The most versatile of old washers

[nokia2010]

Hello. I'm curios, from the European (mostly Continental) FRONT LOADING AUTOMATIC washing machines, made starting to the '60's and up to the '80's or '90's, which where the most versatile? What do I intend to say by versatile? For eg for a specific temperature you could either have more programs or set the time yourself. "Miele" 421 did that, but the temperature was preset, you couldn't set it yourself.
An intresting model is the "Miele" 423: https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?4491
Did that drain pump let you to pump away just part of the water or it didn't offered that feature.
Another interest is if there where any Europeanen washing machines that let you select more then 2 water levels (1/2 and 1/1).

 

[launderess]

Virtually all three dial (Programmer/Timer, Temperature, Cycle) older European washing machines were very versatile. Depending upon offerings, and if one knew what one was doing choice of cycles was endless. Long as one was willing to remain around to stop and change settings when required, array of options was rather vast.

Some machines had temp lockouts for certain cycles (such as wool and or silk) to prevent someone from say boil washing a sweater, but otherwise.

Half-load buttons were common in washers from 1980's into 1990's from what one can see, but when exactly introduced cannot say.

For Miele washers the "1/2 Load" button when activated merely caused machine to skip pre-wash portion of cycle, then subsequent rinses were carried out with only half amount of water per cycle. Interestingly if one wanted to starch in washing machine one also pressed "1/2 Load" button which caused washer to only use about five gallons of water for final rinse (half normal amount).

When Miele rolled out their Novatronic washers sometime in 1990's (or bit before) 1/2 load option was gone, as it was no longer needed. Machines now were totally computer controlled and varied water used based upon size of load, something that is still done today. Miele and others did introduce "Water Plus" or something like it which was opposite of "1/2 Load" Machine used more water (at least in rinses) which one assumes was to compensate for now puny water levels otherwise used.

 

[foraloysius]

My vote goes to the Asea Cylinda models from the 1970's and 1980's. They had a timer that could be set for severa programme lenghts, a separate temperature control and separate buttons for water level and wash rythm. So it was posibble to have an intense rhythm a high water level or any other of the four combinations.

 

[nokia2010]

Never seen one in real life. The only thing that where imported in Romania from Sweeden made by that company where electric enegines, electric equypment and electric locomotives. By chance maybe a few ended up second hand in the '90's, but never seen one.