased by latches, as well as the plastic cord sheathes and metal cord clips. But in 1976, that was changed to the base plates that used screws and the wands with the plastic cord tracks. The remaning three budget models were the Princess canister (Suction only 500 series) with power nozzle recepticals added and sold with the electric hose etc...The lowest model, the 1245, had a suction only hose and a external powerhead cord that was strapped to the outdside of the hose like an Electrolux. This line lasted untill 1977. Then in 1978, the four models of Brandywine Powerteams were introduced in the famous dark Brandywine color. This would also be the line where the Eureka company finally added their Vibra-Groomer brushroll to their canister. Much like the aforementioned two lines of machines, this set consisted of one feature packed Empress II and 3 various models of canisters to fit the remaning needs of the consumer. Two of the Princess Powerteams were carried over from the previous line, and two more budget PowerTeams were added. One in a blue with a glitter finish and one in the equally desirable Wild-Moss Green. These would be produced to about 1980. Now, since that covers the first 3 lines of Eureka canisters, I am now just going to do some outlining and say that, the hoses, and power heads were changed once more in 1981. The hoses were changed from a molded pistol grip end, to a end with a larger curved metal handle, and of coarse, a slightly longer power head cord too. The other change was the redesinge of the powerhead casing that became more curved and not so boxy. There was also the addition of the belt veiw window, that allowed the user to see if their belt was turning correctly, and to indicate when to change. The Vibra-Groomer II was also added to the upper tier Power heads in 1981, after being introduced for Eurekas upright line in 1978. These would be features used on every PowerTeam canister made up until 1993 when the metal body Eureka Powerteam canister was finally discontinued in any format. The last being two machines, one in black, and the other in white, that were branded Ironside. Which is where the name comes from.

Post# 428971 , Reply# 7 7/23/2020 at 15:58 (1,372 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *This is great info.* Would it be OK to use some of it when we do Eureka's history? I should ask: How did you get all this info?

Post# 428985 , Reply# 8 7/23/2020 at 21:45 (1,372 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *I would* Tell you in published magzines I have covering 30 or so years. There dealer magazines I hope these credentials would be satisfactory. I didn't write or post the info but I can provide proof that it's correct. Les

Post# 429085 , Reply# 12 7/26/2020 at 16:37 (1,369 days old) by Collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Sorry - this isn't the greatest picture but it give an idea of the Eureka line View Full Size

Post# 428989 , Reply# 9 7/23/2020 at 23:09 (1,372 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Well, that's good.* I do hope you realize I was not doubting you.

Post# 429009 , Reply# 10 7/24/2020 at 20:14 (1,371 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)
Checkrate/Likes This is really neat info. I agree with Christopher, I've always really liked Eureka's power head vacuums, and the green and burnt orange colored versions are some of my favorites also. I've especially always liked the tiny Eureka canisters. What were they called? I know the nickname was ladybug and some of these did have the power head also.

Post# 429069 , Reply# 11 7/26/2020 at 09:00 (1,370 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)
Checkrate/Likes *awesome information* This information was awesome, thank you. Does anyone know if Eureka used the same suction motor for all of the cleaners in each series? For example, for the first power team series in 1972 was the suction motor the same in all of them? What about the 1975 series? I can't help but wonder why Eureka and Hoover were so late to the game with power team canisters, perhaps they were more focused on uprights? Not sure but I think they were the last major vacuum manufacturers to come out with power team canisters. Mike