Thread Number: 16049
Westinghouse T4
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Post# 171195   2/28/2012 at 04:44 (4,440 days old) by hokiesrock03 ()        

I am not a vacuum collector (YET), but yesterday I came across an old Westinghouse T4 vac and it looked interesting, so i picked it up. Its in fantastic condition, but without a hose or cord i don't know if its in working condition. Anyone have any history or value of this pick? How hard of a restore project is it? Is it worth restoring, or should i gut it ant make it into a lamp?
thanks a lot!


Post# 171231 , Reply# 1   2/28/2012 at 11:50 (4,440 days old) by venson ()        
Well . . .

If you are old enough for the name Betty Furness to ring a bell, you'll recall that Westinghouse was a big player in the American home appliance market back in the day. So far back that probably a rock in an ancient cave somewhere has the brand name hammered into it. Nonetheless, I think Westinghouse came to be best associated with its front-loading washing machines though it made just about everything else too.

My history is not great but I'm sure someone will kindly fill us in as to where I'm all wet -- so . . .

During the 1950s Electrolux and Hoover reigned but big across the board appliance makers like GE, Westinghouse, Hamilton Beach, etc., took up the slack with their own offerings. The T-4 you have is ingrained in the memory of many due to it or a similar model being used in an "I Love Lucy" episode. The company however also produced upright vacuums and a long popular hand vac predominantly made of Bakelite plastic. They later went on to produce or source an upright that was similar to a low-profile model Singer was making. As Westinghouse vacuum manufacture continued, canister vacs came more into play during the 1960s and into the seventies I believe.

I have actually owned one these so I'm pretty sure there's a Model T-3 as well the difference being mostly the paint job. If you feel you've a real interest in vacuum collecting and restoration, this a model that will certainly help show you what it's all about.

Mine came near complete save for the suction wands which are specific to this model. Every now and this model comes down the pike with various parts intact you either pass or buy what you can use. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to invest much time or funds in making mine complete.

At this point in time, even if in shape to run, I wouldn't recommend it as a spare machine and it seems a shame to make a lamp of it but its your call. There a lots of old vacs that I thought to be rare, Rexair for one, but have found that others are much harder to come by.

As a commodity, though the interest is limited, if you clean the machine up (safely removing dirt and grime without promoting rust, shining up metal outer components) then carefully keeping an eye out for match-up of tools that would have been originally supplied with this model, it might ONE DAY prove worth auctioning off if you don't want to keep it.

If you do opt to auction, start with a reasonable reserve that you feel would compensate your effort invested up to the point of sale. In other words, you'd be making plain that the machine wouldn't be released without a specific minimum bid. That said, things can go either way.

Hope some of that helps. If I can find out anymore as to history. I'll leave it here. There's a link below to Charlies website that may prove helpful as to your T-4 and even more elpful are his other pages there if you're serious about collecting.


CLICK HERE TO GO TO venson's LINK


Post# 171241 , Reply# 2   2/28/2012 at 12:23 (4,440 days old) by collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)        

collector2's profile picture
For reference heres a picture of my T-4. I've found the small nozzle since taking the picture so the only thing missing is the dusting brush.

Incidentally I made the tool kit, by hand, from pictures of the original.


Post# 171245 , Reply# 3   2/28/2012 at 12:49 (4,440 days old) by venson ()        
@collector2

Que linda! You're bringing tears to my eyes.

Post# 171291 , Reply# 4   2/28/2012 at 17:35 (4,440 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

eurekaprince's profile picture
Hey there Andrew!!!!

I hope to move to Israel one day! Are you telling me that there may be some fellow vacuum collectors way over there on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean? How the heck did a Westinghouse T-4 make it to the Holy Land? Is it 110volts or 220 volts?

So glad you posted here! :-)

Eurekaprince Brian in Canada


Post# 171326 , Reply# 5   2/29/2012 at 02:14 (4,439 days old) by hokiesrock03 ()        

Thanks everyone for all the information.
I hope to post a picture soon to settle whether its a t3/t4.

Brian, it is the european model @ 220v.


Post# 171348 , Reply# 6   2/29/2012 at 09:37 (4,439 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN)        
vacs in Israel

Years ago I saw news of some type disaster in Israel.Don't recall if it was bomb or earthquake but the outside wall of a house had fallen away and you could clearly see a GE swivel top inside.At a VDTA show I met a vac dealer from Israel and learned that the prime ministers office used Royal.

Post# 171357 , Reply# 7   2/29/2012 at 10:29 (4,439 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

eurekaprince's profile picture
When I lived in Israel in 1998, the stores were full of Electroluxes and Dysons. Many people buy wet-dry vacs as this matches the Israeli habit of cleaning stone floors using the water-saving "sponge-a" method - throw a bucket of water on the floor, and mop it around with a mop, than squeegie the floor and push the dirty water out the door. With the wet-dry vac, they can suck up the water right in the room.

Electrolux was also selling the little rechargeable stick vac North Americans know as the Eureka Boss Lite (or Quick-Up). In Israel it was called the Ta-Ta-Li which means "Sweep Me".

I was lucky to find a 220volt Eureka F&G Dial-A-Nap upright to do the carpets in my apartment in Tel Aviv! :-)



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