Hi David, Hi Lauderesse!
David, I've never been to Nothern Ireland, but once visited Ireland on a short trip, when visiting my Aunty in Abergavenny, which I liked a lot!
You are defenitely right saying so, that TT are still in demand! I would buy one straight away! I like especially the Hotpoint Supermatic with it's spiraclean agitator and filter clean tray - definitely the best washer I've ever used in my life. Very thorough, but nonetheless very gentle! Fastest spin of the world and the best rinsing system of all spin-a-rinsers!
Landeresse, I have had two Hoovermatics (3301L and 5054 and still have one - 3301L, to be seen in Yahoo) but found the auto-rinse in Hotpoints always better working, as more evenly in water dispensation, particulary when the spinner can is only partly loaded.
But nonetheless TT must be better in rinsing, mustn't they?
It's obvious that a machine that is able to give as much rinsings as necessary (mostly between 1 and 5) and which are therefor adequately adjusted to the kind of garment in it is always giving better results as machines which have a pre-programmed fixed rinsing.
The Hotpoint Supermatics do it automatically as they let the auto-rinse run as long as necessary to break down the foaming condition.
The foam prevents the spinner from reaching its residual spin speed and also does not let the pump catch up with the amount of incoming water unless the suds-residues in the washing are flushed out by the incoming rinse-water so far that the pump and the spinner prevail against the incoming water.
A second rinse will then do the rest...
I personally found the German PERSIL to frothy for the TTs, although all detergents here are HEs, and therefor always use ARIEL Powder and Liquid in them.
A way to avoid too much foaming in the spinner is to squeeze the items by hand before putting them into the spinner to get less suds into it.
Ralf