Arlee finds a coffee pot

[electrolux137]

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Arlee found this beautiful, vintage General Electric 10 cup Coffee Maker Model A1SSP10 at Goodwill yesterday. It's in 100% perfect condition, never used. The only things missing were the original carton & paperwork.

I'm not sure exactly how old it is. G.E. made many "variations on this theme" for many years. But based on the orange plastic mini-basket parts and the graphics thereon I'm going to guess late 1960s - early 1970s.

Best part: He only paid $10.00 for it!

[this post was last edited: 2/24/2014-19:39]

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Such a deal!!!!!!

Beautiful appliance.... American pride. Yay!!!

 

[paul]

Congrats to Arlee on his purchase.

I also recently purchased one at a thrift store that is definitely older. It's Cat. No. is A3P15. There is also another number arbitrarily stamped on the bottom that is either 1038 or 038. Anyway, it has a metal brewing basket, a dial for strength of coffee, a clear knob and calligraphic letters for "Immersible", "Mild" and "Strong". Whenever I see Helvetica letters on yours ("Mild", "Strong") I also think late '60s or '70s.

I paid $5 for it on half-price day.

I don't have a camera, but I did just find a similar coffee percolator online like mine:

 

[danemodsandy]

I Think:

There's more metal in that coffee pot than appliance manufacturers put into a whole washing machine nowadays.

 

[arh1953]

Congratulations to Arlee and you!

Goodwill employees are clueless. I think they unpack NIB vintage appliances and throw out all the paperwork, because the "buyers don't want it". I found the same pot here, nice, but not as nice as yours!

 

[tolivac]

I don't use coffee-but that coffee pot is beautiful!!!Would just use it to look at.

 

[suckolux]

Really nice! My aunt had that pot, I want to say around 66??

 

[electrolux137]

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I made our first pot of coffee in the G.E. WOWWWWWWW!!! It makes incredibly good coffee! I like my coffee strong, so I set the control to its strongest setting which perturbed Arlee a bit -- he likes coffee that looks more like hot tea. But he took a sip and said, "Oh Wow! That's really good!" So we're both quite pleased with it. It's a very quiet coffee pot -- you can barely hear the "gurgling."

I don't drink coffee too often because it tends to give me heartburn. It's most often a Saturday morning treat.

 

[luxman107]

Nothing makes better coffee than the good old fashion percolators. We have a couple mid century coffee percolators. Love the sound and aroma of them perking

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Me too.

I might drink 5 cups a YEAR!. I have a Sunbeam percolator, a Westbend Urn (for large parties), and about 6 HOOVERs. I love to smell coffee. I also like that little "perk" sound.

 

[kenkart]

I love to sMELL it perking..

But it tastes VILE to me, I cant stand anything with even a hint of coffee in it, but Donald will drink it occasionally ,and company always drinks it.I hardly ever drink anything but sweet iced tea. Im a true product of the South! LOL

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I love iced tea as well

There's a CERTAIN kind around here...........................

 

[jfalberti]

I'm watching eBay for

either a Presto SuperSpeed or a Hoover percolator.  The Presto is the one my family had when I was growing up, and it makes good coffee.  The Hoover percolator is a re-badged Presto, so I would be happy with either one of them.

 

[jmurray01]

<span style="font-family: times new roman,times;">What a beautiful machine!  I have still yet to try percolated coffee, but I will soon - just need to find a nice percolator at the right price.
</span>

 

[danemodsandy]

Jamie:

If you're looking for a percolator on your side of the pond, Russell Hobbs made some of the most beautiful ones seen anywhere. It will always be one of my regrets that they are not usable here, because of our 110-120v American mains power. I owned one for a while that turned up in a flea market in Atlanta, but could never use it. I've no idea how it made its way across the Atlantic to be sold for a pittance. I sold it on as a film prop eventually.

Here's a Russell Hobbs perc - just like the one I owned - in brushed stainless with a wood handle and knob. The U.K. eBay site has this one and a lot of others for sale:

 

[vacosaurus]

I had three stove top stainless steel percolator pots from the 40's or 50's hanging around for years and never used them. But after reading about percolators here I cleaned them up and figured out how to use them. Had to play with the amount of coffee to use per cup ( 1/8 cup coffee ) per 6 oz. cup of water which is a little over a big tablespoon and perk it for ten minutes. This seems to work best with my pots. I found if you perk to long it gets bitter. One pot is a Revere ware. One is a Flint and the third is a Lewis Pot. They are all stainless. It is amazing with this old technology there is no waste. The pot last indefinetly, the coffee grounds you can compost them. With the latest craze the ( Kuerig ) coffee maker you throw a lot of little plastic coffee containers in the dump to sit there for hundreds of years. Plus the plastic machines will be thrown in the dump some day to sit there with the Mr. Coffee machines that Joe Dimaggio hawked and all the other brands of plastic drip coffee makers times that by millions of people and there is a lot of stuff in the dump. Makes you think If you really want a green society what people could be taught that is low tech that yields big savings for the enviroment. It's not just the sound byte ( Windmills and Solar panels)That some people use over and over in their speach's. Bill,

 

[danemodsandy]

Bill:

You are so right about the inherent, obscene wastefulness of many coffeemakers made since percolators were last popular.

Two tips about using stovetop percs:

1) Eight minutes is about right for perking time with most models.

2) Do not center the perc on the burner - put it over to one side, to protect the handle. OCD people who insist on centering the pot on the burner end up with a scorched or melted handle on their perc.

 

[vacosaurus]

Danemodsandy tips

I figured your second tip out myself about not centering the stove top percolator on burner to avoid scorching or damaging handle.I have a couple of other pots that are really nice but someone burnt the handles on them. Also worth mentioning is to turn down the heat after it starts to perk good you only need enough heat to keep the perk going. Bill,

 

[sleepdoc]

Beautiful appliance

Charles, what did you use before you found this vintage brewer? I like strong coffee, as well, but I've always had only drip-style coffee makers (Mr. Coffee until I was around 6, then Bunn ever since). When Keurig and K-cups became popular and ubiquitous at stores, I bought one and got used to the different taste. I love the convenience of the Keurig single-cup quantity in the early morning before work, but I freely admit that the flavor of an equivalent type of coffee is better from the Bunn. Are you using the new vintage find daily now, or do you use something you had before?

 

[electrolux137]

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I have a Jet-O-Matic that I also like very much. I've actually been using a Jet-O-Matic for a long time and have had several of them over the years.

 

[jmurray01]

<span style="font-family: times new roman,times;">I will have to look into that Sandy, although my heart is set on a Hoover model - but I know that will be very expensive as it would have to be shipped over from the USA.</span>


 


<span style="font-family: times new roman,times;">Couldn't you have gotten a power transformer for that Russell Hobbs?  You can get them here and they allow you to plug in an American appliance with the corresponding plug and 110V set-up and the box transforms it to run on 240V.  </span>


 


<span style="font-family: times new roman,times;">
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[danemodsandy]

Jamie:

I could have done that, but it seemed rather silly to spend so much money just to have the experience of using a U.K. percolator for a while, when there are so many perfectly good American ones around.

Also, doing that takes a step-UP transformer (turning American 110-120v. mains power into U.K. 240v), rather than the step-DOWN transformer needed to use American products on U.K. mains power. Step-up transformers are generally more expensive, and shorter-lived than step-down transformers.

It was all a bit complicated and expensive, and the coffee would have tasted the same as from any American perc. It didn't seem worth the effort, as lovely as the Russell Hobbs pot was.

 

[tolivac]

Step up,step down-a transformer can be used either way-you have to wire it and provide the proper cables and outlets.If the transformer is used within its ratings-it doesn't matter.At work we have a transformer that can be used to step up 120V to 240V or the other way 'round-its rated for 2200W.It is used in our electronics shop.Some ham operators use surplus pole pig transformers-and some broadcast transmitters,too-to step 240V to 2500 or 4160V rectify it and use it as a HV plate supply for a power tube in a RF power amp.Been done for years!

 

[danemodsandy]

Rex:

Like I say - all that just to get a cup of coffee I could get from any percolator that would work on 110-120v?

 

[paul]

Re: G-E percolators

If I have figured correctly the Cat No. (thinking it is short for "Category") includes the model identification. Example: On the first of my percolators the Cat No. reads "A3 P15"--the model being P15; and on the other percolator the Cat No. is A11 CM11--with the model being CM11. Thought I'd point that out, because I thought the Cat No. was synonymous with the model identification.

**Please let me know if anyone makes/carries GLASS knob replacements that are IDENTICAL to the originals. Also, the P15 is missing the basket top (spreader), so I need to locate a replacement.**

I contacted G-E, and discovered they had sold their small appliance division to Black & Decker in 1984. From then through 1987 G-E appliances were branded as Black & Decker products. Now, a company called Farnsworth Hill Company/Spectrum Brands, Inc. owns Black & Decker but does not carry parts for G-E's vintage small appliances. Supposedly, a company called Applica Consumer Products, Inc. carries some of the parts for G-E small appliances (according to G-E's small appliance website) but not percolators--at least not mine.

Interestingly, the current model of G-E percolators, 169185, is marketed in Canada by Wal-Mart Canada Corp.

Anyway, below is a photo of the generic Fitz-All glass knobs I have found at hardware stores. There is also a plastic version that looks identical to the original--at least from the sketch--available on Amazon.com.

I am also wondering what brand/type of coffee people use in their percolators and if you use paper filters inside the baskets. I have read that freshly ground coffee beans are best.

 

[paulg]

Two GE percolators here

I am a coffee drinker. My two coffeemakers are a 1960 GE-Universal percolator and the 1970's GE Mini-Basket / Peek-A-Brew unit similar to yours shown.
I bought the 1960 GE easily ten or twelve years ago. Mint/unused at the Salvation Army. It has been used virtually everyday.
Along the way, my Sister gave me a very good brand of drip coffeemaker as a gift. It fell apart within the year and the casing yellowed. Chinese junk.
Back to the GE. Great American quality. Can't beat it.

 

[brad845]

So the cords on most percs are replaceable? When I bought this house there was a perc inside but someone cut the cord for copper. Its now out in the building in storage as the previous owners never wanted any of the stuff left. I have looked at many thrift stores, but due to my location nothing really nice ever shows up. In fact I have only ever saw 3 vacuum cleaners at the stores around here, in which I own 2 that I did find.

 

[brad845]

Here is mine, the lid is somewhere's around here .. I need to find a cord now and try this thing out! Also a General Electric 5P3

 

[NewEnglander]

Here is my brand new Genneral Electric Immersible I found this one brand new in the box. Makes the best coffee and love that it can go right in soapy water for cleaning.