1957 Apex Strato Cleaner Update..

[kenkart]

Well, It exceeds all my expectations for it, As most of you know Apexes are Holy Grail cleaners for me, thru the generosity of several members here, down thru the years I have found several of their machines, but this one has remained un findable, Other than a small picture in Consumer Reports, i had never even seen one..But Here it is, the all chrome Model 5555 Apex Strato Cleaner, the printing on the side says" Worlds most powerful home cleaner" and trust me, it really is more powerful than most of what is on the market today!

 

[kenkart]

Worlds Most!

Powerful home cleaner!!

 

[kenkart]

APEX!

Strato cleaner!! Now all I need to find is the Dyno Cleaner, their economy model,and I will have them all, Strato ,Aero, and Dyno!

 

[kenkart]

Notice the cord!!!

It is about as heavy as an iron cord...and it still gets warm!!!! This thing really dims the lights!!

 

[suckolux]

Impressive machine!

 

[petek]

So what I'm hearing from you if in fact I've got it right is that this is the apex of vacuum cleaners? LOL

It's definitely a keeper.

 

[hygiene903]

Congrats Hans!

What a wonderful find! Always great to find a "Holy Grail" machine!
Jeff

 

[kirbykid]

jeff i sent you an email about my electro-hygiene and i was wrong about the model. it is a model 94

 

[portable]

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: medium;">That's a beauty, Hans. Congrats in finding it. Apexes seem as rare as hens' teeth. I like the wheeled floor attachment.</span>

 

[kenkart]

Wheeled rug nozzle...

The wheels were an accessory that just bolted on behind the brush,the funny thing is, they are the same wheels used on the Apex uprights.

 

[williamr1248]

1957 Apex Stato Cleaner Update

Hans,
Thanks for the pictures and information on your Apex. I have never seen one and thought it would be one machine I would never get to see.
What a beautiful machine!
I have added a high end German canister and high end bagless canister to my collection and these machines just look and feel a piece of cheap junk compared to your beautiful Apex!
Thank you,thank you,thank you. Great find!

 

[kenkart]

The Reason I am hooked on Apex..

As well as other rare odd machines, I met Craig Long at my first convention, in 1995,he actually is the person responsible for me being in our club, At that time I was working part time in a sewing and vacuum shop in Marion NC for a very nice lady named Billie Scott, she had been in business many years,and I did her sewing and vacuum service work...Anyway, she subscribed to the VDTA magazine...Craig Long had an ad in there wanting vintage vacuums...I called him , he told me about the club, I then got in touch with Alex Tabor and John Lucia, and then Charlie Lester,I joined in 94 one week before the convention, the next year I went to Allentown PA, where I met these people along with several others who became great friends, I knew of Apex vacuums, but Craigs detailed account of this machine made me want one all the more,,and now here it is all these years later and I have one,No one knows what happened to Craig Long, many stories have circulated that he lost everything he had, I really would like to re connect with him, the guys who have been here from the beginning know he was THE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY on vacuum cleaner history!!My favorite memory of Craig was at the 95 convention in St Louis, we were all at Tom Gaskos house and Craig was telling of wanting to do a Drag show as Miss Beverly and his dream was to go on stage with a Lady Kenmore Whispertone !! Tania was there and of course we all fell in love with her from the start..but we were a little concerned how She might react to such carrying on!! We soon learned She accepted us totally and we spent most of that night laughing or head off , both at the thought of miss Beverly, and more so at Clay Floyd who had never seen a Thermax and was introduced to one at Toms, which he quickly made all manner of fun of, the end result being we were all rolling in the floor!!So as I think back to those times so many years ago, I remember hearing of all the vacuums I had never seen, and now I own many of them!! Tania introduced me to Silver Kings and Silver Knights and thanks to her I now have several!! Anyway, just my ramblings about WHY certain machines appeal to me..Hans

 

[compactelectra]

Hans!

Love the story of Miss Beverly.  Hope to meet Craig one day.  Indeed, Tania is a gem.  Of course she lived in LA and has her own stories to tell.  Fabulous Apex.  So tell me, Tania has a green Strato Cleaner with a great story of how she finally worked and worked it out of a former neighbor who she stalked until she got it. 


 


What is the difference between her green one and yours?  Her rug tool doesn't have the wheels.  I found an Apex Aero on Ebay and gave it to Tania for her birthday.  It had the hose but didn't have the tools, but when I gave it to her she said:  "I just happen to have a set of tools in the garage!"  Got to love her.  I swear she figured out who bought it on Ebay and was all ready for me.


 


I am thinking your Strato is chrome and hers is green.  Any other differences?  They do have an incredible amount of suction!  Nothing like it since.


 


Here is Tania with her birthday present - the Apex Aero.  Couldn't have bought her a better present.

[this post was last edited: 12/16/2012-19:39]

 

[kenkart]

Apex Variations..

The Strato Cleaner was the only Apex that used an Apex built and designed motor,The Green model was a 5501, it used a detachable cord very much like a model 30 Electrolux,the wheels were optional and I think it was 10 amps, I have one that has a bad fan, but it is buried in the storage building,im faily sure the Strato was introduced in 1952, several variations followed, but the one I have was made in 1957 and is a model 5555, the main difference is that the housing is about 1 inch higher than the older one, the reason for this is to keep more airflow around the bag instead of it setting directly on the motor filter, as far as I know, the Apex company was sold to the White sewing machine company in late 57 or early 58, but im not sure of the date, also the Apex vacuums were on the market until 1962 or 63, If someone knows exactly I sure would appreciate the info...also Tanias Aero Cleaner is unique, as I have two Aero Cleaners that are SWIVEL TOP machines, and one very early one that has the hose coming out of the front, but has STEEL BALL BEARINGS for wheels!!!MW sold one very similar that I would do just about anything for!

 

[floor-a-matic]

Nice Apex.

I'm hoping to find one soon.

Were the Strato Cleaners produced in limited quantities like the Lux 1956 Thrift model?

 

[rugsucker]

Hans,

Good to see you were able to find something the seller didn't--chrome polish!( Did I see a Dyno on top of a certain 1961 Frigidare Imperial beside a GE Swivel Top???),Jimmy

 

[kenkart]

Strato production...

As far as I know, they were produced in quantity just like everthing else, the problem was, it was a store vacuum that cost more than nearly all the door to door vacs so naturally it was not a best seller!...150.00 in 1957, when an Electrolux was 89.95!!!

 

[kenkart]

Hey Jimmy!!!

You better HIDE that Dyno cleaner..LOL!

 

[dial-a-nap]

That is a pretty vacuum - of course, it's chrome! I know Tania has a couple of Apex models but I don't think I've ever used one. I love a vacuum that dims the lights!

I assume these are bagged cleaners, do you have a supply of bags? The machine itself is a compact size - were the wheels optional or was there a carriage that isn't on Tania's Strato model?