Recent content by wft2800

Vacbear, thinking of 1970s Italian machines, am I correct in thinking you now have "my" old Bendix 7142A via Chris P?

I had one of these in my last house, had it secondhand. Both ovens had died by the time I left, unfortunately. It was quite solidly made in some respects and was monstrously heavy, but things like elements blowing out and knobs falling off did get wearisome after a while.

What's the machine outdoors next to the Fisholow dryer?

Are there any other surviving 7142s? Chris and Phil seemed to think not. Glad to have helped save something old and rare, anyway!

The 7142A was collected by Servischris this morning and will hopefully be restored. The cabinet is in a poor state, but it broadly works.

Just to let you all know that "servischris" has first dibs on the 7142A, and Al (Vacbear) has second dibs on it in case Chris baulks at the state of the cabinet. I have plugged (though not plumbed) the machine in. The timer advances, the motor powered straight up, the drum turned smoothly - this...

While staying in Wiltshire, I came across a derelict building containing a 7142A Autowasher Deluxe (along with a Flatley electric clothes airer and a Newhome Cabaret gas cooker. The owners of the building have, according to a neighbour, left the place to rot for over 30 years. I have accordingly...

Were they sold or scrapped?

wayupnorth, the payoff with a condenser dryer is that it's more efficient and that slow, steamy drying gives you lovely fluffy towels. I went from a vented dryer to a condenser and would never go back to vented...

Either go for Miele again (the W1/T1 machines are smaller than your current pair, but about the same capacity; there is the commercial Octoplus series if you want 27" machines), or LG... or the big Maytag Maxima.

I rather assumed from this that the washer was a horizontal-axis rotating-drum machine - I take it that it was in fact an 'agitub' like the Apex?

Wait, what - top-loading H-axis dryer, but the washer is a vertical-axis HE washplate thing?!

Assuming he's willing to pay for commercial quality but needs something that will fit in the same space as the Bosch, I'd say go for the Miele Octoplus machines if you can find a dealer willing to sell (which I understand is variable in different states in the US)...

Not a fan of Miele's current direction, why couldn't they just keep the classic-looking machines in production? I believe the classic design is still around in the form of the Little Giant series...

SQ products are rare this side of the pond, but they do exist in commercial settings, and they are infamously unreliable therein. There are also far, FAR too many horror stories from US owners - and frankly, the designs are fundamentally crude. There are better options out there for less money...