Best of Vintage Washer/Dryer Combo Units


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Thread Number: 3840
Best of Vintage Washer/Dryer Combo Units

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Post# 91984 11/2/2005 at 19:58 (6,743 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)
Checkrate/Likes Bendix, GE, and several others made combination washer and dryer units at one point or another, how good were these machines? How did they differ from today's combo units and would it be possible to "bring back" any of these designs? IIRC the Maytag units seemed well built, but were pulled off the market so fast finding one is quite rare. Anyone ever find out why Maytag pulled the plug so to speak? Must have been something big if Maytag went around collecting each unit to make sure as many as possible were returned. Launderess

Post# 92004 , Reply# 1 11/2/2005 at 22:27 (6,743 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)
Checkrate/Likes An unusually large number of line workers at the factory where the Maytag Combos were assembled were seriously injured or died on the job. While investigating the causes of these accidents, it was revealed that the plant had been inadvertantly built over sacred burial grounds. The investigators concluded the machines were somehow cursed. After much deliberation, an initially skeptical Maytag board of directors agreed to the recall and destruction of every Combo when one of their members, Allen P. Taylor, died in a house fire the day after he'd had one of the machines installed. BOO!! ;)

Post# 92007 , Reply# 2 11/2/2005 at 22:49 (6,743 days old) by maytagbear (N.E. Ohio)
Checkrate/Likes *Heh, if nothing else-* that's a great legend, Frigilux. (It could be true, but I wonder.) This is just my opinion, (everyone has one, and they usually smell) is that the engineering for combos is pretty darned complex--I mean, contradictory aims in the same metal box. In Maytag's case (more opinion,) they rushed it (like they certainly rushed the Neptune.) I like combos in theory, but I have never been extremely impressed in practise. (although that Whirlpool combo-weiner dog ad is an all time fave.) Lawrence/Maytagbear

Post# 92020 , Reply# 3 11/2/2005 at 23:11 (6,743 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)
Checkrate/Likes I had to work on Halloween (recording a teenage rock band so hopelessly unprepared I wanted to pay THEM to go elsewhere), so this is my belated AW.ORG-related scary campfire story. Is it true? Dead men tell no tales...

Post# 92025 , Reply# 4 11/2/2005 at 23:39 (6,743 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)
Checkrate/Likes *Gotta get a Bendix...* By far and wide, the very best of the combination washer/dryer models of the early days has to be the Bendix 1953-58. The 36" wide, 405 pound beast really was designed very well, the pinnacle of fast, efficient cycles and methods that early post war technology could develop. Since Bendix patented nearly every screw and bit of rubber in the machine, all the other manufacturers tried to design around (and away from) Bendix. Without the suspension system, none of the other brands were able to spin at the higher speeds of Bendix which tremendously hampers rinsing and extended drying to extremes of time and temperature. The forced air, condenser drying system was far superior to most other brands and combined with the higher spin speed, reduced dry cycle time to about that of a standard dryer. It was entirely possible to perform both wash and dry in about 1.25 hours, everyone else was lucky to be halfway through drying by that point. This is not to say that Bendix didn't have some drawbacks, but the ever-so-critical Consumer Reports called it "An impressive achievement" which says a lot for the machine.

Post# 92027 , Reply# 5 11/2/2005 at 23:49 (6,743 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)
Checkrate/Likes *Combo Campfire Stories* Sacred Burial Grounds....Of whom? Maytag, the Christine of combos!! I love it! I've always thought that I should play the lotto with some of the serial numbers of my more rare machines... I was lucky to find them, perhaps they'll bring more luck!

Post# 92030 , Reply# 6 11/3/2005 at 06:10 (6,742 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)
Checkrate/Likes Start buying those tickets, gansky! Who knows what kind of riches await you? Make my Lexus black with a moon roof, OK? LOL

Post# 92049 , Reply# 7 11/3/2005 at 08:14 (6,742 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes Even the 27" wide Philco had some good models. The el cheapo which had no fan forced circulation for the dryer took a very long time to dry, even with high speed spins. My Philco, made the last year of production, was the Hi Speed Non-Vent Duomatic. Unlike the 36" machines with their quiet blower, Phyllis sounded like a jet winding up when the cycle advanced into dry. Aside from the small tub size, she was a great machine. If I took King Sheets out as soon as the regular dry cycle stopped, they were not too wrinkled. If the Perma Press dry button was pushed, the clothes were dried to the selected dryness (the dryness selector was fabulously precise), but instead of shutting off where it normally would on the cycle dial, it went into this long cooldown period with 1100 watts of heat and the cold water condenser working together to keep the clothes from getting damp as they cooled. At the end of the cooldown, the water shut off just before the machine did so that the sump would be pumped dry. Otherwise, you needed a little plastic bowl under the opening when you popped the bail to remove the lint tray. There was a top mounted dryer lint screen also. It is another machine that I should have fixed and kept, but with not a lot of money and the tranny leaking big time, the tub bearings roaring and parts already in limited distribution in 1975, I opted to let her go. Stupid, I know, but my parents were already upset about Brenda being in their basement so I did not feel that I had a place to keep her whether repaired or not. I used her as a dryer for a while with the 1967 Imperial Frigidaire washer in Tahitian Green, not avocado. I think it was Jon in England who posted a link in the Laundry Room Forum to a Miele site for Europe that once again showed a Miele combo. I knew I had seen them in one of the European "shelter" magazines, but that was decades ago. That would be an interesting machine because it would be a 220V combo. I don't know if it would sell here because so many apartment dwellers would not have the 220 for it, but it sure would not be the subject of the horror stories I have read about the little combos available over here now. Has anyone seen the small LG combo for sale in some sort of retail establishment in the US? I have seen it online. It would have to be better than the current offerings also, if the big LG combo is any example of their workmanship.

Post# 92065 , Reply# 8 11/3/2005 at 10:12 (6,742 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)
Checkrate/Likes Tom, Actually Miele recently introduced a new Miele combo that matches their other new models. Here's a picture of it Most other brands have a combo in their range of products too. Miele combo's are very expensive, even here. I think they would hardly affordable if they were sent overseas. One of my favourite combos is a Miele H-axis toploader from the seventies. Miele pulled it quite fast from the market again, I don't know the reason for that.

Post# 92111 , Reply# 9 11/3/2005 at 17:44 (6,742 days old) by sactoteddybear ()
Checkrate/Likes *Re: Newer Combo's:* Hey! Tom, I just was reading your Posting Thread, "Has anyone seen the small LG combo for sale in some sort of retail establishment in the US? I have seen it online. It would have to be better than the current offerings also, if the big LG combo is any example of their workmanship." I bought one of the "LG" Compact Combo's a few years ago and I really like it, except for the horrible length of time it takes from Wash/Dry and Cool-Down timing. It can take up to 5-1/2 hours to complete the Cycles, 7-hours if you don't take some of the Laundry out, also given the fact that the Drying is of the Condenser type, instead of Vented type Drying. The Inital Cycle Time-Setting for at least the Perm Press Cycle is 4:45 and even with the 1000-RPM Spin selected, if some of the Load isn't taken out before the Dry Cycle, the above length of time is what it takes. It does Wash real well and even if it should get some slight Oversudzing, when it gets to the last Rinse, adding the Fabric Softener, the Sudz are gone and it does Spin the appropriate Spin Speeds after the Wash and between the Rinses. It does take some time to complete the Final Spin, but it does spin at the high Speed for the Cycle for the last 6-Minutes. After I bought the Compact Combo Unit, they came out with the larger Capacity Unit, with Front-Controls, if I had known sooner, I would have bought it instead of the smaller Unit. This isn't my normal use Washer and Dryer, for normal use, but it is being used for Laundry quite often at this time though. I had a special Dolly made for it to sit on, so I could use it as a Portable, in my Kitchen. I bought the Faucet Coupler {that a Portable Washer uses} to adapt it, but I use the Drain Hose that came with the Unit, because I couldn't figure out how to take the Top Cover off, to completely use both Hoses of the Coupler. It works great that way and I also use a Nylon Stocking on the Drain Hose, to collect the Lint, so it doesn't go down my Kitchen Sink Drain Plumbing and I just clean it out as trying to not allow the Lint to collect too much between Washings. Peace and Happy Large and Compact Combo Washing and Drying, Steve "SactoTeddyBear"

Post# 92131 , Reply# 10 11/3/2005 at 19:45 (6,742 days old) by brisnat81 (Brisbane Australia)
Checkrate/Likes *7kg LG Washer/Dryer Combo* Hi, My best friend in Sydney has a LG Washer dryer combo. THey've given up using it as a dryer, instead they now send most of their washing to the laundromat. Choice reviewed Washer dryer combo's recently and the biggest complaint was the number of hours required to dry a load. I've attached their pro's and cons Washer-dryers Pros and cons As a washer Generally these machines worked as well as conventional washers: the MIELE, LG and HAIER in particular all performed comparably to other front loaders, with the HAIER scoring especially well for dirt removal even with a full load and the MIELE offering great spin and energy efficiency. The ARISTON, however, scored only 56% for dirt removal, which was disappointing for an otherwise comparatively good machine with excellent energy efficiency. It’s quite unusual for a washing machine to score so poorly for its primary function. As a dryer When it comes to drying the real weaknesses of the washer-dryers become apparent. For a start they can’t dry full wash loads — you either need to wash a half load (or whatever size the manufacturer recommends for drying) and let it go through to the dryer program, or wash a full load and then take half out before you dry. Considering their smaller drying capacity, all are also slow compared to most conventional dryers, with the LG, for example, taking nearly three hours to dry a half load. But at least it actually dried the clothes — it and the MIELE are the only two that can really be recommended as performing reasonably well as a dryer, the others all leaving clothes damp at the end of a single drying cycle. And we gave them a good chance: if they had a dryness sensor we used it, and if not we set the time to maximum. These dryers are condenser dryers. As such, they use water from the mains to condense the steam from the clothes back to water when drying, then flush this with any lint down the drain. But while this has advantages — you don’t need to duct hot, wet air away and there’s no lint filter to clean — most use an awful lot of water to do it. The worst offender, the OMEGA, uses a full 72 L per drying cycle — the equivalent of six flushes of a standard toilet and more than it uses on its normal washing cycle. It doesn’t have to be like this: the efficient MIELE only uses 12 L for drying. And the water used for drying isn’t included on the dryer energy label on the machines, as only the washing function label is required to include water consumption. We’ve noted the water each machine uses for washing and drying in the table and included this in our running cost calculations. High water use could particularly be an issue if you intend installing one of these machines on a tank-water system. Running time You wouldn’t want to be in a hurry for clean clothes: none of these machines is quick to run, particularly if you want them to go all the way from wash to dry. The LG, for example, takes five and a half hours to wash and dry a half load (but at least that’s 4 kg). Even the best-performing MIELE still took three and a quarter hours — a long time to wait for a machine that’s washing and drying just 2.5 kg of clothes. If you have the space for two machines, it’s worth weighing up this time (and the small load sizes) against how long it would take you to wash and dry a load with a stand-alone washing machine and dryer. Based on previous CHOICE tests, we think it’d often be quicker. Plus with separate machines you can run both at the same time. Ease of use When you’ve got one machine performing two functions, the controls need to make it easy to work out what you’re trying to do when. The LG is particularly clear and intuitive and, along with the MIELE, was assessed as easy to use. Unfortunately the others weren’t so easy to figure out. Clothes too creased? A letter from a subscriber alerted us that some washer-dryer models seem to crease clothes excessively. We noted that the LG creased its load more noticeably than the other models. The bottom line There’s no question that the space-saving aspect of these machines is attractive, and some work well as washing machines. Overall, though, if you have a choice we think you’d get better and faster performance with a separate washer and dryer. THis is their reccomendations on what to buy MIELE Honeycomb Care WT945S $3499 LG Intellowasher WD-1480RD* $1999 The MIELE is the best of the five washer-dryers tested, but it’s expensive to buy (but cheapest to run) and fairly small, only drying a 2.5 kg load. If you want a bigger machine the LG is the best choice of the rest, though you’ll have to put up with very long washing and drying times. Brand / model (in rank from left to right) Miele Honeycomb Care WT9455 LG Intellowasher WD-1480RD (A) Ariston AL128D Margherita 2000 (B) Haier XQG50AB1100CTX (C) Omega WD1052 Performance Overall washer / dryer score(%) 78 73 68 61 59 Washer / dryer ease of use score (%) 80 90 70 70 70 Overall washing score (%) 78 76 70 74 73 Overall drying score (%) 76 62 65 44 40 Overall water used (wash, L) 59 106 75 91 56 Overall water used (dry, L) 12 57 31 38 72 Noise (dB) 66 66 72 66 70 Cycle time, wash (h:min) 1:56 2:40 1:30 2:11 1:56 Cycle time, dry (h:min) 1:20 2:51 2:32 2:00 2:20 Features: Washing Delay start (hours) 1-9 3-19 1-12 Out-of-balance correct Y Y Anti-crease Y Y Y Y Y Select spin speed Y Y Y(D) Y Y Load sensor Y Y Extra rinse Y Y Y Y Water-saver option Y Y Cold-only connection possible* Y(E) Y ns Y Features: Dryer Controls sensor & timer sensor & timer sensor & timer timer timer Reverse tumble Y Y Temp-settings 4 4 1 3 2 Overheat protection Y Specifications Capacity (wash / dry, kg) 5 / 2.5 8 / 4 6 / 4 5 / 2 5 / 2.5 Dimmensions (H x W x D, cm)** 850 x 595 x 600 850 x 595 x 620 850 x 595 x 535 850 x 595 x 550 850 x 595 x 550 Warranty (years)† 2 2 2 3 2 Origin Germany Korea Italy China ns Manufacturer / distributor Miele LG Electronics Arisit Pty Ltd Haier Electronics Smeg (Hagemeyer) Costs Running costs ($ / 10 years) 2353 3969 3146 2786 2922 Price ($)†† 3499 1999 1999 999 1590

Post# 92135 , Reply# 11 11/3/2005 at 19:58 (6,742 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)
Checkrate/Likes My parents made the mistake of taking me and my granmother to Sears when our Easy Rivera automatic washer died.I saw a washer with a see through window and found out it was a combo like the Bendix my Aunt Lu had in NJ.I went right to the saleslady and told her my parents were looking for one like that but my grandmother had the Sears chargeaplate.As soon as the saleslady showed my grandmother the combo,she bought it hands down.We got it on my birthday,the day after JFK was shot and killed.That combo lasted from 1963 to 1985 when my dad remodled the kitchen and replaced it with a Whirlpool belt drive.

Post# 92228 , Reply# 12 11/4/2005 at 07:24 (6,741 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes *Thanks--Lotsa Thanks* Steve and Nathan, thank you both so much for all of this information. Maybe now I see why LG does not turn out a 230 volt combo here. The Miele must be a 230 volt machine and it is slow like the others. This is the thing about combos; they sound like the perfect solution and are often given great styling, like the new Miele and many of the combos offered here in the 50s and early 60, but the performance is no match for the styling. It will be interesting to see if colder cold water in the winter makes much of a difference in the condensation process in Jeff's LG. Peter, did you notice if your LG combo dried faster in the winter when one would hope that colder water would speed up the condensation process which is really what slows the drying. You have to change the physical state of water twice; from liquid to vapor and back to liquid. That condensation water temperature was a real problem for the GE combos in Florida where summertime "cold" water can often be warm to the touch.

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