Is there any classic machine you dislike or hate?

[maytagbear]

Not fond of

GE Filter-Flo.  However, and this is big: I only have used coin-op Filter Flo's.  To me, a Filter-Flo was what one bought when one didn't know enough to buy Maytag or Whirlpool.

 

 

If I could only have a vintage washer (and not my lovely Dependable Care,) I would have an 806 center dial.  Again, real Maytags never did anything perfectly, as much as they did nothing poorly. 

 

 

Maytag hatas can suck my left  ELBOW.

 

 

 

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[peterh770]

Nothing to dislike completely, but some really big disappointments...

Solid tub Hotpoint... Such a pretty agitator. But the turnover was poor with the load sliding up and down the ramps with nothing at the bottom to push them out. And the sympathetic indexing didn't help. Too bad...

Flex-A-Wash Philco... When they made the tub bigger and changed the agitator, they really lost it. The downward folds of the flapper overpower the outward folds. There isn't enough power to push the load forward and up. So the downward fold mold the load into a donut that gets power-kneaded at the bottom of the tub. "But look how much room there is to add more!" Not...

While the Wizard pig is pretty sad, I'd be the one standing there and holding the tub still to get a better wash. Good thing the agitator is fairly undersized, but it is spunky and vigorous...

 

[roto204]

Norge

I'd have another Norge in an instant; that's been our favorite top-loader to date.  I didn't say quietest  That MW machine was just a hair worn-out.

 

I mostly hate the orbital Maytags.  They make the older units with the long-stroke tranny seem like capacity champs.  They're the bane of my existence in any coin-op laundromat, because they hold two socks, a T-shirt, and a hanky.  But even the big-tub units have to be very underloaded to turn the load over, and sometimes I felt like the "all action must stop" lid helped avoid people seeing the truth.  

 

Our Kelvinator Franklin was awesome.  My Frigidaire with the short vanes was not.  Seems like it's all about the agitator, sometimes.

 

[dogboy44]

Kenmore never did it for me

My parents always condidered it an off brand, and it kind of was.  I remember they were plentiful growing up as Sears had a reputation for good service.  I never liked the neutral drain on the whirlpool or kenmore.  thought that anything floating on the top of the wash water, would just be blanketed back over the laundry when it drained, but i suppose it was easier on the transmission not having to spin so much water out?  Any thoughts?  Whirlpool made/makes Kenmore, did they do the designs as well?  They did have some pretty snazzy dashboards back in the 50's/60's 

 

[polkanut]

None of our family on either side had or has any use for Kenmore products.  The Sears store in Wausau was for many years notoriously rude to city & farm folks alike.  Both sides of my family tend to be rather clannish in that respect.  As far as laundry appliances are concerned, GE, Maytag, and Speed Queen were and still are predominant.  Other appliance choices are all over the board.

 

[sudsreturn]

From a UK point of view...

Hmmmm, not sure. Vintage here in the UK is mainly to do with single and twin tubs as automatic were not really widely sold until the early 80's. Well, again as someone metioned, it is all about the agitator with me. I HATE the Hotpoint twin tub and top loader agi, as it is spiral, and it tends to waggle the loads back and forth, no turn over, but the wash tub is a decent size, and the spinners are good. I would love to get hold of the English Electric agitator as they fit into a hotpoint tt/toploader and they are quite simple in design with four fins. Servis twin tubs are good, although again, the tub isnt deep or wide enough for a good turn over, the agitator is VERY similar to the vintage Speed Queen machines in the US, but with a sqaure tub...... Nah.

 

[xraytech]

for me it is the Maytag, I just find them so humdrum and boring both in action and cosmetics, also not a fan of whirlpool even though they are a bit better looking.

My preferance is the Filter Flo, I just love those buttons, switches, lighted control and the mini-wash, Speed Queen would be my second choice since they arent as snazzy as some of the Filter-Flos

 

[washerlover]

Not liking the Maytag action, either. Kind of a snoozer. But I do have one in my collection just for variety. We were strictly a Wards family, so everyone's washday was exciting and noisy! (a photo for your viewing pleasure before I scrubbed the lint filter)

 

[norgeway]

The Reason Why!

I am not a Tag fan, as a kid my Dads sister had a 63 Custom Imperial Frigidaire, Moms Sister had a 67 Maytag 606 large capacity, we had a 55 Pulsamatic and then a 69 Custom Deluxe Frigidaire, the next door neighbor had a 63 Lady Kenmore, I clearly remember the sound of the Kenmore, plus all its bells and whistles, then aunt Mables Custom Imperial fascinated me, all those cycles and that washing action, I clearly remember her packing it full of clothes and them rolling over and over,Aunt Jeans Maytag was a terrible letdown, I remember the first time I figured out how to trip the safety switch,I expected action like the kenmore or Frigidaire, but there set the clothes, just gently moving back and forth with little turnover,in my 7 or 8 year old mind I remember thinking, I knew why they made it so hard to watch it operate, because if you ever saw a Frigidaire wash, you surely wouldnt buy the Maytag, and now at 45, I still think the same thing, yes they are quiet, yes they last, but if you have really nasty work clothes ,or a bunch of kids that play outside, about anything is a better choice, sorry if all you Tag folks take offense but that is my 2 cents worth.

 

[autowasherfreak]

My favorite brand was/is Whirlpool.  We had two belt drives on from 1972/3 and one from 82/83, and they were the best washers we ever had.  The one from 1972/73 would have lasted longer if hadn't rusted out, which was totally my fault, I would hose down the basement floor every couple of weeks, which caused the washer to rust out prematurely.  The 82/83 model was give to a friend when my mom moved out her house in the early 90's and was still running in 2004 with only a few minor repairs.  I bought a Whirlpool direct drive 14 lb machine in 1990, I didn't care much for that at all, lousy roll over, unless it was a small load.

 

I even liked my WP World Washer portable, did a wonderful job of cleaning for such a small machine.  I wasn't a huge fan of Maytag until I got my A606.  It may not be the fanciest of of machines, or the prettiest machine, but it's dependable.  We had a GE Filter Flo, for several months before we go the second Whirlpool in 82/83, not bad for a smaller capacity machine, and I always like the clank, clank after each spin cycle.  I could hear it upstairs in the kitchen and when I heard the second clank, clank, I knew the cycle was complete.

 

I had a TOL Kenmore direct drive in 93/94, that was a great machine.  I had to give it up when I moved into an apartment, mom kept it in the basement of the tavern she worked at for a couple years in case I moved into a house and could use it again, but after that she sold to  young couple that had recently married and needed them more than I did.

 

I was really disappointed in my Frigidaire Gallery front loader only lasting about 6 years.  Some friends of mine had a MOL Kenmore that was used for a family of four, and was used almost every day, and the only problems they really had were with belts, and the water inlet valves because they lived on a farm and had very hard well water. 

 

[autowasherfreak]

Todd, do you have any videos of your MW machines?

 

 

[mattl]

don't put too much thought into it!

Lot's of interesting comments, but I think many are over analyzing it- I'm talking about a visceral reaction. One look at the POD Kenmores and I had an instant dislike for them, nothing to do with their performance, just the look of them.

Based on that I'd rate them crush worthy.

 

[tgm8000]

Maytag

One look at maytag and I always thought they were very ugly. That center dial and push button control panel very plain and boring, the inside was just as boring!

 

[washerlover]

Hi AutowasherFreak, I'm working on compiling/creating some videos of my machines. I'll keep you posted!

And this is so refreshing to hear some anti-'tag talk!! The 806 I have has terrible lint removal. The manual states that you rarely have to rinse out the lint filter because the lint is whisked away thru the holes in the tub. Hardly. You rarely have to rinse the filter because it's useless.

 

[polkanut]

For all of the Maytag bashing going on, alot of farm families around here own/owned one or more.  The reason being their dependability, and ability to get farm clothes clean.

 

[lesto]

I have two least favorite pre-1980's machines.
1. the WCI-Westinghouse top loaders. Poor turnover, poor quality. Although they did have a great spray rinse.
2. The last of the BD Kenmores which introduced the so-called dual-action agitator and that stupid four minute neutral drain.

 

[rp2813]

JMO

Not Overly Reliable; Guaranteed Exasperation

 

[bajaespuma]

Hated it!!!

I don't know if this is appropriate for this forum, but I'm really getting sick of all the homogenous Front Loaders that are in the stores now. It's like they're 20 iterations of the same freakin' machine. Have washing machines become such a commodity now that there are no designers and no new innovations? Where the hell is Mr. Dyson (I have to tell you guys, even though his vacuum cleaners have been proven a joke, his hand dryers in the big store bathrooms are AWESOME!) Pity. Even the Miele's that were such a dependably great brand are being totally dumbed down for the American market. Are there no heroes out there????Won't anyone hear my plea?

 

[combo52]

LAST GREAT NEWER WASHER

Ken just to turn this around a little, I am with you as everything is about the same now. The last great new machine for me was defiantly the WP built Calypsos, all these FL things are so boring. I will go to great strides to keep a calypso the rest of my life, as it is by far the most effective washing and rinsing and spinning machine I have ever had.

 

[rinso]

Topping my list of classic machines I hated was my 1984 TOL positive air flow Wards(Norge)electric dryer. Wards should have named it their "Lint Unlimited" model. Blowing heat into the drum instead of pulling it out was just a bad idea. It would often blow its own door open.