Ooo that Miele
I could own and love that machine in 2.2 seconds !!!!
And those Lavamats are just super!!
I could own and love that machine in 2.2 seconds !!!!
And those Lavamats are just super!!
Expert Poll: best classic washer ever?
- Thread starter spin-doctor
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spin-doctor
Active member
Thank you for the replies everyone! Very informative. I'm just getting started learning about these marvelous machines, it really helps to hear the opinions of aficionados to help sort out who's who in the zoo.
So it seems clear that the consensus amongst most enthusiasts, at least in North America, is that the GM Frigidaire 1-18's are overall the best and most impressive classic washer. Funny thing is that I don't recall ever seeing one of these units during my childhood. And I'm certainly old enough to have seen one.
Although I have to say, in my personal opinion, at least for the 1970's 1-18s I've seen, they're definitely not the most elegant looking washers. They are cool and quirky looking in an old-school GM looking way. But they do not have the clean beauty and elegant lines that some of the others have. Still, functionality and superior performance has a beauty all its own. Another thing that might concern me is that the pumping agitation cycles seems to be quite loud (from what I've seen on youtube videos). My washing machine is upstairs near the bedroom. Are these things "hammer time" washers?
Another question I have about 1-18s: I see they were made back in the early 1960's too. The styling looks a lot better on a 1963 I saw. I really like the styling of 60's cars and it seems the appliances of the times took their cues from automobiles. Any thoughts on the best looking 1-18 with the most classic/clean styling?
And what about the Lady Kenmores? I have seen a resto of a late 50's model on a website, which really is a pretty machine. What is the prettiest Lady Kenmore in that sleek push buttonish/chrome knob 1960's look? I love the look of cars and women's styles from that era, so I think I'm narrowing down my favorite appliances to that same same era. People seem to rank these washers in the top three. Which one from the 60's-70's is the prettiest and also has great features and performance?
So far I really like the look of those push button and chrome knob Maytags. Really clean and elegant and with superior quality. I really like the design of the lighted panel and the clean, uncluttered design. Classic, clean Americana. VERY nice.
But then these 1-18's are intriguing because of their stellar reputation. Plus although the later models are somewhat visually challenged, maybe the earlier 60's models have looks and performance? Need to learn more about those models.
Thanks again for the great responses!
So it seems clear that the consensus amongst most enthusiasts, at least in North America, is that the GM Frigidaire 1-18's are overall the best and most impressive classic washer. Funny thing is that I don't recall ever seeing one of these units during my childhood. And I'm certainly old enough to have seen one.
Although I have to say, in my personal opinion, at least for the 1970's 1-18s I've seen, they're definitely not the most elegant looking washers. They are cool and quirky looking in an old-school GM looking way. But they do not have the clean beauty and elegant lines that some of the others have. Still, functionality and superior performance has a beauty all its own. Another thing that might concern me is that the pumping agitation cycles seems to be quite loud (from what I've seen on youtube videos). My washing machine is upstairs near the bedroom. Are these things "hammer time" washers?
Another question I have about 1-18s: I see they were made back in the early 1960's too. The styling looks a lot better on a 1963 I saw. I really like the styling of 60's cars and it seems the appliances of the times took their cues from automobiles. Any thoughts on the best looking 1-18 with the most classic/clean styling?
And what about the Lady Kenmores? I have seen a resto of a late 50's model on a website, which really is a pretty machine. What is the prettiest Lady Kenmore in that sleek push buttonish/chrome knob 1960's look? I love the look of cars and women's styles from that era, so I think I'm narrowing down my favorite appliances to that same same era. People seem to rank these washers in the top three. Which one from the 60's-70's is the prettiest and also has great features and performance?
So far I really like the look of those push button and chrome knob Maytags. Really clean and elegant and with superior quality. I really like the design of the lighted panel and the clean, uncluttered design. Classic, clean Americana. VERY nice.
But then these 1-18's are intriguing because of their stellar reputation. Plus although the later models are somewhat visually challenged, maybe the earlier 60's models have looks and performance? Need to learn more about those models.
Thanks again for the great responses!
speedqueen
Well-known member
The early 1960s and 1950s Frigidaires weren't 1-18s, only the later extra large capacity models from the 1970s with the perforated tub. The earlier solid tub models were based on the Unimatic design from 1949-1958 and subsequently the Multimatic mechanism and then in the mid to late 1960s the Rollermatic mechanism which was modified into being belt operated to also be used in the 1-18s.
As the owner of two of them in that age range I'm going to say the 1-18. I just wish they had made one with the Rapidry 1010 rpm like in the solid tub models.
Any Frigidaire
Thumper is going to wash better than any other machine, hands down.
Thumper is going to wash better than any other machine, hands down.
Hate to Disagree With the Experts...
Sorry to say, but in my humble opinion, Norge/Wards has the best washing capability of all. You have to be careful about what types of clothes you put in them and the proper wash/spin speeds, but they are absolutely the best in clothes cleaning. Sorry to disagree with one of my most respected automaticwasher.org icons, Panthera, but Norge/Wards is the “hands down” winner in washability. Whirlpool with its “Double Duty Super Surgilator” comes in second...
Sorry to say, but in my humble opinion, Norge/Wards has the best washing capability of all. You have to be careful about what types of clothes you put in them and the proper wash/spin speeds, but they are absolutely the best in clothes cleaning. Sorry to disagree with one of my most respected automaticwasher.org icons, Panthera, but Norge/Wards is the “hands down” winner in washability. Whirlpool with its “Double Duty Super Surgilator” comes in second...
Best Washer!
I will always vote Frigidaire weather it was smaller solid tub or 1/18 - the wash action was more through and yet more gentle without a trashing Agitator - I do still like others but to me the thumper will always win! WCI made the very worst decisions to drop a great design!
I will always vote Frigidaire weather it was smaller solid tub or 1/18 - the wash action was more through and yet more gentle without a trashing Agitator - I do still like others but to me the thumper will always win! WCI made the very worst decisions to drop a great design!
How about what classic washer you still have since new out of the box and still works like new with no repairs? One $28 pulley on my 35 year old Maytag in all these years. I will never get rid of these beauties.
My vote goes too...
GE filter-flo. Tough on dirt and stains, powerful pump, dramatic splashing on small and normal speed, clanking during normal spin. Ah, memories!
GE filter-flo. Tough on dirt and stains, powerful pump, dramatic splashing on small and normal speed, clanking during normal spin. Ah, memories!
maytagneptune
Well-known member
1989 Kenmore Ultra Fabric Care 80 Series Direct Drive
Model 110.82980800. I'll post pictures later.
Model 110.82980800. I'll post pictures later.
reactor
Well-known member
and more favorites
It's difficult to come to one conclusion on which washer is the "best" as everyone has different qualities they like to see in a washer. No washer is perfect, they all have their strong and weaker points.
As for me: I have to agree with many that the Frigidaire 1-18 is a real winner. I have found it cleans well, clears the tub of suds in flash when it begins to spins, rinses very well with a long spray rinse (available in warm as well!) and I never got y out of balance. Cons: lint collection is so-so and difficult to clean the lint filter, at least in comparison to some other brands. The biggest downside for me is lack of rollover in a too heavily loaded tub, especially with hard fabrics such as jeans. things bob up and don't get pulled down. the optional fabric softener actually helps to prevent this from happening, to a degree, by holding the clothes down as they attempt to rise up near the agitator. With normal sized mixed loads, the Frigidaire is a WONDERFL well engineered machine. Not known for reliability, though. Always got top rating in Consumer Reports for washingy, but consistently ranked below average in repairs/reliability. I love miy 1-18's with a passion.
GE Filter-Flo, versatile, unsurpassed lint removal, extraordinarily easy to clean lint filter, holds a lot of clothes and rolls them even in an overload situation. Downside: The ones I have had tend to get out of balance without much provocation, accompanied by severe banging and sometimes walking. Noisy fill and spin. Real classic machines and a real winner at getting clean, lint free laundry. Despite the loud spinning, but soothing and calming agitation sounds. A real work horse of a machine.
Whirlpool Belt Drive. My parents had a 60 or 61 model-- Imperial Mark XII. Coolest control panel I can ever remember. Fluorescent lights backlight the controls. Color coordinated controls, as well. Each of the 10 buttons had a color next to it, and you just turned the cycle knob toward that color until it would stop at the appropriate place as determined by the button you had depressed. Offered a wide range of temperatures, not only cold warm and hot, but lukewarm. Love the discrete interval advancement of the timer. Timer is stationary, until the next interva, then silently moves (and visibly moves) to its next interval station. Seemed cool and spooky to me when I was a small child. Seemed as if the machine was alive and operating its own controls (which it was!) Comforting sound as it agitated. Downsides: Not good at rinsing. I remember seeing suds left in the bottom of the tub frequently, and my mom would have to re-rinse them. Worse machine my mom ever had at staying in balance. Frequently she would have to run downstairs to turn it off as is walked across the smooth concrete basement floor. Sometimes to the extend it was pulling on its hoses. The "Surgilator" agitator gave good roll over. the lint filter caught good amounts of lint in its brushes, but a little difficult to get completely clean. A fun, impressive looking machines, built from quality and heavy materials, with many amenities engineered into it.
The White-Westinghouse" front loaders. From the original Westinghouse Laundromat design. The most ingratiating washer I ever owned. You just wanted to pick it up and hug it. So fun to watch the clothes tumble. Got the clothes clean and fresh smelling. Really cool with a startlingly loud click when the gigantic spin solenoid grabbed and tightened the spin belt against the pulley with the tub almost instantly from tumble to full speed spin... good spray rinse and two full rinses after. Once in a while it did get out of balance and banged. The other downside is clothes sometimes came out tangled as the tub did not periodically reverse as more modern front loaders do. A fun, fun machine...mesmerizing to watch (better than color TV!) Saved lots of water and detergent. I miss it.
Best looking control panels? In my opinion General Electric and Westinghouse both had some beautiful control panels with their polished and brushed aluminum/chrome.
Have yet to own a Norge, Kelvinator, Maytag, etc. Would love to.
Most unique washer? One of the contenders is the Bendix Economat. My parents had one before I came along. They told me of its unusual rubber tub that came in from the sides, closed in on the clothes and squeezed the water out in lieu of spinning. Bendix should have called it the Anaconda washer.)
It's difficult to come to one conclusion on which washer is the "best" as everyone has different qualities they like to see in a washer. No washer is perfect, they all have their strong and weaker points.
As for me: I have to agree with many that the Frigidaire 1-18 is a real winner. I have found it cleans well, clears the tub of suds in flash when it begins to spins, rinses very well with a long spray rinse (available in warm as well!) and I never got y out of balance. Cons: lint collection is so-so and difficult to clean the lint filter, at least in comparison to some other brands. The biggest downside for me is lack of rollover in a too heavily loaded tub, especially with hard fabrics such as jeans. things bob up and don't get pulled down. the optional fabric softener actually helps to prevent this from happening, to a degree, by holding the clothes down as they attempt to rise up near the agitator. With normal sized mixed loads, the Frigidaire is a WONDERFL well engineered machine. Not known for reliability, though. Always got top rating in Consumer Reports for washingy, but consistently ranked below average in repairs/reliability. I love miy 1-18's with a passion.
GE Filter-Flo, versatile, unsurpassed lint removal, extraordinarily easy to clean lint filter, holds a lot of clothes and rolls them even in an overload situation. Downside: The ones I have had tend to get out of balance without much provocation, accompanied by severe banging and sometimes walking. Noisy fill and spin. Real classic machines and a real winner at getting clean, lint free laundry. Despite the loud spinning, but soothing and calming agitation sounds. A real work horse of a machine.
Whirlpool Belt Drive. My parents had a 60 or 61 model-- Imperial Mark XII. Coolest control panel I can ever remember. Fluorescent lights backlight the controls. Color coordinated controls, as well. Each of the 10 buttons had a color next to it, and you just turned the cycle knob toward that color until it would stop at the appropriate place as determined by the button you had depressed. Offered a wide range of temperatures, not only cold warm and hot, but lukewarm. Love the discrete interval advancement of the timer. Timer is stationary, until the next interva, then silently moves (and visibly moves) to its next interval station. Seemed cool and spooky to me when I was a small child. Seemed as if the machine was alive and operating its own controls (which it was!) Comforting sound as it agitated. Downsides: Not good at rinsing. I remember seeing suds left in the bottom of the tub frequently, and my mom would have to re-rinse them. Worse machine my mom ever had at staying in balance. Frequently she would have to run downstairs to turn it off as is walked across the smooth concrete basement floor. Sometimes to the extend it was pulling on its hoses. The "Surgilator" agitator gave good roll over. the lint filter caught good amounts of lint in its brushes, but a little difficult to get completely clean. A fun, impressive looking machines, built from quality and heavy materials, with many amenities engineered into it.
The White-Westinghouse" front loaders. From the original Westinghouse Laundromat design. The most ingratiating washer I ever owned. You just wanted to pick it up and hug it. So fun to watch the clothes tumble. Got the clothes clean and fresh smelling. Really cool with a startlingly loud click when the gigantic spin solenoid grabbed and tightened the spin belt against the pulley with the tub almost instantly from tumble to full speed spin... good spray rinse and two full rinses after. Once in a while it did get out of balance and banged. The other downside is clothes sometimes came out tangled as the tub did not periodically reverse as more modern front loaders do. A fun, fun machine...mesmerizing to watch (better than color TV!) Saved lots of water and detergent. I miss it.
Best looking control panels? In my opinion General Electric and Westinghouse both had some beautiful control panels with their polished and brushed aluminum/chrome.
Have yet to own a Norge, Kelvinator, Maytag, etc. Would love to.
Most unique washer? One of the contenders is the Bendix Economat. My parents had one before I came along. They told me of its unusual rubber tub that came in from the sides, closed in on the clothes and squeezed the water out in lieu of spinning. Bendix should have called it the Anaconda washer.)
I would have to say my favorite washer was my GM Frigidaire 1-18. It performed well by all standards, and even though it didn't spin as fast as Frigidaire solid tub automatics, its water extraction was on a par with Maytag, GE, Speed Queen, etc. Great rollover with its thumper agitator.
The most beautiful set I have owned was Wards/Norge I bought in the early 80's.
Before that, my then wife and I loved our Maytag 806 set. They were so very functional with a control panel that didn't look like a blender. Defeating the stop switch to watch it wash revealed that it didn't have good rollover with large items like sheets or stiff items like jeans.
My BD Kenmore set did an awesome job with washing and rinsing. Too bad about the anemic spin speed. Thick towels could often take about 1 1/2 hours to dry.
The most beautiful set I have owned was Wards/Norge I bought in the early 80's.
Before that, my then wife and I loved our Maytag 806 set. They were so very functional with a control panel that didn't look like a blender. Defeating the stop switch to watch it wash revealed that it didn't have good rollover with large items like sheets or stiff items like jeans.
My BD Kenmore set did an awesome job with washing and rinsing. Too bad about the anemic spin speed. Thick towels could often take about 1 1/2 hours to dry.
Frigidaire machines
My only question is why is it so uncommon to find Frigidaire machines? I can always find Maytag, Whirlpool/Kenmore machines with ease but never once have I found a Frigidaire yet. Were they that much more expensive than the rest, or just odd and therefore less popular?
-Shannon
P.S. My vote is Maytag as the most dependable vintage washer. I find them in all sorts of condition and 99% of the time they still work normally even if they’re rusting away and beat to hell. Truly simple quality engineering.
My only question is why is it so uncommon to find Frigidaire machines? I can always find Maytag, Whirlpool/Kenmore machines with ease but never once have I found a Frigidaire yet. Were they that much more expensive than the rest, or just odd and therefore less popular?
-Shannon
P.S. My vote is Maytag as the most dependable vintage washer. I find them in all sorts of condition and 99% of the time they still work normally even if they’re rusting away and beat to hell. Truly simple quality engineering.
There are many cool machines that were made in the 1950’s and 1960’s but the coolest machine I’ve owned so far is my 1963 RCA Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII set in turquoise. Doesn’t have the color coded buttons like the 1960, 1961, and 1962 Mark XII’s nor has the fluorescent back lit panels but otherwise a fun machine to use.
The magic mix dispenser seems to work fairly well but gets filled up with heavily linted loads and needs to be cleaned after each load but honestly I’d rather put the lint in the garbage can then send it down the drain.
The automatic dispensers do work well too but I suggest putting water in the dispensers to help flush them out when you aren’t using them or else they’ll clog up and you practically have to disassemble machine to fix them and that’s what led to the fiasco that happened back in October of 2020 and had to take the ENTIRE machine apart just the fixed those darned dispensers but has been working fine since I fixed them.
The spin is slow however it seems to do just fine and I believe the large 18 pound capacity belt drives had a slower spin compared the standard tub belt drive washers since the standard capacity belt drives spun around 525 as opposed to the large capacity belt drives that spun around 500 to 505 rpm.
The Surgilator does very well when you don’t pack the machine full and since I tend to slightly under load it a little, the load literally turns over 12 to 14 times a minute which is close to the Frigidaires of the era.
As far as washing and rinsing performance, it will do fine IF you don’t use too much detergent or overload the machine and since I do neither of the two, it does just fine and had it suds lock a few times but that’s a error on my behalf for using too much detergent.
As far as the matching dryer to my mark XII washer, it does a fairly good job at drying and the 2 speed fan/drying temperature is quite handy since I use the normal speed drying temperature for regular clothes and use the super drying temperature for towels and bulky bedding. I also like the UV/ozone light it has since it disinfects laundry and gives sheets and towels a unique scent after they are done drying.
The magic mix dispenser seems to work fairly well but gets filled up with heavily linted loads and needs to be cleaned after each load but honestly I’d rather put the lint in the garbage can then send it down the drain.
The automatic dispensers do work well too but I suggest putting water in the dispensers to help flush them out when you aren’t using them or else they’ll clog up and you practically have to disassemble machine to fix them and that’s what led to the fiasco that happened back in October of 2020 and had to take the ENTIRE machine apart just the fixed those darned dispensers but has been working fine since I fixed them.
The spin is slow however it seems to do just fine and I believe the large 18 pound capacity belt drives had a slower spin compared the standard tub belt drive washers since the standard capacity belt drives spun around 525 as opposed to the large capacity belt drives that spun around 500 to 505 rpm.
The Surgilator does very well when you don’t pack the machine full and since I tend to slightly under load it a little, the load literally turns over 12 to 14 times a minute which is close to the Frigidaires of the era.
As far as washing and rinsing performance, it will do fine IF you don’t use too much detergent or overload the machine and since I do neither of the two, it does just fine and had it suds lock a few times but that’s a error on my behalf for using too much detergent.
As far as the matching dryer to my mark XII washer, it does a fairly good job at drying and the 2 speed fan/drying temperature is quite handy since I use the normal speed drying temperature for regular clothes and use the super drying temperature for towels and bulky bedding. I also like the UV/ozone light it has since it disinfects laundry and gives sheets and towels a unique scent after they are done drying.
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