Uni and Golittlesport--Thanks for the information and posting the brochure/instructions! What an interesting machine. There must be one out there somewhere, sitting in a garage or basement or barn, covered with a tarp....
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westytoploader
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Interesting pictures!
Did this also have the angled fill as well, like the Wizard and Philco?
Did this also have the angled fill as well, like the Wizard and Philco?
My 1953 model did not have an angled fill flume, but by '55 it might have. No one knows, its only a legend!
programcomputer
Well-known member
What a awesome appliance company....My interest in the Apex
Hi,
This should be in the Super forum Im sure but it does tie in with the situation at hand...the Apex Washers and Dryers.
I have FOUR of their ( Apex's) vacuum cleaners.
1. 1922- Apex Splitnozzle Upright- This machine is all chrome, with a unique split nozzle, that divided the suction into two disctinct paths. It has a green cloth bag that calls the machine a RoTarex and shows both a washer and a vacuum on it in black stenciling. It also had a small lever in the direct center of the nozzle in which raised or lowered the nozzle. the brush was stationary behind the nozzle as were many early uprights being the straight suction variety.
The handle on this machine is unique becasue it's a black painted wood, and has a groove in the back of it for the electric wires to travel down to the motor in. The switch is neat also...it's in the very end of the handgrip and is the twist on twist off type, with a black early plastic style knob.
The elctrical on this model had to be completly redone and updated to a newer black plastic cord with a normal two pronged end. This machine still had the old beige twist style cloth wire cord with a twist plug that you would attach to an electric light bulb socket. It couldn't be used beforehand becasue I was scared as heck to try it. This machine was free. It was brought in a vacuum cleaner load for a Kriby distributor in Ann Arbor. I took it home and never mentioned it again. No one even seemed to miss it. This machine is in a CKD state also so I do not have the model number at hand..I'll get it if you want to know...
2. I have a 1948 Blue upright that's paint scheme that looks like white squiggles were drawn onto the paint. Not a hammertone finsh, but looks like formica from the later 50's period. The model has a navy blue cloth bag with the Apex name in silver. It has a four positon brush, that had larger (stiff) tufted bristles and smaller (softer) tufted bristles.
It uses a flat belt like a Kirby from the same period. Interestingly enough changing a lightbulb with this machine was very easy...all one had to do is grab the front aluminum housing and pull forward where the lamp sits down near the base of the nozzle. I do not have the # for this machine becasue it's currently in in a CKD state and I do not wish to unbox it right now.
This machine was found at a old line vacuum cleaner store in Omaha Nebraska downtown on a main drag I remember that It was definitly a north/south road. My ex- Jeff used to live in Lincoln becasue he was going to college there...and becasue like me, he was a vacuum cleaner nut..he took me there once or twice.
The owner guy had three vintage machines for sale...Two Apex upright's one red squiggletone finish without a plug, and thie blue one that I have that worked and was complete. This machine cost me $85.00 + shipping. I ended up paying over a hundred for this one.
(sidebar)- I think at this point in the Apex appliance stable they only offered wringer washers. I did not see the automatic washers appear in their ad's until 1952 or so.
3.1947-48 Apex Cylinder Canister Model 5-140- Brown Squiggletone paint with white squigglies. This machine is my most complete Apex cleaner I own, as it has it's complete tool caddy with original holder. This machine has suction wise, one of IMHO the most powerful canister suction's available in it's day. All of the attachments are positive friction lock which uses a slightly raised indention to lock into a groove inside the attachment to be used.
The hose (strangly) is still airtight and makes a good seal against the end bell of the canister. The locking mechanism for the hose is unique in that you twisted the hose collar until it's locked into position. But to untiwst it is sometimes a wristsnapper becasue if you tighten it too tightly when inserting the hose....Sometimes it takes great pressure to untwist the hose...I've found this out before.
This machine ironically was found for me by my mom of all people who has actually always sighed and rolled her eyes over my appliance fetish as she calls it. Thanks ma! Anyway she paid like $40.00 for it and was never so pleased as to be able to freak me out when she had a huge box sitting on my bed when i got home one summer evening. I about died...
4. 1954 Apex Strato-Cleaner Model 5501- This machine is a blue hammertone finish, apparantly the squigglies had given way to a less expensive, or less troublesome painting scheme. This machine has no attachments to it other thant the hose wand and carpet nozzle which differs from the previously mentioned model by the fact that the hose was an early molded plastic coil wound style...possibly one of the first cleaners to have this feature. It also uses a paper bag which I have never found a suitable replacement to fit, So I use it less frequently than most.
A strange feature of this machine is the fact that the cord is not permanantly attached. It has a cord like an Electrolux from the same period. The attachments were now totally friction fit, but still had the same twistloc hose mooring of the earlier styles.
This machine was given to me by a former customer from the Hoover Company. I used to post signs at my store near the main register, that I paid for "true" vintage vacuum cleaners. A customer brought it to me and told me that I could have it without paying becasue he never thought he would ever find someone who would want old crap like this thing. Couldn't you just punch people sometimes. This was the only vacuum that I wasn't hosed on.
The washers and dryers I never knew about until later and by the time that I got this last one I saw that the company "had" introduced their automatic washer by this time.
I met an interesting retired repairman a few years back who told me that many mechaincs back in that day "hated" the Apex becasue of it's complicated wash mechanism. And many of them refered to them as "Bouncing Bastards". He said that he never worked on one himself, but had mechanic freinds of his that did...and said they were pure and simple hell to do anything to.
He went on to say that Apex did put alot of time and effort into them and said that they could have done worse...but the fiberglass tubs had a way of cracking around where they attached to the agitation/spin mechanism and too many pot metal parts were used..
He said that he never hear much about Apex after sometime around 1957. And has in his lifetime seen only three washers and and about 4 dryers bearing the Apex logo since he started in the buisness in 1953. All of them he said...were junkers that are probably buried beneath the soil someplace.
Really disheartning considering....
Who know's what happened to Apex MFG Co?
When did they go out?
Thanx
Chad
Hi,
This should be in the Super forum Im sure but it does tie in with the situation at hand...the Apex Washers and Dryers.
I have FOUR of their ( Apex's) vacuum cleaners.
1. 1922- Apex Splitnozzle Upright- This machine is all chrome, with a unique split nozzle, that divided the suction into two disctinct paths. It has a green cloth bag that calls the machine a RoTarex and shows both a washer and a vacuum on it in black stenciling. It also had a small lever in the direct center of the nozzle in which raised or lowered the nozzle. the brush was stationary behind the nozzle as were many early uprights being the straight suction variety.
The handle on this machine is unique becasue it's a black painted wood, and has a groove in the back of it for the electric wires to travel down to the motor in. The switch is neat also...it's in the very end of the handgrip and is the twist on twist off type, with a black early plastic style knob.
The elctrical on this model had to be completly redone and updated to a newer black plastic cord with a normal two pronged end. This machine still had the old beige twist style cloth wire cord with a twist plug that you would attach to an electric light bulb socket. It couldn't be used beforehand becasue I was scared as heck to try it. This machine was free. It was brought in a vacuum cleaner load for a Kriby distributor in Ann Arbor. I took it home and never mentioned it again. No one even seemed to miss it. This machine is in a CKD state also so I do not have the model number at hand..I'll get it if you want to know...
2. I have a 1948 Blue upright that's paint scheme that looks like white squiggles were drawn onto the paint. Not a hammertone finsh, but looks like formica from the later 50's period. The model has a navy blue cloth bag with the Apex name in silver. It has a four positon brush, that had larger (stiff) tufted bristles and smaller (softer) tufted bristles.
It uses a flat belt like a Kirby from the same period. Interestingly enough changing a lightbulb with this machine was very easy...all one had to do is grab the front aluminum housing and pull forward where the lamp sits down near the base of the nozzle. I do not have the # for this machine becasue it's currently in in a CKD state and I do not wish to unbox it right now.
This machine was found at a old line vacuum cleaner store in Omaha Nebraska downtown on a main drag I remember that It was definitly a north/south road. My ex- Jeff used to live in Lincoln becasue he was going to college there...and becasue like me, he was a vacuum cleaner nut..he took me there once or twice.
The owner guy had three vintage machines for sale...Two Apex upright's one red squiggletone finish without a plug, and thie blue one that I have that worked and was complete. This machine cost me $85.00 + shipping. I ended up paying over a hundred for this one.
(sidebar)- I think at this point in the Apex appliance stable they only offered wringer washers. I did not see the automatic washers appear in their ad's until 1952 or so.
3.1947-48 Apex Cylinder Canister Model 5-140- Brown Squiggletone paint with white squigglies. This machine is my most complete Apex cleaner I own, as it has it's complete tool caddy with original holder. This machine has suction wise, one of IMHO the most powerful canister suction's available in it's day. All of the attachments are positive friction lock which uses a slightly raised indention to lock into a groove inside the attachment to be used.
The hose (strangly) is still airtight and makes a good seal against the end bell of the canister. The locking mechanism for the hose is unique in that you twisted the hose collar until it's locked into position. But to untiwst it is sometimes a wristsnapper becasue if you tighten it too tightly when inserting the hose....Sometimes it takes great pressure to untwist the hose...I've found this out before.
This machine ironically was found for me by my mom of all people who has actually always sighed and rolled her eyes over my appliance fetish as she calls it. Thanks ma! Anyway she paid like $40.00 for it and was never so pleased as to be able to freak me out when she had a huge box sitting on my bed when i got home one summer evening. I about died...
4. 1954 Apex Strato-Cleaner Model 5501- This machine is a blue hammertone finish, apparantly the squigglies had given way to a less expensive, or less troublesome painting scheme. This machine has no attachments to it other thant the hose wand and carpet nozzle which differs from the previously mentioned model by the fact that the hose was an early molded plastic coil wound style...possibly one of the first cleaners to have this feature. It also uses a paper bag which I have never found a suitable replacement to fit, So I use it less frequently than most.
A strange feature of this machine is the fact that the cord is not permanantly attached. It has a cord like an Electrolux from the same period. The attachments were now totally friction fit, but still had the same twistloc hose mooring of the earlier styles.
This machine was given to me by a former customer from the Hoover Company. I used to post signs at my store near the main register, that I paid for "true" vintage vacuum cleaners. A customer brought it to me and told me that I could have it without paying becasue he never thought he would ever find someone who would want old crap like this thing. Couldn't you just punch people sometimes. This was the only vacuum that I wasn't hosed on.
The washers and dryers I never knew about until later and by the time that I got this last one I saw that the company "had" introduced their automatic washer by this time.
I met an interesting retired repairman a few years back who told me that many mechaincs back in that day "hated" the Apex becasue of it's complicated wash mechanism. And many of them refered to them as "Bouncing Bastards". He said that he never worked on one himself, but had mechanic freinds of his that did...and said they were pure and simple hell to do anything to.
He went on to say that Apex did put alot of time and effort into them and said that they could have done worse...but the fiberglass tubs had a way of cracking around where they attached to the agitation/spin mechanism and too many pot metal parts were used..
He said that he never hear much about Apex after sometime around 1957. And has in his lifetime seen only three washers and and about 4 dryers bearing the Apex logo since he started in the buisness in 1953. All of them he said...were junkers that are probably buried beneath the soil someplace.
Really disheartning considering....
Who know's what happened to Apex MFG Co?
When did they go out?
Thanx
Chad
Shot dead in Boston film at eleven!
Ohh Ya got me partner! I squeezed a Bendix right out the door.
We've all thrown to the winds without thinking.
I'd love to see a machine with the 'magic cycle guides" guiding me through the wash!
Rich that is the first time I've ever seen an Apex in color!
Thanks for posting--now get out and find us one!
lotsoflove
jetcone
Ohh Ya got me partner! I squeezed a Bendix right out the door.
We've all thrown to the winds without thinking.
I'd love to see a machine with the 'magic cycle guides" guiding me through the wash!
Rich that is the first time I've ever seen an Apex in color!
Thanks for posting--now get out and find us one!
lotsoflove
jetcone
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