New Toy

[collector2]

I recieved a new toy from a friend on Thursday. A Vactric model 48 (At least I think thats the model no - it doesnt have model or serial number actually said just 48 / 3254 ). After a general scrubbing and some minor repairs (including making a tool kit) this is the result. All thats missing is the Vaporizer and Sprayer. The cord even has the original ends on it. Unfortunately the hose has been replaced though.

Does anyone have an idea of the year of this machine? I'm pretty certain it was in the 1940's but I've seen it dated as late as 1950 (not sure if they knew what they were talking about though).

Doug

 

[normvac]

Doug, great gift !
Here's hoping your'll find a nice C-lux 88,( 89 is the green one,right? not that one) for a good price at a yard or garage
sale
Would love to see one under my christmas
tree this year! LOL!
Thanks
Norm

 

[collector2]

Never know what I may find Norm

 

[aeoliandave]

Tell us more, Doug

I've never heard of a Vactric - what's the country of origin?

One would think with a screw-in hose its got to be mid 40s but then both the Haley's Comet and my CanTire Master have screw-in hoses, too. The Master has to be from the mid 50s and I have no idea when the Comet came out. Then there's the whole made-from-actual-wood tools & dusting brush. Tho I suppose wood has always been less expensive to produce than cast aluminum.

Doug, thanks for the precision of your AP-100 info and nailing down that green Moth canister.

Dave

 

[appliguy]

Dave, Vactric is a Brittish brand

They went out of business circa 1960...for more info on the brand check out the Brittish vintage appliance page called Simply Switch On....the webmaster of the sight, Paul Linell, has an amazing collection of all kinds of vintage electrical smalls including vacuums. By the way I just got a scanner so I am going to scan the Casco Iron manual for you this week.
PAT COFFEY

 

[collector2]

Hi Dave:

Pat is Correct. Vactric is a British vacuum (Made in Lanarkshire, Scotland). I'm not certain who actually sold them in Canada but I know we had them from the 1930's into the mid 1950's and they were sold door to door. It's quite possible that they were sold by State Vacuum Stores as the last two models of their house brand (President - most of which were made by Bylock in the UK) were made by Vactric as was the matching polisher (See my web page). I have also seen a Vactric under the Viking name made for Eatons in the 50's.

While alot of the models produced in the UK came with a wooden chest to store the machine in this seems to have been omitted in the Canadian ones and a cardboard accessory carrier introduced to store the parts instead. I dont know if the UK versions of the machines also had the cardboard accessory carriers or if that was a strictly Canadian thing but it is shown in the President instruction manual I have so it might have been a normal feature.

Not much more I can tell you about it .
Doug

 

[chestermikeuk]

Vactric

Hi Doug, congratulations on another vac for the collection!!! how many is that now???

Vactric was a very popular make here, made in Lanarkshire, Scotland and then exported to Canada along with other electricals...I have the same model which was produced in 1960, lovely vac, quiet & efficient, I have never seen the tool caddy , only various wooden boxes for the travelling salesman etc...

Heres a few of mine:

 

[chestermikeuk]

Vactric

1932 Silent Q, complete with wooden case!!

 

[collector2]

Hi Mike:

This was made in 1960???? Strange that they would go back to wooden parts after the PW had rubber dusting and Floor Brushes. Or was it a low end model? Guess that would make this one of the last machines they put out.

Re the accessory kit. I made that one and the ones for my Presidents using the pictures I had (I've kept a pattern so I can make more).

Doug

 

[charles~richard]

I used to have a Vactric, too. Very beautiful, Canadian model, ran on 110 v. Had light gray textured leatherette, black bakelite ends and trim, chrome handle, and a beautiful jet-black woven hose with gray tracing. The sprayer bottle was unusual and beautiful -- faceted 6-sided geometric shape.

Here's a card from a deck of Vactric playing cards.

 

[collector2]

Neat - that shows what their line up was for that year

 

[chestermikeuk]

Vactric Year

And here they are: the Junior, Senior & Air-Flow which was the De-Luxe

 

[chestermikeuk]

Vactric Junior - 1940`s

Please State Exact Voltage when Ordering!!!

 

[chestermikeuk]

And Then

This late 50`s monster vac, this would set any small child screaming seeing this all lit up and bearing down on you!!!

 

[vintagehoover]

The Vactric Senior and Airflo -

Not only do they look like they've borrowed a couple of styling cues from the Hoover pre-war uprights, they both look like that Apex cleaner. The Airflo looks like a carbon-copy, even down the the steerable handle. A licenced design, I suppose?

 

[charles~richard]

Yes, I thot the same thing when I saw those uprights. Check out the photos of the two Apex uprights on the page below.




http://www.137.com/treasurehunt/page5.html

 

[collector2]

Hey Mike - what year was that brochure / catalogue and were there any cannisters listed too? Love it

Doug

 

[collector2]

You know - I'm wondering if Apex / Byloc and Vactric werent linked somehow. The President Vacuums were made by Byloc then Vactric in Canada yet they were made by Apex in the US and Apex's own machines were almost the exact same as the Byloc ones of the time - even down to color. Now we have Vactric with the same uprights as Apex. Makes you wonder if they were all subsidiarys of some sort.