BEE ELECTRIC COMPANY "AMERICAN"

[jutte]

Thanks for letting me join!
I have just bought an old Vacuum Cleaner and really like to know more about it and this seems to be the place of knowledge.
I live in Sweden and this machine is sold in Sweden sign says BEE ELECTRIC COMPANY STOCKHOLM C. "AMERICAN" IMPORT.
The cord seems a little bit old so I have not tested it.

 

[dysonman1]

That's a very interesting design. I know of only one other vacuum that exhausts the air the way yours does. I don't think it was ever sold in America and I also don't think it's a Bee Vac (that's a vintage US manufacturer with the word "Bee" in their name). I'm sorry I have no information on this very unique machine.

 

[watsonw]

Hello and welcome.

I think that looks very similar to the SILOVAC upright which I am sure is from the 1920s. Looks more like a european format than usa?

You have a very stylish machine and I imagine quite rare, good condition too.


Regards, Walter, UK.

 

[watsonw]

German I think

......even a bit like a competitor to the AEG VAMPYR??

 

[madman]

A very strange and beautiful old machine.

Does it say 220 watts and 110 volts? Good thing you didn't plug it in. I wonder if that's correct? Because 220 watts is pathetic as it is, if the numbers are backwards, 110 watts is laughable.

But yeah, it looks like it says 110 volts. Don't plug it in!

 

[huskyvacs]

The left tag says 220w. The right tag says 100-110v, which is common for old motors.

"Stockholm C." is likely "Stockholm City", which was what Stockholm, Sweden was named back in the 1800's going through the 1900's.

I found something about a Bee Electric Company in Stockholm;

https://sok.riksarkivet.se/?ValdSor...olag/1935:&page=91&postid=Bolag_8607&tab=post

I'm not sure what Sweden ran on in the early 1900s, so not sure why it is set up that way. Does it have a Euro plug?

Do not plug it in without a step down transformer on your outlet to convert 220v to 110v.

The vacuum looks like it was restored at some point in its life, so the cord is likely a reproduction. If it is all original in that shape, that is an amazing find. Unwrap the cord from the hooks and see if it is stiff. If the cord is stiff as a rock and wont flex, then I would not attempt to use it without a rewire, but save the original cord with it for the future if you sell it. But again, do not plug it in without a step down transformer/converter.

 

[jutte]

Volt?

Sweden have used 220 volt from the begining so why this machine is 110 volt volt is confusing?
The electric plug on this machine is an old standard plug that fits in normal swedish 220 volt outlet.
Found some pictures of a the same brand at the Swedish Technical Museum, probably made in the US according to the museum.
https://digitaltmuseum.se/021026327681/dammsugare

 

[electromatik]

Very unique machine

There was a U.S.A. company called the Bee Electric Company. They were popular in the early 1900's. They sold vacuums in N. America under the Bee-Vac brand name. The machine you possess looks close to these machines, but as you can see in the link below, the bee-Vac sold in the U.S. had a side-mounted back rather than in the back. I'm not sure why those exported or sold to Europe would have had a back-mounted bag design but perhaps that was routine in Europe at the time. One thing's for certain, it has to be a 1920's model.

 

[collector2]

I'm curious as to what pins are on the connection to the motor - European or North American? As for the voltage. I can't say for certain about Sweden but a number of European countries (France and England included) had 110 V in a few areas before stuff was standardized at 220V. It could have been made to be sold in one of those areas.

 

[madman]

Even America had mixed voltages back in the very early days of electricity. So did most of Europe. This machine is VERY old, it would not surprise me if it really is 110 volts. Now, the cord looks like it has been replaced. I could be wrong, but it does not look original. It's possible someone has modified this machine to run on 220 volts. Still, if you want to run it, find someone with a step-down transformer (a real one, not one of those little bricks for laptop chargers) or a variac. In other words, make sure it is 220v. Or wait, do you have those 110v electric shaver outlets in your bathrooms like the Brits do? That might work.

 

[real1shep]

If it is 110V then it's probably 50Hz(Europe) instead of 60Hz.....which will be another problem.

Kevin

 

[jutte]

Thanks for input!

Thanks for all the valubele input about this old vacuumcleaner!
Does it have any value?

 

[electrolux137]

~
~


How much did you pay for it?


 

 

[hoover300]

https://www.grpmcollections.org/Detail/objects/128777
Reply no. 2 here(FA English) https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?41530_27

American versions, Bee model A patent and Bee model D. No known whole examples exist for models A-C, but the D exists in that museum, and I own the motor to either a C or a D.

 

[hoover300]

Reply 6, the middle pic in the scanned page. 2nd from the left. https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?20754

 

[hoover300]

This appears to be designed by the same company that made the Australian Silovac, Watson is right. 6th pic in this article https://illawarramuseum.wordpress.com/category/silovac/