1935-36 Apex Restoration...found!!!!!

[rugmaster37]

Apex in action!!!!

Hi Jack,

What a wonderful gesture. I forget that you recorded so many wonderful moments while you were over here visiting...and vacuuming.

I have wondered if it was available elsewhere. Meaning ovrseas. I believe that Doug's AWESOME site shows the Canadian built version, but it was called an Apex.

So......it was sold as a Vactric huh? Wow, and the fact that the TOL model was called the Air-Flo, totally coincides with my thinking that the machine LOOKS like a Chrysler Airflow automobile from the same time period.

Will look forward to the video. And thank's so much for the thought. How cool!!! It's one thing to use it, it's totally another to see someone else use a machine. Gives you a completly different perspective for sure!


Chad

Ann Arbor Michigan

 

[vintagehoover]

From 'Sunco' catalogue

I believe this page was originally scanned by our very own Simon (74simon). This is a cropped, sharpened and enlarged version to make the text and illustrations a little clearer.

They have some brilliant feature names;
'Shaddolite'
'Prestoe' - height adjustment
'Witchway' handle, etc.

They must be pretty rare, I don't know anyone who has one of these cleaners.

 

[vintagehoover]

And, as promised...

...your video!

 

[rugmaster37]

Apex in action!!!!

Wow, the star of the show is the Apex/Vactric upright with the "Whichway" handle.

You know I haven't run it once since I got home form the convention. Isn't that sad....

I know what I'm a gonna do when I get home....LOL

Thanks again Jack, I do appreciate it!!!


Chad


Ann Arbor Michigan

 

[chestermikeuk]

Apex Vactric

Great restoration Chad, and so smoothe n quiet in action, just goes to show whats old is new with the "Swivel" feature!!!

Heres a pic on that lovely ballroom carpet, they both look like they`ve been on steroids!!! enjoy, Mike

 

[rugmaster37]

lovely ballroom carpet......

Ah Mike,

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. LOL! years ago I was the "assistant head housekeeper" for Holiday Inn in Lansing Michigan. Keeping those carpets like the ballroom carpet that we played on was NOT fun. You wouldn't believe how much dirt those weaves can hold.

During ANY steam cleaning of our carpets in the Holidome ( the recreation center) or in the hallways, the return water in the industrial steamers would literally turn to thick muddy sludge. This of course was with regular ddaily vacuuming. I had a staff of three that just took care of public area carpets.

They do both however look like they are on steroids, the vacuum and the carpet..

I wonder if we as a group are still the talk of the McKinley Grand???


Chad

 

[truckerx]

Chad....

Does your Apex have a model name or number?

 

[rugmaster37]

Does your Apex have a model name or number?

Hi Bernie,

Yes I believe that like the Vactric Model that Jack Copp so awesomely found a catalog picture of, and poted here on the forum above, was called the AirFlo here in the US as well. But that would unfortunatly coincide with General Electric calling many of it's models "AirFlo" as well.

So in that there is a mystery?????

The model number of the Apex is 120.

As far as I know, and BTW I have never seen an advertisement for this particular Apex I have here; I do have in fact, a Monkey Ward's Catalog from 1939-40 featuring their Wards badged Apex's, washer, ironers, vacuums etc..

In this catalog they reffer to their "Wards Supreme Upright" as the "Air-Washer". There are subtle differences in the Wards line,as compared to the Apex I have such as:

They offer their "Supreme" for $31.45 plus your old cleaner, which featured my machine, with a different headlight grille (imagine all the louvers going up and down, rather than side to side like on mine). The machine also does not have the "Gooseneck" or "WhichWay" Handle mechanism like we've seen on mine, and the one that came on the Vactric AirFlo.

They had a second machine similar to the Supreme called the Standard for $24.95 , which had no second speed, no headlight no ball bearing wheels and a three position height adjuster rather than a seven as on the Supreme.

Then they had a machine called the Wards Special, for like $21.45, which looked nothing like the "Air-Washer" models, but yet looked like any old school looking horizontal motor upright dfrom that time period.

No attachments were offered with any of the uprights. Like Jacks catalog page, all of them suggested the hand cleaner like the one his catalog page suggests. Which looks in size and purpose a period Singer hand vac so to speak, with a gaggle of useful,and some useless attachments. The hand cleaner retailed for $12.95

Too much info???

Sorry guys...

I just like to talk or type!!!


Chad

Ann Arbor Michigan

 

[truckerx]

Chad...

It all makes sense to me. Thanks for the posting.

 

[vintagehoover]

Forgot I had this!

The patent for the Apex swivel-joint handle: