P.O.D. 2 July 2017

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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toploader55

toploader55

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Oct 10, 2007
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Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod
I remember this ad reading it in my Mom's Better Homes and Gardens. I used to look at the "Appliance Porn" like looking at pics of the Naked Men and Women in National Geographic when I was a little kid. LOL

I loved these washers and still do. ABC, Kelvy, Apex and Unimatics are the Ultimate winners for "Washer Drama" in my own opinion.

I wonder how many Housewives would take a moment and get lost in their day staring through that Port Hole window forgetting for a few minutes about what was going on in their life at that particular moment ?

"Aqua Therapy" at it's best...

Oh Yes, I almost forgot... Love that Machine.
 
The end of the line:

It wasn't long before these were gone. Just like Frigidaire, I thought they would go on forever, no problem. Funny how easy it is to take things we like for granted.

Last time I saw a late one like this was in Greg's basement.
They were great machines.
 
The agitator rotated in an off-centre pattern.  Mechanically these washers are very simple as there is no transmission to convert a motor's rotation to a back and forth or up and down motion.

How well did this clean?  Surprisingly well!  I don't use my 57 ABC-O-Matic often but it does a very effective job with heavy dirt on the clothes.
 
I was always amazed that women were content to have Maytags that stopped completely when the lid was raised. They were probably not the kind to check the rinse water to see if a second rinse was necessary, either. This lack of interest in mechanics is probably why the W.T. Grant Company failed so completely when, as a store mostly frequented by women, they tried to sell major appliances. Call it sexist, but men were the ones interested in the construction and operational features, if not the actual use of, major appliances.
 
WOW!!! I guess I missed yesterday's POD. Having to work till midnight Saturday took it's toll on me. Kelvinator and ABC washers were really incredible! As I have said before, the machine I had was my very #1 favorite washing machine of all time! Kelvinator/ABC had a quietness that rivaled the machines of today. It was perfectly still with the exception of hearing water coming in. They were every bit as quiet as the ole Maytag's. No other machines were that silent. They did a great job of washing, rinsing and spinning out your clothes too! There were no machines that cleaned any better, when properly used and they did not create a lot of linting, since they stirred the clothes and didn't beat them.[this post was last edited: 7/3/2017-04:41]
 
A Brand even in its Prime, Most-Unpopular! --& Under-Rated!

If you saw at least one Kelvinator _____(Insert Type of Appliance Here)____ or ____(Insert Other "Off" Brand Here)____ in the kitchen it was more trusted to do your dishes, cook or store your food than it was to handle your clothes...

 

A shame that mostly GE, Whirlpool & Maytag (& sometimes Mont. Ward but especially Sears) seemed to be the leaders of the laundry room!

 

 

-- Dave
 
Sad but true. I think many people were put off because they had such a small capacity and it even looked like it was a small capacity with the large agitator and small tub. They actually held more than you thought they would. Otasco here in Oklahoma and the surrounding states sold a ton of Leonard washers and dryers, that were re badged Kevinator machines. Those mostly sold because Otasco credit was very easy to get (even easier than Sears) and they were not quite as expensive as many other machines.
 
There was a Kelvinator dealer in the tiny town I grew up in, but they dealt primarily with ranges and refrigerators. They were also the SQ dealer, so that was their focus in laundry equipment.

I recall seeing only one Kelvinator washer when I was a kid. In fact, many years later, I thought maybe I'd dreamed/imagined the concentric agitation. It was only when I saw Robert's video of his ABC that my memory was jarred. I hadn't imagined it, after all. It really did exist, LOL!
 
LOL I did that same thing with a '57 pulsamatic Frigidaire a neighbor lady showed me when I was a kid. I found out eventually that there really was a Frigidaire that pulsated that fast and saw one.
 

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