Sturtevant Vacuums

Overview

(1910 - 1945) Sturtevant produced a wide variety of residential, commercial and industrial vacuum cleaners. The product line ended with the Westinghouse acqusition. The photo above shows a stationary vacuum cleaning system built by Sturtevant Engineering(UK). The stationary type cleaner was adaptable to large manufacturing plants, power houses(for handling coal dust), saw mills and any plant handling materials that created dangerous, heavy or valuable(precious metals) dusts.

Early collaborations were made with Western-Electric and Singer.

Until this time(1933), Singer sold sewing machines as well as suction-only upright vacuums. Singer made their own sewing machines, but not their own vacuum cleaner. That was the job of Sturtevant. Sturtevant was located in Hyde Park, MA, and was one of the first manufacturers of electric vacuums, beginning in 1911. Sturtevant private labeled their existing suction-only upright for Singer – with the change from a single speed motor on the Sturtevant to a two-speed motor for the Singer. Initially, a sleeve bearing motor was launched, quickly followed by a ball bearing motor. Private labeling at its best.

- Tom Gasko - The Singer Cleaning System