Early Kenmore Deluxe

[vacmadman]

Anna is all done

Again I got to say how lucky I was to get this Kenmore Deluxe. Everything on this old Kenmore is original except for the two rivets in the front holding the bumper in place. The bag cleaned up beautifully and is in like new condition.

Anna is a great addition to my collection.

Jim

 

[justjunque]

Beautiful machine, and beautiful job!

 

[hoover300]

Looks amazing!

Here is the first one https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...wse_serp:0f744bac-00ed-43f0-85c6-826a2bde84af

 

[vacmadman]

Group shot

I thought I would share a group shot of the Kenmore's. I would like to thank everyone for your comments, Help and support.

Jim[this post was last edited: 6/12/2023-16:22]

 

[kwalsh97214]

Great Kenmore Trio

Somebody is a proud papa -- and I do not blame you.

 

[lesinutah]

Nice

Good job on the kenmore. That's a nice trio on kenmores to your entourage

 

[hoover300]

Looks like you need the black trim automatic!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2256158096...V5vvFTKpAxiN8LvTwLa7mt0A==|tkp:Bk9SR_SDr7eWYg

 

[kirbylux77]

Jim, congratulations! The Kenmore Deluxe turned out beautiful . And great trio of Kenmore's there too, you should be proud of them.

 

[vacmadman]

Thanks so much!

I would like to thank Jeff for sending me a copy of page 526 from the 1935 Sears catalog showing the Kenmore Deluxe. This will be wonderful to add to my records. Something interesting I noticed was the Kenmore model 19 looks just like my Apollo.

If I'm not mistaken the Kenmore's were made by the Brittman company for Sears. My Apollo was also made by Brittman, so I'm not surprised to see a Kenmore look alike. The story goes that if you bought 500 or more units from Brittman they would put your company name and logo on the vacuums badge and bag. My Apollo has serial number 735 on it. So I'm "guessing" that there were only 1000 Apollo's made, but who really knows.

Side note: $35.95 in 1935 was equivalent to $798.06 today, and in 1935 an American consumer could purchase a new Ford "Deluxe" touring Sedan for $655.00 which is equal to $14,508.00 today.

Thanks again Jeff!

Jim [this post was last edited: 6/16/2023-14:24]

 

[vacmadman]

Question answered

When I first saw the bag for this Kenmore, I noticed a small line towards the bottom of the bag that looked out of place, and I wondered why it was there. After reading the Sears ad Jeff sent me, I got the simple answer. It's called the "Dust line" that shows when the bag should be emptied. I should have known...lol.

Jim

 

[hoover300]

I found this other higher end Apollo. I wonder if anyone got it?
https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?15004


Birtman has been private labeling vacs since the 1910s. I have an old ad showing the same odd looking Birtman vac sold under 2 different names from around 1915. I'll have a look later. I'd LOVE to find either the 1930s handheld or upright Birtman "Magnetic"

 

[hygiene903]

You're Welcome Jim!

So glad to be able to help. And just remembered someone who might have even more info for you. Although I haven't seen any posts from him in a while, Steve Holvay, aka Beevac here in Vacuumland, is pretty much our resident expert on Kenmore and Birtman up until Birtman was bought out by Whirlpool. His email is [email protected]. He could probably give you the years of production of your Kenmores and other helpful info. And yes, all three of your kenmores are absolutely beautiful!
Jeff

 

[vacmadman]

You were right!

Hoover300

You were right when you said "Looks like you need the black trim automatic" I won that Automatic and it will be on the way here soon. I bought another Kenmore to complete my Automatic, witch came without a bag, and the original black handle grip was damaged as was the bumper trim as well.

I'm looking forward to getting this I'm hoping the condition of the replacement parts are in good shape. Picture #1 is the Kenmore I used for parts with the Automatic. I will start a new thread about it when it arrives. I also have a 1935 Kenmore Jr. Deluxe on it's way. So I will have both the Kenmore Deluxe and the Jr. Deluxe as well.

Jim

 

[kwalsh97214]

Congratulations

Looking forward to your two new projects: Kenmore Automatic and Kenmore Jr. Deluxe.

I read the catalog print ad (posted above a few days ago) for the Deluxe and Jr. Deluxe. Is the Deluxe a bit wider than the Jr. Deluxe? It looked like the Jr. Deluxe had a shorter cord (20 feet vs. 25 feet) and the Jr. did not have a "rite-hite" feature. Are there other differences in the two models? They both look great in the catalog images.

 

[vacmadman]

Hand held

Kevin,

The Kenmore Jr. Deluxe is the small handheld vacuum cleaner.

Jim

 

[kwalsh97214]

My Mistake

Yes, I just watched a Youtube video for a Jr. Deluxe and realized my mistake. Sorry.

 

[hoover300]

Can't wait to see your new finds all finished! I will say, BE CAREFUL taking the belt pulley and fan off the Junior. Its built like a Royal in that, unless you get lucky and nothing is seized, it is very hard to remove the fan without damaging it as there is no real way to stop the rotor.

 

[vacmadman]

Interesting find

After getting the copy of the 1935 Sears catalog page showing the Kenmore Deluxe from Jeff, I decided to buy a copy of the 1936 Sears spring/summer Catalog which also shows the Kenmore Deluxe as their top Vacuum model for that year.

I always thought the Kenmore Imperial came out in 1935, but it turns out that is not the case. Maybe it was 1937? If I can find a copy of the 1937 catalog for the right price I might pick it up and dig a little deeper. Pictured is the ad for the 1936 Deluxe.

Jim

 

[kwalsh97214]

1937 / 1938 Fall / Winter Sears Catalog

I just ordered a 1937 / 1938 Fall/Winter Sears catalog.

Out of 1100 pages there ought to be one page showing their vacuum cleaner line-up.

As soon as I receive the catalog I will scan and post the page showing vacs.

 

[vacmadman]

Thanks

Kevin,

Thanks for doing that...can't wait to see it. I just had a eBay seller send me the vacuum ad from the 1942 Sears spring/summer Catalog, and it was not what I was expecting to see. She said it was the only vacuum ad in that catalog.

 

[rugsucker]

1942 Franklin Supreme

I have never seen or heard of that.I wonder if it was printed before Pearl Harbor when household manufacturing would soon be stopped.

 

[kwalsh97214]

Oh my! Not even an upright vacuum in the 1942 catalog.

We went from vacuums befitting Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to vacuums befitting Andy Hardy.

I remain optimistic that the 1937 / 1938 Sears vacuum selection will be a pleasant surprise.

 

[hoover300]

Found the straight suction version, needs a bag https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...wse_serp:bdafc8a9-714f-4f25-84eb-fa3e2cbed0ab

 

[kwalsh97214]

1937 / 1938 Sears Fall/Winter catalog, page 1000

Here is the vacuum page from the Sears catalog.

I don't know much about vintage vacuums, but I'm guessing the Sears "Automatic" and the Sears "Imperial - Bugeye" must appear in the 1939 catalog?

 

[hoover706]

Cool! Very cool!

Thanks for uploading that picture of the Sears Catalog vacuum page. It really helps me a lot because now I have an idea of when my Kenmore Deluxe was made. The unusual thing is, my Kenmore Deluxe doesn't have a model number listed anywhere on the vacuum, it only has a serial number.

 

[kwalsh97214]

Non-Electric Vacuum Cleaners in the 1937/1938 Sears Catalog

I overlooked these two non-electric vacuums in the Sears catalog on page 552.

 

[emanm18]

Removing motor

Hi! I have one of these Kenmore Deluxe vacuums with the light and I was wondering how you get the motor off the base? I removed the 4 screws that appear to hold it down but the motor still doesn't seem to budge. I want to take the motor off to clean it and to repair the wires going to it.

 

[vacmadman]

So cool!

Kevin,

Thanks so much for posting the Sears catalog page's now we know when the first Kenmore deluxe with a light came out. This is one of the models I would like to find. Kenmore had two different models with lights that I hope to add to my collection some day. Thanks again Kevin.

Eli,

You might need to pry it off with a screwdriver or try using a rubber mallet to tap around the motor cover to break it loose...good luck!

Jim

 

[vacmadman]

The final touch

I decided to give my Kenmore deluxe it's final touch by painting the bummer trim rivets black. I personally liked the way the rivets looked unpainted it gave it more of what I call the "pop" value, but originally the rivets were black so in the quest to keep it original I painted them.

Jim

 

[kwalsh97214]

Sears 1939 / 1940 Fall & Winter Cataglog, page 787 and 788

Here is a photo from the 1939 / 1940 Sears Catalog.

The top-of-the-line upright vacuum appears to be a Kenmore Automatic (I think).