Quality control was weak on Taylor Avenue.
Chicago Hotpoints were, to my knowledge, never high-rated machines nor were they built well. Time and time again I've read reports and opinions that in the Fifites and early Sixties GE let Hotpoint operate somewhat autonomously to develop innovations and take design risks that GE could later trash or choose to incorporate under their own label. When bean-counters rose to power and started to slash and burn, Hotpoint just wasn't profitable enough for the cut. That's show-biz.
One of their persistent gizmos, the "sediment ejector" seems to have been there Achilles Heel. Probably the reason that they are so rare; most were replaced early on so they are deep in the land fills. It was interesting to note from what pictures we have of Aberdeen, although I wasn't there in person, you don't see many Solid Tub Hotpoints sticking out from that pile. They were probably down near the Iridium layer.
What they were was imaginative, interesting and featured good industrial design if not engineering. For folks like us, who are all about bells, whistles and oddities, they are interesting collectibles. I've used a couple of these machines and they do not distinguish themselves as cleaners or as extractors. I've always said that these would have made perfect washing machines for Ladies and Grannies with lots of lightly-soiled delicates to launder. My Mother's Mother would have kept a Hotpoint running for decades. In that context, the Duo-Load would have been appropriate for lots of customers. But even I have to admit, that although the Duo-Load might have appealed to some gear-head husbands, most housewives would have been put off by its complexity.
I'll be a very happy camper when I find another one.
