The WCI-Kelvinator

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Timer shot

...with that oh-so-seventiesish font...

Note that the water temperature you get is dependent upon the time you select. This works well, except for when you want a 15-minute hot wash.

Of course, if you were a Maytag owner, then the 10 spot works well.

And oh yes, it's Push-to-Start.

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"Honesty without Fear!"

...is actually the text at the top of the crest. (Get out your stereo microscopes...)

This machine does pretty well with 18 pounds of clothes, though--unlike the Frigidaire, which can do upwards of 20--overloading is not well-tolerated. (But then again, why overload?)

The gentle cycle is good, mainly because--unlike the Evil Kenmore™ or the 1-18--the agitation is slow but still sufficient to actually turn things over. (Some machines just seem hopeless in slow speed mode.)

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Honesty without fear?? How funny, you'd think they would have told customers about the reliability then. Although, this washer seems to have fared pretty well given it's age.

I had a later model Kelvi-WCI with a plastic tub that was OK, rollover wasn't great but with a long wash, it did the job. Can you snap a pic of the tub and agitator when you have a chance? That turquoise color is very cool.

WCI made a similarly designed machine for lots of brands, I've seen Kelvinator, Bradford, Coronado, etc. all with very similar styling. Never realized they were pull-stop/push-start though, that's very Kenmorish!
 
Does your washer fill this high?

This one does! You'd see the waterfall from the lint filter in the background if it weren't buried in suds.

True to its Frigidaire heritage, the amount of water passing through isn't stunning, but it's prettier than the 1-18's lint trap (and a HECK of a lot easier to clean!).

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My favorite feature...

...is the self-cleaning, self-draining tub guard. Even if it is a tad tacky-looking, you have to admit that it's a sound idea, especially if you've ever had to rake fifty pounds of detergent and lint off of the smooth, flat, porcelain tub guard of an Evil Kenmore™.

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Spinning!

Spinning is fun, because there is no tub brake, so the Kelvy commonly needs two full minutes to stop spinning. (The thermal lid lock would normally keep the lid closed and tiny arms out of the basket during this spin-down period, and thus keep the machine compliant with Federal law.)

The spray is spot-on, and does a good job of spray-rinsing the clothes during spin, because it hits them all. It also sprays around a lot (and splashes a lot during agitation), so you may note all the rust. Happily, it's just cosmetic, and this will be repainted.

This machine has a nice, long spray rinse during final spin, which is nice.

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Year?

I have no idea; I'll have to see if I can find it out. Certainly, though, the time of the GM-Frigidaire to WCI-Frigidaire sale means it can't be too old.

Yes, this machine is pretty ubiquitous. It's Kelvinator incarnation is particularly fun, though, and the control panel's not all that bad.

Plus, the plastic outer tub means one less thing to rust :-). The top of the transmission, tub bolts, and other bits look actually very well done, so I wonder if the reliability debacle happened before this particular one was made...

...or if I'm just exceptionally lucky :-)

Anybody wanna take a whack at what year it is?
 
KEWL Snag, boi!

Hey Nate are you trying to stab someone with a hot-dog bun in he first pic? There are more effective ways to maime and kill, BTW.

Enjoy your new toy! Something else to show me when I get to Tucson in April.
 
Yes...

The machine is not all-that-and-a-bag-of-potato-chips, but it's fun and cleans well. I have pretty minimal criteria for amusement :-)

Hi Steve!! Thank you :-) Yes, I was trying to stab someone with a hot-dog bun in the first pic, which--at first--I thought about cropping out, but then I figured that with this crowd, there'd be no need :-D

Can't wait to see you in April!! :-)
 

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