Third iteration of the DOUGLAS Supreme Vacuum Cleaner
This Douglas-made futuristic 'torpedo' was also badged as The Monitor (Deluxe) with the Boots Boy logo Medallion on one side. I have three of the Monitor model TAC-1's as well as the Firestone model 5-F-50 version. From these have almost the complete set of accessories.
The Douglas Manufacturing Division of the Kingston Products Corporation was based in Bronson Michigan south of Battle Creek, the factory situated on Hiway MI-12 - the Old Chicago Road.
An elegantly simple sculpture in cast aluminum & Hammertone, the sinuous handle is one cast polished piece running the length of the cleaner.
Some variations I have noted between the Kingston, Firestone and Monitor, and these may all relate to the specific year of manufacture:
Firestone's version seems to be the low end model, with painted side trims and a pale grey/blue allover hammertone finish.
The Kingston I have seen in both low end and high end versions in which the side trim is either dull stamped aluminum to match the gray paint or fully decked out with gleaming polished trims against a more vivid blue hammertone.
Kingston (Douglas) in the 1950s redesigned the machine end caps and simplified the handle. I believe Hans has one.
I need one, too.
Monitor was the company name of a very successful New York Appliance salesman agent for RCA Corp in the Streamline late 1930s who named his own offshoot Corporation after the Monitor top refrigerator which begat his personal fortune. He built 5 glass & Monel metal office buildings w showrooms of various futuristic themes in Chicago World Fair radio styles that featured Streamline Moderne household appliances, including a portable wringer washer, decorative glass disk table clocks, electric irons, radios...and the Monitor cylinder vacuum cleaner, clearly sourced from the Douglas Corporation. This was pre-WW2.
The first Monitor Tac-1 had lightweight aluminum 'J' wands painted in vivid blue hammertone to match the cleaner, as were the cast aluminum tools. the painted aluminum end caps had the raised continuation of the polished handle polished out to extend the theme into spear tips.
The first models also came with a hinged exhaust grill lid. Later Monitors and Kingstons eliminated this exhaust grill as well as the cast hinge fitting on the motor cap.
The hose fitting is sized unlike any other manufacture's and I have found no other hose that will connect to the large port and large bore woven hose. However the tool is end standard as are the friction-fit wands which have single visual dimples to line them up in the 'S' configuration.
All Douglas machines had powerful motors with double fans. Mine pull +70" and the Firestone pulls almost 80".
The cord was extra long and supple as a wet noodle, like the early Electrolux plug-in cords. Unfortunately the cord was not removable and there were no cord wrap hooks so the cord had to be coiled and draped on the floor, as it was too large to be tucked into the handle loop, as you could on other machines of the time. And of course it had to be dragged across floors and carpets on it's streamline integrated runners.
