What appliance co did you consider best years ago..

[whirlaway]

Where you Lived made a big Difference!

I dont think it was a status so much as what you got for the price.I used to baby sit for lawyers and doctors,most of them the kids wore toughskin jeans from Sears and they had Kenmore washers and dryers and very seldom sets that matched.The dryer was always older. Ford Or Chevy wagons.Nice homes and great furniture but the rest they didnt care about.I used to baby sit for one lawyer,they had a small portable GE Blk and wht set,this was in the late 60s.I finally talked them into getting a color set,they got a GE 18 inch some odd thing on a cart with rabbitt ears. But you know what! They were all the best people in the world,I sure miss them,most of them have passed on.

 

[murando531]

It's funny to hear some of the stories about people's experience with their appliances and how those experiences affected their future opinion on a brand. My aunt had a Maytag refrigerator when they lived in an older house in the 90s, and the ice maker didn't work well at all. Since then, any time Maytag is mentioned, she brings up that refrigerator and how she doesn't want any other Maytag ever again. It's silly that such a small thing can ruin a name for some people.

In my youth, I go by what I had growing up, and what my grandparents and other family members have had that have lasted and worked so well. I always thought Kenmore (Lady Kenmore for the washer my grandmother had) was the fanciest of the appliance brands, because the LK Solid State washer they had was so high-tech and solid. I was amazed that she had such an old washer that actually had electronic push buttons and the boops and beeps, and I particularly loved the woo-woo sound of the agitation, where we had our KitchenAid washer with loud knobs and clunky sounding mechanics. I now realize that our KitchenAid washer was a treasure, and I find myself now trying to locate one in good shape, along with the same LK my grandma had. I also know now that Kenmore is simply a badge put over other brands machines, so I don't give them as much credit as I used to.

My Papaw, on the other hand, swore by anything with GE's logo on it, and because of his washer, it was for good reason. GE made an amazing TL washer in the FilterFlo era, especially those with the spiral Activator, like his had. It wasn't until we got our GE Nautilus dishwasher that I came to despise the post-FilterFlo GE brand, because that dishwasher was hell. The same year model washers were also terrible, because sadly, the LK my grandmother had was traded for a newer electronic-control GE washer, which now sounds like a freight train being derailed, and needless to say they regret ever giving up that LK.

My experience with Maytag started with the JetClean reverse-rack with the electronic panel (same grandmother's as the Lady Kenmore). Never in the years upon years that they owned it did that machine leave a speck on the dishes. My favorite quality was the forced air drying, as steam would billow out from the vent and myself and my cousins would swat at it with our hands. In 2002 our KitchenAid washer's tranny locked up, and we got a fairly high-end Maytag Atlantis, and it's still running without a hiccup to this day. I never got to enjoy anything like the older A-series, but upon seeing the two machines opened up they're so similar that I agree with why people value them so highly.

 

[pcasa]

kitchenaid maytag

... when I moved into my vintage 1955 house in 1993, it had the original O'Keefe & Merritt super chromey stove and a sink/dishwasher/cabinet unit with what appeared to be a newer than 1955 Kitchenaid dishwasher - however after a few repairs and the door finally falling off after some years - that dishwasher was bolted to the metal cabinet as if it were the orignal unit - not sure - but it was a great old kitchenaid. Being an appliance geek/nerd - I wanted the Fisher Paykel dishdrawers when they first came out as the replacement - so I paid the big bucks and had it installed - and for anyone else that had that first generation - gads! what a problem - the seals wouldn't stay sealed. But alas, I eventually replaced it with a newer version that has operated flawlessly for several years now and I love the design and functionality of the drawers. Fingers crossed.

And I will always have a soft spot for Maytag - as I mentioned in an earlier post - my mom got our first Maytag dryer with green stamps (that she had won) in 1967. And it still works. So eager to get my 1964 Maytag set up and running!

 

[laundromat]

Growing up in a rural neighborhood,most of the houses in my neighborhood had Westinghouse Laundromat washers and dryers,a Westinghouse frost free refrigerator and a Magic Chef 36"wide gas range. Our frig went up instantly. We got a Coldspot bottom freezer model till 1970. We already had a washer (1954 Easy Rivera automatic) and a frog eye Kenmore gas dryer.The Easy continued having faulty pump issues and my Dad got tired of moving it to repair. That's when it as well as our dryer got replaced with a Lady Kenmore combo. The range was replaced with a cheapass Signature and,after Dad remarried,his new wife hated doing dishes by hand and bought a cheap ass GE dishbreaker convertible. Loud as hell. The Westinghouse frig left in '82 and got replaced with a french door KitchenAid bottom freezer frig.with porcelain interior. Being the "live better electrically" appliance person I am, after I was on my own,I was able to broaden my appliance horizon. Our friend,John LaFever, stopped over my huge apartment with a 1966 GE Americana 40" electric range in Coppertone AND a Westinghouse Roaster with stand and clock!. I had only used an electric range to boil water in a hotel so,electric cooking for me was a whole new process.
Having its "Sensa-Temp" thermostatic , adjustable front left burner,taught me what settings to use for more precise cooking. It made me now swear by cooking electrically. I now have induction and it is so much better then gas or conventional coil or ceramic top models. Thanks John!!