Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

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HisMastersVoice
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Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by HisMastersVoice »

I thought some of you may be interested in seeing my (sadly incomplete) collection of Edicraft electric appliances. These were introduced by Thomas A. Edison Inc. in the late 1920s as a luxury appliance line, but none of them sold well, and were discontinued in 1934 due to lack of demand during the depression. To find an Edicraft appliance is a rarity today. The full line included 2 models of "Siphonator" coffee makers (one rectangular and one round), an automatic iron, an automatic toaster (clamshell), a standard toaster, an automatic waffle baker, and a sandwich grill. I'm fortunate enough to have come across 3 of these so far (and always looking for more! ...hint...hint :D )
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Siphonator
This is an interesting and unique coffee maker, especially for the era. Instead of percolating the coffee as was standard then, hot water from the left chamber was heated and pumped up into the tube and dispersed over an enclosed basket containing the ground coffee. At the end of the brewing process, you are left with coffee in the right chamber, and hot water in the left, dispensed via 2 separate spigots. The hot water was presumably to be used for tea or to weaken the coffee. Sadly it only makes a small amount of coffee. All of the internal parts were made of heavy duty stainless steel, and I believe the entire thing is insulated using concrete, it weighs a ton!
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Automatic Toaster
Another interesting design, this clamshell toaster holds the bread in the center, and when the timer reaches the desired toasting time, the sides containing the heating elements fall away from the toast. The time is set on the front, and a lever on the side is pulled back to start the timer and turn on the toaster. I also have a full page advertisement for this toaster which hangs in my kitchen.
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Automatic Iron
About as interesting as an early iron can get I suppose. It was automatic after all! Mine appears to have been well loved judging by the paint loss on the handle.
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Dealer brochure
I just recently acquired a beautiful Art Deco dealer brochure showcasing the automatic toaster and Siphonator. I believe this to be early, as it references only the first 2 products introduced, and they are still shown with socket plugs.
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Hit of the Week
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Re: Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by Hit of the Week »

Very nice, hard to find units! Thanks for posting!
I don't think it was"Edicraft", but I did have an Edison sewing machine!

Iowa Dale

tomb
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Re: Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by tomb »

I enjoy learning about other items Edison made. It would be nice to see some more of his products. He was a genius. A lot of people do not know that he earned more money off of his battery sales than his phonographs. Tom B

HisMastersVoice
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Re: Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by HisMastersVoice »

Hit of the Week wrote:Very nice, hard to find units! Thanks for posting!
I don't think it was"Edicraft", but I did have an Edison sewing machine!

Iowa Dale
I had one of those as well. Not Edicraft, I think it was from later on when his son slapped the Edison name on anything he could to make a buck!

Canuk Phonographs
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Re: Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by Canuk Phonographs »

Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed learning about these Edison Items. Great collection and good luck on finding more.
Blain

OrthoFan
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Re: Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by OrthoFan »

Many thanks for posting this!

I see there was also a vacuum cleaner -- a re-branded Kirby -- sold under the Edicraft name:

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD ... .cgi?17367
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD ... .cgi?18632

OF

HisMastersVoice
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Re: Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by HisMastersVoice »

OrthoFan wrote:Many thanks for posting this!

I see there was also a vacuum cleaner -- a re-branded Kirby -- sold under the Edicraft name:

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD ... .cgi?17367
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD ... .cgi?18632

OF
You're right, I totally forgot about that one. I think that was the only one not made by Edison, and I'm guessing it was introduced closer to the demise of the product line.

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Curt A
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Re: Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by Curt A »

That coffee maker is cool... Does it make good coffee? Since it makes small amounts, was it meant to be an espresso maker? Interesting collection of items that I have personally never seen. Thanks...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

HisMastersVoice
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Re: Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by HisMastersVoice »

Curt A wrote:That coffee maker is cool... Does it make good coffee? Since it makes small amounts, was it meant to be an espresso maker? Interesting collection of items that I have personally never seen. Thanks...
It's pretty good, yeah. It's similar in concept to the modern drip coffee maker. It's not an espresso maker, no. That would require highly pressurized hot water. I suppose my idea of a small amount of coffee might differ from others. I really love coffee. I use an 8-cup percolator normally, the Edicraft makes maybe 3-4 cups. Oh, and it takes forever!

:coffee: :coffee: :coffee: :coffee: :coffee:

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Curt A
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Re: Edicraft Electric Appliances by Thomas A. Edison Inc.

Post by Curt A »

HisMastersVoice wrote:
Curt A wrote:That coffee maker is cool... Does it make good coffee? Since it makes small amounts, was it meant to be an espresso maker? Interesting collection of items that I have personally never seen. Thanks...
It's pretty good, yeah. It's similar in concept to the modern drip coffee maker. It's not an espresso maker, no. That would require highly pressurized hot water. I suppose my idea of a small amount of coffee might differ from others. I really love coffee. I use an 8-cup percolator normally, the Edicraft makes maybe 3-4 cups. Oh, and it takes forever!

:coffee: :coffee: :coffee: :coffee: :coffee:
Me too... :coffee: That is great since it is a useful appliance as well as a collection piece. I think it would be great to have people over for a cup of Edison...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

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