Thread Number: 19052
1957 Apex Strato Cleaner Update..
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Post# 210064   12/15/2012 at 15:30 (4,121 days old) by kenkart ()        

Well, It exceeds all my expectations for it, As most of you know Apexes are Holy Grail cleaners for me, thru the generosity of several members here, down thru the years I have found several of their machines, but this one has remained un findable, Other than a small picture in Consumer Reports, i had never even seen one..But Here it is, the all chrome Model 5555 Apex Strato Cleaner, the printing on the side says" Worlds most powerful home cleaner" and trust me, it really is more powerful than most of what is on the market today!

Post# 210066 , Reply# 1   12/15/2012 at 15:32 (4,121 days old) by kenkart ()        
Worlds Most!

Powerful home cleaner!!

Post# 210067 , Reply# 2   12/15/2012 at 15:34 (4,121 days old) by kenkart ()        
APEX!

Strato cleaner!! Now all I need to find is the Dyno Cleaner, their economy model,and I will have them all, Strato ,Aero, and Dyno!

Post# 210068 , Reply# 3   12/15/2012 at 15:39 (4,121 days old) by kenkart ()        
Notice the cord!!!

It is about as heavy as an iron cord...and it still gets warm!!!! This thing really dims the lights!!

Post# 210081 , Reply# 4   12/15/2012 at 17:07 (4,121 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

suckolux's profile picture
Impressive machine!

Post# 210087 , Reply# 5   12/15/2012 at 19:02 (4,121 days old) by petek (Ontario)        

So what I'm hearing from you if in fact I've got it right is that this is the apex of vacuum cleaners? LOL

It's definitely a keeper.


Post# 210101 , Reply# 6   12/15/2012 at 21:25 (4,121 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)        
Congrats Hans!

hygiene903's profile picture
What a wonderful find! Always great to find a "Holy Grail" machine!
Jeff


Post# 210102 , Reply# 7   12/15/2012 at 21:31 (4,121 days old) by kirbykid (Horseheads,New York 14845)        

jeff i sent you an email about my electro-hygiene and i was wrong about the model. it is a model 94

Post# 210123 , Reply# 8   12/16/2012 at 05:47 (4,121 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)        

portable's profile picture

That's a beauty, Hans. Congrats in finding it. Apexes seem as rare as hens' teeth. I like the wheeled floor attachment.


Post# 210129 , Reply# 9   12/16/2012 at 07:43 (4,120 days old) by kenkart ()        
Wheeled rug nozzle...

The wheels were an accessory that just bolted on behind the brush,the funny thing is, they are the same wheels used on the Apex uprights.

Post# 210133 , Reply# 10   12/16/2012 at 08:24 (4,120 days old) by williamr1248 (USA)        
1957 Apex Stato Cleaner Update

Hans,
Thanks for the pictures and information on your Apex. I have never seen one and thought it would be one machine I would never get to see.
What a beautiful machine!
I have added a high end German canister and high end bagless canister to my collection and these machines just look and feel a piece of cheap junk compared to your beautiful Apex!
Thank you,thank you,thank you. Great find!


Post# 210178 , Reply# 11   12/16/2012 at 16:58 (4,120 days old) by kenkart ()        
The Reason I am hooked on Apex..

As well as other rare odd machines, I met Craig Long at my first convention, in 1995,he actually is the person responsible for me being in our club, At that time I was working part time in a sewing and vacuum shop in Marion NC for a very nice lady named Billie Scott, she had been in business many years,and I did her sewing and vacuum service work...Anyway, she subscribed to the VDTA magazine...Craig Long had an ad in there wanting vintage vacuums...I called him , he told me about the club, I then got in touch with Alex Tabor and John Lucia, and then Charlie Lester,I joined in 94 one week before the convention, the next year I went to Allentown PA, where I met these people along with several others who became great friends, I knew of Apex vacuums, but Craigs detailed account of this machine made me want one all the more,,and now here it is all these years later and I have one,No one knows what happened to Craig Long, many stories have circulated that he lost everything he had, I really would like to re connect with him, the guys who have been here from the beginning know he was THE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY on vacuum cleaner history!!My favorite memory of Craig was at the 95 convention in St Louis, we were all at Tom Gaskos house and Craig was telling of wanting to do a Drag show as Miss Beverly and his dream was to go on stage with a Lady Kenmore Whispertone !! Tania was there and of course we all fell in love with her from the start..but we were a little concerned how She might react to such carrying on!! We soon learned She accepted us totally and we spent most of that night laughing or head off , both at the thought of miss Beverly, and more so at Clay Floyd who had never seen a Thermax and was introduced to one at Toms, which he quickly made all manner of fun of, the end result being we were all rolling in the floor!!So as I think back to those times so many years ago, I remember hearing of all the vacuums I had never seen, and now I own many of them!! Tania introduced me to Silver Kings and Silver Knights and thanks to her I now have several!! Anyway, just my ramblings about WHY certain machines appeal to me..Hans

Post# 210187 , Reply# 12   12/16/2012 at 19:22 (4,120 days old) by compactelectra (Palm Springs)        
Hans!

compactelectra's profile picture

Love the story of Miss Beverly.  Hope to meet Craig one day.  Indeed, Tania is a gem.  Of course she lived in LA and has her own stories to tell.  Fabulous Apex.  So tell me, Tania has a green Strato Cleaner with a great story of how she finally worked and worked it out of a former neighbor who she stalked until she got it. 

 

What is the difference between her green one and yours?  Her rug tool doesn't have the wheels.  I found an Apex Aero on Ebay and gave it to Tania for her birthday.  It had the hose but didn't have the tools, but when I gave it to her she said:  "I just happen to have a set of tools in the garage!"  Got to love her.  I swear she figured out who bought it on Ebay and was all ready for me.

 

I am thinking your Strato is chrome and hers is green.  Any other differences?  They do have an incredible amount of suction!  Nothing like it since.

 

Here is Tania with her birthday present - the Apex Aero.  Couldn't have bought her a better present.




This post was last edited 12/16/2012 at 19:39
Post# 210232 , Reply# 13   12/17/2012 at 07:13 (4,119 days old) by kenkart ()        
Apex Variations..

The Strato Cleaner was the only Apex that used an Apex built and designed motor,The Green model was a 5501, it used a detachable cord very much like a model 30 Electrolux,the wheels were optional and I think it was 10 amps, I have one that has a bad fan, but it is buried in the storage building,im faily sure the Strato was introduced in 1952, several variations followed, but the one I have was made in 1957 and is a model 5555, the main difference is that the housing is about 1 inch higher than the older one, the reason for this is to keep more airflow around the bag instead of it setting directly on the motor filter, as far as I know, the Apex company was sold to the White sewing machine company in late 57 or early 58, but im not sure of the date, also the Apex vacuums were on the market until 1962 or 63, If someone knows exactly I sure would appreciate the info...also Tanias Aero Cleaner is unique, as I have two Aero Cleaners that are SWIVEL TOP machines, and one very early one that has the hose coming out of the front, but has STEEL BALL BEARINGS for wheels!!!MW sold one very similar that I would do just about anything for!

Post# 210233 , Reply# 14   12/17/2012 at 08:04 (4,119 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)        

Nice Apex.

I'm hoping to find one soon.

Were the Strato Cleaners produced in limited quantities like the Lux 1956 Thrift model?


Post# 210243 , Reply# 15   12/17/2012 at 10:11 (4,119 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN)        
Hans,

Good to see you were able to find something the seller didn't--chrome polish!( Did I see a Dyno on top of a certain 1961 Frigidare Imperial beside a GE Swivel Top???),Jimmy

Post# 210262 , Reply# 16   12/17/2012 at 14:45 (4,119 days old) by kenkart ()        
Strato production...

As far as I know, they were produced in quantity just like everthing else, the problem was, it was a store vacuum that cost more than nearly all the door to door vacs so naturally it was not a best seller!...150.00 in 1957, when an Electrolux was 89.95!!!

Post# 210296 , Reply# 17   12/17/2012 at 19:17 (4,119 days old) by kenkart ()        
Hey Jimmy!!!

You better HIDE that Dyno cleaner..LOL!

Post# 210331 , Reply# 18   12/18/2012 at 07:43 (4,118 days old) by dial-a-nap (Omaha - the home of the TV Dinner)        

dial-a-nap's profile picture
That is a pretty vacuum - of course, it's chrome! I know Tania has a couple of Apex models but I don't think I've ever used one. I love a vacuum that dims the lights!

I assume these are bagged cleaners, do you have a supply of bags? The machine itself is a compact size - were the wheels optional or was there a carriage that isn't on Tania's Strato model?



Post# 210337 , Reply# 19   12/18/2012 at 09:52 (4,118 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN)        
Dyno

Hans,Someone said it will be Christmas soon.,Jimmy

Post# 210417 , Reply# 20   12/18/2012 at 15:39 (4,118 days old) by kenkart ()        
Wheels...

The wheels were mounted on a two piece thing, two on each piece, you placed them like an x and screwed them down, mine is supposed to have them but doesent, the first green model did not come with them, it was an accessory.

Post# 210437 , Reply# 21   12/18/2012 at 17:26 (4,118 days old) by hooverhurst (northwest pennsylvania)        
Apex Uprights

Beautiful machine! Out of curiosity, does anyone know when the last Apex upright was made, and what it looked like? My mother received the blueish/purple crinkle finish upright with the bag on the side, for her wedding shower in 1948. We kept it in the family until about 1978, though it was replaced by a Hoover 68 in 1962 as an everyday cleaner. I know there was a red and silver model somewhere around the same time. Why did they just continue with canisters? Thanks for any information!

Post# 210459 , Reply# 22   12/18/2012 at 21:57 (4,118 days old) by airwaylady (Milwaukee, WI)        
"Apex Info"

WOW WHEEEE, WE HAVE AN APEX FRENZY"!

Yes Hans, I do remember that first convention and being over at Tom's that night!
What a night it was! Laughed so hard my cheeks were hurting! Beverly Lynn Lewyt was the name we gave Craig Long that night as he told his "Dream"! I learned of the Strato Cleaners from you and had never seen one here in Wisconsin except for the one which was made for Montgomery Ward with the ball bearings under the machine.
I snatched up from outside of a "Goodwill" box on the way to school back in 1966!
It worked OK except it needed a new cord which my dad put on for me and I had it for about 5 years until we traded it in on a Kirby Classic in 1971. I thougt it was a NEAT vacuum, very quiet!....Now I have the first green strato 5501 and love it along with my dyno from Fred Nelson. They are indeed RARE machines and am so happy you were able to win that BEAUTIFUL CROME 5555...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
It would look really ducky with a red hose from a FAIRFAX vac or Kirby.
My Strato has a removeable dolly which was handy for cleaning stairs. Love it.
My Dyno cleaner utilizes a lamp motor and manufacted by White Sewing Machine Co.
Did you get any attachments with yours?...if you need any, I do have some black tools that would work for you....HAPPY VACUUMING AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

Tania


Post# 210550 , Reply# 23   12/19/2012 at 21:12 (4,117 days old) by collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)        

collector2's profile picture
Just a bit of trivia for you. The Apex cleaners were sold under the Connor name in Canada. This is a Connor Dyno I used to have in my collection (again lost in the fire - sigh) I have also seen one with a chrome top, copper bottom, red trim and copper coloured parts.

Post# 210844 , Reply# 24   12/22/2012 at 10:19 (4,114 days old) by HooverCelebrity (Germany)        

Such a fabulous Apex, Hans!  Congratulations!  :-)

 

I really need to get off my @ss and just send you this one that's been hanging out in my garage for the past few years...  It's not in the best shape, but I know you can work magic and bring them back to life...

 

 


Post# 210846 , Reply# 25   12/22/2012 at 10:22 (4,114 days old) by HooverCelebrity (Germany)        

Here's Robert using Tania's Strato-Cleaner on one of our trips to Milwaukee.  She was after this for years!


Post# 210852 , Reply# 26   12/22/2012 at 12:45 (4,114 days old) by collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)        

collector2's profile picture
Since we have reached the Apex of discussions here I thought I'd throw in a couple more. First an ad for the Apex Dyno

Post# 210853 , Reply# 27   12/22/2012 at 12:46 (4,114 days old) by collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)        

collector2's profile picture
And a picture of the chrome and copper version I talked about earlier too (not quite sure where I got this picture as the machine I once had was a Connor Dyno not an Apex Dyno so it isnt my own anyway)

Post# 211885 , Reply# 28   12/31/2012 at 01:13 (4,106 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)        
Rotarex!

hygiene903's profile picture
Speaking of Apex, I have a Rotarex upright that was made by Apex. Straight suction machine with original bag and cloth cord, kind of an odd switch at the bottom of the handle, and runs like a top! I know nothing about it, but assume it was built in the teens or 20's. Does anyone have any information on these? Any info would be helpful. Here's a picture of it.
Jeff


Post# 211887 , Reply# 29   12/31/2012 at 01:21 (4,106 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)        
Apex Hand Vac!

hygiene903's profile picture
I also have an Apex Roto-Brush Hand Vac. Like the upright, I know nothing about it, but am assuming it was made in the 50's. The data plate or label is missing, as is the brush. Cord had been cut off and I hadn't gotten around to replacing it, but wired up a temporary to see if it ran, and it does run pretty good. Again, I would appreciate any info anyone would have on it. Thanks in advance, and here's a picture.
Jeff



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