POD 10/02/2018 Westinghouse Heavy Duty Multi-Speed Laundromat straight-front F/L & High Speed dryer

[wft2800]

These look like quite handsome machines, albeit the elliptical window on the washer bothers my OCD! I seem to recall reading that few survive because they were poorly built, most rusting away... what was the maximum spin speed? I'm guessing it wasn't about to bother Frigidaire. Presumably these were introduced some time around 1960?

 

[circlew]

We got one of these washers in '64, and had it until the Summer of '73, when the Maytags arrived. It started leaking under the door after a few years, and had a rusted out hole by the time we got rid of it. Not one of Westinghouse' best products.

 

[wft2800]

I've heard that all these Westies did that, rusting out, right up to c.1990 when they were discontinued. Those Maytags may not have been the most spectacular machines, but they didn't need the 'heavy duty' branding their competitors used - they just WERE heavy duty! Which is why there appear STILL to be so many left...

 

[circlew]

Yeah, the Maytags never did get ANY rust on them, and the washer still worked when I donated it about 12 years ago. I still have the dryer, but not used it for several years.

Westinghouse changed the door from the recessed style as shown, back to the overlay type - the same door as used on the earlier slant-front models from about '60-'63.

 

[gyrafoam]

Well, "Rustinghouse" certainly did load these machines with features and they were good machines. I've used plenty of them over the years and they always did a good job. Just get the dose of detergent right!