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Thread Number: 22476
Lewyt Electronic! |
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| Post# 251636 9/29/2013 at 14:28 (3,860 days old) by FantomFan (Rochester, New York) | ||
So a guy I know will occasionally find an old vacuum cleaner in the business that he does. He asked me If I wanted a "lewyt" and I said yes. I paid $40, which is more than I would usually pay for a vacuum cleaner in this condition, without any of it's attachments, but I thought it was worth it. It is the lewyt electronic model 121. It has a small amount of rust, but it's bearable. I am VERY sad to say it does not have the powerhead, and I discovered that the wire inside of the vacuum for the powerhead appears to have been cut. I need to clean it up more as well. It doesn't have any attachments, so I took parts from various junk machines that I have. It works GREAT though. I also think these are fairly uncommon, as I believe this was the last model from the real lewyt company? The guy is going to let me know if he finds any more attachments.
Also, is the top part supposed to be clear metal? I also have the model 90 that I found in the trash a month ago. I's in very sad shape, and doesn't work, but it's hard to leave behind a vintage vacuum! 
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| Post# 251637 , Reply# 1 9/29/2013 at 14:30 (3,860 days old) by FantomFan (Rochester, New York) | ||
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lewyt 121 | ||
| Post# 251638 , Reply# 2 9/29/2013 at 14:32 (3,860 days old) by FantomFan (Rochester, New York) | ||
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the model 90 | ||
| Post# 251639 , Reply# 3 9/29/2013 at 14:35 (3,860 days old) by FantomFan (Rochester, New York) | ||
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My 75th ann. guardian! | ||
| Post# 251649 , Reply# 4 9/29/2013 at 16:30 (3,860 days old) by Collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk) | ||
The 121, along with the 120, were the last of the big wheels machines but the Lewyt Corp did have out 3 - 200 series machines after them, before going bankrupt. Yours has had the paint sanded off it by the looks of it - it should look like this (no this isn't mine - it was from an ebay auction - Wish it was mine)
Doug 
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| Post# 251651 , Reply# 5 9/29/2013 at 16:35 (3,860 days old) by Collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk) | ||
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| Post# 251713 , Reply# 6 9/30/2013 at 14:20 (3,859 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN) | ||
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Lewyt Silver Comet !!! This would seem to be the later,and RARE,chrome model.One of the only places I have seen this referred to was in a 2 page article with pictures of new household equipment in an issue of 'Living for Young Home Makers' of about 1960.I believe it was called the 'Silver Comet'.More pics?? | ||
| Post# 251773 , Reply# 7 10/1/2013 at 09:04 (3,858 days old) by dysonman1 (the county) | ||
Years ago, when I was still part of the VCCC, we held a convention in Ohio. A man named Dan Marino (not the football player) brought his beautiful Chrome Lewyt Electronic (complete with power nozzle) for us all to see. It was gorgeous. Didn't clean well enough to win a blue ribbon, but beautiful all the same. Anyone else remember Dan and his Lewyt?
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| Post# 251775 , Reply# 9 10/1/2013 at 09:52 (3,858 days old) by Collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk) | ||
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| Post# 251809 , Reply# 10 10/1/2013 at 18:11 (3,858 days old) by dysonman1 (the county) | ||
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Rob: You're remembering correctly. Dan Marino had a special box made to hold the machine. It was under lock and key if I recall correctly. We had a lot of fun at those early conventions. It was $25 for the convention fee, the club provided a GREAT lunch and one dinner for everyone. We were all there to learn. No alcohol was allowed. No one under 18. Fun times, and I too walked away from those conventions with life long friends.
We wanted to go to Electrolux, but Jimmy Martin (an Electrolux dealer) wasn't able to convince the company to let us into the factory. I wrote to the President of Electrolux, and described what a great photo opp. the club presented if he allowed us to come. He agreed. We all brought one Electrolux (what ever our favorite model was) to the factory, and we set them up in the lunch room. We were given a tour of the factory. I talked the President of Electrolux into giving the club a Commemorative Edition - I begged him for it really. But in the end, we were all there in the lunch room when the factory workers came to lunch and filed past the tables with our Electrolux vacuums on it. They were overjoyed. The local NBC affiliate was covering our visit, I remember doing the interview. Remember how excited we were when I cut the box open to reveal our new club's Commemorative Edition (what ever happened to that?)? Very good times!!! Thanks for the kind words about David. He was also so nice to everyone and made them feel 'at home'. Exactly what the club's "first lady" (lol) should do. It will be two years since he passed, on October 5th. | ||
| Post# 251813 , Reply# 11 10/1/2013 at 20:20 (3,858 days old) by kenkart () | ||
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Dan Marino.. I couldnt remember his name, I traded him a straight suction Royal for a Nilfisk. | ||
| Post# 251842 , Reply# 12 10/2/2013 at 07:12 (3,857 days old) by hoover51 (Greenfield Ohio) | ||
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Lewyt Electronic Tom, I was at that convention. I shared a room with Dan, and stayed up almost the whole night using the chrome Lewyt Electronic. loved every minute of it. I have three Lewyt electronics, including the chrome unit. Mike | ||
| Post# 362361 , Reply# 13 11/12/2016 at 22:50 (2,720 days old) by kirbyvertibles (Independence, KS) | ||
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Post# 362448 , Reply# 15 11/14/2016 at 21:24 (2,718 days old) by n0oxy  (Saint Louis Missouri, United States) |
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lewyt electronic Was the electronic the one that electricuted people? My nickname for those is the zapper. Kind of a shame, because I think besides that issue, they were good vacuums. I think I remember reading that there were two zapper models. | ||
| Post# 363324 , Reply# 16 12/8/2016 at 20:13 (2,694 days old) by Redneckvacman (Salem,VA) | ||
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| Post# 363375 , Reply# 17 12/10/2016 at 09:12 (2,692 days old) by Collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk) | ||
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| Post# 363376 , Reply# 18 12/10/2016 at 09:15 (2,692 days old) by Collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk) | ||
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| Post# 363383 , Reply# 19 12/10/2016 at 10:05 (2,692 days old) by dirtmaster37 (Ypsilanti, Michigan USA) | ||
What made them electronic? 
The short answer was nothing. In fact, Consumer Reports in their 1959 tests took issue to this "misleading fact" of Lewyt calling their machine Electronic.
There are a few threads in the archives that deal with how Lewyt made the "Electronic" "; "Beater-Sweeper Lewyt" work. The basis, was that Lewyt used a step down winding off the main suction motor in the canister. This step-down winding brought the power down to send out to the "beater sweeper" to 24 volts. In theory, this was a fairly brilliant solution. A gentleman named Hoffmeyer, a engineer with Lewyt finagled out this idea. There is several online "patent documents", explaining in GREAT detail, with lots of electrical and technical mumbo-jumbo how this all went down. IN laymans terms....This "stepped down power" was applied to the frame of the canister body, being all metal , to be used as the beginning conductor for this 24v voltage. The hose had a bare metal canister end ferrule, which took that same voltage, and went thru the wire hose by a thin wire filament, or the metal inner spiral wire that hols the hose to shape (that Im not 100% clear on). The cleaning end of the hose was also metal "With a rubber LEWYT embossed grip" the user held onto. This metal cleaning end was inserted into metal wands, which carried the current to the metal "Beater Sweeper" body. The wire to the nozzle motor connected to the outer metal "beater-sweeper)body completing the 24 volt circuit. Thanks to several I have seen in person, and such, this is the best way to describe how this system worked... Again, in theory, this was a brilliant ( and theoretically SAFE) solution of how to get power out from the canister to the power-head without using bulky wires clipped to the hose and wand (like Lewyt had originally, and Electrolux and others used, or, producing a electrified hose (like Whirlpool and Kenmore had shortly, to do away with the outer 110v wiring outside, sans the wand usually.) In practice, not so good. Again, the easy explanation is this :The step down winding was separated from the 110v motor winding by a varnish that worked FINE, as long as the machine did NOT become grounded to another metal item. When this happened, the varnish wore (melted) away, and in short order the two windings became LIVE with 110v. This of course caused MANY end users to receive nasty shocks, from ANY of the metal parts from a fairly new cleaner. In the end, it was a failure because of this. And the lawsuits that sprang forth from these shocks bankrupted the company sometime in 1960-61. Others can throw in more if they wish to. The few that I have seen that were not complete, still working units usually had the wire to the cansiter body removed entirely or snipped and capped off. None that I had ever seen before learning about this thru the years ever still had it's beater sweeper. Most were just used as suction units... Hope this helps... Chad (The pics I have put on show the Electronic in one of it's 1959 ad's, the second pic is the 1959 I believe Lady Kenmore with a 110v. electric hose. The thir picture is a rare Airway 88 with a clipped wand cord system and then the 1960's Electroulx Model G with it's wire clipped to the hose.... The last one is a complete Beater Sweeper Model) | ||
| Post# 363403 , Reply# 20 12/10/2016 at 19:32 (2,692 days old) by Collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk) | ||
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Hey Chad
That sums it up pretty well. The only thing I can add is the reason for the electrical breakdown in the motor windings was people over filling the bags and causing the motors to heat up. The varnish couldn't take the excess heat and would melt off allowing the primary and secondary windings to short together. At that point if you were touching the machine and came in contact with a grounded surface you got a bad shock. Doug | ||
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