being stalked by GE

[aeoliandave]

The word must be out or I'm being sent a cosmic message to turn my attentions to the GE family of domestic appliances. This was on my porch this morning with a nice note from Shirley next door who moved out last weekend.

"Dear Dave. Popped over last night but you weren't home. I came by to finish cleaning up the house. Didn't get a chance to tell you but I suddenly bought a little house up in Milverton after all these years of renting. Leaving early Saturday morning. Thought about your vacuum collection and maybe you would like this floor polisher. If not, I hope you won't mind dropping it off at Goodwill for me since I don't know when I'll be back in Stratford. It's been a lovely 4 years being your neighbor so I hope the next tennents here are as good as I was. Shirley McC."

Shirley is a single Mom of late 40s who has been making her way on & off of Welfare after dumping her husband 20 years ago, when she decided to become a house cleaner for the 'better' folks on the north side of the river. I understand that she choked back a lot of demeaning and demanding treatment over there. I got her on to doing housework for Festival Theatre Actors in rental residences each season, who are notoriously too busy to attend to that sort of thing themselves. Her reputation for efficiency and discretion grew to the point that she was able to say bye bye to her less desireable Rich Clod Clients across the river. She now has a regular stable of Actors Living in Large Houses year 'round. I'm so pleased to know she's made it up and away. Shirl is a Tough Ol' Broad of the Eve Arden type.

Had to take it apart and clean up the bits. My, it's a purty pink & chrome GE Model CS15B. Only my second stand alone upright polisher so technicly I'm not collecting them...yet. I don't see any point in dropping it off to Goodwill when it can keep the Hotpoint polisher company, right?

What year is it, do we think? Late 50s? Early 60s? 70s?

More pics later today.

 

[petek]

Nice. I guess you didn't notice I have one as well. It was in my workshop/furnace room behind all those vacs behind the door LOL It's chrome and white rubber bumper. model cs21 though it looks pretty much identical mine says Floating Brush Action scripted on the front chrome. Mom had the most common GE in army green growing up in the 50's.. Yours is probably late 50's as well, the more deluxe model. Whereas mine is even later. They later changed to plastic covers in the 70's
I've also got a Sunbeam, a 3 Brush Kenmore, and the Electrolux 3 brush red one that matches the Z88 vac. There's a nice green plastic Hoover one downtown at the flea market. I've managed so far to leave it there and it's in good condition...

 

[arh1953]

So now you are Canada's General Electric product magnet. Congratulations! I need to find something like that myself, I haven't seen but maybe two of any floor polishers in the last several years. I of course would like to find a GE myself, as I collect all GE products. I need something for this old brown carpeting, that hopefully wouldn't chew the pile out. Can't wait to see pictures and sorry you're losing a good neighbor, but gaining a GE.

 

[aeoliandave]

Pair of Polishers

Whoops, I started this thread in the wrong forum.

The Hotpoint is Model HCS11, made in Canada distributed by the RCA Victor Company, Ltd. It's painted a deep rich Oxblood Red with the outer cheeks painted a slightly lighter shade, as the picture shows. Subtle two-toneing.

The GE is Model CS15 B, made in Barrie, Ontario by The Canadian General Electric Company, Ltd. It's handle is painted a creamy beige with polished chrome on steel one piece die-stamped houseing. Orangish pink handle and bumper. Both polishers also have the lamb'swool buffer pads.

 

[crevicetool]

Wonderful story Dave

It sounds like you were a part of your neighbor being able to buy a house. The story was a little more impressive right now than the machine for me. I hope your new neighbors are good folks too.

 

[arh1953]

Your Hotpoint polisher is shaped like the GE for $69.00 on eBay. As much as I want one, I'm not paying that for it.

 

[aeoliandave]

You're right, Alan. Its the exact same machine as the Hotpoint,same rubber bumper strip, only in two tone turquoise. And it's in Niagara Falls NY only 2 hours away from me. But at that silly price I'll just watch it go unsold and perhaps the seller will come to their senses. Sure is a pretty GE logo plate.

 

[petek]

That's definitely an early to mid 50's machine like the one mom had now that I see it compared to the chrome ones.

 

[aeoliandave]

Well, Pete, if this one gets the re-listing at $.99 it deserves and I ended up getting it then I would officially be collecting polishers. LOL It would make for interesting brand connections standing beside the Hotpoint. And it is Turquoise!

 

[aeoliandave]

GE manufacture particulars

 

[arh1953]

I love the chrome job! I'll be looking for that or the Glade Green early '60s model.

 

[aeoliandave]

Hotpoint particulars

So...Two tone oxblood red Hotpoint, made in Canada ( by GE? ). distributed in Canada by RCA Victor, while the same machine in two tone blue branded GE was sold in USA? mmmmm....

 

[petek]

That is a mystery. It's obviously a GE floor polisher. My guess as to why it was distributed by RCA in Canada is something to do with Canadian protectionism. GE as well as other US appliance companies had to actually manufacture their products in Canada to avoid high import duties so they set up separate Canadian companies such as CGE (Canadian General Electric) which used the US patents/designs etc. However GE (USA) also owned Hotpoint and Hotpoint was a separate divison of GE (USA) if not a totally separate company but wholly owned by GE (USA) in the legal sense. When Canadian General Electric was incorporated in Canada the Hotpoint Co. or division probably wasn't part of the equation and would have been considered in Canada to be a totally separate company regardless of what it was in the US therefor in order to sell Hotpoint in Canada they had to be manufactured here so Canadian General Electric actually manufactured the machines in Canada in the same factory but distributed them thru a 3rd party RCA in order to avoid protectionist Canadian laws. In other words the Hotpoint machines were legally NOT GE machines but only manufactured by them under contract from RCA Canada as another player in the polisher business.. Had GE Canada wanted to manufacture and sell them in Canada they would have had to incorporate a whole new Hotpoint Company so it was probably easier to just pay RCA to distribute them. Basically it was just skirting Canadian foreign investment rules to protect Canadian business against much larger US companies. Dunno if that makes any sense.

 

[aeoliandave]

Fascinating back story, Pete. And sounds like sober logic to me, no matter how twisted.

 

[aeoliandave]

Being stalked? No, being manipulated from beyond...commanded

Sometimes I'm oblivious to what's right in front of me...

This is the lamp attached to the shelf over the monitor that lights up the keyboard area; been staring me in the face over the computer since the WIN 3.1 days.

It's the fluorescent lamp shroud trim off a GE stove I salvaged well over 25 years ago and turned into a desk lamp. Replaced the fluorescent guts with a 18" long 60 watt GE Lumiline incandescent end-to-end filament tube and rotary dimmer. The socket end connectors are large male snap fasteners that mate with female indentations in the glass tube end caps and it is of course, infinitly dim-able. A lot of kitchens in my neighborhood growing up had these, also available in 9" 40 watt tubes. The bulbs have become quite expensive now - $19 for a 60 watter but this one has been burning for 4 years. Also installed them behind milk glass panels above and below the built-in 3 mirror medicine chest to aid in beard trimming under the chin.

I'm sure Americans had these GE Lumiline fixtures, too?