"Five qualities vintage appliances had that we need today"

[ovrphil]

I wasn't sure where to place this, but it's a nice article complimenting the older appliances vs. today's appliances. I'd like to just share this, so I hope this is an appropriate spot. Enjoy!

Midcentury appliances looked way better than what we have today

Commentary: Next to today’s bland stainless steel exteriors, midcentury appliances are stylish stunners.

www.cnet.com

 

[perc-o-prince]

Thanks for posting this! All of them are valid points, but the "feel of durability" and optimism, I think, are the most important. Most of what we buy today is disposable-by-design and I hate that. The more bells and whistles something has, the more one or more of them will fail and let you down.

 

OTOH, as an example, I always made fun of the lights that come on inside of Miele's higher end dishwashers. I used to say to my customers, "How many times are you gonna leave your dishes in the sink, then come down in the middle of the night to load the dishwasher without the room lights on?" The reality is that they do add to the chore, and I'm ashamed to admit that. That said... when they fail, if I can't ID the issue and get the parts cheaply... no more lights!

 

Still, give me the older, more reliable stuff any day! 

 

Chuck

 

[ovrphil]

Cheers to you Chuck!

Well said, Chuck. I'm already dreading the GE Washer we bought from Home Depot. It has a quirky cycle of adding water in weird increments-stages. It makes some weird knocking sounds generally in the last few minutes of the rinse cycle, and sometimes...well..it doesn't. It does. Then it doesn't. No identifiable conditions can describe it. Fortunately, we have the extended warranty and may use it. Prior, I had a Whirlpool Calypso(still have the dryer). They are, as most here probably guess or know, quirky/unreliable(failing)due to the touch panels. I swapped out one of the touch panels from a donor dryer and life was good til about a couple months ago. The panel went into a freaking weird state, where there were lights in one area and no ability to select temperature. I remembered what Yogitunes told anyone with these panels, and disconnected the plug from the wall..for a while. It didn't help. Then I tried it again....and again. And then, the Fairy God Mother of Vintage Appliance bestowed an unrequested grant after I talked dirty to it(like Uncle Buck, who talked dirty to the washer, lol)....and suddenly the dryer returned to like new, nothing wrong state and has worked perfectly ever since. Prior to that we owned show-room new set of 1983/4 Maytag washer and dryer. Though we loved the reliability, we thought they washed some of the delicates, harshly. But we loved that set. Thinking back, now... my mom's 1962 Whirlpool washer or(?brand)gas dryer were solid, reliable. My mom's stove and refrigerators ...GE..in the 1950's, which were replaced in the mid-60's worked without repairs, until my mom died and they sold the house in 1998. I prefer the older appliances, but keeping extra parts on hand isn't always easy or possible to get. Like the great days of radio, tv, and flight, I miss the days when appliances were as exciting as the annual release of new model cars. Thanks Chuck-glad you enjoyed the article, too.

 

[tolivac]

I am with the article,too!And the crappy,stupid cycles SOME washers do!!!YOU have to help the machine finish!!!At that point might drag out my Maytag wringer washer!And I don't like the white,black and SS finishes-the whites and SS finish make your kitchen look like an autopsy lab!Remember to put the SS autopsy table in the middle of the room with the weight scale overhead!

 

[vacerator]

Phil,

is your new GE washer a top, or front load? They all ad water after they start washing if the level sensor calls for it as the clothes get saturated and lower it.
Exceptions can be the bedding cycle, and heavy loads. Then they fill up all the way to begin with.
I like our front load 4.5 cu ft. Samsung still. It cleans, and rinses much better than the Maytag Bravos X we had before. Medium spin speed is sufficient too.
Low for queen sheets.
They dry on low heat perma press in 35 minutes. Regular clothing loads in 38. I heap the basket. Once they are saturated, the load rises half way up the basket. Plenty of bubbling action. I use less detergent, and rinse sheets twice, clothing 3 times. You can select up to 5 rinses.
It is the model below the WiFi model, but has steam available on 5 of the 9 cycles.

 

[spiralator60]

Subtle Tie-In With GM Sponsored TV Program "Bewitched&#3

Does anyone notice a resemblance between the woman in the illustration and Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha Stephens)?

 

[vacerator]

Yes Darryl,

when she played her sister Sarina. Recall the episode with that song in it "Iffin"?

 

[gelaundry4ever]

How about aggressive cleaning power?

Older washers had aggressive cleaning power. Why can't they reintroduce that to top and front load washers and add powerful blowers in dryers like older models? And they should also have heavy-duty motors, pumps and blowers to boot.

 

[thomasortega]

Aggressive cleaning power.

Several things count.

1) clothes nowadays are not like they were decades ago. Too much synthetic fabrics, even "cotton" is not always 100% cotton anymore.
Clothes are also intentionally made weaker (planned obsolescence) and definitely modern "consumers" (aka Karens) don't want their $100 "Supreme" shirt shredded after 10 washes.

2) Marketing. We (the industry) are responsible for a brainwash on consumers minds. "This model is gentle on clothes". Show a Maytag wringer or a "Shredmore" to a millennial, the reaction will be "OMG, THAT THING WILL LITERALLY GOING TO SHRED MY HEAVY DUTY JEANS IN SECONDS". And we all know that's not true. It is, in fact, kinda aggressive, but it won't mince/dice/shred/slice/slash/chop/blend and make milk shake with the clothes in one wash.

I had a customer returning a Niagara because "it was too aggressive and for sure it would shred her clothes". Nah, it tumbles and exactly 59 rpm (with tolerance to 57 or up to 61). We all know this magic number, don't we?

And regarding being aggressive, put a full load in a Whirlpool Cabrio or a Maytag Shitennial, then you'll see what "aggressive" means. Lol

 

[johnb300m]

I’m sorry Thomas. Your number 2 is stupid.
80% of my circle are millennials like me.
You may not know this but half of us are in our mid 30s. I don’t know any millennial who would talk like that. Many appreciate the older style appliances they grew up with. But they also like new stuff. But NOT all the new stuff with the silly high end gadgets. Mostly low and mid end that will just get the job done for the least amount of money. Ya know, since most of us have almost garbage purchasing power.

 

[thomasortega]

You and your circle are lucky.

Every single day I have millennials contacting me with the most stupid questions.

1) what brand of "no rinse" detergent you recommend? After washing i always notice i have to rinse the clothes because the detergent is still there.

2) (thats the most popular of the questions) Why does the spin dryer has to come with a shipping bracket? Its covered by the warranty anyway, if it arrives damaged, you'll have to replace it anyway.

3) can you briefly explain me how to use it so I don't need to read the user manual?

 

[rp2813]

I highly doubt that today's targeted consumers (AKA the demographic group that shall not be named) even cares about what happens under the lid or behind the door boot any more than they care about having their entire lives being monitored and recorded by the phones they're unable to get through life without.  They have been conditioned to expect rapid failure or obsolescence from everything they purchase.  Durability is a foreign concept to them.  This is the complete opposite of what the older generation experienced with things like appliances that functioned for decades without a single hiccup and indestructible phones that we weren't allowed to own. 

 

Regarding the TV star resemblance, the first character I thought of when I saw the rendering in the OP (I realize that's not the one that was referenced by Darryl) was Samantha's cousin Serena -- right down to the hair style.

 

 

 

[warmsecondrinse]

#9

You and your circle are not the average consumer. I just made the cut-off to be a Baby Boomer and I can tell you that the majority of people my age neither know nor care about how many things work. Hell, when I was in college I worked in a bank, most of whose customers were old enough to be my parents. Let me tell you, half of them had no idea how their bank accounts worked.

#11

And yeah, product durability in general has declined over the years.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Let's not forget about product performance.

We have high-tech washers that wash as if they're on the gentle cycle, when in fact they're on the normal cycle. Also, let's not forget about the matching high-tech dryers that dry on medium heat on the normal cycle. While my lg/Kenmore elite matching pair has delivered exceptionally laundered clothes, I was suspicious about the dryer using medium heat on the 41 minute normal cycle. They do however, use a higher flow rate of air. Still, They could've enhanced the durability, put back the style into the machines, and at least improve the functionality.
In addition, we have dishwashers that just shower your dishes. I'd like to have rainstorm in a box, or a category 5 hurricane that will destroy caked-on messes without shattering or damaging sturdily constructed everyday dishes.

 

[rp2813]

Jim --

 

Reply numbers are not always a reliable point of reference.  Post numbers on the other hand (last three digits should be enough), always remain the same.

 

I do think I know which posts you were responding to, though.

 

[ovrphil]

RE: Post# 1100534 , Reply# 4 and MORE!

This is why I enjoy aw.org. The level of knowledge, opinion, and sarcasm is always...enjoyable! Even if you are all wrong. LOL! I have to get my nonsense in here somewhere.

Attached are pics of the current expression of "washer" by Maytag.

1) Thanks Vacerator for the description. You're right, fill quantity varies with load size. It'll start by sensing, then adding a little washer and agitating for a while, then stops somewhere in the cycle, adds more water, but never fills it for a light load(why would you, of course, anyway?). But the key issue we have is some rattle that occurs at the end of the cycle, typically around the last 4-7 minutes of the spin cycle(no other cycle). I need to get our warranty value working and call a tech. Anyway...the photos will answer your question.

2)Post# 1100947 , Reply# 10 -Thomasortega - laughed aloud at your posting, especially:
"1) what brand of "no rinse" detergent you recommend? After washing i always notice i have to rinse the clothes because the detergent is still there. " and " 3)can you briefly explain me how to use it so I don't need to read the user manual? " You have to have sore eye muscles, from rolling them around at these customer requests/questions.

3) Post# 1100950 , Reply# 11- Rp2813: True: "They have been conditioned to expect rapid failure or obsolescence from everything they purchase. Durability is a foreign concept to them. This is the complete opposite of what the older generation experienced with things like appliances that functioned for decades without a single hiccup and indestructible phones that we weren't allowed to own. " I think the marketing is geared to "you'll want to replace it anyways, it a few years." I am beginning to hope we get 5 years, now, out of anything. When we bought a bed from Macy's- nothing super expensive, but it was in the mid $ 1-2K price point, the installer said, "you'll be lucky to get five years out of this bed..." and Ralph, so true: what you said, "Indestructible phones that we weren't allowed to own" When the Princess phones came out, my mom didn't want to pay the extra cost per month for these sleek beauties. Anyway(off-subject), but it reminded of the times.

4)Post# 1101005 , Reply# 13- GELaundry4ever: " Still, They could've enhanced the durability, put back the style into the machines, and at least improve the functionality." - for sure, but there goes the 5 year repurchase plans and the analytic forecasting models. The design world is awash in just what Tolivac said...

5)
Post# 1100509 , Reply# 3 - tolivac : "And I don't like the white,black and SS finishes-the whites and SS finish make your kitchen look like an autopsy lab!Remember to put the SS autopsy table in the middle of the room with the weight scale overhead! " In some kitchens, in some RV's and other spaces for this design expression, you do get a monotonous presentation of SS, white and black. Cars are white, black, silver mostly, as well today. Some breaks in this tradition would be so nice to see, if there were some options beyond the autopsy look.

..enjoying the thread, thank you everyone