Thread Number: 24924
Singer Vacuums?
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Post# 280216   5/12/2014 at 01:11 (3,609 days old) by Brad845 (Harlan, Kentucky)        

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Has anyone ever owned any of the Singer vacuums? I was surprised at the quality, and wondered if they were re branded under their house name.

Post# 280242 , Reply# 1   5/12/2014 at 13:12 (3,608 days old) by airwaylady (Milwaukee, WI)        
"Singer Vacuums"

I have two Singer Canister Vacuums from the early 1960's
One is a "Golden Glide which was their Deluxe Model of 1959-1963 and a Model Roll a Magic both made by Eureka Williams in Bloomington, Ill.
They were good vacuums and quite a few of our Members of the Club have them also.

HAPPY VACUUMING!

Tania


Post# 280280 , Reply# 2   5/12/2014 at 19:12 (3,608 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
great vacuums!

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All the way up to the plastic stage of the 1990s, their PowerAmp and System models were GREAT! Wonder what they would be selling today if Bissell didn't buy them out!


Post# 280292 , Reply# 3   5/12/2014 at 20:29 (3,608 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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Aside from the question of quality, we all have to give a lot of credit to the Singer Company for hiring Raymond Loewy to design an innovative vacuum which revolutionized the upright configuration forever: the revolutionary design was based on changing the way the motor's fan faced - from the traditional face down (Hoover) or the traditional face forward (Kirby & Royal) to facing sideways. The sideways reorientation of the fan opened up a gazilion options including twin fan uprights, sleek low profile uprights and bag first uprights where the sideways fan creates suction in a vertical canister while also powering a revolving brush in the nozzle.

Singer's innovation is as revolutionary as Dyson's newer bagless uprights, in my opinion....


Post# 280297 , Reply# 4   5/12/2014 at 21:08 (3,608 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
you call Dyson a revolution?

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I call it the demise of quality vacuums!SealedUndecidedSmileTongue outWink


Post# 280302 , Reply# 5   5/12/2014 at 22:00 (3,608 days old) by sries (Tacoma WA)        

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I have a Singer hand vacuum from the 50s/60s that works great on stairs and couches


Post# 280331 , Reply# 6   5/13/2014 at 09:55 (3,607 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        
@Eurekaprince

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Singer never originated that sideways fan design, nor did it originate the double suction fans. All that was an Air-Way invention on the 1935 "DirtMasteR" model. Air-Way even predated Hoover's side attachment connection. Pretty much everything good we have today in Vacuum Cleaners was an invention of Air-Way.

Post# 280349 , Reply# 7   5/13/2014 at 14:00 (3,607 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN)        
Singer?

As with many the question of how good has to include at what period of time.Both Singer sewing machines and then the vacuums were quality products with nationwide distribution.Tom is right that little is truly new but the Raymond Loewy Singer upright was ahead of its time with above mentioned features AND controls in hand grip for switch,handle release and cord rewind.The cord came out the top of handle(something that no one seems to do right today)and rewound in front of bag with built in carry handle.This upright was as low for under furniture cleaning as some 2 motor vacs(the first 2 motor again being AirWay).Later Singer had some models made by Eureka and still later became the cheap vac at WalMart.

Post# 280355 , Reply# 8   5/13/2014 at 14:29 (3,607 days old) by Brad845 (Harlan, Kentucky)        
Wondered

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I wondered about it, the Singer stick vac (I bought for $3) has the looks of one of those cheap Bissell stick vacs that are sold at Walmart.

Post# 280398 , Reply# 9   5/13/2014 at 19:04 (3,607 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)        

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My grandmother had an avocado Silver Glide canister for many years. I think she bought it at the Sears she worked in during the time. She had all the attachments and the manual in the coat closet. We used to put it all together and talk vacuums. She sold it with the house.

I have never messed with the twin fan uprights much so can't say. I'm not a big fan of the later tools on board ones in the 1990s that seemed to be the same as the Bissell uprights and I think there was one under the Kenmore brand.

I also had one of those stick vacs that converts to a hand vac mentioned in the post above, I had the Bissell version that looked like the Singer. It was a decent vacuum for doing bare floors with, just needed a longer cord!


Post# 280409 , Reply# 10   5/13/2014 at 21:02 (3,607 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
fan guy,

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That's because Bissell got into the vacuum world by buying out Singer in the 1990sWink


Post# 280460 , Reply# 11   5/14/2014 at 09:56 (3,606 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN)        
Singer at Sears

Sears had many vacs by Singer as Kenmores but I think it was the mid 80s before Sears had vacs such as Hoover & Eureka under their own name.
The 3 in 1 type was actually very good for the size and price but is another that was once common now rare.


Post# 281654 , Reply# 12   5/24/2014 at 12:52 (3,596 days old) by groberton ()        
Singer owner

I own and still use a singer model C-3 from 1959 it iis a wonderful vac that has run almost trouble free for 55 years (used to belong to a relative)
Cannot get dust bags anymore, but discovered that Eureka type S will work with minor modifications


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Post# 281677 , Reply# 13   5/24/2014 at 15:52 (3,596 days old) by ronni (USA)        
Singer Company History

From www.britannica.com:...

Singer Company, corporation that grew out of the sewing-machine business founded in the United States by Isaac M. Singer.

The company was incorporated in 1863 as the Singer Manufacturing Company, taking over the business of I.M. Singer & Company, which had been formed to market the sewing machine patented by Singer in 1851. The company assumed the name Singer Company in 1963 and was reorganized as Singer NV in The Netherlands in 2000. In 2004 the sewing business and the Singer trademarks were sold to a private U.S. investment firm, and in 2006 it became part of SVP Worldwide, which combined Singer with Husqvarna Viking and PFAFF, two other major sewing machine producers.

Singer’s original design, which was the first practical sewing machine for general domestic use, incorporated the basic eye-pointed needle and lock stitch developed by Elias B. Howe, who won a patent-infringement suit against Singer in 1854. Singer, however, consolidated enough patents in the field to enable him to engage in mass production, and by 1860 his company was the largest manufacturer of sewing machines in the world.

Singer began to market its machines internationally in 1855 and won first prize at the Paris World’s Fair. The company demonstrated the first workable electric sewing machine at the Philadelphia electric exhibition in 1885 and began mass-producing domestic electric machines in 1910. Singer was also a marketing innovator and was a pioneer in promoting the use of installment payment plans.

Besides sewing machines, the company also manufactured power tools, floor-care products, furniture, and electronics controls. In the late 1970s and ’80s Singer began to diversify into the production of aerospace electronics and other high-technology items.

___________________________

Perhaps some of you would remember your teacher, professor, pastor, etc. using a Singer-Graflex 16mm or filmstrip projector on a Singer-Graflex projection screen? Graflex, another longtime American company that produced several models of cameras had its origin in the late 1800s and was named "Graflex" in 1945 as a division of the Eastman-Kodak Company. From 1968 to 1973 it was a division of the Singer Company.

Here are some audio-visual items that were manufactured by Singer-Graflex:


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Post# 281687 , Reply# 14   5/24/2014 at 16:30 (3,596 days old) by ronni (USA)        

Singer-Graflex also manufactured projection screens (wall-mounted and portable) for homes, churches, schools, and businesses. Since the label of the projection screen in the photos below includes the name "Radiant", I am wondering if the former Radiant Manufacturing Corporation, of Morton Grove, IL, was bought out by Singer? I know that schools, churches, and businesses that were built after the early 1970s were mainly equipped with Singer-Graflex, Da-Lite, and Draper projection screens along with some lesser known brands. Anyway, Singer was quite the company back in the day!

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Post# 281710 , Reply# 15   5/24/2014 at 20:34 (3,596 days old) by Loganvac (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania)        

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I used to own a Singer Twin Turbo. I liked it because it seemed alittle different from most dirty fan uprights like a Hoover Convertible.

Post# 281871 , Reply# 16   5/26/2014 at 03:40 (3,595 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)        

Singer used to even own a broadcast transmitter company---Sintronics.They used to make AM and FM transmitters during the 70's.Sintronics also used to make electronic test gear and electronics for the gov't and military.Guess Singer must have owned the Graflex company at one time-they made lots of AV equipment-mostly for schools and libraries.Somewhere I have one of those filmstrip projectors-may have gotten lost during one of my moves-was surplus from a school.It could also show slides.


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