Thread Number: 42227  /  Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
Eureka Sweet Sixteen Canisters
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Post# 444631   8/10/2021 at 19:23 (960 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)        

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Here are scans of 3 Eureka Sweet Sixteen canister spec sheets, for Models 1640, 1660 and 1680 (front and back). First up: Model 1640 (dig the 70s costume get-ups):


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Post# 444632 , Reply# 1   8/10/2021 at 19:25 (960 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)        
Model 1660

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Here's the 1660:


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Post# 444633 , Reply# 2   8/10/2021 at 19:27 (960 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)        

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And, Model 1680:


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Post# 444635 , Reply# 3   8/10/2021 at 20:39 (960 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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Wow! Eureka Williams at its best! Sleek, understated, confident industrial design - wish I could find out the names of the designers who created these classic cleaners!

The art director doing these spec sheets made a few minor errors on the front side of the 1660 and 1680 documents: the front pic of the 1660 should show a Vibra-Beat carpet nozzle in the Tool Pak, and the front pic of the 1680 should show Eureka’s deluxe, wider upholstery nozzle. The back sides of the spec sheets show the correct tools on the canister.

I think these vacs are circa 1970. They debuted after the Empress II FastVacs from 1967. I think the canister bodies went from sky blue to burnt orange and harvest gold in 1972.

EUREKA. The very best in vacuum cleaners. A few decades ago…..


Post# 444636 , Reply# 4   8/10/2021 at 20:43 (960 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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And here is Eureka’s TV commercial for the Sweet Sixteens - produced by Young & Rubicam if I remember correctly….see link below….



CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK


Post# 444637 , Reply# 5   8/10/2021 at 20:59 (960 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

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Cool pictures, I saw the first one and I thought yeah that's mine, and then I saw the second one and went or is that it 😳

Post# 444638 , Reply# 6   8/10/2021 at 21:07 (960 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

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I had to go and look, it's number three, the 1680!

Post# 444641 , Reply# 7   8/10/2021 at 21:32 (960 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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I actually think there was a fourth model in the line-up: the 1620 was a budget version with no CordAway cord reel, if I remember correctly. The series was launched at the National Housewares Show at McCormick Place in Chicago, and Home Furnishings Daily had their special NHMA show edition which had a print ad from Eureka showing the 4 models: 1620, 1640, 1660 and 1680.

Post# 444642 , Reply# 8   8/10/2021 at 21:38 (960 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

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Cool 😎, I do use it, pretty colors. When I saw it I was thinking 68 to 71 maybe those were popular colors then for the cars. Mine is in I would say very good condition with all of the tools but no tool rack it just wasn't there elderly owner. I'm guessing the exhaust vent on the bottom is to allow for better air flow and cooling but I don't really care for the sound of it with it open.

Post# 444643 , Reply# 9   8/11/2021 at 01:30 (960 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)        

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Wow, Eurekaprince, good catch. I didn't notice the omissions in the pictures. I personally never cared for the Vibra-Beat attachment. It always seemed gimmicky and noisy. In '72, I bought a new Model 1260 Power Team. I liked the cord reel and electrified hose, though you had to string the leader wire up the channel behind the extension wands. Great machine.

Post# 444645 , Reply# 10   8/11/2021 at 08:18 (960 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
John

gottahaveahoove's profile picture
great info/pics.
May I call upon you for Eureka info for the newsletter "spotlight"?


Post# 444651 , Reply# 11   8/11/2021 at 11:41 (959 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)        

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Far out man.

Post# 444655 , Reply# 12   8/11/2021 at 14:24 (959 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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Another important aspect of these Eureka models is how many department stores in the USA and Canada ordered store brand versions of the Sweet Sixteens: Montgomery Ward, JC Penney, Eaton Viking and Baycrest and Beaumark for Canada’s Hudson Bay stores.

Post# 448739 , Reply# 13   12/20/2021 at 15:19 (828 days old) by giannh (California)        

My mother has the Eureka Canister Vacuum Cleaner Model 1640. Thanks for posting the spec sheet. Do you also have the parts schematic for this model? I'm looking for the part numbers to replace either the rear wheels alone or the rear wheels with metal yokes fastened to the body of the vacuum.

Post# 448741 , Reply# 14   12/20/2021 at 18:29 (828 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)        
motor and sound

I would love to see one of these, I wonder what motor they used and what the sound was like. I have some idea since I've heard other motors of that time, I've heard the power team that Eureka made in 1972, I wonder if it was similar to that. It was an "f" note, that's the pitch the motor had. Since I'm blind I guess I tend to notice things like that, lol. Were these discontinued when Eureka came out with their powerteams?
Mike


Post# 448743 , Reply# 15   12/20/2021 at 19:11 (828 days old) by keither (California )        
Eureka E1860

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I have the Eureka E1860 from this series.

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This post was last edited 12/20/2021 at 22:08
Post# 448745 , Reply# 16   12/20/2021 at 19:47 (828 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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Hi Keith,

Love your Empress II FastVac! I think you mean Model 1860….the Empress II canisters were from the 1800 model series. That series had a similar range: 1820, 1840, 1860, 1880. These came out about a year or two before the 1600 series.


Post# 448746 , Reply# 17   12/20/2021 at 19:57 (828 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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Hi Mike,

Here is a YouTube clip showing a Eureka Model 1630. The ratings on the spec sheet go by horsepower and each of the models in the series had slightly more powerful motors as you went up the range. This 1630 may have a 1 and 1/2 hp motor…you can distinctly hear the motor sound in this clip as the user cleans a piece of upholstered furniture with an upholstery nozzle….


CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK


Post# 448747 , Reply# 18   12/20/2021 at 20:23 (828 days old) by giannh (California)        

The sound of the 1630A (thanks to YouTube link provided by @eurekaprince) is identical to that made by my mother's 1640.

Post# 448750 , Reply# 19   12/20/2021 at 22:10 (828 days old) by keither (California )        

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@ Brian: Yes your correct! My Dyslexia is in overdrive tonight!

Post# 448751 , Reply# 20   12/21/2021 at 05:12 (828 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

eurekaprince's profile picture
Hi Keith! 😁My Eureka obsession goes into overdrive when it comes to the 1960’s and early 1970’s….not to worry!!! 🤗

But ask me about model numbers in the 1980’s and I will draw a complete blank! 😳


Post# 448760 , Reply# 21   12/21/2021 at 15:48 (827 days old) by Keither (California )        

keither's profile picture
@ Brian: I’m glad you pointed it out! Your good 😊

Post# 448766 , Reply# 22   12/22/2021 at 05:52 (827 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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And I am so grateful for all the pictures of your beautiful Eurekas you post here on Vacuumland! Your collection is amazing! 🙏🙂

Post# 448785 , Reply# 23   12/23/2021 at 15:48 (825 days old) by Keither (California )        

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@ Brian: Thanks so much for the kind words Brian! I appreciate you very much!

Another Department store brand version of the Eureka vacs was Grants. They carried the Bradford rebadged Eurekas back in the early 70s.




This post was last edited 12/23/2021 at 17:08
Post# 448787 , Reply# 24   12/23/2021 at 17:13 (825 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

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Wow, I had forgotten about Grants brand, and they were my first job!.

Post# 448792 , Reply# 25   12/23/2021 at 19:49 (825 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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If I remember correctly, Eureka also made vacuums for the American "Western Auto" chain of stores....I think the store brandname was "Wizard".

Post# 448794 , Reply# 26   12/24/2021 at 11:28 (824 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)        
love the sound

Love the sound of the motor on that youtube video, between an "E" and E flat. Definitely a two stage motor, what a contrast between that and the high pitch screaming sound of most vacuum motors today. I like the sound of those older motors much better. So each cleaner in the 16 series used a different motor? Interesting. I still think it's kind of interesting and somewhat ironic that two of the biggest vacuum brands, Hoover and Eureka were actually the last ones to introduce powerteam canisters. Just about every other vacuum brand had powerteam canisters several years before Hoover and Eureka did. Try as I might, I can't think of any reason why these two companies waited so long.
Mike


Post# 448802 , Reply# 27   12/24/2021 at 16:46 (824 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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Hi Mike,

I have a theory about why power nozzle canisters by Eureka and Hoover did not appear before 1973. In about 1969, Consumer Reports rated the Electrolux 1205 as the top canister because of its excellent carpet cleaning ability. I can't remember if any Kenmore power nozzle cleaners rated well in that report. It could be that once popular Electrolux grabbed the top spot in the ratings, Hoover and Eureka figured it was time they created a power nozzle canister. Especially since Consumer Reports tests showed that Eureka's Vibra Beat carpet nozzle did not really improve carpet cleaning: I remember that the report said the racket the Vibra Beat created was "much ado about nothing"!!!!


Post# 448841 , Reply# 28   12/26/2021 at 15:09 (822 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

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Another thought, although obviously I could be very wrong! I always thought that the Hoover and Eureka back in the day, they had some models starting at let's say a beginning household's budget and then fancied up and more powerful from there, where adding a power head would almost double that price. Again it's just a theory but I think you're more expensive door to door and such it wouldn't have been such a shock to their average buyer. Maybe! Using my sweet 16 today!!!

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Post# 448849 , Reply# 29   12/26/2021 at 20:02 (822 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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Still, when you look at the chronological history of canister vacs in North America, there were at least 3 manufacturers offering a deluxe power nozzle canister by 1960: Electrolux, Lewyt and Whirlpool. Singer and Sunbeam were offering deluxe canisters with air-driven turbo nozzles by that time. The question was: why did Hoover and Eureka wait until 1973 to offer a power nozzle with a canister vac? My guess would be that Eureka thought they were offering a comparible cleaning solution with the Vibra-Beat carpet nozzle all through the 1960’s. And it could be that Hoover thought of itself as the inventor of the upright vacuum - why bother adding a power nozzle to a canister if the consumer was willing to buy a separate upright just for carpets?

So my theory is by 1970, after Consumer Reports showed that the Vibra Beat nozzle was providing “much ado about nothing”, Eureka realized the Vibra Beat could not offer a comparably clean carpet and they decided to replace it with an electrified power nozzle to compete with the better performers being made by Electrolux and Kenmore (Whirlpool). Once Eureka started selling very good power nozzle canisters, Hoover needed to keep up with the competition. I think the PowerMatic nozzles came out a year later in 1974.


Post# 448850 , Reply# 30   12/26/2021 at 20:29 (822 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

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Don't forget the carpet we had by then too! Sculpted and Shag!! Yeah baby!

Post# 448852 , Reply# 31   12/26/2021 at 21:11 (822 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

eurekaprince's profile picture
Yes!!! I can just imagine those Vibra Beat nozzles getting completely clogged up with long groovy hippie hair and thick shag fibres! Vibra Beat could not handle the beatnik generation….😆


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