When did kenmore start using this desing and plastic knobs on there washer and dryer set?

[pierreandreply4]

when did kenmore start using this particular desing and plastic knobs on there washer dryer set the pic is from a cl ad and the washer on the left my grandmother had that particular kenmore washer from 1988 year my grandfather died to 2009 to be precise? thank you for all info

 

[macboy91si]

Dryer

I don't think I've ever seen this style dryer door or control panel on a US model. I wonder why the Canadian models differ so much, they have a much more modern look to them, at this same time frame we were still using woodgrain and chrome... Odd

 

-Tim

 

[pierreandreply4]

i think that by that time periode here is canada whirlpool started making the kenmore washers and dryers maybe thats why the door is larger than on the us dryer model but only gordon who is the kenmore ewxpert would be able to tell more.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Pierre -

I wish I could tell you more, but until I joined AW.org in 2008, I was unaware that Canadian Kenmores were different!

I knew that Canada had Simpsons Sears and that Sears Roebuck of the U.S. was not entirely the same company, and I did wonder from time to time if Canadian machines were different, but I never saw one until someone posted a few on here many months ago. There has been a POD catalog ad or two on here that have shown us a couple of the MOL models from the late 70s. These were center-dial models with plastic control panels and familiar knobs that were used on U.S. belt-drives for 14 or so years.

As to the machines in the picture above, the dryer door matches nothing we've had in the U.S. ever on a Whirlpool produced Kenmore. In fact, side-swing doors of any kind on a Kenmore full-size dryer first happened in the early 90s I believe. When WP added the large side-swing doors for the 5.9 dryer and then the large capacity units, Kenmore got them as well almost right away.

From what I can see, your pictured machines have plastic control panels, which I think approximate the 1974 and later plastic panel that all U.S. BOL to MOL Kenmores had. This panel was used well into the DD era and was only discontinued a few years ago. U.S. machines were never better than 500 series machines, with one exception, a 1976 60-series alphabet model, which I've seen in one catalog only.

I have included a picture of a 1981 Kenmore 200 with this plastic panel. They appeared in the belt-drive years either in this ivory color, or in dark walnut, and had either no insert on the left, the black that this one has, or a woodgrain insert. Later DD machines used white panels and camel (puke) color, which is an orangish tan.

I'm sorry that I don't know more Pierre!

Gordon

 

[pierreandreply4]

thats ok and thank you

 

[circlew]

Style variations

I think the major reason for the variations between U.S. and Canadian models was due to far fewer Canadian machines being produced. It probably was not cost effective for Inglis or Whirlpool Canada to have an entirely separate cabinet style for the Kenmores, so they used the regular Whirlpool cabinet with the Kenmore tops. I've also noticed that the lower cabinet embossing that Whirlpool used in the U.S. for a few years prior to 1961, was used in Canada for many years past that, well into the Avocado and Gold era.

Another thing I noticed is that the Canadian dryers, both gas and electric, have separate lower panels. Usually the 29" U.S. models (Whirlpool or Kenmore) have separate lower panels only on gas models, though I have a friend whose Whirlpool electric dryer did have the separate panel.

 

[70series]

That may have been one distinction between electric and gas models with smaller sized doors up to a point, but if so, it is not any longer. Our 1986 Whirlpool super capacity gas dryer with the larger (not full width) door had the front access panel, but the Kenmore gas dryer that replaced it in 2003, with the same size door, did not. The only models that seemed to have the panel by then were ones with the door positioned higher on the cabinet.

All Whirlpool/Kenmore dryers with full width doors had front access panels.

That is a nice set featured above.

Have a good one,
James