Either way,it is a genuine , original appliance. Dexter introduced this way back in the early twentieth century. If you go to their website,they show different period pieces including this on and an earlier wooden tub model. Dexter took over the comercial side of Philco Bendix and now make a line of great,front loading washers and dryers. Here in Hilo Bay Front, there is a full service Dexter equipped laundromat with front loaders that can hold up to eighty pounds of dry laundry. They have four flat screan T Vs,video games and child care. They originally had ten Whirlpool top loaders for smaller loads but those kept breaking down and took three times longer to fill . They were thrown out ad replaced with twelve more Dextrrs.