Who sold Magic Chef Dishwashers? Why did they exist? And why was GE making them?
Magic Chef Dishwashers History
- Thread starter Chetlaham
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Magic Chef dishwashers were made by D&M originally. GE must've picked up the slack when D&M was DisMantled in the mid 1980s.
Who owned Magic chef? Did magic chef offer other appliances?
Magic Chef was best known for gas ranges, but that was a very long time ago, like in the late 1910s and into the 1920s. I think they had been previous called The American Stove Company.
In the 50s, I believe the merged with or got sold off to the Dixie Stove Company. They tried to develop a full line of appliances, hence why they partnered up with D&M for dishwashers, but they never really got that far with this.
The company survived into the 1980s and sometime in the mid-80s, Maytag bought out Magic Chef. They finally had a full line of appliances - I actually owned a Magic Chef - NorgeTag washer and dryer set in the late 90s!
In the 50s, I believe the merged with or got sold off to the Dixie Stove Company. They tried to develop a full line of appliances, hence why they partnered up with D&M for dishwashers, but they never really got that far with this.
The company survived into the 1980s and sometime in the mid-80s, Maytag bought out Magic Chef. They finally had a full line of appliances - I actually owned a Magic Chef - NorgeTag washer and dryer set in the late 90s!
bradfordwhite
Well-known member
Could get a new one
I love my cute white Magic Chef 3.5 c.f chest freezer and 4.3 refrigerator. Both keep going and going with no problems.
The magic chef on the label reminds me of the Pillsbury dough cartoon.
I love my cute white Magic Chef 3.5 c.f chest freezer and 4.3 refrigerator. Both keep going and going with no problems.
The magic chef on the label reminds me of the Pillsbury dough cartoon.
Magic Chef 24 in. White Front Control Built-in Stainless Steel Tall Tub Dishwasher MCSDW7FCW - The Home Depot
Keep all your plates neat and clean with the help of this wonderful Magic Chef White Front Control Builtin Stainless Steel Tall Tub Dishwasher.
www.homedepot.com
So how did GE end up making magic chef DWs? I'm not doubting you, but its just interesting why Maytag didn't make a Jet-Clean version of the Magic chef.
Whirlool didn't acquire Maytag until 2006. The house I bought in Suburban Houston in 1985 had a GE produced Tappan (Magic Chef)
neptunebob
Well-known member
GE was a lower priced dishwasher
The Maytag would have cost more and since Magic Chef was a "budget" line of appliances, consumers would be put off by the inordinately higher price. That Magic Chef looks like the KenRoar I have in my mud room.
The Maytag would have cost more and since Magic Chef was a "budget" line of appliances, consumers would be put off by the inordinately higher price. That Magic Chef looks like the KenRoar I have in my mud room.
bradfordwhite
Well-known member
One could also ask why GE was making a line of entry level RCA appliances in the late 90s?
And why did D&M (or whoever owned them at that point) make 18" dishwashers for GE?
Why did Eureka and Hoover make vacuums for JCPenny at one point?
Why did GE make major appliances for JCPenny?
Why did Whirlpool make Kenmore vacuums for Sears?
Why did Frigidaire make front load washers and dryers with the Kenmore name on them in the 90s and 00s?
We have to remember that an appliance brand name is a separate thing from the actual appliance it's stuck on for legal purposes.
It's not unusual for someone, or some entity, to buy or rent a name and slap it on a different appliance than it's ever been on in the past. To the knowing consumer it may seem off-putting, but that happens.
And why did D&M (or whoever owned them at that point) make 18" dishwashers for GE?
Why did Eureka and Hoover make vacuums for JCPenny at one point?
Why did GE make major appliances for JCPenny?
Why did Whirlpool make Kenmore vacuums for Sears?
Why did Frigidaire make front load washers and dryers with the Kenmore name on them in the 90s and 00s?
We have to remember that an appliance brand name is a separate thing from the actual appliance it's stuck on for legal purposes.
It's not unusual for someone, or some entity, to buy or rent a name and slap it on a different appliance than it's ever been on in the past. To the knowing consumer it may seem off-putting, but that happens.
I've mentioned this before--there is a Harvard Business School case study from the mid '80s on the dishwasher market, from the standpoint of one of the small companies needing to source dishwashers...do you do it from D&M, from GE, from Whirlpool or from WCI. They each had their pros/cons...the case was how do you choose and what do you maximize (margin, penetration, uniqueness, etc).
At the point when GE put in the plastic tub (PermaTuf) line in Louisville, they were suddenly very very competitive in OEM production (hence why you see things like Tappan and Magic Chef labeled GE dishwashers). They could easily undercut Whirlpool (still using porcelain/steel) and provided D&M some real competition. The smaller companies could switch easily when their 3-5 year contracts were up (they didn't have a huge installed base to worry about service for)
Looking backwards, in the mid '80s GE had good refrigeration (but for their compressor issue) and electric cooking capabilities (with efficient plants and good utilization), excellent dishwasher and meh-to-deficient laundry (FilterFlo was getting to end-of-life).
WP was excellent laundry (DD had just come out) and refrigeration, OK dishwasher, and meh-to-deficient cooking.
WCI had meh-most-everything except for the one freezer plant (St. Cloud, MN) which supplied everyone.
Each were trying to broaden their lines and become a "single source provider", while Maytag also wanted to expand but was left with buying piecemeal meh product lines (except for Amana and refrigeration).
RCA was a flanker brand at GE to provide added volume (at plant level) and to keep their name after the RCA brand for audio/video was sold off. Generally was sold through independent appliance stores.
Eureka/Hoover for JCPenney--there wasn't any other full-line producer able to provide a full-line for JCP in the early '60s...likewise for Montgomery Ward.
GE major appliances to JCPenney---they were stuck with whomever would supply them as Sears/Wards/Gambles had sewn up the producers already, so they were stuck with the biggest provider who would work with them. Did them no favors (doubtless their wholesale pricing was disadvantageous as compared with what Sears/Wards etc were getting), except for getting self cleaning (JCPenney called them Radiant Clean) ovens earlier (and superior in performance) to Sears/Wards.
Since JCPenney started their diversification through acquiring General Merchandise in Milwaukee, GE (Hotpoint) made a lot of sense for them to source things from.
Whirlpool bought Birtman at Sears' behest (I believe there was a bankruptcy/near bankruptcy involved) hence entering the vacuum business. Wasn't a ridiculous request on Sears' part---Sears and WP had a long long history, and Sears always had a lot of oversight into their big suppliers' finances.
Frigidaire/Electrolux front loading--as with GE and dishwashers, when Frigidaire decided to go "whole hog" a second time into the front loading market, they had a lot of manufacturing capacity which could be very easily soaked up by using/adding Sears as the channel. I'm sure Sears asked WP what their plans were for getting into front loading washers and had WP had something in the "skunkworks" it might have dissuaded Sears from going with Frigidaire, but WP had a lot of sunk costs in the DD line in Clyde, OH (there's literally a mile-long plant there along the railroad) and wasn't so ready to jettison that investment (where Frigidaire had far less invested in their TL business and had expertise from Sweden). Somewhere on AWORG there was a link to (perhaps another HBS case) from the standpoint of Frigidaire on setting pricing for the new FL line.
At the point when GE put in the plastic tub (PermaTuf) line in Louisville, they were suddenly very very competitive in OEM production (hence why you see things like Tappan and Magic Chef labeled GE dishwashers). They could easily undercut Whirlpool (still using porcelain/steel) and provided D&M some real competition. The smaller companies could switch easily when their 3-5 year contracts were up (they didn't have a huge installed base to worry about service for)
Looking backwards, in the mid '80s GE had good refrigeration (but for their compressor issue) and electric cooking capabilities (with efficient plants and good utilization), excellent dishwasher and meh-to-deficient laundry (FilterFlo was getting to end-of-life).
WP was excellent laundry (DD had just come out) and refrigeration, OK dishwasher, and meh-to-deficient cooking.
WCI had meh-most-everything except for the one freezer plant (St. Cloud, MN) which supplied everyone.
Each were trying to broaden their lines and become a "single source provider", while Maytag also wanted to expand but was left with buying piecemeal meh product lines (except for Amana and refrigeration).
RCA was a flanker brand at GE to provide added volume (at plant level) and to keep their name after the RCA brand for audio/video was sold off. Generally was sold through independent appliance stores.
Eureka/Hoover for JCPenney--there wasn't any other full-line producer able to provide a full-line for JCP in the early '60s...likewise for Montgomery Ward.
GE major appliances to JCPenney---they were stuck with whomever would supply them as Sears/Wards/Gambles had sewn up the producers already, so they were stuck with the biggest provider who would work with them. Did them no favors (doubtless their wholesale pricing was disadvantageous as compared with what Sears/Wards etc were getting), except for getting self cleaning (JCPenney called them Radiant Clean) ovens earlier (and superior in performance) to Sears/Wards.
Since JCPenney started their diversification through acquiring General Merchandise in Milwaukee, GE (Hotpoint) made a lot of sense for them to source things from.
Whirlpool bought Birtman at Sears' behest (I believe there was a bankruptcy/near bankruptcy involved) hence entering the vacuum business. Wasn't a ridiculous request on Sears' part---Sears and WP had a long long history, and Sears always had a lot of oversight into their big suppliers' finances.
Frigidaire/Electrolux front loading--as with GE and dishwashers, when Frigidaire decided to go "whole hog" a second time into the front loading market, they had a lot of manufacturing capacity which could be very easily soaked up by using/adding Sears as the channel. I'm sure Sears asked WP what their plans were for getting into front loading washers and had WP had something in the "skunkworks" it might have dissuaded Sears from going with Frigidaire, but WP had a lot of sunk costs in the DD line in Clyde, OH (there's literally a mile-long plant there along the railroad) and wasn't so ready to jettison that investment (where Frigidaire had far less invested in their TL business and had expertise from Sweden). Somewhere on AWORG there was a link to (perhaps another HBS case) from the standpoint of Frigidaire on setting pricing for the new FL line.
seedub
Well-known member
If you wanna see a comprehensive display of MC appliances and you like vintage television shows, Magic Chef appeared to have a sweetheart deal with all the studios to supply equipment from the late 1960s to the end of the 1970s. "The Partridge Family," "Maude," "Mary Tyler Moore Show (The Happy Homemaker studio) were the most well-known.
Those TV shows dishwashres were the D&M produced prduct.
There were some houses built near me in 1985-1986 from two builders. One had GE kitchens. The other had Kenmore Kitchens. The dishwashers were thsoe still produced by D&M. This was during the period of transition from Kenmore dishwashrs produced by D&M and the UltraWash line that were WP PowerClean product. Had a former coworker who built a new house in like 1989 or 1990 and she had a Kenmore kitchen and the dishwashr was an Ultrawash model.
I remember when Sears announced the UltraWash line. Saw it in small Christmas catalogue that was mailed to the house and it Christmas 1984 because I was still in my first house.
There were some houses built near me in 1985-1986 from two builders. One had GE kitchens. The other had Kenmore Kitchens. The dishwashers were thsoe still produced by D&M. This was during the period of transition from Kenmore dishwashrs produced by D&M and the UltraWash line that were WP PowerClean product. Had a former coworker who built a new house in like 1989 or 1990 and she had a Kenmore kitchen and the dishwashr was an Ultrawash model.
I remember when Sears announced the UltraWash line. Saw it in small Christmas catalogue that was mailed to the house and it Christmas 1984 because I was still in my first house.
Magic Chef
The Magic Chef with total magic wash (red button) from the early 70's
The Magic Chef with total magic wash (red button) from the early 70's
An acquaintance had a Magic Chef built-in model with the Total Magic Wash button.
As Paul mentioned, Magic Chef started out in 1929 as a brand of the American Stove Co. of St. Louis, Mo. The company name was changed to Magic Chef, Inc. in 1951. The company was sold to Dixie in 1958, then became a Maytag division around 1985, which itself was bought by Whirlpool in 2006. They have since sold the name to CNA International.
Covered previously here in group
But am mentioning again, if anyone gets out to St. Louis, MO stop by and see the "Magic Chef" mansion.
http://magicchefmansion.com
https://www.stlouisbourbonsociety.com/bourbonmagic/
https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles...cle_247c5de4-30b7-588c-82be-498ced6bec69.html
Bit of history..
https://antiques.lovetoknow.com/Antique_Quick_Meal_Stoves
Quick Meal solid fuel ranges.
https://woodcookstovecooking.blogspot.com/2019/02/quick-meal-ranges.html
Not my idea of a holiday, but to each his or her own I suppose.
jetcitygastrophysics.com
But am mentioning again, if anyone gets out to St. Louis, MO stop by and see the "Magic Chef" mansion.
http://magicchefmansion.com
https://www.stlouisbourbonsociety.com/bourbonmagic/
https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles...cle_247c5de4-30b7-588c-82be-498ced6bec69.html
Bit of history..
https://antiques.lovetoknow.com/Antique_Quick_Meal_Stoves
Quick Meal solid fuel ranges.
https://woodcookstovecooking.blogspot.com/2019/02/quick-meal-ranges.html
Not my idea of a holiday, but to each his or her own I suppose.
Industrialist Cuisine: Slow Cooking On A Quick Meal
This blog focuses on advanced techniques in the kitchen as practiced in the Northwest. But to understand the present, you need to be educated in the past, to know the foundations from which curren…
Magic Chef cont’d
We had a Magic Chef (rebadged GE) dishwasher at one time. Worked for years as expected.
Also:
In 1979 Admiral Corporation was bringing its operations to a close. After closing its American electronic operations, it sold its appliance division to Magic Chef. This gave Magic Chef a refrigerator / air-conditioner / dehumidifier factory, microwave-oven manufacturing, (Admiral made their own at the time) as well as other manufacturing. ( I think Magic-Chef picked up Hardwick and Sunray along the way too.)
Now equipped with their fully-owned line of appliances which allowed them to compete with GE and Whirlpool, Maytag was shaken to its core as their product scope was limited and not too competitive.
Maytag had to buy Magic-Chef or else. Indeed that is what happened.
Magic Chef paid Admiral’s TV warranties for about five years and kept Admiral’s Mastercare operations open then ultimately Admiral’s refrigerator plant became Maytag’s refrigeration plant (now closed).
Funny to think that even Maytag’s refrigerator factory was, in effect, a rebadge in itself…
We had a Magic Chef (rebadged GE) dishwasher at one time. Worked for years as expected.
Also:
In 1979 Admiral Corporation was bringing its operations to a close. After closing its American electronic operations, it sold its appliance division to Magic Chef. This gave Magic Chef a refrigerator / air-conditioner / dehumidifier factory, microwave-oven manufacturing, (Admiral made their own at the time) as well as other manufacturing. ( I think Magic-Chef picked up Hardwick and Sunray along the way too.)
Now equipped with their fully-owned line of appliances which allowed them to compete with GE and Whirlpool, Maytag was shaken to its core as their product scope was limited and not too competitive.
Maytag had to buy Magic-Chef or else. Indeed that is what happened.
Magic Chef paid Admiral’s TV warranties for about five years and kept Admiral’s Mastercare operations open then ultimately Admiral’s refrigerator plant became Maytag’s refrigeration plant (now closed).
Funny to think that even Maytag’s refrigerator factory was, in effect, a rebadge in itself…
Magic chef history
Good history Paul of how magic chef consolidated and then became part of Maytag.
This was truly Maytag‘s biggest mistake getting messed up with that mess.
There wasn’t a single Admiral or magic chef product in the last 20 some years of their existence that was worth much. It was a very low end product not worthy of the likes of Maytag whirlpool GE KitchenAid etc.
Getting mixed up with this mess was certainly Maytag’s biggest mistake and lead to their demise and sell out to whirlpool which is caused whirlpool a lot of problems I wish whirlpool have never bought it.
What whirlpool paid for Maytag would’ve been much better spent improving their products and reinvested, if whirlpool had done this they could’ve competed better against the likes of LG and Samsung junk.
John L
Good history Paul of how magic chef consolidated and then became part of Maytag.
This was truly Maytag‘s biggest mistake getting messed up with that mess.
There wasn’t a single Admiral or magic chef product in the last 20 some years of their existence that was worth much. It was a very low end product not worthy of the likes of Maytag whirlpool GE KitchenAid etc.
Getting mixed up with this mess was certainly Maytag’s biggest mistake and lead to their demise and sell out to whirlpool which is caused whirlpool a lot of problems I wish whirlpool have never bought it.
What whirlpool paid for Maytag would’ve been much better spent improving their products and reinvested, if whirlpool had done this they could’ve competed better against the likes of LG and Samsung junk.
John L
