1948 (?) Kenmore wringer washer - newest acquisition

[bradross]

Year confirmed - 1948

Well, folks, I found an old Sears Roebuck advertisement from The Pittsburgh Press, Aug.19, 1948, showcasing the Kenmore wringer washer lineup. My model - 110-73230 is shown, selling for $119.95 which in today's dollars would be $1146.14 - not cheap! (according to http://www.usinflationcalculator.com)

 

[mickeyd]

I'll be danged!

Notice that the TOL is "rounder & puffier," thus more stylish for the day than the lesser sisters, and the timer is set higher at a more stoop-friendly level..

But Brad: I. HAD. NO. IDEA. automatic timers were around in 48. The earliest I'd seen was a 52 or 3 Blackstone. What an amazing discovery. Thank you.

Too bad we can't see the agitators in the other models. Was the roto-swirl around then?

 

[e2l-arry]

25 GALLON CAPACITY?

What does that mean? If you overfilled past the agitator to the very top brim of the washer would be 25 gallons? My E2LP is 18 gallons and easily holds 9 to 12 pounds of laundry. So how can a 25 gallon machine only hold 8 - 9 pounds? Some funky advertising from Sears even back in 1948?

 

[bradross]

25 gallons - overstatement!

You got that right, Larry! I can only imagine it's 25 gallons right to the top of the tub - and who's going to do that? So the ad is definitely misleading. My guess is it's probably 18 gallons, same as the Maytag E2L. One day, I'll empty the water manually into a 5-gallon pail and see how many pails it requires.

Neat ad though, nonetheless, right?

 

[e2l-arry]

Yes Brad,

It's a REALLY cool ad. Now what I want to do is find some of those old Maytag price lists from the same era. I've seen some on this site. I just have to find them in the archives, and compare the price of Maytag's vs. Kenmore's and what the difference, price wise, was. As I've said before, in 1948 the cost of a washing machine was a MUCH bigger strain on the household budget that it is today, adjusted for inflation. I'm also sure that that's why, a good as a Maytag washer was, that many people opted for Kenmore's and Speed Queens and the other brands of the day. Kenmore's were definitely a good value. I grew up in a Kenmore household. And I have quite a few Kenmore products in my house today.

Larry

 

[franksdad]

Congratulations!

A truly great wringer!  Hope it gives you many years of fun and dependable service.  Really enjoyed the video!  Jim