Shetland Lewyt - A Forgotten Brand?

[lux1521]

Ok, now for a brand you don't hear about everyday. When I was young, my mother got a Shetland Lewyt, which was third hand. It sat in my Grandmothers garage for a fairly long time after she inherited it. I guess it spent a fairly long time out there before it was given to my mother and put to use again.

Anyway, it was a smaller metal unit, like a smaller Eureka metal canister. It had the handle on top, not at the front like other Shetland Lewyt examples I have seen. I also recall a flip switch instead of the toe touch button. It was a greenish color on bottom with a white top half.

The strangest part of all is the motor. As I recall, it had a plastic motor housing viewable from in the bag area. It also seemed to have a plastic motor fan, which I have never seen since on this type of cleaner. I think it had a hub in the center that curved outward, sort of like on a fan first upright design. When the cleaner started to have issues, I ended up taking it apart. From what I remember, the motor itself looked similar to an automotive blower motor, and was enclosed. Overall, a very odd setup. Also, it had a sticker on the outside that said something about a "turbine power booster" or something like that.

Anyway, since then I purchased a larger and better optioned Shetland Lewyt for my collection. While its a nice cleaner, it is Ametek powered, and is fairly normal, unlike the cleaner I remember. Does anyone know about the cleaner from my childhood, or the brand's history in general? Its a uncommon topic, but someone must know something.

 

[eurekaprince]

I remember these very well....

It was weird seeing the three letters "SCM" in front of the Lewyt name on these vacs. SCM stood for "Smith Corona Marchand" and was the same company that made Smith Corona typewriters. It would be interesting to find out the corporate history of post "Big Wheel" Lewyt - how did it get engaged to Smith Corona? And why the name "Shetland" for it's vac line? Was it related to the word "horsepower" which was in vogue in vac marketing in those days?

They did indeed remind me of Eureka canisters in those days. The tools were stored on little knobs on top of the unit, and there was even a dial to control suction, similar to the early Eureka Vibra-Beat canned ham machines. I loved the colour of the tools, and I think they even offered a dusting brush with white bristles which to this day I think is a brilliant idea for an attachment that is meant to clean delicate furnishings.

Someone recently posted an SCM Lewyt canister like you described - it had groovy 60's love-child flowers on it!

 

[buffalo-joe]

Link To The Past

I'm not a big poster here anymore, but read daily. Here is a link to a post I made on my Shetland 2 years ago.

Joe



http://www.vacuumland.org/TD/ARCHIVE/VINTAGE/2007/1464x4.htm

 

[collector2]

Hi Erick:

I've only come across one Shetland Lewyt with that style of motor in it so I dont think they used it for very long. The body style you describe was the lower line at the time (see picture) with the delux ones being made with the step on switch and handle in front.

To my knowledge when Lewyt went bankrupt the rights to the name and the moulds for the attachments and a few other things were bought up by the Shetland Manufacturing Co. which was a subsidiary of SCM.

Doug

 

[vinvac]

One of the vacuums I grew up with. When my mother thought her Kirby 508 had died, she purchased a Shetland with her Raleigh Cigarette coupons, of course forgetting she had the life time rebuild on the Kirby ($11.75 plus shipping). She hated the vacuum from day one and finally went back to using the Kirby.

I thought it is was a great machine, we did not have the bare floor tool, I think had mom had that she would have liked the cleaner better.

She did not like using the paper bags, she would try to reuse them over and over again, thinking it was to expensive to purchase bags.

Brings back memories

Morgan

 

[caligula]

Talk about bringing back old memories

Your comment about Raligh cigerettes made me remember that I started out on those in 1967, switched to Benson & Hedges 100s menthol a few years later and smoked up to three packs a day. I quit cold turkey in October of 75. In fact I was living in Dubuque at he time. Somewhere on Central ave is an apt with two cartons of cigerettes in the far corner of the living room ceiling. In order to force myself to quit I removed the ceiling tile, shoved the cigerettes as far back as possible and replaced the tile. I had cravings for two weeks but never lit up again!

Alex Taber

 

[caligula]

Does anybody remember the Shetland stick vac

It was hunter green and sort of ugly, I used one once but didn't really like it.

Alex Taber

 

[joe22]

they were also sold rebadged at montgomery wards as their "low end" canisters. same for the stick vac.

 

[collector2]

The Stick vacs were also sold as Singer and GE. (This is the GE)

 

[eurekaprince]

Thanks to Doug for the corporate backgrounder on Shetland...

Here's a 1969 description of the SCM company from another website (www.winkworth.us):

The SCM Corporation today consists of the consolidation of the SCM Corporation and the Glidden Company, which merger occurred in July of this Year. In the Fortune magazine 500 biggest companies, SCM ranked 311th in 1966. The Glidden Company ranked 226th. The combined company SCM, Glidden and Allied when merged, with combined sales of over $700 million per year, should rank with the largest 100 companies in the United States.

The firm's present name, SCM Corporation, was adopted in 1963 and comes from three of its original component firms, Smith-Corona Inc., and Marchant Calculators Inc., both well known producers of typewriters and other business machines. T h e SCM executive offices are at 410 Park Ave., New York. (SCM was incorporated in New York in 1924 as successor to a company formed in 1903.

Since 1956 the company, then Smith-Corona Inc., has substantially diversified its activities. In 1956 it acquired Kleinschmidt Laboratories Inc., a manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and in 1958, Marchant Calculators Inc., a manufacturer of rotary calculators, and British Typewriters, a manufacturer of typewriters in England. In 1960 it entered the office copy field.

In 1966 it acquired the Proctor-Silex Corporation, a manufacturer of portable electric appliances and other housewares and industrial drying equipment, and, in 1967, L&W Machine Works, Inc, a manufacturer of textile finishing equipment, and The Shetland Co., Inc, a manufacturer of electric housewares and floor care equipment.

Also in 1967, the Glidden-Durkee Division was added by merger, Glidden is engaged in the manufacture and sale of a diversified group of products including food products, paints and chemicals.

The SCM Corporation, as currently constituted, has 30 percent of its sales in office equipment, 31 per cent in coatings, resins and chemicals, 26 percent in foods, 7 percent in household appliances and housewares and 6 per cent in other categories.

In the Office equipment field, SCM manufactures a broad line of electric and manual portable and office typewriters sold under the Smith-Corona name as well as manufacturing under a private label. The SCM electrostatic office copying machine enjoys the second largest distribution in the United States and requires very large quantities of specially coated papers.

SCM is one of the largest manufacturers of coatings and resins in the United States and is well known for its complete line of paints, enamels, lacquers, varnishes and other products. They are traded principally under the brand names Glidden and Spread-Satin.

The chemicals operation of Glidden-Durkee includes manufacture of pigments, colors, metal powders and organic chemicals. It is one of five major producers of titanium dioxide used in paper as well as in paints. Glidden-Durkee's organic chemicals are manufactured from the basic raw materials sulphate, turpentine and crude tail oil, by-products of the kraft paper industry, of which Allied is a part.

Glidden-Durkee's Durkee Foods operations produce industrial food products, specially prepared or packaged food products for the food service industry and a well known line of consumer food items. Fourteen plants in the United States and one in Belgium are used in these operations.

Proctor-Silex Incorporated, a subsidiary of SCM, manufacturers, at four plants in the United States and one plant in Canada, irons and ironing tables, pads and covers, toasters, coffee makers, ice cream freezers, juicers, drink mixers and other household appliances.

Shetland Incorporated, another subsidiary, produces, at one plant in the United States and one in Canada, electric floor polishers, rug shampooers and related floor care products, vacuum cleaners and electric blenders, knives and can openers. The principal trademarks are "Shetland" and "Lewyt".

The research, engineering and product development efforts of SCM are directed primarily toward improvement of existing products lines and development of new products in related fields Approximately 1,000 employees are engaged in these efforts. Research and development expenditures during the fiscal years ended June 30, 1965, 1966 and 1967 amounted to approximately $9,909,000, $11,013,000 and $13,465,000, respectively.

Fascinating stuff......would be interesting to find out what vacs were made by Shetland before it was acquired by SCM.....

 

[collector2]

Hey Brian:

Thanks - that fills in another bit. Going by that write up it means that the Machines that just have Shetland - Lewyt on them were made between 1962 when they took over the Lewyt name and 1967 when they became a subsidiary of SCM. The ones from 1967 on have the SCM Shetland - Lewyt name. Helps to date them a bit easier anyway.

Doug

 

[eurekaprince]

Now I think we have a better picture of the whole SCM Shetland Lewyt saga in vac history. We can see that beautiful white-bristled dusting brush standing proudly on Doug's silver canister!

 

[lux1521]

Thanks a bunch guys. I found some more info in my own research about Shetland that might help with the pre Lewyt info. See link.

Doug: Do you think you could post a picture of that motor. It's just so different. I also looked at you web site, and the low end model in green and white is almost a perfect match to what I remember.

http://www.vdta.com/HOF/Lappin.html

 

[ridgidvac]

What yr was the beige Lewyt tools made? I had a crevice tool & a dust brush (but hated the bristles since they're too stiff)

 

[collector2]

Hey Erick - Unfortunately I dont have the motor anymore. It was burnt out when I got it so I ended up replacing it with a Lamb.

Hi Erik - I'm not certain what you consider beige but the 1962-64 models had a light brown tool set and the ones from the early 1980's had a kind of yellowish white set.

 

[normvac]

Neat Vacuum and history !

Joe, good to hear from you. Miss talking with you and seeing you on occassion.
Norm

 

[thermokid]

Remember the Shetland Stick Vac

I have one of those Shetland stick Vacs in my garage. I can't remember if it is light green or light blue, anyway a couple of old ladies that were staying at the hotel where I work were going through their late Aunt and grandmas house and they gave me all of the vacuums from there, and the stick vac was one of them. But of course the stick vac had no bag in it so I don't know even what kind to look for... seems to me the bags were like a minature Eureka F and G bag. I could be wrong, anyway you can't use the machine without a bag now can you......

 

[vinvac]

Dan,

Go to "All Bags.com" They still carry the Shetland bags, also work in the Sunbeam. You are correct, they look like tiny F&G Bags.

Morgan

 

[brad845]

So I was going to purchase a Shetland ..