Clements Built Belknap Bluegrass Junior

[hoover300]

Well this is a first. And local too! I wonder if they did an upright

 

[centralsweeper63]

Very cool.

 

[madman]

How'd you know it was made by Clements? I mean, yeah it was. It looks identical to the Cadillac handheld that I have. It seems they were very open to making vacs for other companies. They did usually say Clements on the model tag, though.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I wonder if it is a copy. It looks too similar to be similar though.

 

[hygiene903]

I've never seen one of those before, but yes, it does look identical to a Cadillac. And Clements did indeed make vacuums for other companies, as did Apex, Bertman, Royal, and several others.
Jeff

 

[centralsweeper63]

It is funny that Bertman had vacuums made for them and made vacuums for others. Cool.

 

[cheesewonton]

It is funny that Bertman had vacuums made for them and made vacuums for others. Cool.

I was not aware of Bertman buying vacuums from another company for sale under their name. Bertman Electric made vacuums for Kenmore until they were bought out by Whirlpool in 1957 or so. Not sure who else Bertman Electric made vacuums for but someone here will know.

 

[huskyvacs]

Oh wow, can't say it doesnt look like every other brands' hand vacs of the time.

Let me make a guess here;

E BG HC 29104

electric, blue grass, hand cleaner ? 104th day of 1929 (April 14, 1929)?


Belknap Hardware was one of the largest hardware companies in rural America in the early 1900s. The company's headquarters was in Louisville. They sold several lines of tools and home products under brand names John Primble, Pine Knot, and Blue Grass.

If anyone can look for these "Want books" / catalogs from 1929 and up, it likely might be in them somewhere.



What you found is a hardware store's private label hand vacuum, that's pretty rare, especially with original bag! Likely was sold to farmers to hoover out their town cars before church and market day, that's the only time a man would be vacuuming in those days! lol

 

[centralsweeper63]

In those days if men vacuumed anything other than the car or workshop they were considered gay.

 

[hygiene903]

It is funny that Bertman had vacuums made for them and made vacuums for others. Cool.

Think you misunderstood me there, Elliot. Bertman did NOT have vacuums made for them, THEY MADE vacuums for other companies, especially Kenmore, for Sears, until Bertman was bought out by Whirlpool.
Jeff

 

[centralsweeper63]

Oh I see, sorry, thanks for the correction.

 

[cheesewonton]

Think you misunderstood me there, Elliot. Bertman did NOT have vacuums made for them, THEY MADE vacuums for other companies, especially Kenmore, for Sears, until Bertman was bought out by Whirlpool.
Jeff

Curious who else Birtman made vacuums for? Did they sell under their own name?

 

[huskyvacs]

Curious who else Birtman made vacuums for? Did they sell under their own name?

They sold their vacuums through distributors too. My Bee Vac has a Goll & Frank Co. nameplate on it stating where the vacuum was sold through and the name of the vacuum, which is different from the factory nameplate.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Very cool!

 

[dysonman1]

In those days if men vacuumed anything other than the car or workshop they were considered gay.

There were probably thousands of porters and janitors in those days as well as decades before and after would disagree with you. Men certainly did vacuum. They invented them. They had to install the huge central vacuums and then use them in the huge buildings in New York for example.
And there certainly were probably quite a few vacuum cleaner salesmen who spent a good portion of their lives vacuuming and selling vacuums to other people. Not to mention the engineers who worked for the manufacturers who designed them. Most of their days were spent vacuuming too.