My Haul from a little farming town

[gsheen]

We went up to Visit Joannes Aunt in Calvinia again this weekend. By this time my love of vintage vacuums had spread like wild fire. I am glad we took up two cars. 


 


So here are the vacuums I got including The much sought after Electrolux 404 I posted about in another thread.


 


From left to right 


 


A Columbus B12 vacuum with a unique cooling opening in the cap 


a Columbus mark III polisher with a cool wooden handle 


a Columbus B11 polisher 


A Columbus B30 3 brush polisher 


A Electrolux B33 3 brush polisher 


A handle from a B4 Electrolux polisher

 

[DesertTortoise]

Are the Electrolux B33 and the Columbus B30 mechanically related? They certainly look to be versions of the same machine. Pardon my lack of knowledge but I had never even heard of the Columbus brand. Were they bought up by some larger company?

 

[gsheen]

The only way to Gain knowledge is to ask questions.


 


Columbus was a British made machine That was exported to South Africa 


 


Some time probably in the 50's a company called Barlow's started to manufacture Columbus here along with Electrolux vacuums


The b30 and the Electrolux 404 along with a few other versions of the same machines were designed in SA and sold as either Electrolux or Columbus, BUT although the vacuums were sold as either brand , Polishers were at that point only sold as Columbus. 


 


Things changed around the late 80's or very early 90's when Electrolux  floor care broke away from the rest of the Huge Barlow's group, probably due to political pressure. Electrocol was formed. At some time anything designed in SA was called Electrocol, But Electrolux vacuums were still able to be manufactured by Electrocol in SA. The Columbus name continued as a commercial range with Barlow's and still exists today seling floor scrubbers for schools and industrial vacuums, but as with every other company its no longer made here but imported from Italy and places like that with the Columbus name on it.


 


Electrocol and later Electrolux ( when after 1994 ) came back and bought Electrocol Made the B 30 as The Electrolux B 33 . Later a fantastic b99 was designed and made in SA but after a fairly long production a new version was imported from South America.


 


I am still trying to get actual dates out of Electrolux 

 

[DesertTortoise]

I didn't even notice you were from South Africa. I thought those were US market products. D'oh.

Electrolux has or had a lot of manufacturing plants in other continents. South Africa and South America too. Did they have one in Australia?

 

[gsheen]

Not sure, This though is the original Electolux from Sweden not what you guys called Electrolux ( although also originally from Sweden ) I worked their quiet a few years back in product development. 


 


I think Electrolux made different machines for different markets,or for a while atleast allowed those markets to create what they needed under the brand name Electrolux 

 

[DesertTortoise]

If I had just noticed the type of plug on the cord I might have realized those weren't US market vacuums. When I saw the truncated triangular shape I should have immediately thought South Africa. Actually I did at first but for some reason I associate "small farm town" with midwestern America.

I saw from another thread here that Electrolux has had a convuluted business history with divisiones breaking off and forming back across it's history.

 

[gsheen]

Yes its a bit of a mess for such a great company.

 

[stricklybojack]

Nice haul...

amazing all the different flavors these things come in across the globe.

 

[gsheen]

Some of my other Columbus on top of the shelf