UK market front & top loaders 195? to 1990 - theories, queries & rarities

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Holy BAT Underware ! "AJETACTION"

Wow a "new" Frigidaire word after all these years !!  OMG Louis love the Heiroglyphs on the wash diagram for the P5 - we need a full dictionary !! Robert incorporate these symbols so we can post at will !

Love how Mommy encourages little johnny to love the Hotpoint, now thats 20th century living ---growing gays all over.

 
 
Hi Alan.

Many thanks for posting the brochures - always a treat!

Wonderful to see a 3226 Keymatic brochure - this is the machine that my godmother had, when I was a youngster. The suspension cable snapped and the drum dropped and sadly that was that :-( The timedial always looked smarter than the timeline to my eyes - glad that a number of this rarer model have surfaced over the years.

Your image of the advert for the Imperial, reminded me of this advert detailing both their offerings ...

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Matchboxpaul:

"Perhaps it wasn't around for long enough and fell between the cracks, or too few sold to warrant a mention. Thats just my supposition though."

I came to the same conclusion, that is appeared and disappeared in pretty quick succession.

The Acme contract might have been nobbled from both ends at the same time - here in the UK as Acme went out of business - and in Italy as Zoppas came under Zanussi control.
 
ROLLS Robot

... and rolling on from Imperial, through to another Italian machine sold direct to the customer - the Rolls Robot.

In fact the Rolls didnt roll very far from Imperial, cause it was another case of badge engineering and was a clone of the Imperial REX, manufactured by REX-Zanussi.

Mathew (keymatic3203) met someone who owned one of these, so they were actually sold. For many years I think there was some doubt that these machines ever reached market, with no images or advertising being known about and it just being a name in a book for a long time.

Paul

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ZANUSSI P5 and A35T

I have a photo lifted from a similar advert to yours Alan.
I wonder of the P5 was a bucking broncho, like the compact H-axis AEG machines were?
Many videos on Youtube of the AEG top loaders doing their thing.

Other than the image and similar advert to yours, I dont have any more info on this model, so thanks to Tom for the technical information and to Louis for the advert.

On the subject of Zanussi top loaders, also sold was the A35T (see 2nd image attached below). I did think there was a video or two of this model on Youtube, but a quick search hasn't resulted in any videos. I must have been mistaken.

Paul

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Why is it the old adverts always make things look so glamorous?

I want the New Imperial Superautomatic at 79Gns (or £82-19s-0d).
 
Hi Rolls_Rapide.

'The Acme contract might have been nobbled from both ends at the same time - here in the UK as Acme went out of business - and in Italy as Zoppas came under Zanussi control'.

Quite possibly true.
Whilst I was trawling newspaper archives, I stumbled across another direct sale front loader - actually two, but from one manufacturer - will try get them posted tomorrow.
No idea if either ever actually made market, or whether they were just cases of intent, but ending in failure to deliver.
Will have to try and find the adverts, which is going to be a headache! lol.

Mention of Zoppas though, made me remember that Currys adopted the name as their own in house brand in the mid 70s, flogging Zoppas fridge and freezers made by Zanussi and also the DL23T washing machine.

Paul

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Good stuff, cheers!

Yes, that Zoppas is clearly a Zanussi by another name. Something always bugged me about Zanussi machines of the 1970s... the powder dispenser always looked to me, to be far too near the middle of the control panel. I'd have had the drawer offset to the left, like the sensible Hoover machines.
 
UK market front & top loaders 195? to 1990 - theories, queri

Excellent thread Paul, its certainly flushing out some of the rare & obscure automatics, I do like those Zanussi H-axis little autos, and great to see the diagrams and specs of it, weighed down by the concrete for stability ,
reminds me of the semi auto Siemens that my school friends mum had.

Alan , Many Thanks for adding more of your fab collection of brochures, always a pleasure to peruse and see the detail. All we need now for Darren bendix Launderam in Lincoln is the Triomatic- what a boom that must have been to be able to dry.
My gran worked for a lady Dr who had this and always used her trusty Creda Debonair before using the dryer.

Thanks Callum for the information, its good to know the details of companies and how they came to be ..
 
Zanussi ad

The Zanussi ad doesn't give much details about that particular model but sums up the advantages of the Zanussi brand.

1. Simple control. One dial only, 10 - 16 wash programmes
2. Absolute safety. Lid is locked during operation, heating doesn't engage when there is no water in the drum and there is the required aerator.
3. Cleaner laundry because of the drum with 2040 holes and a fast pump so the dirt doesn't stick to the laundry.
4. For every fibre. A programme for baby laundry and every detergent can be used including biological detergent.
5. Long life expectancy. Everything that gets in touch with water is absolutely rust free. And a Zanussi works practically silent.
6. International reputation. Zanussi is one of the biggest manufacturers and is sold in over 100 countries. There is a ver strict quality control.
7. Service and guaranty. Only the best dealers are allowed to sell Zanussi. And if something goes wrong the own service stations guarantee a swift service at home.
 
Here is another ad of the Zanussi P5. This ad gives more details about this machine.

Hello! Hello! Apartment dwellers and people living in small dwellings. Attention please!

If you had to say no to a washing machine because you didn't have the space for it, you can say yes now to the Zanussi P5, the only washing machine in the Netherlands that is compact but complete. Minimum sizes go together with maximum performance. The Zanussi P5 is a dwarf with a giant capacity.

Zanussi 5 kilo capacity washing machine.

The Zanussi P5 has casters so it can be moved around easily to the sink

and to the location you keep it.

The Zanussi P5 can be kept in a hallway or

next to a wash basin (without being annoying)

it fits neatly under a kitchen table or is

a table by itself (the Zanussi P5 is available with a wood top)

At the bottom some advantages are being mentioned again.

Programmes:

1. Cottons, heavy soiled
2. Whites
3. Whites, less soiled
4. Diapers
5. Colourfast colours
6. Not colourfast colours
7. No iron cotton
8. Strong synthetics
9. Delicate synthetics
10. Wool and silk
Plus: Extra rinse and spin.

The Zanussi P5 is a select machine but not more expensive than a normal fully automatic washing machine. 889,- guilders. In brown 919,- guilders. You get a full year warranty and the assurance of a good and swift Zanussi service. Zanussi has a great network of renowned dealers and above that own service stations in all parts of the Netherlands.

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Thank you for the info and videos Louis of the Zanussi machine, from a small picture a few days ago I have certainly learnt and appreciated a lot of information! Looks a really nice little machine.

Cheers, Alan
 
Indesit L6

Here's a catalogue picture of an Indesit L6 machine (I believe) amongst others. I must be honest that when I was a child I would go to peoples houses and would instantly look for their washing machine and form a complete opinion of them based on what type and brand of machine they had... Hahaha, anyway on to Indesit. Here's nearly the same instruction booklet to accompany the picture.

(btw, would love a L5 machine now, oh how many of these I took took to the tip...)

Cheers, Alan

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Thanks Louis for linking the Zanussi and Privileg videos.

Those videos for the A38T (wonder what was different between that and the A35?) are the ones that I remember. You really couldn't put much more water in that Zanussi on final rinse!

That Privileg looks like a lovely little machine and lot more stable than the similar offering from AEG.
Noting that one of the drawings on the second advert for the P5 is of it to the right hand side of a wash basin, I think an AEG 64 SL in a similar position would have seen the wash basin well and truly smashed!

Thanks for the full P5 advert translation too - very much appreciated :-)

AEG 64 SL below ...

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Indesit L6SGB

Hi Alan.

Thanks for posting the Indesit instruction manaual!
Finally I can now have an idea as to what the programming of my example is, rather than guessing and hoping for the best. LOL.
Sadly this example is a bit of a weepy leaker and awaits a pair of experts eyes to hopefully be able to sort.

Back in the early 1980s a family friend had one of these that went faulty and was replaced by a Hoover Electron. Said Indesit was acquired by my dad, was repaired and passed on to one of my Aunt's and saw further service through to 1985.

The first photo is of my preserved example, built in '772' (is this the 2nd week of 1977 or February 1977?), whilst the second photo is of the machine that my dad repaired which, thinking about it, would have been back in 1983.
The other photos are of the circuit diagrams from inside my example and detail other variations of this model.

Paul

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Indesit L5

Below is an image I found a couple of days ago and is from an advert for CIVIC stores.

It shows the Indesit Europa Bio (mid range) and the very rare Super Bio (top of the range) which boasted chrome trims all the way around the front of the bodyshell and what looks like a wood grain insert on the front and wood grain top. Never seen an image of this latter model before - does anyone have a better photo of this version?

Picking peoples brains here, for a little project of mine at the moment! This advert is from 1972 and shows the bulging bodyshell around the door, which was subsequently dropped.

The Export (budget) was L5EGB,
the Europa Bio (mid range) was L5LGB
&
the Super Bio (top of the range) was L5SGB .... does anyone know if these models were known by these model numbers, when they had the earlier bulging bodyshell style?

For the sake of the set, I have attached a photo of my L5EGB Export, which is currently away for tub repairs at Chris' (ServisChris).

Paul

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Zanussi and AEG

Paul,

The difference between the A35 and A38 models was the spinspeed. The A35 had a spinspeed of approx. 500 rpm (520 iirc) and the A38 approx. 800 (820 iirc). The Z14 my grandparents had spun at 380 or 400 rpm. The T must have been an extra feature, but I don't know what that would be. If I have a guess, it could be a different material for the lid, but I don't really know.

The spring suspension on the AEG made higher spinspeeds possible. The last model, the Lavamat 240's speed was 850rpm. The Zanussi and Privileg machines didn't go higher than 320rpm, due to a total lack of suspension. So the AEG might perform a little dance, but you got drier laundry in the end.
 
Servis MK.72

Hi Paul, in answer to your question on your other post, my mother's first automatic was a Servis MK72 machine. I remember going with her to look at all the machines of the day and she really like this one as it was small and neat, the sales person took a lot of time with us two explaining how it would be hooked up and how it would work. In 1975 I'd be ten and I didn't say a word I was fascinated that this machine was going to do so much. Both my parents are no longer here and writing this today and looking at my mum's handwriting on the front and converting the cost into today's money I am quite staggered that she embarked on buying something of £1,200 equivalent at the time. In our little cul de sac we were the first to get an automatic, but I remember quickly the others following suit, with Jeannette next door also buying a Servis and Madge opposite buying a Bendix, all moving on from their twin tubs!

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First wash of the Servis Mk72...

The day that the Servis arrived was a magical and fraught day. The delivery men took the transit bolts off and helped connect it up to the taps of the kitchen sink with provided adapters (which always dripped), the waste pipe was also hooked over the sink, basically the kitchen sink was consumed with pipes (and it remained that way each time it was used for many years, it wasn't plumped in fully really until we moved house). So the delivery men left and its maiden wash was started, red and black pipes wriggled as the valves opened and closed and we all watched it fill and then tumble and stop, then tumble again and stop. My parents were happily married for 62 years, but could quite happily have a heated debate, they had been used to a four minute wash in the Hoover twin tub, so both looked concerned, was this right it seemed so gentle and what were these pauses in between the tumbling? My Mum looked back through the instruction book, my dad suggested perhaps that she hadn't set it correctly, further reading by her ensued, again she said she had done it correctly and then another doubt by my father and hey presto the instructions book was torn into two by my mum proclaiming to my father that he obviously knew more and didn't need her or the books help!

Here's the book stuck back together by her a day or two later.

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Here's the actual machine

many years later (following two house moves), minus some brown trim which my mum cut off as she preferred the white underneath. I was (again) allowed to take the back off for a school project.

Cheers, Alan

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@alanlondon Loving your stories regarding your childhood Servis Alan. I have sent you an email via your profile email, I hope you don't mind.

Rob
 
Servis MK72

Wow Alan , what a story , I've heard that so many times either they sit in front of a new auto all night washing or as happened with your parents are confused by the time lol, oh dear I can imagine your reaction when the book got ripped 🙄

We finally got mine working last month with the a heater donated and fitted few years ago by Chris and a final push by Richard & Steve who took the cabinet off to reveal the tub on chassis, a 3 legged suspension and re tightened the bearings in the separate cast carrier, it really was ahead of it's time with the suspension etc, I'll do a separate thread on it shortly.

Couldn't make out the last pic but looks quite good with the fascia de constructed

[this post was last edited: 9/27/2020-10:09]

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Zanussi P5

Heres a video where you see a Privileg RS350 which is bsically the same as Zanussi P5 machine.

You see some of the inner workings of the machine in the clip.



 
Servis MK72

Thanks Mike and Rob, for your nice comments.

Mike your pair of Servis's look amazing, really great side by side they look in fabulous condition.
 
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