Thread Number: 1302
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Post# 57273   2/15/2005 at 08:57 (6,981 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
Sigh...Dream...Sigh




Post# 57276 , Reply# 1   2/15/2005 at 09:18 (6,981 days old) by Mrcleanjeans (milwaukee wi)        

how well did this beauty clean?did the fiberglass tub hold up?

Post# 57280 , Reply# 2   2/15/2005 at 09:38 (6,981 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Ohh OHIO HEEER

jetcone's profile picture
we COME!!!!!!!

Post# 57284 , Reply# 3   2/15/2005 at 09:45 (6,981 days old) by pulsator-power (connecticut)        

It's funny, this ad resembles the Easy Automatic T/L ad that runs every so often, except the woman has no hat/feather. Maybe the same ad agency or something. Even the typeface used was used on other ads.

It says it saves water. How, if it's bouncing part of it out?
Jerry


Post# 57299 , Reply# 4   2/15/2005 at 12:55 (6,981 days old) by partscounterman (Cortez, Colorado)        

I like the four multicolor lights (or are they buttons) above the timer

Post# 57300 , Reply# 5   2/15/2005 at 13:11 (6,981 days old) by westytoploader ()        

I hope we find one of these beauties at the sales during the Convention!

I notice that by now there was a "centerpost" in the bouncing basket; wasn't this just a "raised, scalloped hump" before?


Post# 57304 , Reply# 6   2/15/2005 at 14:06 (6,981 days old) by retromom ()        
The Apex Aura

"To sleep, per chance to dream......"

Post# 57317 , Reply# 7   2/15/2005 at 17:36 (6,981 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
I notice that by now there was a "centerpost" in the bouncing basket; wasn't this just a "raised, scalloped hump" before?

Austin that is the raised hump.

Falling asleep, dreaming


Post# 57318 , Reply# 8   2/15/2005 at 18:08 (6,981 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
Pardon my naive, bad self but is this basically an agitub? Am I correct in assuming this is not the famous 'bouncing basket' design? I've never seen an Apex before. Nor have I seen such poetic swooning from you lot! Do we know from what year this beauty hails?

And if anyone's wondering, I'm still fuming that I am only 2-1/2 hours from Uni's and was unable to join the fun at the Northland wash-in due to having to record a harpist. (No, that's not code for anything; I actually recorded a harpist all day Saturday.)


Post# 57321 , Reply# 9   2/15/2005 at 18:52 (6,981 days old) by alr2903 (TN)        
Robert Now thats a POD

Yes indeed, my question was same as Partscounter man are those lights or buttons, and the second pic is kind of like the Norge timeline. How nice, Thankyou.

Post# 57323 , Reply# 10   2/15/2005 at 18:53 (6,981 days old) by westytoploader ()        
Amazing Apex

Hmmm...I guess it looked more like a centerpost to me. Wow, so this particular Apex was a "Time-Line" machine like the Norge? Too FAB! Glad you kept the awesome control panel and the other parts. Do you have any more pictures of your machine, i.e. the interior or action shots? I'm dying to see what that looked like!

The good thing is, if one of us finds an Apex, it will most definitely be yours! Now to find one...:(

When I "discovered" eBay in 2000, I usually saw an Apex upright vacuum on there every week. Now I hardly ever see any Apex vacuums. If I had known how rare any Apex appliance was, I would have snapped up one of those vacuums.


Post# 57325 , Reply# 11   2/15/2005 at 19:09 (6,981 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Uhhh.....Glad you kept the awesome control panel and the oth

jetcone's profile picture
Yes too bad the sacred tub, motor, cabinet, dials, pump,drain hose all went to the "KRUSHER"!!

I've NEVER done that to a machine.......................


anonymous-in-the-east..............


Post# 57330 , Reply# 12   2/15/2005 at 19:57 (6,981 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
Robert, I think of you everytime there's an Apex POD (the two). And my heart strings get a tug for you cuz I know how much you want one.

That picture of the Apex with the "timeline" kinda design, was that THE washer that was once around someone here--who whall remain nameless


Post# 57331 , Reply# 13   2/15/2005 at 20:02 (6,981 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        
Oh Please, Get a load of 'er...

unimatic1140's profile picture
U'm you're looking at the dials and I saved the pump, balloon clutch, window and other important mechanism parts.

Oh and Speaking of getting rid of things Jon, where is your Rubber Tub Bendix?

Sorry Austin, I don't have any other pictures of that machine. Wish I did!


Post# 57335 , Reply# 14   2/15/2005 at 20:09 (6,981 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
Frigilux, this Apex WAS the bouncing basket design. David and Arthur I have no idea whether those were buttons or lights or both. No one I know has ever seen one of these '55 Model Apex machines.

Post# 57336 , Reply# 15   2/15/2005 at 20:09 (6,981 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
Oops, did someone put a squeeze on a bendix and send it packing?

Post# 57347 , Reply# 16   2/15/2005 at 21:16 (6,981 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        

Lights. The thing did a great job of stirring up a lot of suds which were about all that was left after about 60 seconds of "bouncing". After most of the water had been tossed out the clothes just flopped around in the tub.It was fun to watch.

Post# 57360 , Reply# 17   2/15/2005 at 23:45 (6,981 days old) by golittlesport (California)        

golittlesport's profile picture
According to an Apex ad I have for that model machine, those were "magic cycle-guide lights."

Post# 57362 , Reply# 18   2/16/2005 at 00:04 (6,981 days old) by golittlesport (California)        
more Apex

golittlesport's profile picture
The Apex instruction book says it is designed so that during the wash period some water will flush out of the basket - carrying with it suspended particle of dirt and lint. So it was "supposed" to do that. I guess like WCI top loaders are "designed" to index during agitation! Ha! This scan of the Apex manual gives a run down of its cycle sequence.

Post# 57368 , Reply# 19   2/16/2005 at 07:04 (6,980 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
Uni and Golittlesport--Thanks for the information and posting the brochure/instructions! What an interesting machine. There must be one out there somewhere, sitting in a garage or basement or barn, covered with a tarp....

Post# 57376 , Reply# 20   2/16/2005 at 08:48 (6,980 days old) by westytoploader ()        

Interesting pictures!

Did this also have the angled fill as well, like the Wizard and Philco?


Post# 57378 , Reply# 21   2/16/2005 at 08:51 (6,980 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
My 1953 model did not have an angled fill flume, but by '55 it might have. No one knows, its only a legend!

Post# 57468 , Reply# 22   2/17/2005 at 03:17 (6,979 days old) by programcomputer (Ann Arbor Michigan, USA)        
What a awesome appliance company....My interest in the Apex

programcomputer's profile picture
Hi,

This should be in the Super forum Im sure but it does tie in with the situation at hand...the Apex Washers and Dryers.

I have FOUR of their ( Apex's) vacuum cleaners.

1. 1922- Apex Splitnozzle Upright- This machine is all chrome, with a unique split nozzle, that divided the suction into two disctinct paths. It has a green cloth bag that calls the machine a RoTarex and shows both a washer and a vacuum on it in black stenciling. It also had a small lever in the direct center of the nozzle in which raised or lowered the nozzle. the brush was stationary behind the nozzle as were many early uprights being the straight suction variety.

The handle on this machine is unique becasue it's a black painted wood, and has a groove in the back of it for the electric wires to travel down to the motor in. The switch is neat also...it's in the very end of the handgrip and is the twist on twist off type, with a black early plastic style knob.

The elctrical on this model had to be completly redone and updated to a newer black plastic cord with a normal two pronged end. This machine still had the old beige twist style cloth wire cord with a twist plug that you would attach to an electric light bulb socket. It couldn't be used beforehand becasue I was scared as heck to try it. This machine was free. It was brought in a vacuum cleaner load for a Kriby distributor in Ann Arbor. I took it home and never mentioned it again. No one even seemed to miss it. This machine is in a CKD state also so I do not have the model number at hand..I'll get it if you want to know...

2. I have a 1948 Blue upright that's paint scheme that looks like white squiggles were drawn onto the paint. Not a hammertone finsh, but looks like formica from the later 50's period. The model has a navy blue cloth bag with the Apex name in silver. It has a four positon brush, that had larger (stiff) tufted bristles and smaller (softer) tufted bristles.

It uses a flat belt like a Kirby from the same period. Interestingly enough changing a lightbulb with this machine was very easy...all one had to do is grab the front aluminum housing and pull forward where the lamp sits down near the base of the nozzle. I do not have the # for this machine becasue it's currently in in a CKD state and I do not wish to unbox it right now.

This machine was found at a old line vacuum cleaner store in Omaha Nebraska downtown on a main drag I remember that It was definitly a north/south road. My ex- Jeff used to live in Lincoln becasue he was going to college there...and becasue like me, he was a vacuum cleaner nut..he took me there once or twice.

The owner guy had three vintage machines for sale...Two Apex upright's one red squiggletone finish without a plug, and thie blue one that I have that worked and was complete. This machine cost me $85.00 + shipping. I ended up paying over a hundred for this one.

(sidebar)- I think at this point in the Apex appliance stable they only offered wringer washers. I did not see the automatic washers appear in their ad's until 1952 or so.

3.1947-48 Apex Cylinder Canister Model 5-140- Brown Squiggletone paint with white squigglies. This machine is my most complete Apex cleaner I own, as it has it's complete tool caddy with original holder. This machine has suction wise, one of IMHO the most powerful canister suction's available in it's day. All of the attachments are positive friction lock which uses a slightly raised indention to lock into a groove inside the attachment to be used.

The hose (strangly) is still airtight and makes a good seal against the end bell of the canister. The locking mechanism for the hose is unique in that you twisted the hose collar until it's locked into position. But to untiwst it is sometimes a wristsnapper becasue if you tighten it too tightly when inserting the hose....Sometimes it takes great pressure to untwist the hose...I've found this out before.

This machine ironically was found for me by my mom of all people who has actually always sighed and rolled her eyes over my appliance fetish as she calls it. Thanks ma! Anyway she paid like $40.00 for it and was never so pleased as to be able to freak me out when she had a huge box sitting on my bed when i got home one summer evening. I about died...

4. 1954 Apex Strato-Cleaner Model 5501- This machine is a blue hammertone finish, apparantly the squigglies had given way to a less expensive, or less troublesome painting scheme. This machine has no attachments to it other thant the hose wand and carpet nozzle which differs from the previously mentioned model by the fact that the hose was an early molded plastic coil wound style...possibly one of the first cleaners to have this feature. It also uses a paper bag which I have never found a suitable replacement to fit, So I use it less frequently than most.

A strange feature of this machine is the fact that the cord is not permanantly attached. It has a cord like an Electrolux from the same period. The attachments were now totally friction fit, but still had the same twistloc hose mooring of the earlier styles.

This machine was given to me by a former customer from the Hoover Company. I used to post signs at my store near the main register, that I paid for "true" vintage vacuum cleaners. A customer brought it to me and told me that I could have it without paying becasue he never thought he would ever find someone who would want old crap like this thing. Couldn't you just punch people sometimes. This was the only vacuum that I wasn't hosed on.

The washers and dryers I never knew about until later and by the time that I got this last one I saw that the company "had" introduced their automatic washer by this time.

I met an interesting retired repairman a few years back who told me that many mechaincs back in that day "hated" the Apex becasue of it's complicated wash mechanism. And many of them refered to them as "Bouncing Bastards". He said that he never worked on one himself, but had mechanic freinds of his that did...and said they were pure and simple hell to do anything to.

He went on to say that Apex did put alot of time and effort into them and said that they could have done worse...but the fiberglass tubs had a way of cracking around where they attached to the agitation/spin mechanism and too many pot metal parts were used..

He said that he never hear much about Apex after sometime around 1957. And has in his lifetime seen only three washers and and about 4 dryers bearing the Apex logo since he started in the buisness in 1953. All of them he said...were junkers that are probably buried beneath the soil someplace.

Really disheartning considering....

Who know's what happened to Apex MFG Co?

When did they go out?


Thanx

Chad


Post# 57565 , Reply# 23   2/18/2005 at 06:30 (6,978 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Shot dead in Boston film at eleven!

jetcone's profile picture
Ohh Ya got me partner! I squeezed a Bendix right out the door.
We've all thrown to the winds without thinking.

I'd love to see a machine with the 'magic cycle guides" guiding me through the wash!
Rich that is the first time I've ever seen an Apex in color!
Thanks for posting--now get out and find us one!

lotsoflove

jetcone



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