On the 1962 "Lady Kenmore"...
This has been the subject of quite a lot of discussion over the years, both on-site and off with other Kenmore enthusiasts, but to the best of my knowledge, the Kenmore 800 as Mark shows is/was the top of the line machine for 1962. Whether or not it was considered a Lady Kenmore is a question I cannot answer for certain, but I think it was not marketed as such, at least the machine itself does not say "Lady Kenmore" on it, just Kenmore. There were not any other 800 series models in 1962, which only adds to the mystery.
My hunch is that because the 1961 LK was all push-button, rapid advance controlled, and very highly touted during its reign, Sears may have taken a year off from the Lady Kenmore branding so that the model could "cool off" so to speak a bit before a less complicated, non rapid advance model could be introduced as a Lady Kenmore again in 1963. The '61 may have remained available in 1962 as well, which we are learning was a common practice for Sears.
This 1962 800, IS indeed quite rare for some reason. Oddly, the model 110.6204800 was followed by an 801 all the way to an 808, so you'd think there would have been a lot of these out there as it takes time for Sears to issue that many model revisions, but I have only seen one of these, ever, and not since 1975.
The console utilizes the dimensions, shape, and overall design of the 1961 Lady K, the 1962 70, and the 1963 700 --- it is very tall, not heavily chromed, and without much curvature (lots of right angles) whereas '63s and '64s used slightly pivoted panels (presented at more than a 90-degree angle from the top and lid) and arched edges.
The one of these that I did see was at the house of a neighbor when I was a kid. My mother had her 1961 70-series, one neighbor had her 1963 70, a neighbor two doors up had a '64/65 70, and the other across the street had the '62 800. This is why as a kid I thought most everyone had a Kenmore...
This 800 was indeed the parent to the 1963 design, as the eight push-buttons function similarly to the '63, except there are some cycle differences I believe. For example, I do not believe the '62 had a Spin Only button below the timer dial like the '63 does, just a suds button when so-equipped.
The push-buttons were neat in that they were white, with pastel centers and black letters, as can be seen on Ted's dryer. The console was lighted on the left side, just like the '63 version.
This was pretty-much the same machine to the '63. I would like to know why this machine seems to be so uncommon, as the '63 seemed to be so common as mentioned by so many here on AW. I know of at least 10 in the club right now, but as Mark said, I am not aware of any '62 800s.
I have an Kenmore owner's manual which covers the '62 800 and would be happy to offer it for the ephemera if it is not already available there...
Gordon
