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Toploader55, that's a MUCH older SQ than what I'm talking about... the modern(ish) machines now being discontinued. Yeah, I've seen them in a few public laundries here, they never seem to last long and even well-used still don't seem to work that well.

Let's face it, the old-school Speed Queen isn't that wonderful. The tub indexes a lot, rollover is anaemic, rinsing performance is poor... a decent front-loader will always be the best option. Just a shame SQ's consumer machines don't have a heater, and only the stackable washer and dryer model...

Isn't insulting the old centre-dial Maytags around here a capital offence?! I know I've got in hot water (pun intended) for mentioning their weak rollover! The rest of your references I don't understand... all I know about Borg Warner is just about all the British car manufacturers used their...

I think the Neptunes originally came out about 1997? Which would make them eligible for the Imperial forum now!

Can I point out that this thread belongs over in Deluxe, not Imperial?

I think I've seen this picture or a similar one before. I understand Norge were not generally viewed as being of the finest quality? The machines look handsome enough. Any survivors?

The thing is, a top loader won't wash a comforter well. The HE washplate types may use loads of water, but they won't roll over large bulky items, so they don't really get washed. Traditional agitator machines are similarly stumped by big bulky items, and are increasingly rare. FL is the way...

I just wish Miele had kept their classic styling. The W3922/W3923 especially just looked 'right'. These new machines look like they could be BSH or AEG-Electrolux...

Miele is the only sensible option now. Decent capacity, solid quality, excellent long-term durability. Forget top loaders of any description.

My 2005-vintage Miele is dead quiet even in the spin, totally stable... but it is on a concrete floor!

You'd never get away with such patronisingly discriminatory advertising today, thank goodness. Still, the dryer itself seems to have several features which might be considered ahead of its time, or otherwise sensible and practical (e.g. the drop-down load door!).

Jeb - you evidently missed the Bendix in the middle...

Any updates on this once-in-a-lifetime find?!

Machine worked fine until a pillow burst in it and jammed it solid. Dismantled it to clean it out, and what did I find? Plastic outer tub, and the base of the shell was just rust. Not worth persevering with. Bought a Miele W2240 for £100 instead. Still got all the parts to eBay...

Any news on this machine?

It's a bit special. It's pretty tatty cosmetically these days, and the lid has cracked so can't be raised, but it works for a living and has inspired dozens of players, from 5 to 75... cost us just under £15k from our trusty restorer.

My house was built in 1903. Cavity walls and machine-made brick, but lime mortar and coarse sand & horsehair lime plaster, for the most part. It sits on chalk downland at 280ft AMSL. The back garden slopes up away from the kitchen where the washing machines live. It's generally a bit damp, but...

I love those Primus and Norge front-loaders. Were they hard or soft mount?

Incidentally, my Bosch combo (made c.1999, not sure exactly when) spins at 1400rpm (two full-speed spins at the end of the cycle, no messing about, once the load sensor says OK, it accelerates straight up to max rpm, stays there for several minutes, then slows to a stop, tumbles, redistributes...

Not sure how fast the RCA-Whirlpool combo spun, but I know the Speed Queen of the same era spun at 515rpm - 10rpm faster than the old 36" Duomatic. Not sure about these. The 27" units were also built in the UK and badged "LT" or "LTA" (the latter having a rapid-advance timer). They were produced...