Sunbeam Coffee Makers

This page lists vintage Sunbeam CoffeeMaster models, photos, changes in designs and methods of coffee brewing from the Sunbeam early years through the 1960's. To see more information about Sunbeam Company, click on the Sunbeam Home page above.

The Vacuum method of brewing coffee dates back to Europe in the 1840's. The earliest Sunbeam coffee maker was made of glass and introduced in the early 1930's. The 1930's saw many companies producing Vacuum coffee makers and the popularity of the vacuum method continued until the mid 1950's. The Percolator brewing method became more popular and cleanup was easier. The drip coffee makers later replaced the percolator in popularity.

The Vacuum method of brewing coffee is making a comeback with new coffee makers being introduced and early coffee makers finding their way back into the kitchen.

Sunbeam CoffeeMaster models C20 thru C50 used a variety of different filter assemblies over the years, some with cloth, some with paper & some with a metal screen material. These filters may have made their way from one model to another as the user preferred one type of filter over the other. Glass filter rods, made by Cory or Corning, were also used in some of the Sunbeam vacuum coffee makers. To see information & photos of these filters and accessories used on the Sunbeam Coffeemaster models, Click Here.

The water level markings on Sunbeam coffee makers are marked as 5 oz. is one cup of coffee . Some coffee manufactures and coffee maker manufactures use 6 oz. as one cup of coffee.

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If the model is underlined, Click on the model to see the photo of that model. Most of the photos are of our collection.

Model #	Circa	Information
A	early 1930's	glass - with electric stove unit (550 watt model "D") - Macbeth-Evans glass Co. made the glass for this model
B	mid 1930's	glass - with standard electric stove unit (550 watt model "B")
C	mid 1930's	glass - same as model "B" , but with decorative chrome electric stove unit (model ???)
C3	1934 - 1937	electric - metal deco style - optional server set including tray, sugar & creamer is model C4
C-20	1938 -	electric - new style & design - made of copper, chromium plated metal - has the Worlds Fair logo design on both sides of the lower unit - automatic switches from brew to warm mode - filter rod screws top unit down to lower unit to secure the two units together for brewing - no handle to move the upper unit, but the bakelite trim is designed to be gripped to pick up the upper unit - one heating element used to brew & keep coffee warm - detachable electric appliance power cord - (note the four bottom feet on the lower unit have silver rings)
C-21 Coffee Set	1939 -	This coffee set consists of a C-20 coffee maker, Sugar cup with lid, Creamer cup & a serving tray 12 1/2" round - the coffee maker, sugar & creamer cups have the "Worlds Fair" logo & the Sunbeam name on them - the serving tray does not have the logo or Sunbeam name - the coffee maker, sugar cup & creamer cup are made of copper chrome-clad metal - the serving tray & sugar lid are metal chromium plated - the tray & creamer handles are made of bakelite (there are three different trays, the first tray has a black ring and handles that match the "C3" coffee set, the second has a black ring around the outside edge & the third has no black ring. The second and third style both have the later style handles.
C-20A		electric - same style & design as C-20 with internal improvements - with silver rings on the base feet - not sure if the silver rings on the feet were discontinued sometime during this model run or if earlier models were updated & a updated nametag added ?
C-20B	1944 -	electric - same style & design as C-20A with internal improvements
C-30		electric - same style as the C-20 series - design change to upper unit gasket/seal assembly is designed to secure the upper unit to the lower unit during the brew cycle without any locking mechanism - upper & lower unit made of copper chrome-clad metal - filter rod now hooks to bottom of upper funnel tube - handle added to upper unit & the trim is changed to remove the ridge for gripping
C-30A		electric - same style & design as C-30 with improvements to base electric & mechanical components
C-30AB		same as C-30A - upper unit is glass to save metal during WWII years - coffee maker came with a coupon to replace the glass top with the metal top after the war - there is the letter B stamped on the lower unit bottom tag behind the model number
C-30B		electric - same style as C-30A - with a design change to the base housing height which is increased by 1/4" for more room for the electrical & mechanical cooling - high/low switch is enclosed on all four sides
C-30C		electric - same style & design as C-30B with internal improvements
C-40	1955	electric - same style & design as the C-30B - the lower unit is copper chrome-clad - the upper unit is made of aluminum & has no bakelite or plastic trim around the rim opening - the gasket/seal mounting is changed to aluminum & screws to the bottom of the upper unit funnel with coarse threads for ease in replacing the gasket - the gasket design did not change, the seal rubber is of the same design as the C-30 models - the funnel is made of aluminum and is part of the upper unit
C-40A	1955 -	electric - same style & design as the C-40 with internal upgrades - the letter A is stamped into the lower unit bottom tag behind the model number
C-50	1959 - 1968	electric - same style as earlier models - with a new upper/lower unit gasket seal & locking design - upper & lower units are copper, chromium plated - the upper to lower gasket locking handles are used as upper unit handles - no logo design on unit sides - knob on front side for brew/warm modes & has a indicator lamp below the control knob that is "On" only in the brew cycle - first Sunbeam vacuum model with a second heating element for keeping the coffee warm - detachable electric appliance power cord has notches on the end of the plug ( earlier electric cords will not plug into the base ). (D186182 in 1959)

1) Requires more time to brew & cleanup using the Vacuum makers compared with the Percolator models

2) The upper & lower units are only interchangeable within the same model number group, the letter only show upgrades for that model

3) Use a coarse grind for Vacuum models, if the grind is to fine, it can block the filter and the coffee will not return to the lower unit

4) Due to the design of the C-30 series upper/lower unit gasket/seal, most of these models are unable to brew coffee, today. The rubber gasket assembly has become hard and will not seal the upper to lower unit, even if you can get them together. If the upper & lower units are together and can not be separated by simply pulling apart, the rubber gasket has hardened and the model is rendered useless for making coffee. There are no replace seals for the C-30 model.

5) The lower unit of the C-20 thru C-50 makes a great water heating unit for hot tea or any other coffee maker that requires hot water to be poured over the coffee. We use a C-30 to heat water for our Chemex glass drip coffee maker.

6) Water temperatures of the C-20 thru C-40 can be adjusted to raise or lower both the "brew" & "warm" modes.

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Model #	Circa	Information
AP	1954 -	electric - 8 cup - copper/chromium plated with bakelite handle - has the early Sunbeam Worlds Fair logo on both sides
AP-AL	1950's	electric - 8 cup - 800 watt - color: green ...........
AP-BY		electric - 7 cup - 600 watt - tapered shape with top narrow - chrome/chromium with plastic handle, lid & base
AP-Z	1950's	electric - 12 cup - glass container with plastic handle & base - opening on bottom of glass sits on a rubber seal on base - glass can be released from base with release button on handle - power cord plugs into base of handle
AP8A	1950's
AP10	1950's	electric - 10 cup - copper/chromium plated with plastic handle & base - plastic control knob with a lamp behind faceplate that is "On" while the heating element is on - has the early Sunbeam Worlds Fair logo on both sides
AP10A	1950's	electric - 10 cup - upgraded "AP10"
AP12C	1960's	electric - 12 cup - aluminum with bakelite handle and base
AP16	1960's	electric - 8 cup -
AP20	1960's	electric - 10 cup - copper/chromium plated with bakelite base & handle
AP32	1969 -	electric - 12 cup -
AP40		electric - 30 cup - aluminum container
AP53	1973's	electric - 11 cup
AP71		electric - 6 cup
AP76	1960's/70's	electric - 12 cup - stainless steel
AP77	1968's	electric - 12 cup - stainless steel - 11 hour timer

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If there is any information on this page that is not accurate or if you can add information, please let us know.