US Laundry Appliance Brands-Regional Preferences

[oxydolfan1]

In another thread, I mentioned how I'd never yet seen a Speed Queen washer or dryer in anyone's home, nor knew anyone who owned one.

I thought about it more, and, come to think of it, KitchenAid never seemed big around here either (I learned from this site that they had a front loader!)

Are there different parts of the country where certain appliance makers predominate? Why? Is it a distribution thing, or did the manufacturers split the market, for some reason?

Are there places where, for example, you just don't see Maytag or Frigidaire appliances?

 

[frigilux]

I grew up in a tiny Minnesota town of about 2,000 inhabitants. We had Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Kenmore, Maytag and Coronado appliances available locally. I knew people in larger towns who had Speed Queen washers and dryers, but can't recall anyone in my little burg who had them.

I also don't recall seeing anyone with Philco or Kelvinator washers locally...

 

[zipdang]

KitchenAids are big here. In addition to myself, I know several people who have them. There are usually a few on Portland Craigslist, too. Amana is another "alternative" brand that I see a lot.

I don't know anyone who owns new Speed Queens, but back before they left the residential market I had several friends who owned them. They were probably late '80s vintage.

As a kid when I'd read Consumer Reports I'd see the washer ratings for Norge and wonder what a Norge looked like. I don't ever recall going to a store that sold them. Gibson and Kelvinator were nearly non-existent brands, too.

 

[DADoES]

Typically depends on what long-time dealers get a foot-hold in town. Where I grew up, Whirlpool was the norm, with the ubiquitous Kenmore, and a sprinkling of Catalina, and a sprinkle of Philco and Easy in the 60s. Maytag was rare here, but common in towns 9 miles one direction (which also had a Westy dealer) and 18 miles the other (which also had Frigidaire and GE). Town where my aunt moved after she married was heavy with Speed Queen. That was my first exposure to SQ in the late 1960s (her husband's family all had SQ as well).

 

[jamiel]

Another aspect was the location of the manufacturing plants...generally the sales were stronger the closer you got (remember in the day that it was before the interstate highway system). That's why especially you get the weird stove brands like Western-Holly, O'keefe and Merritt (west coast) and Glenwood (east coast) A few of these small companies still exist....Peerless/Premier in Belleville, IL, Brown Stove Works somewhere in Tennessee)

I was in Clayton, GA one time visiting Antique Appliances (very interesting store) and asked the question...and this was their response (especially regarding stoves, but applies for anything).

I always laughed at Friends (tv show) with that huge International Harvester refrigerator....c'mon....there wasn't an IH dealer within 100 miles of Manhattan!!!

 

[irishwashguy]

I grew up in the Northwest

Growing up, at home we had a ceter dial Maytag in Harvest gold. My mother had told me in her first house,she had a Bendix with a rubber tub.I saw lots of Kenmores everywere, Maytags, alot of our family had Fridgidaire, new and old, I had seen in my time lots of Speed Queen comercial, as well as Norge commercial, even GE commercial. More on the domestic front, i saw my share or WEstie front loaders(when I was a kid, i did not know what to make of it, I was excited when my mom's friend explained it to me that you could see the clothes as they were washing!) Whirlpool, the neighbor accross from where i grew up has had the same copertone set for years , the box control pannel, very I want to say circa 1966.I never did see Kelvinator till i joined our club. i even saw a Philco, it said Miss america dryer, at my friend Evan's house growing up.Ge, hotpoints galore, Lots and lots of KitchenAid dishwashers here. Everytime I go to an estate sale, it is ALWAYS KitchenAid, an Imperial, like both of my Grandmothers had. Grandma Hayes had a Monark Wall Oven as well she would make her Cakes and pies to die for. My other GrandMother worked someplace where they sold Fridgidaire appliances, which is what she had alot of, i loved the 1957 single door fridge in white, Ahhhh, such memmories!!!!And the 1965 Washer and Dryer Rollermatics. No wonder so many people in my Family had them, though, she still had the KitchenAid Dishwasher, weird huh!!

.

 

[paulg]

Chicago brands

In Chicago we find GE, Hotpoint, Kenmore, Whirlpool, Maytag and Speed Queen. Much less frequently I see Norge, Westinghouse, Hamilton (even though Hamilton Company was in Wisconsin). In my entire life I've only seen one of each and I've got keen eyes.
Very hard to find (for me at least) are Philco, Kelvinator, Frigidaire home laundry.
I love to collect regional brands like Truetone for TV, Wizard, Catalina, Coronado, Bradford etc - however they are just so hard to find.
I also laughed at the International Harvester fridge on Friends. Those units were marketed primarily to the farm community for a few years in the 1950s and then the line was dropped. I wonder if FRIENDS did their laundry on a gas-motor washing machine?
ALL dishwashers I've ever seen here (both new and old) fall into the Kitchenaid or Kenmore variety.

 

[MikeS]

The Not-So-Secret Laundry Life Of "Friends"

The "Friends" did not do their laundry on a gas-motor washing machine. They went to the nearby laundromat (the "Laundrama"). See Episode 5, "The One With The East German Laundry Detergent," from Season One. (Ross: "Uberweiss!. It's new, it's German, it's extra-tough.)
If that wasn't enough to win over Rachel, the self-proclamed "laundry virgin," I don't know what was!

 

[exploder3211]

Here-
You will see tons of GE, Kenmore and Whirlpool/Kitchenaid. Also will see lots of Maytag washers and dryers, and westinghouse, older GM-Frigidaire stuff and amana

I have never seen a Norage or Speedqueen here.. Same with CAloric, hardwick, Tappan, O'keefe and meritt and others..

 

[oxydolfan1]

"You will see tons of GE, Kenmore and Whirlpool/Kitchenaid. Also will see lots of Maytag washers and dryers, and westinghouse, older GM-Frigidaire stuff and amana"

This pretty well characterizes the North Jersey market. In recent years, Kenmore's coming on stronger. Also, KitchenAid mixers are popular, and the dishwashers were also in the mid-eighties, but aside from that, they are unusual.

Caloric, Hardwick, and Tappan wall-ovens WERE common in the 60's and early 70's....this was true also in New York's outer boroughs as well.

I'm seeing a LOT of Miele/Gaggenau/etc. high-end stuff in kitchens in new constructs. In my immediate area, which is now lower/working/middle-class, Bosch is by far the most popular dishwasher.

 

[exploder3211]

Hotpoint is the one i forgot..

About 50-70% of new construction from about 1970ish until recent years has used a high end Hotpoint Range and alot of homes and apartments where built with Hotpoint Dishwashers as well.. Also there are tons and tons of Hotpoint Disposers. Grams house had one when she moved in, my town house that was destroyed in 2004 had one, about 1/3rd or the rental units still have them working, but i'd say about 3/4 probably ahd one at one time or another.. There Fridges where also fairly popular, but no where nearly as popular as GM-Frigidaire or Kenmore or GE...

 

[norgeman]

Re: Washers in the central states:

Most of the washers in the central states or Nebraska I should clarify would be the Dependable care Maytag or Speed Queen as this is mostly farming community and they mostly had the wringer washers on them. The next would be Kenmore/Whirlpool, then most likely would be G.M. Frigidaires
Then I would have to say Norge/Montgomery Wards then all of the others would fall in line and some Westinghouses. Pretty close to this anyway. Thanks, Danf.

 

[mavei511]

Blackstone

Never heard or have seen a Blackstone machine here in New Orleans-were they a regional brand in the Northeast?