2/10 POD Bendix Combo Shag Rug Test ?

[verizonbear]

Ok what was the shag rug test? I am curious.

 

[tomturbomatic]

You put a shag rug load in the machine and it would spin at full speed (515 rpm) even with a less than perfectly balanced load before going into the dry portion of the cycle because it had a suspension system with springs and shock absorbers which Bendix patented. Other first generation combos spun at speeds in the 200 rpm range and had to have some semblance of a balanced load or the machine would be triggered to stop trying to spin and go into a redistribution tumble (or it would walk across the floor) because they could not have a suspension system because of patent infringement. The owner of Bendix, AVCO ( Aviation Corporation) held the patent rights that prevented any other manufacturer from using a suspension system.  Yes, it allowed them to have a wonderful machine, but they destroyed the industry because the other manufacturer's combos soon gave the whole product a black eye.  Bendix/Philco never had the sales networks of major brands and sold only a minority of the combos sold. Few people bought a second combo. AVCO/Bendix really poisoned the well for what could have been a wonderful product.

 

[appnut]

Few people bought a second combo.

My next door neighbor bought a 33" LK Combo in 1960/1961 and then the narrower LK Combo in 1964 or 1965. When that 2nd combo bit the dust, it was replaced with an avocado LK garage door pair.