Eureka Tank Vacuums

[paul]

The Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company had a comparatively short-term line of tank vacuum cleaners sold from 1941-42 and again from 1945 to 1954. Due to their rarity I thought I would start a thread to combine information I was able to locate from Vacuumland and other sources. Hopefully others will add photos and info.

I'm guessing that the model prefix "W" stood for "Whisk" that was later used by Eureka's handheld vacs from the '60s to the '80s as Eureka had a habit of reusing model names.

The production years correspond to electronic advertisements, so they may not be exact. It may be the W-75s were sold concurrently as the later 600 & 700 "De Luxe", but I was unable to verify it.

1941-42: W-64-A "Sanitaire" with chemically-treated Sanitaire germ trap - unknown colors; cloth bag
1945-46: W-75-A dark green tank & tan endcaps; cloth bag
1946-50: W-75-B red (color mate to D-272); cloth bag
1950-53: 600 2-tone tan (color mate to S-250 & S-250-A)
1950-54: 700 "Airomatic" green (color mate to 800 "Roto-Matic"); throw-away bag

_________


Photos:

1. 1941 Oct 22 HERALD-JOURNAL - "Sanitaire" model ad
2. Model W-75-A, by kirbyhoover (VL post)
3. Model W-75-B, by huskyvacs (VL post)
4. Model 600, by buffalo-joe (VL post
5. 1951 July 16 TOLEDO BLADE - Model 600 ad
6. Model 700, Worthpoint seller
7. 1952 Jan 27 - SPOKANE DAILY CHRONICLE - Eureka De Luxe Tank Cleaner (Model 700) ad

 

[eurekaprince]

Hi Paul,

Thank you for this! You may want to also research Montgomery Wards tank cleaners made by Eureka during this same time period. I seem to remember that there were several of these.

 

[luxlife]

Sanitaire tank

Looks like they were positioning themselves to go after Electro Hygiene, considering the name, styling, “germ trap”….

 

[paul]

Hi Brian!

Thanks for the tip. I'll do that and let you know if I am able to locate anything.

 

[paul]

Hey Brian,

Do you happen to have any specific MW model numbers? All that I'm finding in the 1940-1955 database are classified ads.

 

[paul]

3-Year Contract - Eureka & MW

1945 June 8 - EVENING INDEPENDENT

 

[eurekaprince]

Hi Paul,

I could swear I saw some MW tanks that were Eureka made clones! But can’t find any pics on the internet right now. I will keep looking!

EP Brian

 

[canisterman]

I have a bunch of these

In about all the colors the 700 was also sold in tan, I have a Wards that is a square tank, then several versions with the cardboard tube body both Eureka and Wards.

 

[canisterman]

I have a bunch of these

In about all the colors the 700 was also sold in tan, I have a Wards that is a square tank, then several versions with the cardboard tube body both Eureka and Wards.

 

[collector2]

Hi - Picture #3 is from my web page of my W75. I also have the Model 600 pictured below.

 

[collector2]

Model 700 that was for sale about a year ago on Marketplace. Unfortunately someone beat me to it.

 

[collector2]

Eureka W60 (Old reference pics from the web)

 

[collector2]

Another version of the 700 (also from the web)

 

[collector2]

And, last but not least. A few pictures of Montgomery Ward machines, made by Eureka, that I have come across on the web

 

[eurekaprince]

Wow! There they are!!! Thanks Doug!!!!!

(So interesting that Eureka went with a light brown colour on that cylinder vacuum. Don’t think they used that colour again on a vac until the late 1960’s).

 

[paul]

I second Brian's initial comment to you, Doug! Thanks!

I wonder, now, if the W-60 was the "Sanitaire". I assumed the W-64 was.

I prefer the styling of the M/W ones.

 

[canisterman]

Talk about a pain!

That square tank is not fun to work on, i tore mine down and packed the bearings,

 

[collector2]

Hey Paul - I also have a picture (below) of one other model that I have no clue what model number it would have been.

 

[paul]

Re: Reply 17

Thanks, Doug!

I wonder a couple things: 1) Was the model refurbished or original? 2) Is it an alternate version of an aforementioned model like the Model 700 has? Did Eureka distributors back in the day sell tank vacuums in a different color scheme than retail stores; or did one or more chain stores do so as special promos?

Even though I hadn't discovered the Model W-60 in my online newspaper database or in a 1946 parts catalog until you posted photos of it here; I think my ideas are more probable than there being yet another model that I hadn't come across.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and photos.

 

[eurekaprince]

That gold and brown cylinder vac may have come from Eureka’s Canadian factory in Kitchener, Ontario. Maybe that’s why it has colours that are unusual for Eureka cylinders of the era. Just a thought….

 

[paul]

Sounds reasonable, Brian. Thanks!

Maybe you could check out your library's database sometime and see what Canadian newspaper ads are in it?

 

[eurekaprince]

Oh gosh….wish I had the time to spend in a library right now…but really can’t. Maybe I will sign up to newspapers.com and see what ads I find from Canada!!!!

 

[paul]

Sounds good—you've piqued my curiosity!

 

[paul]

Check out thread 38104 that shows a 1950 manual featuring (presumably) the Model 600.

https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?38104

 

[paul]

From the Apr 20, 1942, issue of THE READING EAGLE—a Eureka tank styled by George Walker. I also found an article that mentioned Mr. Walker's design of the Eureka iron; so it seems he was contracted by The Eureka Company in the 1940s for more than one product. I found no reference of him in 1950s Eureka advertisements. Incidentally, this was the only advertisement I located that featured the Viso-Tool Kit.

Here's a link to the October 15, 1959, TO TELL THE TRUTH episode in which Mr. Walker participated as a challenger:

 

[eurekaprince]

Thanks for posting this Paul! Fascinating! And I finally get to see one of Eureka’s industrial designers in real life! This is great! Wish I could find out more names of designers who worked at Eureka…especially during the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Hmmm…”Viso Tool Kit”? Fascinating! First time I heard of the cardboard tool carrier called that name! By the 1960’s, so many vac-makers were offering cardboard tool carriers. The designs of these carriers were quite ingenious, even though they often did not stand up to hard use over the years. The hole at the top of our Eureka tool caddy ripped at some point so you no longer had a “handle hole” to carry the caddy around. I wonder if there was one single manufacturer who made these tool carriers for Hoover and Eureka and Singer and GE. Would be interesting to learn who made them for all the companies…..

 

[paul]

You're welcome, Brian! If one of us ever gets to the McLean County Museum of History I'm sure we'll be able to obtain the answers to your questions. Eureka Company and product details are just waiting to be exposed!

Btw, a more thorough read of the ad revealed to me the Rug-Glide Pontoon Nozzle, too. That makes me wonder if you or anyone else has ever researched Eureka's attachments? I know that the ones most familiar to Vacuumland contributors were introduced in 1956 and used through the early '90s-except for the floor nozzle that was restyled around 1980.

 

[eurekaprince]

I really have to plan a trip down memory lane to that museum in Illinois one summer….and lay a flower on the burial site of the Eureka Williams factory while I’m there…

 

[paul]

Re: Reply 13

Hey Doug,

This tank, originally posted by Kenkart, appears to be the Eureka brand of the MW; invented by G.W. Walker in 1943 and assigned a patent to Eureka on Oct. 16, 1945.