aeoliandave
Well-known member
Triggered by recent discussions both here and over at Brother Club Washerland about the Lewyt Electronic Motorized Beater Sweeper power nozzle I've found myself idly thinking about them, who was first to market, etc.
To begin, I was asked why production of GE Roll-Easys didn't last very long for such a clever design. They were made from 1955 until at least 1960...any word on when production ceased? Why cease production? Well, a 5 year run of a design is not unusual to recoup development costs before introducing a new innovation-laden model. This was the high-rolling Spaceage-New 1950s...just look at car designs which modified practically annually.
The Roll-Easy used unique and expensive-to -produce gusseted wrap-around-the-motor paper filter bags unlike any other vacuum or even GE tub canisters. This is one expense GE could eliminate by concentrating on the Reach-Easy 'Swiveltop' models, adding a plug-in socket for their late-to-the-party PN. (When did GE introduce a Power Nozzle?)
In addition, tugging & lifting the Roll-Easy around the house as shown & suggested in the manual took a mighty toll on the extremely flexible single-wall turquoise vinyl hoses, which tore and split with alarming frequency if one was not careful. The GE Service dealership replacement hose for the Roll-Easy was a standard GE wire coil rubber wrap jacketed in a woven cloth or vinyl outer sheath, as were most other vacuum hoses in the Industry at the time. These hoses, while not as flexible, are much longer lasting.
I'm thinking Hoover was first to market with a solid walled vinyl-sheathed coil hose with their Duraflex and Ultraflex for uprights, cylinders and Constellations. (?) (The Westinghouse T-4 and T-6 cylinders also had a coiled plastic-y vinyl hose)
Yet, I think primarily the Vacuum Industry's development of the independently motorized Power Nozzle with rotating brushroll, attached to long wands, changed everything.
Motorized Power Nozzles:
The first such power nozzle that comes to mind (other than early 1900s central vac power nozzles I've heard about) seems to be the Lewyt Big Wheel Electronic Model 107-E in Nov 1958.
Electrolux USA followed with their PN-1 in 1959...1961 on Canadian Luxs.
All of these early PNs had a long AC power cord that clipped externally to the wands and hose, plugging in to a socket on the vacuum body near the hose inlet coupling. Electrolux used a two pin arrangement while the Lewyt had a regular two-blade wall socket type plug. Either plug would have been problematic on a Roll-Easy, which rotates almost 300 degrees front to back on its side wheels and the stretchy hose would have easily pulled the plug free. The sideways cant of the first convex R1 into walls and doorways under 'pullage' by the off center inlet wasn't too helpful either in this hose strain regard.
Electric Hoses:
The first internally electric hoses for PNs was probably the Lewyt Model 111 in 1959..that didn't work out so well.
Hoover dangled its toe in electric hose waters with the January 1959 Garland Green Constellation Model 77 that used the handle switch to turn the fan motor on and off - no PN was created or offered. Development was no doubt deferred due to Lewyt's troubles.
Electrolux USA seems to have introduced its first integrated electric hose with pigtails in 1969/70 on the 1205, eliminating the pigtail in 1972 with contacts on the hose coupler.
Electrolux Canada brought out its electric hose with pigtails in 1969/70 for the 88/89 Series also but did not go pigtail-less until the 1973 all new plastic bodied AP100.
Back to early Power Nozzles:
Compact had a nice looking unit- the ABC (Always Beauty Clean) but I have no idea what year it was introduced. It looks identical to the wedge-shaped Kenmore PN. Again no idea what year - though we can surmise 1959 because of the turquoise wrinkletone textured paint - nor who manufactured it or for whom - IEC or Whirlpool for Sears and Compact.
Michael G. Anderson's site has a wealth of information about early Power Nozzles - see link.
[this post was last edited: 3/18/2011-23:51]
http://www.vodhin.org/Vacuum/main.html
To begin, I was asked why production of GE Roll-Easys didn't last very long for such a clever design. They were made from 1955 until at least 1960...any word on when production ceased? Why cease production? Well, a 5 year run of a design is not unusual to recoup development costs before introducing a new innovation-laden model. This was the high-rolling Spaceage-New 1950s...just look at car designs which modified practically annually.
The Roll-Easy used unique and expensive-to -produce gusseted wrap-around-the-motor paper filter bags unlike any other vacuum or even GE tub canisters. This is one expense GE could eliminate by concentrating on the Reach-Easy 'Swiveltop' models, adding a plug-in socket for their late-to-the-party PN. (When did GE introduce a Power Nozzle?)
In addition, tugging & lifting the Roll-Easy around the house as shown & suggested in the manual took a mighty toll on the extremely flexible single-wall turquoise vinyl hoses, which tore and split with alarming frequency if one was not careful. The GE Service dealership replacement hose for the Roll-Easy was a standard GE wire coil rubber wrap jacketed in a woven cloth or vinyl outer sheath, as were most other vacuum hoses in the Industry at the time. These hoses, while not as flexible, are much longer lasting.
I'm thinking Hoover was first to market with a solid walled vinyl-sheathed coil hose with their Duraflex and Ultraflex for uprights, cylinders and Constellations. (?) (The Westinghouse T-4 and T-6 cylinders also had a coiled plastic-y vinyl hose)
Yet, I think primarily the Vacuum Industry's development of the independently motorized Power Nozzle with rotating brushroll, attached to long wands, changed everything.
Motorized Power Nozzles:
The first such power nozzle that comes to mind (other than early 1900s central vac power nozzles I've heard about) seems to be the Lewyt Big Wheel Electronic Model 107-E in Nov 1958.
Electrolux USA followed with their PN-1 in 1959...1961 on Canadian Luxs.
All of these early PNs had a long AC power cord that clipped externally to the wands and hose, plugging in to a socket on the vacuum body near the hose inlet coupling. Electrolux used a two pin arrangement while the Lewyt had a regular two-blade wall socket type plug. Either plug would have been problematic on a Roll-Easy, which rotates almost 300 degrees front to back on its side wheels and the stretchy hose would have easily pulled the plug free. The sideways cant of the first convex R1 into walls and doorways under 'pullage' by the off center inlet wasn't too helpful either in this hose strain regard.
Electric Hoses:
The first internally electric hoses for PNs was probably the Lewyt Model 111 in 1959..that didn't work out so well.
Hoover dangled its toe in electric hose waters with the January 1959 Garland Green Constellation Model 77 that used the handle switch to turn the fan motor on and off - no PN was created or offered. Development was no doubt deferred due to Lewyt's troubles.
Electrolux USA seems to have introduced its first integrated electric hose with pigtails in 1969/70 on the 1205, eliminating the pigtail in 1972 with contacts on the hose coupler.
Electrolux Canada brought out its electric hose with pigtails in 1969/70 for the 88/89 Series also but did not go pigtail-less until the 1973 all new plastic bodied AP100.
Back to early Power Nozzles:
Compact had a nice looking unit- the ABC (Always Beauty Clean) but I have no idea what year it was introduced. It looks identical to the wedge-shaped Kenmore PN. Again no idea what year - though we can surmise 1959 because of the turquoise wrinkletone textured paint - nor who manufactured it or for whom - IEC or Whirlpool for Sears and Compact.
Michael G. Anderson's site has a wealth of information about early Power Nozzles - see link.
[this post was last edited: 3/18/2011-23:51]
http://www.vodhin.org/Vacuum/main.html
Thanks for answering a lot of questions!
