wft2800
Well-known member
Launderess - you might well ask! The one video (or, rather, series of short clips) I've found of the late-70s W459 (electronic control, rapid-advance timer) shows it doing as you describe - multiple rinses before the first spin. The older Mieles (410, 416, 420, 421) all appear to spin before every rinse. Not sure about the similar 500-series (which had a larger drum and I believe were hard-mount?).
Norgeway, it's true that they were the real pioneers - the early German machines were definitely based significantly on Bendix, Fisher in the UK simply licensed Bendix (Philco) designs and built them here, the first compact (24") front-loader on the UK market, as far as I know, was the English Electric Liberator (a UK-built licensed version of the Westinghouse Spacemate washer), which also had a Westinghouse-derived matching dryer (which in turn was also licensed by Hoover as their first-ever tumble dryer). The 30" Westinghouse models never made it here as far as I am aware - a shame, as I'd love an early-60s W1000/D1000 Program Computer set in my putative collection... although I might be inclined to modify the washer with a stainless steel drum if I could find one to fit, and perhaps even see if I could make it reverse...
Norgeway, it's true that they were the real pioneers - the early German machines were definitely based significantly on Bendix, Fisher in the UK simply licensed Bendix (Philco) designs and built them here, the first compact (24") front-loader on the UK market, as far as I know, was the English Electric Liberator (a UK-built licensed version of the Westinghouse Spacemate washer), which also had a Westinghouse-derived matching dryer (which in turn was also licensed by Hoover as their first-ever tumble dryer). The 30" Westinghouse models never made it here as far as I am aware - a shame, as I'd love an early-60s W1000/D1000 Program Computer set in my putative collection... although I might be inclined to modify the washer with a stainless steel drum if I could find one to fit, and perhaps even see if I could make it reverse...
