1961 Duo-Matic Twin Tub

[rolls_rapide]

Duomatic Motor

Ian, in your photo #1, it shows the ratings plate. Notice that the "Duo-matic" name is slightly displaced - like a stuck-on label.

What does it say under this 'sticker'?

 

[rolls_rapide]

Bloom's Crisis

Dated Monday, July 20th 1964.

Courtesy of littlereddog and of course the Daily Mirror.

You might find it a tad clearer following the link, and clicking on their magnification.

http://www.littlereddog.info/images...e-1960s-daily-mirror-newspaper-for-sale-a.jpg

 

[rolls_rapide]

And two days prior...

Courtesy of littlereddog and Daily Mirror.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Link

Here's the link I missed out for the 18th July paper.

http://www.littlereddog.info/images...e-1960s-daily-mirror-newspaper-for-sale-a.jpg

 

[rolls_rapide]

Rolls Automatic...

Courtesy of: "The Quistclose Trust: Critical Essays" edited by William Swadling.

It appears that the Rolls 'Robot' automatic never made it to the doorstep of the housewife.

I had wondered if the Rolls 'Robot' advert (posted further up this thread), if it was even a real product. I had considered that it might have been a gimmick published by Rolls, in order to deflect interest away from Duomatic's 'Automaster'.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Referencing Thread Number: 28764

And Gary's (aka 'electron1100')'s Burco '21', Al ('vacbear58') included a Which? Report from October 1967.

There is a make of twin-tub called: Latham 'HJL-707 Mk V'.

A footnote says: "Sold mainly in London and Home Counties - also sold elsewhere as Anglia, Collier, Crown, DES, Duomatic, Kerstar, Osprey, Reliance, Twinmaster and Winsten."

 

[jamiel]

Could someone make a quick summary of exactly what happened-the chronology and situation is kind of scattered over this thread? From what I can gather, Hoover was the class-act in the twin-tub space; then two low-end competitors came out and did each other in (with a direct-selling model), leaving Hoover relatively unscathed. Or, is there a link to a business-school case or something? It sounds a little like Mad Man Muntz and television in the US in the mid to late 50s.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Hoover was the market leader in the 1950s, and was joined by AEI-Hotpoint. They were the two big players.

Rolls Razor/Rolls Electromatic then launched cheap machines around 1960, countered by Duomatic Organisation.

Snapshot #2 below, the text starts off "The major manufacturers, Hoover and Hotpoint... "

Courtesy of The Quistclose Trust: Critical Essays.
Available via Google Books, but Google's preview is a complete pain (pages edited out of certain views).

 

[rolls_rapide]

Apparently Which? criticised a competitor machine in April 1964...

 

[rolls_rapide]

The criticised competitor machine...

Would appear to be Duomatic.

Al's Which? 1964 (Reply #12, photo #5) says that the Duomatic machine was badly designed and constructed, failed 15 of the British Standard requirements, and failed the earth leakage safety test.

 

[keymatic3203]

Rolls Robot

Hi Rolls rapide

I did meet a lady who had a rolls robot. I was collecting a Parnall dryer some years back now, from somewhere near Reading. I met both the owner and her daughter and when we got talking about why I was interested in the dryer, they told me about their first washing machine, does rolls robot mean anything? well of course I knew a version of the story that Rolls went under trying to launch an automatic, but this was long before I'd known anymore. Obviously asking more, she was looking into what washing machine to buy (bearing in mind she already had the dryer, it was the 50's model, so would presume looking to replace a wringer type). The rolls man came, but said the company had gone into liquidation, he had a few of the robots on the van he was selling off cheap for cash with no guarantee, so she thought the price was worth taking the chance on. So in what numbers, probably very few, but they did exist.

Apparently they had good service out of it, before her husband cut the cabinet up to build a boat, like you would lol. She laughed and said at their golden wedding, she'd been married to him for 30 years and that boat for 20.

Always good to hear these real life stories.

Mathew

 

[rolls_rapide]

Wow!

Mathew, thanks!

The husband vandalised a good machine? Tut tut!

So a few did make it to market, but in very limited numbers.
It's good to know that you can't believe everything you read (regarding the official accounts of the case).

 

[rolls_rapide]

Duomatic brief history

Courtesy of "Company Law in Context: Text and Materials" by David Kershaw.

 

[alanlondon]

Some more literature

Fascinating read here, really enjoying it. Thought I'd add some bits and pieces I have, one leaflet I saw you have as well Keith on the other post. I have a parts book (40 pages, so have been selective). And then finally the Colston Concorde, the last guise of this machine I believe. Cheers Alan

 

[alanlondon]

Few more pages...

 

[rolls_rapide]

Alanlondon

Thanks for the brochures. My gran must have had the Rolls 'Rapide de luxe' because it definitely had the oval red heater lamp upon the control panel.

And you're perfectly correct, it is a fascinating read, finding all the separate bits of info dotted about all over the place. Some of the information supplied by some of the more official sources of the period have proven not to be correct (eg the Rolls 'Robot') - supposedly none had appeared - but Mathew says he met a woman who had that very automatic!

 

[keymatic3203]

Thanks Alan

for more great reading. I'm familiar with the rapide de luxe as I have both the book and machine, but have whilst knowing about the autorinse, never read about it before.

I had always assumed it was just in essense a spin timer, with a jet flowing over the spin dryer. Can you or anyone else confirm whether it had a valve that controlled the water flow and switched off after rinsing or as I presume the operator would have to turn the tap off when the timer got to the end of the rinse time, therefore not being quite the autorinse it may be sold as. I know a parts wholesale I knew well, worked on rolls and subsequently tallent machines in the late 60's and said a lot of people spent a lot more money just to get a water jet, but couldn't remember, but doubted it actually switched the water on and off.

I suppose this in today's terms would be classic up selling.

Mathew

 

[alanlondon]

Auto rinse

Hi Keith, I've looked in the service manual and can see a wiring diagram that hints that there perhaps was a valve for this auto rinse, but then on the exploded views there's no sight of such an arrangement...so bit of a mystery?

 

[alanlondon]

Yes I think there was a valve!

Just looked again at the picture and you can see it connected to the tap!

 

[keymatic3203]

Thanks

again, this is great to see, I agree that tap connection looks more robust than the usual rubber funnel shape hose ends.

Now for an exploded view to see the jet arrangement. lol oh just great to have these questions answered.