True TOL units question.

The two that always stood out for me were Maytag's A906 and Kenmore's Lady Kenmore. Both were extremely high-quality appliances, but each took a different approach to luxury.

With the Lady Kenmore, there were many different cycle selection buttons, as well as cycle modification options you could select via the dial. There were also three motor speeds. What it gave you was nearly infinite flexibility; you could custom-tailor a cycle for almost any kind of load. Back when I had a 1966 Lady K, I washed antique table linens in it with great success. I also washed the bag to my mower's grass catcher, with equal success *. Now that's versatility.

With a 906, you had pushbuttons and nothing else; the cycles were what they were and could not be modified. This approach was better for the consumer who wanted to give laundry good care without having to put a lot of effort into considering what cycle or modifiers were best to use for a given load. You pushed one button, and then you walked away; there really wasn't a whole lot of interactivity with the machine.

Both were fairly complex, in different ways. The Lady K was more complex mechanically; the 906 was more complex electronically. The 906's mechanical architecture, held in common with every other top-loading machine in Maytag's line, was, in my opinion, more robust than the Lady K's. But Lady Ks were also very dependable machines.

If I had to choose one today, it would depend on circumstances. If I had pretty deep pockets, I would choose a 906, because if there is an electronic problem, it can take some luck and some money to get things back on track. If I didn't want to have to worry about such things, I'd choose the Lady K, though there would always be a bit of a worry about the dispenser assembly, which is NLA and frankly, pretty complicated.

So, the Lady K was for the consumer who wanted control over everything, the 906 was for the consumer who wanted the luxury of having the machine do everything without intervention.

* Washing a grass catcher bag will help it last much longer than it would otherwise; grass clippings are fairly acidic, and eat the fabric if not washed away. Soak, then gentle cycle, warm water, some extra detergent and no bleach or softener. Be sure and clean your lint filter afterwards, and wipe the tub, to remove any bits of grass. Once at mid-season and once before putting the mower away for the Winter is plenty.


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Post# 418741 2/26/2010 at 12:24 (5,164 days old) by trapperjohn ()
Checkrate/Likes I'm new to the board and was wondering if someone could post a list and ratings of TOL washers and dryers from 60s-80's. I know this list would be somewhat subjective, but are there true winners or a few that stand head and shoulders above the rest? Is there one "desert island" unit that one would choose due to it's dependability/function? It's probably akin to the Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge debate. Although, to my knowledge imports (due to their dependability) have not taken over the appliance market like the auto market. If anything, it is more of a "they don't make em like they used to" thing. Just curious.

Post# 418760 , Reply# 1 2/26/2010 at 14:04 (5,164 days old) by spankomatic (Ukiah,CA)
Checkrate/Likes I do remember in the 70's Maytag was always at the top of ratings and G.E's were down towards the bottom of the list. Jim

Post# 418784 , Reply# 2 2/26/2010 at 17:07 (5,164 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Tom:* The two that always stood out for me were Maytag's A906 and Kenmore's Lady Kenmore. Both were extremely high-quality appliances, but each took a different approach to luxury. With the Lady Kenmore, there were many different cycle selection buttons, as well as cycle modification options you could select via the dial. There were also three motor speeds. What it gave you was nearly infinite flexibility; you could custom-tailor a cycle for almost any kind of load. Back when I had a 1966 Lady K, I washed antique table linens in it with great success. I also washed the bag to my mower's grass catcher, with equal success . Now that's versatility. With a 906, you had pushbuttons and nothing else; the cycles were what they were and could not be modified. This approach was better for the consumer who wanted to give laundry good care without having to put a lot of effort into considering what cycle or modifiers were best to use for a given load. You pushed one* button, and then you walked away; there really wasn't a whole lot of interactivity with the machine. Both were fairly complex, in different ways. The Lady K was more complex mechanically; the 906 was more complex electronically. The 906's mechanical architecture, held in common with every other top-loading machine in Maytag's line, was, in my opinion, more robust than the Lady K's. But Lady Ks were also very dependable machines. If I had to choose one today, it would depend on circumstances. If I had pretty deep pockets, I would choose a 906, because if there is an electronic problem, it can take some luck and some money to get things back on track. If I didn't want to have to worry about such things, I'd choose the Lady K, though there would always be a bit of a worry about the dispenser assembly, which is NLA and frankly, pretty complicated. So, the Lady K was for the consumer who wanted control over everything, the 906 was for the consumer who wanted the luxury of having the machine do everything without intervention. * Washing a grass catcher bag will help it last much longer than it would otherwise; grass clippings are fairly acidic, and eat the fabric if not washed away. Soak, then gentle cycle, warm water, some extra detergent and no bleach or softener. Be sure and clean your lint filter afterwards, and wipe the tub, to remove any bits of grass. Once at mid-season and once before putting the mower away for the Winter is plenty.

Post# 418786 , Reply# 3 2/26/2010 at 17:22 (5,164 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)
Checkrate/Likes You can't go wrong with a belt drive WP product, or a Maytag.

Post# 418852 , Reply# 4 2/26/2010 at 20:12 (5,164 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes I don't believe there are any electronics in an A906 washer's timer. That was all mechanical. If you are talking about the dryer, the electronic control of the Maytag was a simpler control than any other electronic dryness system, not that the Kenmore electronic dry system was not a great system. I loved my Kenmore electric match-all Soft Heat electronic control dryer with the sliding cover for the controls. Setting "3" dried to perfection and very quickly, too, with the controls cycling only the larger heating element so that heat input was more steady than a dryer that cycled the heat completely on or off. The heater wattage was greater than in the DE806 as well as the drum capacity. Kenmore and WP large capacity washers handled a larger load than the deep tub Maytag washers. If you preferred tumbler washers, Westinghouse was your only choice after Philco stopped making front loaders. The non-tilted drums tangled less than the earlier WH washers and the machines with the cast-iron tub weights were nice and stable. Frigidaire made some great laundry appliances until the failing car market caused them to bail on their followers and sell the appliance line. Frigidaire washers were, in many ways, more exciting than those made by Maytag or Whirlpool, but their scarcity attests to the fact that Maytag and Whirlpool made machines were usually more durable. It's true that if you wanted the dryer to match the TOL washer, you were forced, through the early 60s, to purchase a Filtrator which had its own limitations, not the least of which was its incompatibility with air conditioning.

Post# 418864 , Reply# 5 2/26/2010 at 20:56 (5,164 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *I Stand Corrected!* Tom: Since I have not yet been under the hood of a 906, I was going on a half-remembered conversation with an AW member. Researching the situation, I find you're - as always - right. Below is a photo Greg (gansky1) posted back in '06, which clearly shows the electromechanical belly of the beast. I therefore amend my statement to: "906s were complex so far as their timers were concerned, but Lady K's were complex both as to timers and their other mechanicals." Fair enough? Thanks for setting me straight.