POD 08-05-2013 Gibson Washer looks alot like...

[mrclean87]

...a Bradford washer that a neighbor lady owned when I was a kid. I recall the long row of pushbuttons on the control panel and the white agitator. It caught my eye as her washer was much different than our 1967 Kenmore Model 70.

 

[cfz2882]

18 lbs!?

Hehe would have to really stuff those clothes in to get 18 lbs in that thing-I have a 1989 monkey wards franklin(basicly same as POD washer pictured) and it's more like 14 lbs capacity-the "horizon 2000" WCI franklins that came out ~1990 might hold 18lbs.These washers actually seem to withstand abuse pretty well,but was common to find them at the dump 30yrs ago with the top rusted out around the lid.

 

[danemodsandy]

Bradford:

Was the "house" brand for W.T. Grant stores. They actually made some pretty decent products during the '60s, but things fell apart during the '70s, and they finally went out of business.

My female relatives liked Grant's for good, solid value and for the self-service aspect in the clothing departments - you didn't have to fend off sales help the way you did in department stores, or even Sears or Penneys.

I'm sure the Gibson washer in the POD had lots of features and was a good machine, but Lord, is that an unexciting control panel! Sort of like the Soviet Union tried to copy a Lady K.

 

[frigilux]

From the company that ruined Westinghouse, Kelvinator, and Frigidaire: White Consolidated Industries!!

I swear they purposely designed their washers to have the worst load rollover in the industry.

My 1987 Frigidaire washer had the least effective agitation I've ever seen. But it had a spin-drain, that groovy circle-spray fill, and an indexing tub, so....so....I was going to say that balanced the horrible agitation, but it doesn't, really, now does it?

By 1988 it was out the door and the rarely-seen front-loading Frigidaire had taken its place. I think it was only on the market a couple of years. It was among the last of the machines with solenoids and no reverse-tumbling. And this was before there was a balancing protocol prior to spins, as well. You'd hear the bang of the solenoid and it was off to the races! That machine raised itself off the floor an inch or two on a number of occasions.

Ah, memories.