UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > General Vintage Technology > General Vintage Technology Discussions

Notices

General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 28th May 2017, 2:47 am   #21
Paul_RK
Dekatron
 
Paul_RK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 4,245
Default Re: "House" brands.

There was Comet with Solavox, largely I think on stereo equipment and TVs: I'm not sure if it extended to radios.

The Waltham situation seems fairly elaborate, including their Irish co-productions with Standard of Japan, sometimes dual-branded. I too had long thought Waltham to be a house brand, just because in the mid '70s the only place I ever saw their products was in a large branch of Tesco.

Paul
Paul_RK is online now  
Old 28th May 2017, 5:20 am   #22
Radio Wrangler
Moderator
 
Radio Wrangler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 22,799
Default Re: "House" brands.

These things always left me with the feeling that more effort had gone into the choice of brand name than had gone into the development of the product.

Brands that were connected to their real manufacturer felt a lot more honest to me, a lot more trustworthy. So I bought an Akai tape machine. It took a bit more saving-up, but it was a good decision. I felt that synthetic store brands could be and indeed were dumped the moment they started to acquire any negative reputation.

Fake Austrian/German or Japanese sounding names seemed borderline fraudulent. If they were trying to mislead you about where they were made, what other tricks were they up to?

Some of it was OK, but much was underwhelming.

David
__________________
Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done
Radio Wrangler is online now  
Old 28th May 2017, 7:00 am   #23
ted_ntsx
Pentode
 
ted_ntsx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Winterton-on-sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 137
Default Re: "House" brands.

The Granada "Finlandia" was made by the Finnish company "Salora", and they were very good sets compared with many other of the same era.
Later, Granada wanted a Japanese sounding name as it was perceived that people assumed Japanese TV's were "better" than uk sets. So they came up with the "Tashiko" brand which we were told was a purely invented name (and some of which were just Salora sets in a different cabinet).

Ted (ex Granada service tech)
ted_ntsx is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 10:03 am   #24
Colourstar
Octode
 
Colourstar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Ilkeston, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 1,397
Default Re: "House" brands.

What about the 'Boots Audio' brand? The larger Boots stores had consumer electronics sections selling everything from portable radios and tvs to music centres. The Boots logo appeared on products made by Fidelity (record players), Ferguson (portable tvs) and Philips, who produced the 7000D music centre- see brochure scan- bearing both Philips and Boots Audio badges- how about that for an identity crisis?

Referring back to Waltham, I believe there was a large screen hybrid b&w television bearing their name. I think there was a servicing article on them in Television mag.

Steve
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Boots1.jpg
Views:	184
Size:	55.4 KB
ID:	143468   Click image for larger version

Name:	Boots2.jpg
Views:	198
Size:	59.0 KB
ID:	143469   Click image for larger version

Name:	Boots3.jpg
Views:	225
Size:	54.5 KB
ID:	143470   Click image for larger version

Name:	Boots4.jpg
Views:	169
Size:	50.8 KB
ID:	143471   Click image for larger version

Name:	Boots5.jpg
Views:	235
Size:	60.4 KB
ID:	143472  

Colourstar is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 10:04 am   #25
Colourstar
Octode
 
Colourstar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Ilkeston, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 1,397
Default Re: "House" brands.

And more scans...
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Boots6.jpg
Views:	166
Size:	56.4 KB
ID:	143473   Click image for larger version

Name:	Boots7.jpg
Views:	134
Size:	47.9 KB
ID:	143474   Click image for larger version

Name:	Boots8.jpg
Views:	123
Size:	76.1 KB
ID:	143475  
Colourstar is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 10:19 am   #26
Nickthedentist
Dekatron
 
Nickthedentist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
Default Re: "House" brands.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler View Post
Fake Austrian/German or Japanese sounding names seemed borderline fraudulent.
Wien was one. Some of their stuff seemed identical to Waltham-branded gear.

More here: http://vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9339
Nickthedentist is online now  
Old 28th May 2017, 10:26 am   #27
stevehertz
Dekatron
 
stevehertz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,809
Default Re: "House" brands.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBungle View Post
There was Realistic of course in the 1980's as well, the Tandy in house brand for the lowest price junk they managed to get from Taiwan.
Sorry, but that's a sweeping statement that is actually very wrong and serves to perpetuate a modern myth! The Realistic brand embraced a whole raft of products and a whole raft of qualities - not always "junk" by any means. Demonstrably a lot of Realistic pieces were every bit as good as good as - and built in the same factories as - the leading, cutting edge Japanese products of the time. For example I have Realistic STA-2100 receiver from around 1980 (125W/ch) that in the era's 'monster receiver wars' rivalled the very best from the likes of Pioneer, Sansui, Marantz, Kenwood etc. Photo below (not of mine, but an excellent photo). Compare it with the next photo of a Pioneer SX-1250. Yes they're very similar because they were all stealing ideas off each other, many of them looked similar, and in many cases were built in the same factories. The same high build quality is often true of Realistic tape decks, cassette decks, mics etc etc

I just wanted to put the record straight on Realistic because so many people in the UK hold them in poor regard, when in truth, Tandy/Radio Shack often went to great lengths to get pieces built by the best manufacturers in each product area. Sure, you could buy tuppeny happeny headphones, gadgets, cheapo radios, and 'noddy' hifi components too with the Realistic name on them, but there is some truly great Realistic kit out there. Check out: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRHIFI/
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	446340-realistic_sta2100d_stereo_receiver__magnificent__120_wpc_rms_50_lbs.jpg
Views:	201
Size:	75.2 KB
ID:	143476   Click image for larger version

Name:	sx-1250.jpg
Views:	226
Size:	65.0 KB
ID:	143477  
__________________
A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever..
stevehertz is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 10:31 am   #28
stevehertz
Dekatron
 
stevehertz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,809
Default Re: "House" brands.

I remember 'Crown' TVs, mostly small B&W portables. Not saying they were a house brand though, I'm not sure. Anyone?
__________________
A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever..
stevehertz is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 10:43 am   #29
dazzlevision
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Near Swindon, North Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 3,595
Default Re: "House" brands.

The original Crown Radio Corporation of Japan made their own kit, which was good quality (I'm talking 1970s here), such as portable 240V/12V monochrome TVs.

Nowadays, I think the Crown brand is used to "badge engineer" products from other manufacturers aimed at the lower end of the consumer electronics market.
dazzlevision is online now  
Old 28th May 2017, 11:09 am   #30
G6Tanuki
Dekatron
 
G6Tanuki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,951
Default Re: "House" brands.

Some of the Tandy "electronic constructor" kits [build your own crystal set sort of things] were badged "Science Fair".

I also remember a cassette recorder branded "Loytron" - was this perhaps associated with the Loyds electricals shops that seemed to be on every street-corner in the North West at one time?

Another couple from the world of 1970s domestic appliances: the old electricity-board shops used to sell "Electra" branded fridges/freezers/washing-machines. I had an Electra fridge at one point (bought secondhand). It was actually made by Lec.

Also in the kitchen-appliance brand-space was "Jonelle", sold through the John Lewis stores.

Didn't Rumbelows also have a house-brand at one time? My memory's fading.
G6Tanuki is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 11:17 am   #31
'LIVEWIRE?'
Rest in Peace
 
'LIVEWIRE?''s Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton)
Posts: 7,306
Default Re: "House" brands.

Boots also at one time sold their own brand In-Car Stereos. They were rebadged Bird models, made by Sydney Bird Company in Poole, Dorset. Curry's at one time used the 'Matsui' Brand, and, IIRC, 'Saisho'. Before that their house brand was 'Westminster', some of which were made by Perdio. In all cases, some products were of decent quality, whilst the least said about otheres, the better. A variation of the 'in-house' branding must surely be names like Wharfedale, once known as a Speaker manufacturer, being used on HiFi, such as my workshop receiver, a 1970s Wharfedale Linton, similar in appearance to the Realistic one in post # 27.
'LIVEWIRE?' is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 11:49 am   #32
paulsherwin
Moderator
 
paulsherwin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,785
Default Re: "House" brands.

Lloytron weren't a house brand. They were another independent importing and badging far Eastern no-name stuff. They are still going strong: https://www.lloytron.com
paulsherwin is online now  
Old 28th May 2017, 12:07 pm   #33
G6Tanuki
Dekatron
 
G6Tanuki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,951
Default Re: "House" brands.

Thanks for the clarification. Like I said, the 1960s part of my brain is developing parity-errors.
G6Tanuki is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 1:19 pm   #34
mark_in_manc
Octode
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Manchester, UK.
Posts: 1,872
Default Re: "House" brands.

I had a Lloytron 'walkman' with a radio in it. It only ever 'worked' if I held it carefully in a particular orientation with one finger on the headphone jack, the lid fell off if you looked at it funny, and it would flat its batteries if you even thought about pressing FF or RW. I remember it mainly due to a minibus full of school kids laughing at it (and me) as I tried to use it - character forming, I remain a terrible inverted snob

I had high hopes for Steve's Boots Audio catalogue above - my Grandad bought a music centre from them about that time, and I ended up with it. But alas it's not listed - BSR deck (I think), orange print on light-up radio scale, might have been made by Philips.
mark_in_manc is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 1:45 pm   #35
stevehertz
Dekatron
 
stevehertz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,809
Default Re: "House" brands.

Quote:
I had a Lloytron 'walkman' with a radio in it. It only ever 'worked' if I held it carefully in a particular orientation with one finger on the headphone jack, the lid fell off if you looked at it funny, and it would flat its batteries if you even thought about pressing FF or RW. I remember it mainly due to a minibus full of school kids laughing at it (and me) as I tried to use it - character forming, I remain a terrible inverted snob
Loving that very theatrical explanation there Mark . I guess we've all owned a piece of kit like that at some time!
__________________
A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever..
stevehertz is offline  
Old 28th May 2017, 3:01 pm   #36
regentone001
Heptode
 
regentone001's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 518
Default Re: "House" brands.

When I worked at the Co Op colour was just taking off and the colour sets were made by RANK. The only difference was the name badge on the front but the Murphy and Bush sets cost £50 more than the Defiant ones. £50 not being an unsizeable chunk of money in the early 70s. I can vividly remember a customer saying that they couldn't have a set with Defiant on it as it was down market. I told them to take the badge off the front and no one would Know the difference but they still paid out that extra £50 for the badge
regentone001 is offline  
Old 29th May 2017, 9:40 pm   #37
Julesomega
Nonode
 
Julesomega's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,085
Default Re: "House" brands.

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
Tevion is an Aldi house brand. Lidl don't seem to use house brands for electronics (though they don't sell a lot of it anyway).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medion
Thanks, I had confused the two supermarkets
Julesomega is offline  
Old 29th May 2017, 10:35 pm   #38
AndiiT
Octode
 
AndiiT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saltburn-East, Cleveland, UK.
Posts: 1,784
Default Re: "House" brands.

Hi, I too have a passing interest in "house brands" and for what it's worth here's my two penneth, some of which may have already been mentioned.

The "Westminster" Brand was used by Currys probably well into the late 1960's/early 70's with many of the products being re-badged Fidelity models.

Defiant was the Co-operative society badge and although I don't recall seeing the Defiant label on them the Co-op certainly also sold Fidelity and Hoover equipment which didn't display the original manufactures badges and was often (always?) manufactured in colours which were exclusive to the Co-op.

Prinz (sound) was used by Dixons until they joined forces with Currys and then Dixons adopted the Saisho badge for their badged equipment and Currys used the Matsui label, I have seen quite a few Orion machines with either Saisho or Matsui badges on them.
Latterly the Dixons/Currys group started to use Logik as a badge name, the VCR's tended to be made by Nikkai and NEC and some of the television sets were from the "budget end" of the Thorn/Ferguson range of the time.
I think Sandstrom is the current Currys/PC World "own equipment" badge.

Comet used Solavox on quite a bit of equipment, including some ITT televisions in the mid/late 70's and then adopted the Goodmans name for their badged gear; in the eighteen or so months that I worked for Comet I saw, Daewoo and Philips gear with the Goodmans badge on them and I believe that there may have also been a large screen Thomson/Ferguson set which was Goodmans branded.
As an aside there was also a Panasonic 14" portable television set which used a Daewoo chassis.
I seem to recall that there were also a couple of Goodmans portables from the Nikkai and NEC stables too.

I had almost forgotten about my time at Colourvision where the Perdio name was used as a badge for some Nikkai sets too!

As most of us are probably already aware many of the current "supermarket special" televisions are made by the Turkish company Vestel and I have recently seen Vestel sporting Toshiba, Grundig and Hitachi badges (my how things change... )

The catalogue companies, probably the Littlewoods group, favoured the "Spinney' badge for a number of years, once again I think I may have seen Fidelity equipment with that badge but am not 100% sure.

What about the "Electra" Brand used by the North Eastern electricity board (and possibly other Electricity boards too) on their white goods, and the Tates group (which I think may have only been a North Eastern concern) definitely sold a Colston twin tub with the Tates badge on it as my mother owned one.

It's often interesting to find who made/makes what and I'm sure others will have plenty to add to this post.

Regards

Andrew
AndiiT is offline  
Old 29th May 2017, 10:55 pm   #39
Paul_RK
Dekatron
 
Paul_RK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 4,245
Default Re: "House" brands.

Hi Andrew,

Quote:
Originally Posted by AndiiT View Post
The "Westminster" Brand was used by Currys probably well into the late 1960's/early 70's with many of the products being re-badged Fidelity models...

The catalogue companies, probably the Littlewoods group, favoured the "Spinney' badge for a number of years, once again I think I may have seen Fidelity equipment with that badge but am not 100% sure..
I wonder whether with both these you're thinking of Perdio rather than Fidelity.

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/currys_...ransistor.html

is the transistor portable that usually turns up under either brand, definitely a Perdio clone, and I've never seen a readily identifiable '60s Fidelity radio marketed under any other name.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AndiiT View Post
What about the "Electra" Brand used by the North Eastern electricity board (and possibly other Electricity boards too) on their white goods, and the Tates group (which I think may have only been a North Eastern concern) definitely sold a Colston twin tub with the Tates badge on it as my mother owned one.
My father was a distribution foreman with the Eastern Electricity Board, and our first washing machine carried the Electra badge. I'm almost sure that was a Colston.

Paul
Paul_RK is online now  
Old 29th May 2017, 11:12 pm   #40
camtechman
Nonode
 
camtechman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Milton Keynes, Bucks. UK.
Posts: 2,552
Default Re: "House" brands.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't "Winfield" another Woolworth brand too?
__________________
When I die, please don't let my Wife sell my collection for the amount I told her I paid for it!
camtechman is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 2:58 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.