POD 17/01/2018 - Norge washer, gas dryer & water heater

[circlew]

I only knew one person that had a Norge washer, and that was my dad's cousin Mary. It was a mid 60's model, purchased when they moved into that house.

For whatever reason, Norge just wasn't a very popular brand in the Cincinnati area. I remember them being sold at Swallen's and also at Kash Amburgy's Big Bargain Barn in S. Lebanon, OH (Save Cash with Kash).

As for Maytag, it was a very big seller, along with Kenmore, Whirlpool, and of course GE and Hotpoint due to GE having their aircraft engine facility in Cincinnati, and Frigidaire because of them being made in Dayton.

In the Summer of '77 I worked at a store that sold both Maytag and Frigidaire, and Maytag laundry equipment outsold the Frigidaire at least four times over. The store had sold Maytag for many years at that time, and I remember helping to deliver at least three wringer washers during that time.

 

[norgeway]

Most people

Have great luck with Maytags, I just never did, but then, I'm no fan of GM cars either, I like old Chrysler products!

 

[bajaespuma]

Not just 1958

Norge was a high-rated machine in CR's 1969 Washer report and was cited as one of the best cleaners overall. And their dryers rank up there with Whirlpool and GE.  I loved my Wards/Norge machine and used it as a daily driver until it stopped working. It spinned (spun?) but wouldn't agitate.

Powerful machine and yes, was the machine for people with really soiled laundry. I'd love to get my hands on one of those HQ Norges from the mid-60's.

 

Aferim for standing up for your brand! Maytags IMO are works of ID art, but they were not the be-all and end-all that their reputation promoted.

 

[appnut]

Ken!!!

I wish I could read the copy of that ad. 

 

That's the short-lived, or never-made-it-to-market version of their first perforated tub washer with it having the "filter-flo" type filter.  That was the TOL DispensoMat model.  Ours had graduated to 15 pound capacity and filter was a basket hug off the back area of the tub and filter stream pointed down through the basket.  Ours also looked exactly like that except the dark area around the timer display (metallic blue) was extended fully from edge to edge of that console. The smaller cycle segment on the display was the soak cycle.  The suds return area was between the end of the cycle and the beginning of the soak cycle

 

 

[wft2800]

Bob, I've had a damn good go at reading the small print and got more than halfway down, with a bit of guesswork and shape recognition to fill in the gaps, before it became wholly illegible...

"Do 10 full-size sheets in one load or just a small handful of wash… with only the water you need. Designed for women who want all the capacity they can get and complete flexibility, too… so dependable, it’s backed by a 2-year Service Policy.

You ladies told us what you wanted most is an automatic washer. Then we designed the Norge 14. Inside, even big loads have room to roll and tumble, while the extra-large agitator gently removes every bit of ground-on dirt from clothes.
But you wanted more than big capacity. You wanted flexibility. With Norge, its “Flexi-Load” control handles any size wash from 2 to 14lbs, with just the water and detergent you need. With “Flexi-Load”, you don’t need extra expensive attachments to do the small loads of hand washables.
Bigger dials and easily-read controls makes it quick and simple to set the exact wash cycle that’s required."

I hope that's helpful, and if an AW member owns that advert, perhaps they'd be kind enough to provide a high-resolution photo or scan...

 

[DADoES]

 
My stab at it ...
 
Do 10 full-size sheets in one load or just a small handful of wash ... with only the water you need.  Designed for women who want all the capacity they can get and complete flexibility, too ... so dependable, it's backed by a 2-Year Service Policy.

You ladies told us what you wanted most in an automatic washer.  Then we designed the Norge 14.  Inside, even big loads have room to roll and tumble so your detergent can clean (its best), while the extra-large agitator gently removes every bit of ground-in dirt from clothes.

But you wanted even more than big capacity.  You wanted flexibility, too.  Norge 14's "Flexi-Load" control handles any size wash from 2 to 14 lbs. with just the water and detergent you need.  With "Flexi-Load" you don't need extra, expensive attachments to do the small loads of hand washables.

Bigger dials and easy-to-read controls make it quick and simple to set the exact wash-rinse cycle required. A big new light illuminates the entire tub so stray socks can't escape you. There's a big lint filter, automatic bleach and fabric softener dispensers - and all the other features you said you wanted. And the new Norge 14 works so well it carries the famous 2-Year Service Policy on parts and labor.

See the new Norge 14 and matching Norge 14 Dryer. We think you'll agree the Norge 14 is so good it just had to be developed by a woman.

The biggest thing to happen to washday since washing went automatic.

 

[appnut]

Richard and Glenn, thank you both for the painstaking effort to transcribe the ad copy for me.  Means more than you know.  And it's nice to know the text given this was Norge's first perforated tub washer.