Whirltag Restyle

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liamwa

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Mar 28, 2007
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230
Here's the new look for the Whirltags. A bit more reminiscent of the center dial era, minus the push buttons. Still Whirlytags though. What do ya think?

Liam

7-17-2007-03-33-46--liamwa.jpg
 
I think it is a nice attempt to give the Maytag branded machines a look of thier own. The only thing I am still fighting with is their lint filter design. I know it has been a trademark of the Whirlpool/Kenmore line for a very long time, but I have always thought it to be a very messy, awkward thing to use, and rather unsightly.
 
Ross

I doubt it. Most of the non washer enthusiast public don't really have any idea of whats under the "hood" of their washers, as long as they wash the clothes.

As for the Whirltags themselves, I do have to say that I like the styling. I know they're not real Maytags but WP gave the Maytag branded machines a nice up market look, They're certainly much better looking then any dependable care washer from the last 26 years, after the center dials Maytags looked pretty bland. You can't blame WP for the Maytag takeover. Maytag berried themselves with machines like the rushed to market Neptune, the less then stellar Norgetags, and the down right crappy "Amanatags." They even undermined their good old dependable care, in the 80s with the cheaper orbital transmission, and in the 90s with a cheaper main seal. I think it is nice to see the Maytag name on a decent quality machine, even if it is a DD Whirly.

Liam
 
Nice

They do look retro and will appeal to some people.

I think they look pretty on the outside until I lift the lid and see a Shredmore underneath.
 
Styling

The styling is what I like, not the fact that they are a Whirlpool underneath. I may get stoned for my opinion, but I have never been a Whirlpool/Kenmore/Amana/GE/Hotpoint/Frigidaire melting pot fan. I do love the styling of 50's machines of those lables, but from then on...not so much. I am a loyal vintage Maytag fan. Maytag is the only vintage brand I own or care to own because of their conservative styling, lack of gizmos, and overall sturdy and dependable build quality....just personal taste. I agree with Liam that Maytag made several mistakes of their own. I started to lose interest in the brand after the helical drive transmission (long stroke agitation) disappeared and it was all down hill from there. I have heard comments like "Poor Turn-over" and "Poor Cleaning" from that stroke, but as long as it is never over loaded it always gently does a great job for me. I guess there have been several great companies that have needed to be rescued from themselves over time...Saab and Jaguar come to mind. I am glad that Whirlpool is able to do that for Maytag and I hope that the "return to roots" styling is just the beginning of re-establishing it's identity and consumer loyalty. Can we expect the heavy duty porcelain tub or the famous helical drive transmission? I don't know, but if Whirlpool continues on this path and gives Maytag it's own identity mechanically with a more back to basics approach emphasizing attention to quality....Maytag will be a brand that consumers once again feel proud to own.
 
It is at least far more elegant looking than the current rendition. And who knows, they've come this far, maybe the next step will be to give us a new wash system, different from the direct drive unit they currently use.
 
It is at least far more elegant looking than the current rendition. And who knows, they've come this far, maybe the next step will be to give us a new wash system, different from the direct drive unit they currently use.
 
Before Whirlpool, a contender to purchase Maytag was
Haier which is a Chinese company that currently makes
many of the portable washers such as Avanti, Danby, and
also under their own name.
I think the center dial Whirltag does look classier than
the plastic Amanatags.
I would like to eventually see a Maytag that is very different
from Whirlpool/Kenmore.

Ross
 
Yes, like with a real long stroke agitator, like the Amana used to have, a super capacity, stainless or porcelain tubs, and a high speed spin without dumbed down water temps. I know a heater would be too much to ask for, but I'll settle for the rest!!! Oh, and dispensers....for everything.
 
The thing is

It is not like center dials were last made a few years ago. In order to "appreciate" this machine for what it IS/was how old does that make a person. I mean, I am 40, I know center dial, my best friend had a late 60s model near BOL in white. I knew others with colored ones.
20 somethings aren't going to appreciate this. I mean what was Whirlpools demographic? I don't think of empty nesters as needing or wanting to purchase laundry equipment. And if they do, I would think it would be something higher end. Like a front loader, or completely the opposite, BOL. The machines lack any whimsy of sophistication in todays world. Frankly, I liked the buttons. Those buttons always made such a solid clicking noise when you pushed them.

Just my opinion, If they were going to bring back Maytag center dial then they should bring them back in 70s colors too. AND have the models with the lighted console. And how about the all pushbutton models. Sure, sure, it would be electronic, but they could give it the "traditional" buttons to indicate cycle. now THAT would be cool. A Harvest gold al button model with backlighting and automatic dispensers. Or how about in Candy Pink or Harmony house Yellow?.

No, the current models are a fraud. I saw 2 models at HDepot. It doesn't take much to see that they are whirlpools. And those stupid lids, EHH, they weigh as much as the entire machine!! I guess a heavy obnoxious lid is supposed to imply quality( finger on chin). hmmm. I guess the buying public would for give the 1/64" thick sheetmetal the rest of the machine is made of if the lid weighs as much as a man hole cover. Don't let fingers get in the way of the lid. You could easily dismember a small childs hand by having the lid fall on it.
Gee, I'm the buying public, I guess I will buy it based on the boat anchor quality lid. (eyes crossed)

You know that is something about the real Maytags. The hinge. There was none. It was just 2 small rubber balls. Genius, nothing to rust, no moving parts, nothing to gunk up. no screws, nothing to catch lint on. that was great.
 
But they don't build washers for the likes of us, they build them for the general public, who don't know any better. They'll buy it, and Maytag will keep on making them.
 
I doubt the center-dial design is intended to recall the classic Maytag to the typical washer-buying ("younger") consumer nowadays. More likely, it serves to set the "new" Maytag apart from other brands .. being as every other dial-timer machine on the market has the timer toward the side of the console. Now, those consumers who are older and remember the classic Maytag, the direct-drive "Whirly" innards ARE a step-up in reliability from the Norge-tags, so perhaps it will help get some attention from them as being something different simply because it looks different on the outside.

As for the "innards" being a fraud, the typical consumer doesn't care, doesn't know the difference between one mechanical design and another. Trust me on this. I can line up any number of people I know, and some of them don't even know what goes on under the lid when the machine runs, much less what are the mechanicals involved. One friend with a 1-speed FilterFlo didn't know that setting the timer on Delicate doesn't make it run slower, just for less time. Another who had an A206 with a broken pressure hose was letting the machine fill just enough so it didn't grossly leak (out the broken hose) then manually advancing the timer until it started running, then repeating for the rinse phase ... never realizing that he was spinning out the water and the clothes were NOT getting washed at all.
 

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