Eureka Vacuums History

[countryguy]

Were the rug and floor nozzles for the Golden Crown made different for the USA than for Canada? My aunt had a Golden Crown and those 2 nozzles did not have the metal elbow piece as shown in the picture. Instead it had the 3rd curved wand.

Gary

 

[eurekaprince]

Hi Gary,

I don't think the separate curved wand was introduced until 1959 when the Vibra-Beat carpet nozzle made its debut. Eureka must have thought it would be easier to store 3 separate floor "heads" (bare floor brush, regular carpet nozzle, Vibra-Beat nozzle) if the necks were removed from the nozzles entirely, and replaced by one single curved wand. Marketing wise, Eureka touted the system as making it easier to change floor heads: you simply swivelled any of the 3 heads 180 degrees to the "bottoms up" position which lined up a nipple on the curved wand with a notch in the ring of the attachment neck. This released the tool from the curved wand. You did the reverse to secure another tool. Consumer Reports did not like the system - they found the tools had a tendency to rotate to the "release" position and fall off when being carried between tasks!

Since there was a brief period when both Roto-Matic canisters and Vibra-Beat canisters were both being produced, it makes sense that the later Roto-Matics had the separate curved wand too since it was more economical to manufacture one version of bare floor brush for all Eurekas. The tool set for our blue Super Automatic upright had a separate curved wand for just the floor brush!

 

[eurekaprince]

That was a long-winded way of saying: I don't think there was a difference in "tool system" between the two countries...there was a change in tool system time-wise with the arrival of a third floor head, the Vibra-Beat, in 1959.

 

[eurekaprince]

That was a long-winded way of saying: I don't think there was a difference in "tool system" between the two countries...there was a change in tool system time-wise with the arrival of a third floor head, the Vibra-Beat, in 1959.

 

[countryguy]

As far as I know my aunt's Golden Crown did not have the vibra beat nozzle. She had the Eureka storage chest and I looked in there many times just to have a look at her Golden Crown and I never saw a vibra beat nozzle but it did have the 3rd curved wand.

 

[eurekaprince]

I know. It may have not come with the VB nozzle, but because Eureka was already selling the new canned ham vac, all the tools across the Eureka line up had to use the new "neckless" tools. It was probably cheaper to have common "neckless" tools included with all Eureka vacs from 1959 forward, including the old Rotomatics.

 

[spr75wshs]

Reviving a zombie thread.

Thanks for the info, not a collector, just an everyday user.

Was looking for info on my Old Ironsides, a red Eureka Model 1757 A, which my wife and I got as a wedding present in 1982 and came across this forum. Still runs good. Have replaced the hose once and had the power head rebuilt once (both about 14 years ago). The exterior white rigid plastic parts have gotten brittle, so are well duct taped.

Would not trade it for a new one, though.

 

[real1shep]

Great thread for Eureka fans! I especially like the 'Widetrack' models in appearance.....have no idea how good they were.


 


Kevin

 

[kenkart]

I have

A bunch of Eurekas, From early straight suction uprights, to early 80s self propelled,I will try and take some pictures, I know I have 2 or 3 Straight suction uprights, a Model G upright, a model M upright,a D-272 that needs a handle grip, a 250,260,several mid to late 60s uprights, a 800,both versions of the 800a,a few later 800 style machines, several 900 style machines, one including my kindergarten teachers 910 B that she bought new in October 1962 at Leflers Sewing Center in Lenoir NC,a Empress and a few more canned ham machines including the first a 1010.

 

[bohrium]

hose for Eureka 1660?

Does anyone know the part number for the hose for the 1660? Its the non-electric one and the Hesco diagram doesn't show it. Alternately, where can I get one of the quarter-turn locking hose for my sweet 16.

 

[nic_stephens]

Hose for eureka 1660

Bohrium, I will look it up for you.

 

[superocd]

Interesting to see that Sanitaire name went further back...

than I thought it did. I've heard that Eureka began the Sanitaire name in 1972, but several posts back it mentions that Sanitaire first appeared in the 1950s as a consumer brand.

I've got a 1973 Sanitaire 641 that I've just restored...I finally got a brushroll for it (VG1) as it requires the extinct square-end type, and the brushroll that came with it probably saw better days during the Reagan Administration. I think that my metal-base Sanitaire is pretty rare, since I've only seen the plastic-based kinds until I happened to find my 641. Come to think of it, it seems like, according to a quick search on eBay, that Eurekas before the 1980s are hard to come by yet there are plenty of 1960s/1970s Hoover Convertibles. Did Convertibles simply last longer?

What did a Sanitaire look like before the commercial line was released in 1972? Anybody have one in their collection?

 

[kirbyklekter]

I believe that

The blue pro-line came before the red commercial red Sanitaire. They were a little fancier than the red models. A friend has a 15" wide ESP Widetrack that by todays standard is a Sanitaire painted moss green.

 

[dadsvacuum]

Thanks for all the posters for great historical information. Heres my 1st posting and contribution. Even thou Dad was a Hoover Dealer, I found some cool literature for Eureka on some very old vacs. Attached is a factory shipping history by model since 1910 and also illustrations from Models 9-10-11. This is in a catalog dated 1958

 

[texbodemer]

Can you share more of this document?

Hi! @dadsvacuum can you share more of this document? Next to the parts picture is more stuff I'd love to see

 

[hoover300]

No wonder the models 2-6 have pretty much no surviving examples, they only were made a few months! What did the models F, B, and D look like? I think the F was a cross between the 9 and 10, sold as the Special. The D can't be the D272, as that is covered later in the page.

 

[hoover300]

Never mind I think I just realized, the B is the Special 9-10 cross, and the F is the Auto Cleaner, which is a model 10 motor unit with a tiny handle, bag, and no wheels.
Please correct me if I'm wrong

 

[huskyvacs]

A scan of that pamphlet would be great!

 

[paul]

Does anyone have post-1958 model timelines of each Eureka series? I'd like to see how model numbers for each were assigned. For example, the 1440s seem to be the oldest of the 1400 Series, followed by the 1450s, 1420s, 1400s & 1470s. Or maybe some model numbers were paired in correlation with each other for each time frame such as 1440s-budget & 1450s-standard?

How many styles of Eureka hoods were there, and were they identified by names? For example, I've noticed that some headlight lenses are slimmer while others of the same period are larger.

Also, did Eureka name its colors like Hoover? The only one I'm familiar with is lagoon blue of the '60s & '70s; or was that a collector's impression?

 

[hoover300]

Well, I now own the F, B, and D. The F is a Standard, but with a model G front wheel setup and a model G handle. It also has ridges carved into the nozzle, and has a caster on the back.

The B is a Special, which uses the same caster/motor setup as the F, but with a reused model 9 head casting. Some had the handle painted yellow to match the tag. Sold as the economy model.

The D is also known as the Deluxe, the predecessor to the K. The last Eureka to have a sleeve bearing motor, but the first to have a flat headed nozzle with an embedded brush. The handle to motor terminals were quick disconnect like the model 11. Thread of all of these and more coming soon, I digitized that page from Dadsvacuum showing production dates and serial #s.

 

[huskyvacs]

Thanks Kieran!

 

[paul]

Fred Wardell Bio

From the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DETROIT ...


Fred Wardell was the founder of the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company. Born in Toronto, Canada on March 30, 1866, the family moved to Detroit in 1873 where the father, Orrin Wardell, established Wardell & Sons, auctioneers. In 1902 Wardell left a 20-year career with his father to sell vacuums for Stecher Electric and Machine Company. In 1909, Stecher made a vacuum for him that he named “Eureka” and in 1910 he opened his own company, Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company, which at first sold other companies’ vacuums.

Joined by four partners, Wardell began to make his own vacuums in a small factory he bought in 1913. That year he also became chairman of the newly formed Vacuum Cleaners Manufacturers Association. By the early 1920s he opened the company headquarters and retail outlet in a building on Broadway near John R streets. The Eureka Building still stands today. During this time Wardell created an army of door-to-door salesmen, at one time numbering 3,000.

Over two million vacuums were sold by 1927, making Eureka the second-best selling vacuum in the United States, behind Hoover. Beginning in 1930, Eureka expanded its production of appliances, later manufacturing items such as heaters, air conditioners, and school furniture.

Wardell had another interest, real estate, and in 1925 built the Wardell Apartments (today the Park-Shelton) at Woodward Avenue and Kirby Street. In 1939 Wardell turned over the running of the company to chief of sales for Nash-Kelvinator, Henry Burritt. Among Wardell’s other pursuits were memberships in the Detroit Athletic Club, the Oakland Hills Country Club, the Pine Lake Country Club and the Detroit Golf Club.

After a long career with Eureka, Fred Wardell passed away on January 13, 1952. He is buried in the Wardell Mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit. The Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company changed hands several times throughout the 20th century, at one time owned by Electrolux. Currently the Eureka vacuum is manufactured by the Midea Group.

 

[paul]

From HistoricDetroit.org

Fred Wardell moved to Detroit from Canada in 1909 and founded the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Co., naming it after the exclamation of great discovery. Within about a decade, Eureka was the country’s No. 2 vacuum manufacturer.

This retail store and company headquarters, located on Broadway Avenue near John R Street, opened in early 1920. Shortly afterward The Eureka Vacuum Company moved in; along with Wardell & Son Auctioneers. At the summit of the building is the letter E carved in stone. In 2003, the building was renovated with a restaurant on the ground floor and five full floor residential on the upper five stories called the Eureka Lofts.

By 1931, the company’s factory, designed by the firm Beckett & Akitt, was pumping out 2,000 machines a day on Holden Street and Hamilton Avenue, which is Lodge Freeway service drive today. When it opened in 1919, it was called the largest vacuum cleaner factory in the world.


1521 Broadway Avenue, Detroit

 

[paul]

2,000,000th Eureka

Monday, Dec. 26, 1927

At the Detroit factory of the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Co., President Fred Wardell long ago established the conveyor system for assembling his vacuum cleaners. Over continuously moving belts and rollers there pass to workers the switches, wire, handles, motors, wheels, aluminum casings, bags and other parts that make up the Eureka cleaner. The system produces 1,500 cleaners a day, 300,000 a year. Last week it halted for a few moments for a ceremony— the assembling of the 2,000,000th vacuum cleaner which the company has manufactured since President Wardell created it in 1910. The 2,000,000th machine is resplendent. The parts are goldplated, the case studded with brilliants, the dust bag made of silk. It works, but it will not be sold because President Wardell has offered it as a sales trophy to that one of 22 branches which sells the most cleaners during October, November and December.

 

[eurekaprince]

Wow! Thank you for this history Paul! Now we know where a Eureka vacuum museum should be located!!!

 

[paul]

You're welcome, Brian! For sure, that's where the Eureka Floor & Surface Cleaner Museum should be - with perhaps a Wardell Room, a Burritt Room, a Schaefer Room, and your curator's quarters of course!

 

[eurekaprince]

Haha!!!

 

[paul]

Photo of Mr. Wardell & Articles of Eureka's Early Years

I was able to download this information from the web. I didn't realize that Eureka vacuum cleaners were actually made by the Stecker Electric Company of Detroit from 1910-1920. I think you'll find the articles and photo of Mr. Wardell interesting. Enjoy!

Photos

1. Fred Wardell
2. 1919 ELECTRICAL REVIEW new plant article & photo
3. 1920 MICHIGAN MANUFACTURER & FINANCIAL RECORD news release
4. 1930 INDUSTRIAL DETROIT article p.1
5. 1930 INDUSTRIAL DETROIT article p.2

 

[eurekaprince]

Wow! Fascinating! Thanks again, Paul!

 

[paul]

You bet, Brian. Here's some more.

1. Majestic Building (1896-1961: 1011 Woodward Avenue, Detroit) - site of Eureka's original office suite
2. 1912 May - PUBLIC SERVICE magazine - article
3. 1912 May - PUBLIC SERVICE magazine - ad
4. 1918 Nov. BUILDINGS & BUILDING MGMT. ad
5. 1920 FACTORY mgmt. magazine, Vol. 24 p.918
6. 1924 Sep. DETROIT PURCHASOR p.34 article
7. 1924 Sep. DETROIT PURCHASOR p.35 article
8. 1924 Sep. DETROIT PURCHASOR p.36 article
9. 1927 Feb. 5, SALES MGMT. Vol. 12, No. 3 - F.D. Wardell article p.1
10. 1927 Feb. 5, SALES MGMT. Vol. 12, No. 3 - F.D. Wardell article p.2
11. 1927 Feb. 5, SALES MGMT. Vol. 12, No. 3 - F.D. Wardell article p.3
12. 1927 Feb. 5, SALES MGMT. Vol. 12, No. 3 - F.D. Wardell article p.4
13. 1927 Feb. 5, SALES MGMT. Vol. 12, No. 3 - F.D. Wardell article p.5