1961 Duo-Matic Twin Tub

[triumphdolomite]

Thanks to a couple of tip offs from Darren and Al last weekend I've had a trip to Cambridge today to collect a Duo-Matic twinny. I have to say I don't really know a lot about Duo-Matic except I think they were the predecessors to the Rolls family of twin tubs. I do have to say that it seems to be of better build quality than the Rolls, it's certainly a lot heavier. Differences I've noticed so far are:-
Washdeck is a heavy enamel, washer and spinner are both direct drive, both pumps also direct drive from the other end of the motor, no 'suds jet' on the wash side, there should be two separate emptying hoses but the wash side has broken away. Does anyone know how this worked, did it just hang over the side of the wash tub to recirculate the water or did it have a stopper in the end you just removed to empty. It does still have what I think is its rinse hose, although it's way beyond redemption, this only fits the hole in the spinner lid but by the very small hole in the adapter it might take a while to deliver enough water for rinsing. Only managed to take a few pictures before the camera battery gave up, I'll see if I can get some more done when I've tidied it up a bit. Finally I noticed as I put it into the car that the old girl celebrated her 56th birthday nearly three weeks ago, marked on the bottom is 6/11/61 which I'm guessing must either have been the build date or someone marked it when they purchased it.
Ian

 

[johnrk]

Congratulations!

I've always wanted a twin tub, actually have thought about buying a Danby over the past few years. We never sold those in the volume that you did in GB.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Rolls "Duo-matic" twin-tub, 1963.

The Science Museum dates it as 1963, as shown in the link. Indeed, it is described as a "Rolls Duo-matic" by the Science Museum.

I like the look of it. The Rolls Rapide was obviously a cheaper version.

Do you suppose that the Duomatic was possibly the imported, re-badged version, before John Bloom of Rolls Razor cottoned on to making the machines here?

Anyway, it's fabulous that you got your mitts on it! Well done.

Image courtesy and copyright of Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library.

http://www.ssplprints.com/image/84059/rolls-duo-matic-twin-tub-1963

 

[rolls_rapide]

Look at this!

The rinse hose...!

The photo below shows the wash tub. Inside is the rinse hose.

Notice that the rinse hose apparently has a cream-coloured plastic tube protruding from it. I presume, attached to the small hole in photo #5 of Ian's pics.

Image courtesy and copyright of Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library.

 

[rolls_rapide]

In "Critique of Entrepreneurship: People and Policy
By Peter Armstrong", he states that:

"..Bloom hired private detectives who traced the machines from Schroutens' factory to the Duomatic warehouse..."

It appears Duomatic was a competitor to Rolls. Indeed this info might prove useful:

"In Autumn 1962, when Rolls were selling 2,500 machines per week, Duomatic were selling 700 - still imported from Holland."

And not long after Rolls collapsed, "Duomatic itself folded shortly afterwards."

 

[rolls_rapide]

Rolls apparently started with the Rolls 'Electromatic' machine. Then a name change to 'Starmatic'. But the first Starmatics had imported motors with a wiring defect and were blowing up in kitchens.

The first successful model was the Rolls 66.

 

[rolls_rapide]

It appears that Bloom tried and failed to negotiate supplies of the automatic marketed by Duomatic.

I suppose it must have been this one... apparently dated 1964, according to the newspaper.

Courtesy of the Shropshire Star newspaper.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Here is an advert for the Duomatic 'Triumph' twintub, in TV-Times magazine from May 1963.

 

[matchboxpaul]

Thanks for sharing the image of the Duomatic Automaster - never seen one of the those before.

Would appear that, if Bloom failed to negotiate with the builders of Duomatic's automatic, he then popped over to Italy and had words with REX-Zanussi!

The result was the Rolls Robot ....

 

[rolls_rapide]

Courtesy of Al (Vacbear58)

 

[triumphdolomite]

Thanks

For all the extra information. I'm guessing it must be quite an early machine if the Science museum think 1963 and the 1962 quote above says Duomatic were only selling 700 imported machines. The date written underneath is 1961, sadly the rating plate is only a sticker most of which is missing, you can see the remains in picture 4, so it doesn't say where it was made.
I've also found a tiny sticker on the front panel by the red light that says De Lux Model, I;m not sure what makes it more de lux than the popular in the advert above!
I presume the Automaster was an H axis machine also of Dutch manufacture.
Ian.

 

[vacbear58]

Duomatic

Well what a load of interesting stuff has emerged about this machine

I had wondered if these were the original Dutch design that I thought the Rolls was derived from with Rolls taking out as much of the cost as possible - lighter guage metal, a constant re-circulating pump for the wash tub rather than a separate motor and perhaps smaller capacity.

I wonder how this machine, with its bottom pulsator, would have performed without the recirculation jet to keep the clothes under water - this has been noted as a problem with the AEG model although perhaps with a circular tub thsi might not have been so much of an issue.

I completely forgot I had that advertisment (and honestly I thought it was a Rolls) - I need to get a spreadsheet going of my literature.

I am staggered that the price of that automatic machine could have been so low, unless they were able to buy a bulk load of machines that were going to be replaced.

 

[vacbear58]

Which 1964

In doing a bit of research my first point of call was Which, and the first reference I have to Duomatic is in 1964 - there may have been an earlier report which I do not have scanned.

In the table on Page 2 there Duomatic machine seems to be rather larger than the Rolls derived machines: Bylock (owned by Rolls at this time), Goblin, English Electric, and the two Rolls Models - with a curious diversity in sizes in each of those - I think there must be a mistake in the table as they all appear to be teh same price the Rolls in particular looks incorrect. This report came out more or less at the time that Rolls went bust. The washing capacity of the Duomatic is larger too

In reading the report it is also curious to note the variation in results between machines which appear, at least superficially, to be identical although it appears that the Bylock did not have the re-cirulation jet so the EE gets a very good rating and yet others do not. Shame there are not more pictures of the machines ....

 

[rolls_rapide]

1963 Acme 'Conquest' Advert

Courtesy of Clydesdale Electrical Stores, and Grace's Guide for retaining the advert!

And thanks, Al, for the vintage Which? data!

 

[rolls_rapide]

Mixed bag of Twin Tubs...

Courtesy of a previous posting by Chestermikeuk...

AEG Lavalux Super,
Brunlec Twin Spin,
Hoover 65,
Acme Twin Speed,
Stokvis Twin Tub...

Most should match Al's Which? report.

 

[rolls_rapide]

More...

Again courtesy of Chestermikeuk...

Hotpoint Supermatic,
Easytwin,
GEC Space-Saver

 

[rolls_rapide]

1960 Rolls Electromatic

Courtesy of Pinterest

 

[rolls_rapide]

Rolls Starmatic

Courtesy of Manchestervacs

 

[rolls_rapide]

Easitwin Twin Tub

Again, courtesy of Manchestervacs.

I spelt Easitwin wrongly earlier above in the thread as 'Easytwin'

 

[rolls_rapide]

1964 Rolls Concorde

Courtesy P. Townsend, via Flickr

 

[rolls_rapide]

Reply #8

Matchboxpaul:

I myself had no idea about the Duomatic 'Automaster', nor the Rolls 'Robot' until this thread today!

Thanks for the Rolls 'Robot' advert. I wonder if any were ever made or sold?

 

[keymatic]

Dear All,

Great info coming out here...I did wonder what the Automaster looked like.

I found a pic in the archives of the "Concorde's" in action

Cheers
Keith

 

[launderess]

Am saying it again

You want to sit down and weep thinking of British housewives being saddled with twin tubs/semi automatics for so long after the war.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Duomatic 'Automaster'

There appears to have been ANOTHER Duomatic 'Automaster'!

The machine in the advert posted above in Reply #6, apparently is a top loader.

Which? of November 1964 reports that the Duomatic 'Automaster' was no longer available by direct sale (Duomatic Organisation liquidated voluntarily).

However the similar Castor Queenmatic was available in the shops - and it was very similar to the Castor Unidry on test - minus the tumble drying feature.

Thus the front loading Duomatic 'Automaster' must have looked like this Castor Unidry...

Courtesy of Paulinroynton

 

[rolls_rapide]

Here is the text about the similarities.

 

[rolls_rapide]

I am wondering if the front loading Duomatic 'Automaster' (Castor variant) was the one that John Bloom of Rolls had his eye on?

This might explain his Rolls 'Robot' front loader (Imperial Rex variant). Duomatic and Rolls seem to have been pretty much tit-for-tat copy-cats.

But where did the top-loading 'Automaster' come from? Was it an older model before the Castor variant?

Which? does say that the front loading version was on sale until Duomatic liquidated. So one presumes the top-loader was a prior dalliance in automatic washing.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Duomatic 'Triumph' Twin tub

This is another advert for the 'Triumph', as in Reply #7.

This was advertised in some 1960s pop music magazine - hence the 'Top of the Pops' banner.

(Personally, I'm willing to bet that 'hip Sixties chicks' were wanting fully automatic machines!)

Courtesy of Flickr.

 

[vacbear58]

Rolls Robot

I think you are right on the money as regards the Imperial Rex (later Zanussi???) being "badged" to become the Rolls Robot, probably buying up a batch of them in rather the same way as whoever was the distributor or the Imperial branded machine.

I have the impression that Duomatic were operating in much the same way buying up batches of machines for sale of varying types - it makes me smile to see how Duomatic emphasise in their ads on how there are no gimmicks, no extras as opposed to Rolls who are offering all sorts of extras to induce the purchase.

I am hoping that Louis will have something to add to this thread as the the twintubs seem to come from Holland and an H Axis top loader seems almost certain to be European too. I did wonder if Duomatic was set up by a former Rolls employee to "play them at their own game"

As regards twin tubs Vs automatics it seems to me to be a combination of timing and manufacture. It seems to be that from about 1948 to 1973 the market UK washing machine market was driven by Hoover. Although it was a technically simple machine and indeed rather smaller capacity than competitors (Hotpoint, Servis and the new kid on the block at that time Ada) it was so heavily promoted (and on the reputation of Hoover cleaners too) taht it took the market by storm as it was also cheap (and bear in mind we had a punitative sales tax too) and would easily fit in a small British kitchens too - as the saying goes "its better than going down to a river and beating them on a rock". 10 years later Hoover do it again with the launch of the Hoovermatic - mature technology for them at the time - a premium priced machine that must have cost a great deal less to manufacture because it was still simpler than the competition. With a relaxing of credit restrictions again it took the market by storm and it was into this market place that John Bloom launched Rolls. Again the machines were very heavily promoted (and lets not forget Bloom's association with Charles Colston - the man who set up Hoover in the UK and made it a bigger company than its American owner) just as the Hoovers were with press advertising and product placement.

Aspirations were rising and it was no longer as acceptable for women to stand at a sink for hours and, even better, they did not have to wring the clotes either. One step up again. It took really about abother 15 years or so for the balance to tip in favour of FL automatics so that "Wash day? Just forget it" became the norm for the British housewife/consumer - and for a most of that time Hoover were still selling thousands of high margin twin tubs which were MUCH more profitable than automatics and it was in their interest to keep it that way, eevn though they did have a range of automatics too

 

[rolls_rapide]

Duomatic Advert, 1962

Courtesy of Retropia

Notice the reply coupon (just legible)... it lists the 'Popular' and 'De Luxe' models!

 

[rolls_rapide]

Acme 'Conquest', 1963

Matches Reply #13

Again, courtesy of Retropia.