What year exactly did Maytag switch from the classic center-dial design to the brown panel?

[woodjack99]

I know it was around 1980, but the answers I've seen differ slightly. Some people say 1979, 1980, 1981. Perhaps the "transition" began in 79 and lasted until 81? I have seen center dials from 80, but I think by 81 they had gone completely to the new design.

 

[peteski50]

Maytag

They switched to the brown panel in 1980

 

[swestoyz]

Peter is spot on.

Per Maytag ---

 

[robbinsandmyers]

A906

Looks like they made them 7 years. Im surprised more dont turn up. The A806 had a good long run though LOL

 

[woodjack99]

Thanks guys! I thought it was either 80 or 81. I guess by 81, they'd gone completely to the brown panel. Some people said 79, but that seemed a bit early to me.

Jack

 

[wayupnorth]

I know that when I bought my 511 washer and 410 dryer in 1983 that every Maytag in the showroom had a brown panel without the box around the logo and Heavy Duty line. They still run like new and only one $28 part for the washer. Thats nearly 40 years I have had them and I will never part with them.

 

[repairguy]

Picked up a DE610 this morning built in March of 1982. I like the look of the center dial machines and the 10 series models with the wood grain panels and white knob/buttons.

 

[tomturbomatic]

The story was that they wanted them to look like the dishwasher control panel. I thought that it made them look like Montgomery Ward machines.

 

[woodjack99]

@tomturbomatic

That’s very interesting to know. Some people thought they looked a bit “boring” compared to the center-dials, but I think they fitted with the times better. They looked 80s, and the center-dials looked 70s.

 

[gansky1]

 

 

We went to purchase a new washer to replace the 72 GE FF and a new dishwasher to replace the months-gone KM Roto-Rack in February 1981.  The store was clearing out the last of the center-dial models, mostly dryers by that point.  We bought a 110, BOL washer and a Maytag portable dishwasher.  Maytag offered two port/conv models, one with sani-wash and the low end with just a heat dry option (two buttons).  Naturally, to prevent "trouble with all the doo-dads" bought the lower end model.  

 

[rp2813]

Tom, you made my day by using "Montgomery Ward" as a derogatory term -- not just in general but particularly when applied to their dreadful line of laundering equipment!

 

[whitetub]

When they switched from the center dial panel to the brown panel, I was a little sad.
But they were the same machine under the hood. So I moved on.

But when they switched the dishwashers, and put the glasses in the top rack, I was shocked. I never recovered completely from that move. lol....

 

[maytaga806]

The 80s Maytags with the chrome rim and golden rim frame around the control panel was absolutely luxurious, and the golden dial as well. You won’t find any of that on the new machines, it’s all fake plastic junk. Cannot wait to find one of these 80 generation Maytags, my absolute favorite!! I believe they stopped production in 88 and switched to the new orbital design, somewhere around there.

 

[good-shepherd]

80's Maytag

Glossy consoles were also more durable.

Center dial switches yellowed, lettering would wear off, paint faded.

Glossy consoles clean up nicely with polishing compound and some elbow grease.

 

[qsd-dan]

Glossy consoles were also more durable.

Agreed, the 80's consoles...most notably the 84-89 era...were the most durable Maytag ever produced and they age very gracefully.

 

As noted above, the buttons on the 66-79 center dials would yellow under the wrong conditions and the lettering on the buttons would wear under high use or from the OCD housewife. The console paint from 1957-1979 would easily wear through with too many cleanings, aggressive cleaners, or just a hint too much scrubbing. The early 90's flat black consoles didn't wear very well and were prone to fading, especially if pretreatments of garments were sprayed near the console. Some consoles of the white era of the mid 90's to the end of production, especially the grained hard plastic surroundings, would yellow overtime.

 

[rp2813]

To add to what Dan stated directly above, the logos on the CD models didn't hold up well to cleaning.  As much as I like the classic look of CD machines, particularly the 806 models with fully lit consoles, I have to agree that the 12 series consoles were upscale with their gold trim, but I still prefer the look of the white buttons on the 10 series.

 

I jumped on a 712 machine five or six years ago after determining that it wasn't an orbital model and have no regrets.  I have plenty of overhead lighting in the basement where the 712 and my mostly analog Neptune stacked set live.

 

[tomturbomatic]

They were not entirely the same machines

With the change, the TOL machine lost a lighted control panel and the Delayed Bleach Injection System fill port was moved to the other side of the opening and the reservoir which slowly metered bleach into the machine through the pump was eliminated and the hose from the fill opening on the left went directly down to the outer tub.

When I see the word "delux" the Latin word "lux" for light jumps out at me and growing up when I did, deluxe appliances had lighting or lighted features not seen in models lower down the line. I think one of the most dramatic and possibly the first examples of this in my life was the early 50s Westinghouse range belonging to some friends and when a surface unit was switched on, the fluorescent light on the control panel came on to not only alert the user that a surface unit was on, but also to illuminate the color of the heat setting selected.

 

[qsd-dan]

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the Delayed Bleach Injection System fill port was moved to the other side of the opening and the reservoir which slowly metered bleach into the machine through the pump was eliminated and the hose from the fill opening on the left went directly down to the outer tub.

 

That was already implemented in early 1975.

 

[hippiedoll]

I'm confused...

According to the chart in reply #2,
In 1976, Maytag made an A407 and an A408.
What would be the difference?

Aren't those 2 basically the same model of washer, except maybe the 407 has a pilot light(?) And 3 wash Temps with all cold rinses?
Am I missing something here??