Hoover Lark Model 14 - c.1956

My 1956 Hoover Lark Model 14. Since it was never sold in Britain, and is rare enough in the US, I believe this to be the only one in the country!

About 90,000 of these machines were sold; only half as many as the maroon Model 12.

It's in lovely, all-original condition, with just minor warping to the switchplate. The ball-switch is intact and functional.

I really like this cleaner - design faults aside, it has great cleaning power and an elegant, streamlined design. The narrow rear wheels and the widely-spaced front wheels mean that it steers and pivots very easily, too, as you can see in the video.

I think this would have been a big hit in the UK if it had been available over here - 'A Senior cleaning path with a Junior price tag!', or something...

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Vintage
• Hoover
• Lark
• Model
• 14
• upright
• vacuum
• cleaner
• electric
• suction
• sweeper
• north
• canton
• ohio

[ianmax69]

I could never understand why Hoover didnt sell it in the UK?

[vintagehoover]

As interesting as they were, they were very problematic for Hoover, especially this model. I guess Hoover UK decided it would be enough to use this same colourscheme to update the 119 into the 1224!

[bagpiper325]

kind of looks like a kirby

When was that built.

[vintagehoover]

Mid-1950s.

[celesteraez]

@bagpiper325 probably MUCH better than a Kirby

[HJDodo]

What an Aladdin's cave for someone who likes vacuum cleaners. My first vacuum cleaner looked very much like your Hoover Lark but I know it was called a Junior. It was a reconditioned model and cleaned very well, the only drawbacks were emptying the cloth bag and burning my fingers removing a hot belt to use the cleaning tools. My gran owned the same model as the black Junior you display in the front of your video, it worked for years.

[vacguy99]

another vacuum on my dream machine list...

[dave200w]

hi; i'm dave - would it be possible 4 u 2 upload a vid of mike's electrolux 170 which was previously available a while ago?

[ClassicTVMan81]

I am wondering if Hoover here dropped the Lark upright around 1965 in favor of the U.S.-specification Junior 1330?

The 1330 was superseded by the 1341 in the early '70s, then by the 1348 in the mid '70s, and lastly by the U1025 in the late '70s before Hoover stopped selling anything lower-priced as an upright than their entry-level Convertible unit after about 1980.

[Greenstead]

It looks a bit like a Hoover 1224 Junior.