"Why did they stop putting lint filters on washers? it couldn't have been that much extra?"
Every bit of extra cost adds up, I guess. I've heard stories of car companies making one small change that only saves a small amount per car, yet adds up to massive savings over time.
One issue with lint filters is that in a way they've become obsolete for most people. Most people now dry clothes in a dryer, which will remove lint. It's people who air dry a lot who notice the non-existent lint filtering in newer machines. People like this are a minority, and a minority washing machine companies don't want to encourage, since these companies also make dryers.
However, the effective lint filtering on older machines is a bit selling point to me. I air dry a lot. Recently, I started using an older Kenmore, and the thing that I noticed quickly, and has continued to impress me, is how effective the lint filtering is.
As for styling, I think it's mixed. When I stumbled on this site, I was amazed by the incredible styling content of some older machines--particularly the ones from the 50s. I also found myself liking older Maytags, which strike me, somehow, as being right. Some other machines, however, don't interest me...at least as far as appearance.
I'm not sure older styling will ever be brought back, however. And it may be better that it's not brought back. It's been my observation that usually when something goes retro, it's often a bad retro. There's more or less the original look, but one way or another, it ends up not being the same. More often than not, the modern version ends up looking like a cheap copy. One might as well get the original--which has both the style and history.
