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Post by newtonehunter on Feb 4, 2006 15:39:53 GMT -5
Believe it or not, the mix and match fans available at some Wal-Marts(super?) come out of the same place in Coppel, TX as Craftmades. Basically, the basic motors under the TSI Prime name at Wal Mart are the Builder's series(not the Decorative) by Craftmade. Same goes for the light kits. The bowls in the mix and match series at Wal Mart can be purchased by Craftmade as well(as "economy" light kits). So, per Farah's suggestion of adding Craftmades to Wal Mart, it is somewhat true. Of course, I never carried these fans at where I worked for this reason.
The old Laskos and SMC's where good fans for what you paid for back in the day, but I do know that in the late 80's-early 90's you could get a version of the Hunter Studio Series at K-Mart for like $60-$70. I actually think that that was a pretty good deal.
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Post by newtonehunter on Feb 5, 2006 9:50:30 GMT -5
That sounds interesting... when you say weird, do you mean like wing-tip blade ends?
I think that most of the K-Mart Hunters had little notches on the sideband that were not perforated. The Hunters found at the home centers had perforated sidebands. They were all called the Studio Series, but in their final years, the Home Depot labeled them as the Passport/ Lowes as the Piedmont. I especially like the old Studio Series with four blades and a hunter original switch housing.
In the 90's, the Summer Breeze, Coastal Breeze, Studio Series, etc., were just all around good, well built, un obtrusive, and well priced fans. Not like this skirted blade, rounded housing, integrated light crap of today.
On a lighter note, I would like to get my hands on a Comfort Breeze. I don't know much about these fans, other then they were made in the early 80's and had a flywheel. The housing was a like a Summer Breeze and Original collided into one. This fan was actually designed for Dan's Fan City, until they started ending up at the home centers... if anyone really cares about this story, let me know and I will finish it.
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Post by JW on Feb 5, 2006 12:36:30 GMT -5
Maybe he's thinking of the 48" Somerset which was offered by Wal-Mart in the early 90s. The blades looked like a cross between a Hunter blade and a Craftmade round end blade. I think one popped up on eBay not too long ago. I can't place what the motor looked like, maybe a small Summer Breeze?
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Post by newtonehunter on Feb 6, 2006 15:13:01 GMT -5
In the very early 80's when Dan's Fan City began to open it's stores, they carried brands other then Gulf Coast at the time. Of these brands included your typical "high-end" selection. They carried Fasco, CasaBlanca, Emerson(such as the Universal series, commonly known as the "Blenderfan") and of course, our beloved Hunter Originals. At this point, Gulf Coast wasn't even owned by Dan's Fan City, and was a very primative, entry-level fan(see my post in the Gulf Coast Industrial thread in the Gallery update forum).
So, as I have heard, Dan's Fan City asked Hunter to make a fan especially for them around this time. Something that still beared the Hunter name, but was a little more economical. Thus, the Comfort Breeze was born. However, the Comfort Breeze begin popping up on the shelves of hardware and department stores. In fact, I have an 1982 ad for a dept. store in Jersey that advertises the Comfort Breeze. I am not 100% sure, but I would put money on the fact that the Comfort Breeze was the first non-Original Hunter ever made. And then by the mid-80's, Hunter was offering a plethora of imported fans anyway. Do you think Hunter Fan would have survived on just selling Originals? Probably not.
Oh well, withen a few years, Dan's Fan City would have dropped all of these brands anyway and become land of the new and improved Gulf Coast Fans once they owned them. Not a bad choice given the circumstances, if you ask me.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2006 15:43:38 GMT -5
I am not 100% sure, but I would put money on the fact that the Comfort Breeze was the first non-Original Hunter ever made. Depends what you mean by "Original". The Comfort Breeze was the first imported Hunter. One of my favorite fans. Dan's Fan City sold Fasco, Nutone etc to 1993, at least the one I used to visit did. Some locations still carry Craftmade and Regency and the like.
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Post by newtonehunter on Feb 6, 2006 16:13:12 GMT -5
As far as I am concerned, any Hunter made in this country is/was some form of the Original. So yes, I guess that I would consider the Comfort Breeze to be the first non-Original. I don't see many of them... I have heard that these fans have had tremendous fly-wheel problems.
The Dan's Fan City stores that I speak of are the corporate stores. They were the ones that used to sell the fans I mentioned, and now sell strictly Gulf Coast. However, the franchised stores, such as the one that you used to visit(in Wisconsin, right?) were free to sell whatever they wanted to in addition to Gulf Coast. Generally, the corporate stores are in Florida, and the franchised stores were across the rest of the country. For example, my store is in Ohio, and we carry Craftmade, Regency, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2006 1:58:27 GMT -5
I have visisted Dan's Fan's City stores in a handful of states on my road trips . . . the only ones I remember clearly are Atlanta, GA and St Paul, MN.
Comfort Breezes had no more flywheel problems than any other rubber flywheel fan of the 80s. Many are operating today with the original flywheel. Many are not. I have a handful of NOS replacement flywheels just waiting for me to get some Comfort Breezes!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2006 17:42:50 GMT -5
Would that be the same as the one for the 36" model?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2006 16:56:45 GMT -5
I was at a WalMart last night. I forget if I already posted this one, but it had a series of Westinghouse/Encon industrials over the produce section, Litex industrials in the bakery (with one replaced with a Dayton/Marley), Nutone industrials over the door, and a 36" HRC industrial over the photo lab.
And I was thinking . . . for all of those who are familiar with the ceiling fan-heavy WalMarts, particularly those with the many industrials over the produce, mounted on insanely long downrods and almost touching each other . . . if you could pick any industrial fans to be installed in their place, what would be your choice?
My pick is 56" Dayton Laskos, with the pullcord . . . second pick is white 52" Blenderfans, K63 with fiberglass blades.
What are your picks?
For those who havent seen the ceiling fan produce WalMarts, I'll post some pictures later this week.
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Post by Fanman on Jun 13, 2006 17:22:38 GMT -5
I'm still wondering if anyone bought any of the Walmart industrials??
My Walmart has a Hampton Bay industrial over the fabric counter and photo center and some other 5 blader over the jewelry and some 36" industrials in the indoor garden center. Used to be 2 on short downrods now they have one on short downrod and two on long. Only 2 are ever on and the one that's off has bent blades.
The Walmart in my hometown had Lagunas I think in the entry and brown industrials over the registers. The new one has junky spinners and huggers in the deli area.
In Bartow is a large Walmart from the early 90s and it does or did have white Originals in the grocery center near an eatery area I think. It was cool. I need to go back to that Walmart some time.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2006 17:31:35 GMT -5
I'm not sure if you didnt understand my post, or are responding to an older part of the thread. I was kind of starting a new topic, asking, if you could replace the fans in your walmart with any industrials (or I suppose non-industrials) of your choice, what would you pick?
Sean weighed in with second generation Envirofans.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2006 2:40:33 GMT -5
Here are some pictures from one of the WalMarts around here. As you can see, this one has four Nutone Prolines over the produce.
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Post by Fanman on Jun 14, 2006 10:57:24 GMT -5
I see your Walmart has an open roof.
On ours the grocery dept was added later and it also has an open roof and skylights, but the original store, except the garden dept has a dropped ceiling.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2006 11:14:18 GMT -5
If you'll notice, it is an open roof over the grocery, dropped everywhere else. I suspect this WalMart is older. The other one in the area has an open roof over the entire store.
I could be mistaken but I believe all the Super-WalMarts have an open roof over the grocery. I certainly cant picture fans in there any other way.
Wouldnt Dayton Laskos look cool in that setting?
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Post by Fanman on Jun 14, 2006 11:55:34 GMT -5
Yes, the newer ones have open roofs.
I am guessing the fans are to keep flies off of the fruit??
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