POD - General Electirc washer - What vintage is it

[chaskelljr2]

"bajaespuma":

So, that was when GE has went from making the indvidual style control panels (coltavating into the new Timelines (at that time)) to the "almost" match all toggle switch/dial arrangement from the mid 1960's on, until the early 1990's.

In the ad that is in your post, the second from the TOL model on that page, my uncle (my mother's younger brother) had that EXACT washer in his house the year he passed away, along with (believe it or not), a Kirby Vacuum Cleaner. My uncle sure had some taste, didn't he???

--Charles--

 

[washertalk]

As for the Sudsaver, GEs had much like the whirlpools/KMs a spot on the dial at the beginning of the "standard" cycle where you would set the dial to retrieve suds.
GE also had a separate knob where you could choose if you wanted to save suds and when the time came you would change the switch to return to draw them back into the machine. It gave more control vs. the Whirlpools which would expel through the suds saver hose regardless of if you wanted it to or not after the wash.

 

[scott55405]

Interesting, thanks!

 

[bajaespuma]

Pavane for a great line.

Not exactly, but they started to homogenize all their appliances in the early to mid eighties, after Welch took control. I still remember walking through a hallway in the East Building (where Welch and his wehrmacht had their offices)and noticing a couple of disembodied washer control panels on the carpet. They were refashioning them to reflect the new
"no frills" aesthetic that they were administering in the corporate offices. The panel was still toggleswitches and dials, but they had scaled them all down to look like the BOL panels, removing all lights, bells and whistes. The beginning of the end. Their workers in Louisville must have been apoplectic.

I think they must have decided from research that they had a fairly stable share of the white goods market and had no desire to take it over as did Whirlpool. They simply had bigger fish to fry. If you look at GE's appliances, and subtract anything they outsource(which is a lot) nothing has changed dramatically in decades. They're just not interested in this market anymore. One can't argue with their numbers, but one can detest their mission. Sadly, it's exactly parallel to the American auto industry's default to superior Japanese and European products. Eventually, I imagine, American will make nothing. With apologies to Peteski, it's why my daily driver is an LG washer, Gaggenau stoves, and, vintage Maytag, GE and KitchenAid dishwashers.

 

[bwoods]

badman Welch

I have badmouthed Welsh many times on this website and will not duplicate here.

But if you are interested in the how and why of the demise of General Electric (and their appliances), I recommend reading:

"At Any Cost. Jack Welsh, General Electric and the Pursuit of Profit" by Thomas F. O'Boyle

For those of you, like me, who are hard-core GE fans, you will be very angry and frustrated after you read this.

You can get a copy from Amazon for about 12 bucks.

Barry

 

[bajaespuma]

Start soapbox music---here.

The problem is that this doesn't just apply to GE; it's relevant to our entire country. One of the things I value most about this internet group is that we all share a respect and appreciation for the craftsmanship and imagination that went into these products of yesteryear. It is a part of our heritage as American workers, inventors and industrialists. We once lived in a country that proudly produced Cadillacs and Frigidaire Pulsators, Ford Fairlanes and Philco consoles. We grew up with these things that, in part, made our lives richer and made other nations want to be like us. In the liquidation of this heritage for the exclusive pursuit of a "bottom line" we have sold our national soul to the devil and it's scary to think what has to happen to get it back. If you doubt this, think about how much different a Cadillac, Frigidare washer, Philco TV, Ford car is now than it was in 1960. Then think about how much different a Marlboro cigarette is now than in 1960. What does this tell you about America?

This isn't the country I was born into. And I think that's a tragedy.

 

[spankomatic]

Vintage...

We had a 1966 G.E. WA-850-B just like the upper right photo but ours was avacado green. I spent hours watching the filter flow... The mini basket and toggle switches were fun! I also liked the foot pedal to open the dryer door. Wish we still had them. Got 1975 Maytags 606 to replace them. I still have the Maytag washer but my brother dismantled the dryer and disposed of it. He is still in big trouble!

Jim