Vintage Signal F-60 15 cm Desk Fan

[Jean Lemieux]

Here's a little Signal 15 cm desk fan I got last May. I've never seen one exactly like it nor do I know much about this brand. Being made in Taiwan and obviously post 1960's, I doubt it's related to the US brand Signal that offered portable fans around the 1930-1960's. The only informations about it are on that sticker on the back of the motor and that serial number on the base near the 2-speeds switch. The front grill is very spaced for a 15 cm plastic desk fan and chrome rather than painted which tells me it could possibly be older than the 1980's. Otherwise it's made pretty similarly to newer 2-speeds non oscillating 15 cm plastic desk fans. It has a plastic back grill with a shaded pole motor, typical for these fans.

When I first got it, it was spinning backwards. I had to open the back, remove the motor and reinstall it the other way around. I also oiled it in the process. It now spins in the right direction and much faster too. This little fan is actually very powerful for a 15 cm fan. Low speed already feels like high!

I love the opaque blue blades. It's not something very common to see on these little fans. Combined with the spaced chrome grills it almost looks like from the 1970's but I don't think such fans existed back then. My guess is that it must be from the early 1980's. Some of the earliest plastic 15 cm desk fans. The plug it has corresponds with that period.

Anyone know for sure the age of this fan and knows more about this brand?

[Cole D]

That is interesting. I have seen fans of that style with the same blade and motor housing shape under a few different names.

I have one with that same shape blade and motor housing, but the grille wires are closer spaced. Mine is branded GE, cream colored, has a brown blade, and the base is shaped differently and has a rotary switch. With brown GE logo on the badge and a woodgrain switch sticker on the base that says General Electric 6". It is quite a powerhouse too after I oiled it.

I have also seen this with the rotary switch but blue blades branded as a SuperLectric, and also brown blades as Cool Breeze.

Not sure I've ever seen one with a base and slide switch like yours. If I had to guess I'd say these are early '80s being the names I've seen on them. I know Superior Electric went out of business
in the early/mid '80s and GE sold their small appliances to Black and Decker in 1984, so those couldn't be any newer than that.

This site has some info on Signal, apparently they were acquired by Vernco in 1964. What I didn't know was they were still using the Signal name after the 60s. So I'd say yours is related to it.


www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=9120

[Jean Lemieux]

Jun 26, 2021 8:56:47 GMT -5 Cole D said:

That is interesting. I have seen fans of that style with the same blade and motor housing shape under a few different names.

I have one with that same shape blade and motor housing, but the grille wires are closer spaced. Mine is branded GE, cream colored, has a brown blade, and the base is shaped differently and has a rotary switch. With brown GE logo on the badge and a woodgrain switch sticker on the base that says General Electric 6". It is quite a powerhouse too after I oiled it.

I have also seen this with the rotary switch but blue blades branded as a SuperLectric, and also brown blades as Cool Breeze.

Not sure I've ever seen one with a base and slide switch like yours. If I had to guess I'd say these are early '80s being the names I've seen on them. I know Superior Electric went out of business
in the early/mid '80s and GE sold their small appliances to Black and Decker in 1984, so those couldn't be any newer than that.

This site has some info on Signal, apparently they were acquired by Vernco in 1964. What I didn't know was they were still using the Signal name after the 60s. So I'd say yours is related to it.


www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=9120

I have seen 15 cm plastic desk fans with both slide switches and rotary switches on the base but usually they have a slide switch on the back of the motor. This one having it's slide switch placed vertically on the base rather than horizontally is less common.

Early 1980's seems to make the most sense despite the front grill being unusully spaced for that period. I doubt this style of small plastic portable fans existed in the 1970's.

I saw this website but the timeline does not go any further than the 1970's. You really think Signal imported some fans from Taiwan in the early 1980's? When did the Signal name ceased to exist?

[Cole D]

Jun 27, 2021 4:36:48 GMT -5 Jean Lemieux said:

Jun 26, 2021 8:56:47 GMT -5 Cole D said:

I saw this website but the timeline does not go any further than the 1970's. You really think Signal imported some fans from Taiwan in the early 1980's? When did the Signal name ceased to exist?

I guess it's possible it could be very late 1970s. I know in the mid 1970s GE started importing plastic fans from Taiwan, after the last range of GE oscillators in cream with the OSHA cages had ended production
in Connecticut. Whether the 6" model was part of that in the '70s or came in the early '80s I'm not sure.

What confuses me is I can't find any pictures of old metal Signal fans with that logo, so it's hard to say exactly if it's the same. But I can't think what else it could relate to unless it was a store brand.
I have seen various imported fans with all sorts of store brands that I've never heard of.

It is unfortunate that website doesn't go into any detail past what it gives or as to what happened to the Signal brand. My guess is possibly Vernco was using the name on certain products because
it had recognition and also I think there's a rule that to keep a trademark you have to use it once in a while. It's strange I can't find any other Signal fans from this period.

You might try asking on the AFCA, they may have more information on what happened to Signal. My guess is it may be like Fresh'nd-Aire, where it was used and then faded into obscurity.
It's too bad there isn't any address or company info on the label.

[Jean Lemieux]

Jun 27, 2021 7:51:52 GMT -5 Cole D said:

Jun 27, 2021 4:36:48 GMT -5 Jean Lemieux said:

I saw this website but the timeline does not go any further than the 1970's. You really think Signal imported some fans from Taiwan in the early 1980's? When did the Signal name ceased to exist?

I guess it's possible it could be very late 1970s. I know in the mid 1970s GE started importing plastic fans from Taiwan, after the last range of GE oscillators in cream with the OSHA cages had ended production
in Connecticut. Whether the 6" model was part of that in the '70s or came in the early '80s I'm not sure.

What confuses me is I can't find any pictures of old metal Signal fans with that logo, so it's hard to say exactly if it's the same. But I can't think what else it could relate to unless it was a store brand.
I have seen various imported fans with all sorts of store brands that I've never heard of.

It is unfortunate that website doesn't go into any detail past what it gives or as to what happened to the Signal brand. My guess is possibly Vernco was using the name on certain products because
it had recognition and also I think there's a rule that to keep a trademark you have to use it once in a while. It's strange I can't find any other Signal fans from this period.

You might try asking on the AFCA, they may have more information on what happened to Signal. My guess is it may be like Fresh'nd-Aire, where it was used and then faded into obscurity.
It's too bad there isn't any address or company info on the label.

That's what I was thinking too regarding the logo. I can't find any other Signal fan with this exact logo.

I also thought about it being a store brand.

[Jean Lemieux]

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