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Thread Number: 40599
/ Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
When did Hamilton Beach and Westinghouse stop making vacuums? |
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| Post# 431356 9/6/2020 at 08:44 (1,320 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
I'm guessing Hamilton Beach was 1965 or so? I don't believe I've seen any on here newer than about that year.
Westinghouse I have no idea - believe they were sold to White Consolidated Industries (WCI) in 1974 and that was around the time they seemed to get out of the housewares and small appliance business. | ||
| Post# 431360 , Reply# 2 9/6/2020 at 09:26 (1,320 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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| Post# 431363 , Reply# 3 9/6/2020 at 10:45 (1,320 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
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Sunbeam and Hamilton Beach kinda are more related to the original brands as far as small appliances go. I think Sunbeam was bought by Jarden in the 2000s, and they still make Mixmasters sort-of based on the originals (the original bowls will fit new mixers for example). But outside of that the Sunbeam name is put on batteries, light bulbs and other things that have nothing to do with the original company at all.
Hamilton Beach merged with Proctor Silex at some point and is still basically the same brand they were before, but like anything as you say their current stuff is made in China. There were some White-Westinghouse branded vacuums in the 1990s, but these didn't have anything to do with the original Westinghouse, since the name had merged with WCI in the 70s - later AB Electrolux. Nothing, to my knowledge these days from Westinghouse has anything to do with the original company. In the 1970s they sort of did as GE has done in more recent years and divested themselves of anything relating to their original divisions. Angelo Bros bought the name for lighting during the 1990s, and I have seen some cheapo small appliances with the name on them lately. | ||
| Post# 431516 , Reply# 4 9/9/2020 at 02:27 (1,318 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH) | ||
Westinghouse
The Westinghouse plant in Mansfield, OH began production in 1918, at first making only ranges and toasters, but soon grew to make a wide variety of large and small appliances. It eventually became the headquarters of the Westinghouse Appliance Division. Refrigerators, washers, dryers, water heaters, dishwashers, irons, electric skillets, waffle irons, and the famous Westinghouse Electric Roaster were also made there. Although vacuum cleaners and electric fans were made in another plant in Springfield, MA, they still said Mansfield, OH on the data plate.
Refrigerators, water heaters, and dishwashers were moved to another plant in Columbus, OH in the mid 50's. Small appliances were moved to a plant in Byesville, OH in 1967, then sold to Hamilton Beach/Scoville in 1970. Vacuum cleaners were last produced in the Springfield plant around 1970, about 3 years after the Convert-o-vac was introduced. A few years earlier, an upright that looked similar to a Regina brush-n-beat was introduced. The entire Westinghouse Major Appliance Division was sold to White Consolidated Industries in 1975. I worked at the Mansfield plant on the dryer floor for about 6 months in 1977. By then the plant was only making washers, dryers, and ranges. Jeff | ||
| Post# 431521 , Reply# 5 9/9/2020 at 10:18 (1,317 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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My great grandparents bought one of the first electric ranges, a Westinghouse, from their local power company in about 1920. It came with a lifetime service agreement, which the power company lived up to for some 50 years. It had open coil ceramic burners, which burned out somewhat frequently and they would dutifully come out and replace them as needed. By the 1960s, it was the last such stove still in service and the power company just left their remaining supply of burners on their back porch. Eventually, they had to retrofit it to use more modern Calrod burners. The stove was still in service when my great, great aunt died in 1970. No idea what happened to it after that.
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| Post# 431537 , Reply# 6 9/9/2020 at 14:07 (1,317 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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| Post# 431574 , Reply# 8 9/10/2020 at 01:17 (1,317 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH) | ||
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Human, the range your Great-Grandparents had was a good example of how Westinghouse appliances were built to last!
Eurekaprince, there was a large neon sign with the Westinghouse slogan on the east side of one of the buildings at the Mansfield plant that could be seen miles away. Any time we were traveling and came home at night on US 30, 42, Ohio 39, or 430 from the east, seeing "You Can Be Sure...If It's Westinghouse" always meant that we were almost home. Kirbyklekter, just 4 years after White Consolidated bought Westinghouse, they bought Frigidaire, in 1979. Then 7 years later, A.B. Electrolux of Sweden bought White Consolidated in 1986. Jeff | ||
| Post# 431602 , Reply# 9 9/10/2020 at 17:00 (1,316 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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I can well imagine the deep meaning that Westinghouse sign had for those living in the area, Jeff. Can we perhaps dream that America's manufacturing plants will one day rise again so that average middle class North Americans can have steady jobs once again?
I remember fondly watching out for the Canadian Electrolux sign on their plant near the Trans Canada Highway on the west island of Montreal. Saw it every time we drove out to the western suburbs to visit my cousins. Sure could use a steady job at a vacuum plant right about now....but don't want to move to China...:-( | ||
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