NORGE 20 Pound Washer found in Austin!!!

[laundromat]

norge

Guys,just to be clear.Magic Chef NEVER made a washing machine.It was and always will be a Norge.Both were bought by Fedders in the 70's then Fedders was bought by Maytag in the 80's.The only appliance Magic Chef ever made was a line of gas ranges.All other appliances with their lable on them were subsidised.The electric ranges were Hardwick,the dishwashers were DM,the refrigerators were Admiral,the 24 inch wide compact front loading washers and dryers were made first by Philco of Italy then later on by Zanussi.

 

[fixerman]

Laundromat is right. The Magic Chef and others were Norge design. The washer in question is definetly a Norge design washer. These machines are really noisy because of the tinny cheapened design. Sometime in the early eighties the machines were cheapened and everything was built lightweight and cheap but the basic mechanism was still Norge.

 

[jetcone]

Laundromat interesting history

That line of history gives me an idea, we should put together the lineages of all the companies like a geneaology so we could easily spot who made what machine on which platform at what time. It could be a club reference work.

 

[westytoploader]

I asked the seller if the brake "clunks" or not (but didn't put it in a way that the answer was obvious...Yeah, sure it clunks! LOL ;-) ;-)) and I'm still waiting on a response.

I agree Jon; a timeline would be a great idea so people would know more about what they're getting their hands onto instead of making a mistake like I did...and thinking it was something good.

Oh well...better hit the shops to find a TRUE vintage Norge!

--Austin

 

[jasonl]

Magic Chef

My friend had one of these branded as Magic Chef. I remember seeing how huge the tub was. Of course, rust ate through it and the trans died. Otherwise was an ok machine to watch.

 

[gizmo]

These machines were sold here in Aus badged as a Norge. When Maytag took over control of Hoover Aus, the Hoover branded machines were drastically cheapened, and the more expensive end of the market was covered by US import Admiral and Norge washers, with Maytag as TOL. The Norges proved to be junk in my opinion - I remember one lady who had one, paid a fortune for it as she had no end of children and need a reliable machine, it shredded clothes, got off balance constantly and was unbelievably loud when washing, as the puny rubber motor mounts all wore through after a few months so it was all metal-to-metal vibration. When it was only three or four years old it seized up completely and was junked. I see them at the recyclers occasionally, always looking completely clapped out.

I'd run a mile.

Chris.

 

[kenmore1978]

Norge/ Wards Signature

I wonder if the situation at Montgomery Wards was the same as at Sears. WP sold more machines as Kenmores than Whirlpools, anybody think Norge sold more washers as Signatures than as Norge? Wards had the same "easy credit" (actually probably even easier) as Sears and I'm sure that might have been a factor.

 

[laundromat]

signature/norge

Maybe back in the 60's and early 70's it was but remember,White Westinghouse was also making almost half of the Signature washers and dryers including their stackables and 24 inch top loading stacks by the mid 70's untill they folded.Frigidaire and Admiral made their refrigerators,their dishwashers and disposers from the late 60's to the late 70's were made by Frigidaire,and their gas and electric ranges were made by Tappan.I remember when I lived in Baltimore there was a huge MW on Monroe Street on the west side and the huge lighted sign at night would flash using all the letters in the name---"Go Ward---Montgomery Ward".