Thread Number: 497
question for Charles-Richard
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Post# 4801   11/28/2006 at 09:06 (6,330 days old) by bigbubbacain ()        

I noticed in photo 13 of your collection shots, there is turquoise floor machine in the corner. What brand is it? It looks like a machine that was sold under the Amdeko name, which nowadays is the Oreck Orbiter. The turq. color looks like a powder-coat finish like the old Compacts (such a machine was also made available to customers when I sold Tri-Stars in the 80's).

Am I close on any of this?

Bubba


Post# 4810 , Reply# 1   11/28/2006 at 12:07 (6,330 days old) by charles~richard ()        
Floor Polisher

Yes, you are "spot on" as they say across the pond. This is the same machine, well same principle anyway, as the Oreck Orbiter polisher but is called, I am pretty sure, the EMDEKO, not AMDEKO. I am guessing it dates from the early 1960s as its finish is the same turquoise wrinkle finish that was used on the Compacts of that vintage, and it was made by Interstate Engineering. Somewhere I have a closer photo of it, but I'll have to look for it.

This makes one wonder what connection there is, or was, between Interstate and Oreck.



Post# 4843 , Reply# 2   11/28/2006 at 17:23 (6,330 days old) by bigbubbacain ()        
Thanks Charlie!

I thought that was it. As far as an Interstate / Oreck connection (shudder! wince!), it was probably just "big Dave" Oreck being himself and snapping up another expired patent license on another brand of machine. From my experience selling Tri-Star in the mid 80's, we were never allowed to sell or demo the orbiter. We simply told our customers that they were entitled to free rentals of such a machine. My boss later told me IEC could only rent the machines and was not allowed to sell the Orbiter because of an agreement between Emdeko and IEC (don't know it this is true or not). I even remember the IEC machines had a reservoir tank for shampoo. I've got an Oreck Orbiter which I use weekly. IMHO, it's the only decent thing Oreck has to offer.

Post# 4846 , Reply# 3   11/28/2006 at 17:55 (6,330 days old) by charles~richard ()        
Well, I got things all goofed up.

First, Emdeko was the comany that manufactured Filtex vacuum cleaners. Filtex now only makes central vacuum systems and I do not know if they still use the name Emdeko or not. So Emdeko has nothing to do with either Compact or Oreck and vice-versa.

Then, I took a look at the turquoise polisher. It is called the "CYCLO" - imprinted in large letters on the housing. There is no other identification on the machine, however, the box it came in (which, alas, I no longer have) was printed in turquoise and white and said, "Another quality product from Interstate Engineering" or something along that line, and of course the identification "Cyclo Floor Polisher."

The polishers may or may not have been made by Interstate but I see no reason why not as they would have had the tooling, and, again, the turquoise wrinkle finish is the same as the Compact cleaners from that era.

It =is= the same basic machine as the Oreck Orbiter so there may be some relationship there - unless Oreck bought out the patents (or infringed them!).

The machine came with several different brushes and pads. I used it a time or two but found that it did not really do a satisfactory job. It's fine for final polishing, but the brushes are too soft to do the initial waxing and scrubbing.

As far as home floor polishers go, no one has ever beat the Electrolux B8 for that job. (The later Electrolux polishers with plastic housing were nowhere nearly as good as the eraly "cast iron" models.)


Post# 4850 , Reply# 4   11/28/2006 at 18:26 (6,330 days old) by converto-skip ()        
Cyclo

I have a green cyclo I got off ebay about 5 months ago but sadly it came from UPS damaged the screws that hold the cover onto the motor all broke and the bumper was totally ripped apart but it is because the seller didn't pack it right but one day I'm determent to fix it as I know it can be, Now I have an Electrolux Austria model polisher that I truly love and it does a fanastic job of polishing and also bought A Uk model and still waiting for my friend to ship it to me anmd I do have some American made electrolux polishers as well that I truly like to use also

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