When did the trend switch form TL Dishwashers to FL?

[iheartmaytag]

Was it the advent of built-ins from portables?
It used to be that there was almost a choice, I don't know of any Top Loaders anymore.

 

[iheartmaytag]

That should have read, there used to always be a choice. now there is only Front loaders. Silly people here at work were actually trying to work while I was typing.

 

[danemodsandy]

Late '60s/Early '70s

The top-loader sort of died out in this time frame, because front-loading portables became a lot more available at lower prices. It was one thing to get a front-loader when KitchenAid was one of the few choices. But when Sears made front-loaders available at every price point from lowest to the Lady Kenmore, it was a whole 'nother matter.

Top-loaders had one huge disadvantage besides the bending necessary for loading/unloading - their tops could be used as work space, but nothing could be left on top of them for long, since you had to raise the top for loading/unloading. In spite of ads showing portables being rolled into a perfectly-appointed, brand-new dining room, the reality of portables was that they they were often bought for older kitchens, and they tended to take root in one spot in the kitchen, usually right beside the sink. The only portable features used were the sink connector and the cord reel; they were almost never rolled around (and when they were, it was by-God hard on floors; portables are heavy as lead). Usually, owners just extended the connector over to the faucet, plugged in the cord, filled the detergent cups, and let 'er rip.

Over time, a front-loader's top would come to house the toaster and electric can opener, plus a canister, or maybe the instant coffee jar and the jar of creamer. Yes, the thing was still portable, but it became so firmly rooted to one spot that it might as well have been built-in.

 

[laundromat]

1977-1978

 

[maytagbear]

My first two dishwashers

were both front loading Maytag portables. We got the first one, a reverse racking WC400 in 1973. The kitchen was oddly laid out, and the only place for the dishwasher when it was not in use was across the kitchen, under the telephone niche, and next to the refrigerator. The tops to them had phone books, note pads, my car keys, (when I still drove), the pencil jar, and sometimes more exotic things.

We used to have Christmas morning breakfast for family and friends, and that would be the only time I'd clear it off, to use as a staging area for loading.

About the only advantage of a top-loading portable dishwasher I can see, is that they could be made less expensively than a front-loading dishwasher. However, a front-loader's racks can be loaded separately, which is a distinct advantage.

I LIKE portable dishwashers. They are a great improvement over no dishwasher at all. However, the market segment has faded considerably. Used to be that manufacturers would offer most of the line as portables. Now, it's just one or two, and most likely from the lower end of the line.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[whirlcool]

My parents had a GE portable around 1962. When not in use it was housed in a corner in the back of the kitchen. When in use it had to be rolled about 15 feet to the sink. I think it had a butcherblock top on it. I still remember the particular smell it had after washing a load of dishes in it. We used Electrosol at the time.

 

[toggleswitch2]

~Used to be that manufacturers would offer most of the line as portables. Now, it's just one or two, and most likely from the lower end of the line.

I can vouch for that. I'm in the market for one, and the choices these days are

1- Awful and
2- Gawd-awful

oy vey!

From what I can tell all of these choices would be circa $450 or less as a built-in

It takes Sears up to 2 weeks to get these into a store for your pick-up. They also only deliver to your home two days per week to each zip code/area (usually), so good-luck in delivery flexibility.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/s_10153_12605_Appliances_Dishwashers_Portable?keyword=dishwashers

 

[petek]

There's a beautiful Moffat f/l portable at our local Habitat Restore today, looks to be in clean condition and I was surprised because it has a porcelain interior.. I'd guess it from the late 70's to mid 80's .They want $80 for it but where would I put it

 

[rp2813]

The other type of TL machines I remember were the GE's that were built-in under-counter and rolled out for loading, like a giant deep drawer. I had friends whose house had a GE kitchen with metal cabinets in a sort of cocoa shade and this type of matching DW. It was still working into the late 70's when I was there last, and it was definitely a novelty item to me when I first saw it.

 

[rp2813]

Early Toploader Make?

When I was a kid, good family friends had a portable TL dishwasher that appeared to be from the 40's or early 50's. They got it free from another family member who was getting rid of it. It was not made by any of the better known appliance manufacturers, or I would have remembered the make. It was white and if IIRC had a butcher block top and a large round red circle (silver dollar sized?) made of glass or plastic as part of the raised emblem in the upper corner on the front. I really wanted that machine, as at the time we had the total '49 Westinghouse scene going in a somewhat updated late 20's kitchen and it would have fit in perfectly. We had a mid-late 60's BOL Wards portable top loader instead that would have fit in better in the friends' 1960's kitchen. I just couldn't bring myself to suggest making a switch, as both moms would have thought I was crazy. That DW would have looked great in its little garage across from the '49 Westy stove.

I've often wondered what make that machine was and if they were any good. That one seemed to be doing fine at 15-20 years old. Can anyone manage to provide any information based on what I've provided above?

Thanks, Ralph