A Pre War Gem, An 80s Powerhouse, and Some Woodgrain Beauty

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opelgtkarl

opelgtkarl

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Messages
314
Location
Puyallup, Washington
So this weekend’s cleaning was done thanks to Sears and Roebuck! This past week I managed to find a very nice 1918 Energex by Birtman. Being that this model is 100 years old, it deserved a cleaning and polishing. It also still has its original lightbulb plug! The next machine was one that I found yesterday was a beautiful and hardly used Kenmore Heavy Duty Twin Fan upright. They really are amazing machines that groom the carpet very well! The final machine that I used today to do my dining room is my Kenmore Magicord that I found a couple months ago. All wonderful vacuum cleaners! Enjoy the pics!

opelgtkarl-2020062821075504909_1.jpg

opelgtkarl-2020062821075504909_2.jpg
 
Love the Energex!

I have one like it but not nearly as nice. It has the later pistol grip too. Does the bag have any writing?
 
The bag

Unfortunately there is no writing on the bag, but from the very few pictures I’ve seen of others, there’s no doubt in my mind that either the writing came off over the century or it never had writing on the bag. Either way, it’s definitely a fun little machine!
 
Wow amazing Energex!

I really like it alot.
The Kenmore I actually like it's sort of got the Hoover commercial eureka the boss feel to it.
The Kenmore is a newer version of the vacuum I despised growing up. I'm sure yours works and it's in great shape.
Les
 
Energex

What a lovely old machine! Here's the Energex page from the 1927 Sears catalog. Interestingly, the handle on yours looks just like the 'Challenge' vacuum they sold as the cheaper (bronze bearing) model. I can get you a higher quality scan if you want.

Neither are advertised with any writing on the bag, but being an 'artistic rendering,' take that with a grain of salt.

I'm curious if it is actually a ball bearing model, or maybe an older model.

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madman-2020062822470308974_2.jpg
 
Energex

Thanks for the comments on the Energex! Mine is a model 6. I managed to find an online auction for an Energex model 6 exactly like mine with the same handle and bag, so I believe mine to be an earlier model. The Energex in the above ad is probably a bit later with that newly designed handle. That would explain why the secondary “challenge” model had the older style handle.

https://www.icollector.com/Energex-Model-G-Sears-Roebuck-Vacuum_i18476682
 
The one in the listing you posted has a spot marked 'oil' so presumably, that'd be older than the 1927 catalog I have, which says it's ball bearing.
 
That sounds about right to me! Either way, all will find a good home in my collection with the rest of the best that Sears has had to offer. Here’s a pic of my earlier Heavy Duty Twin Fan from 1978 that my new 80s one will go with along with my Sour Apple Green Twin Fan!

opelgtkarl-2020062921280305221_1.jpg
 
The light bulb socket that I was referring to is the actual plug to plug the machine in. The machine itself doesn't have a headlight, but the power plug is supposed to screw into a lamp light bulb socket because wall sockets either did not exist or there were not many when this was made.
 
You've got some serious cleaning power there

Does your collection consist mostly of vacuums made for Sears and Roebuck?Very nice, indeed.Do you know if your Magicord is a Canadian model? It looks a lot like my model #2599 Magicord except for the lid being solid brown on yours.
 
My Collection

As far as my collection goes, its not centered on any particular brand. I focus mainly on vacuums that are important to history or to their particular company's history. However, I also adore the machines of the 70's, so I have a large collection of Convertibles. I will always have a love of Kenmores because I used to work for Sears. My collection is pretty eclectic.

As for my Magicord, it is a US made machine. I have the ad for it as well. I actually had to paint the tool door cover because the original had broken before I bought it. However, the owner got a replacement from Sears (when you still could). It was just white, so I painted it to match the wood grain sticker on the top. Originally, it would have been a rust brown color.
 

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