Fred Waring was a very popular musician from the 1920s into the 1950s. During this career, he earned both the appellation ‘The Man Who Taught America To Sing’ and the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor the U.S. government can bestow on a civilian. Personally, I’d never heard of him prior to doing this bit of background research.
Actually, we’ve all heard of Fred, insomuch as he coupled his name to a line of appliances that he wanted to promote. He put the ‘o’ in ‘blendor’; establishing himself as a pioneer of ‘branding’.
This is the iconic Waring Model 34BL87, and this particular blender has the additional pedigree of being the ’50 Years of Quality’ Anniversary Edition. Having spent a long and useful life concocting smoothies, shakes, margaritas and health drinks, this particular machine has undergone an extensive retraining program. As a result, it now glows instead of spinning. Anyone with a dark place in their world will appreciate its gentle illumination.
The original switch, which once toggled between Off, Lo and Hi speeds, now turns a low wattage candelabra bulb off, low and high. A pattern of gentle wear on the base is evidence of the solid utility this humble machine has provided. The fluted glass carafe casts a lovely pattern of light, as seen in the photographs.
As an interesting aside, the Blendtec people have put an iPhone into one of their blenders. [Link Temporarily Disabled] Please keep in mind that this can never happen using the Waring Blendor Lamp; It can no longer blend anything. Instead, it stands as a symbol of hope and guidance in a universe where people blend iPhones.