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Thread Number: 63941
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics.. |
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Post# 865227 2/2/2016 at 16:49 (2,999 days old) by chestermikeuk  (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Now we have all the Hoover Keymatics styles together (a world first) I made a video of them on "Selection Spin" showing off their unique Clicks . Whirrs, Clunks and Spins as the keyplates engage with the timer modules and sequence through to the right programme !!
The models range from the first model 3224 from 1961 following with the widebody 3203 from 1966, the matchbox series 3243 from 1970, the smooth sleek 3008 from 1975, the New Magic 3062 from 1978 and up to the last of the production the Smoother 3112 in 1980. | ||
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| Post# 865235 , Reply# 1 2/2/2016 at 18:27 (2,999 days old) by stainfighter (Columbia, SC) | ||
A symphony 🎻🎼🎺🎷🎹 | ||
| Post# 865342 , Reply# 2 2/3/2016 at 13:37 (2,998 days old) by Whirlpolf () | ||
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Wie geil ist das denn! This is just bril, I listened to it 3 times in a row. Makes my day! And I did not know how many styles the Keymatics have. (I love the one with the blue light best) What a fantastic setup. Thank you 1000 x Joe | ||
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Post# 865387 , Reply# 3 2/3/2016 at 16:57 (2,998 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
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GASP !! | ||
| Post# 865440 , Reply# 4 2/4/2016 at 04:23 (2,997 days old) by alanlondon (London) | ||
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Sounds wonderful! Brings back a lot of memories Mike. Thanks very much for the video. Cheers Alan | ||
| Post# 865456 , Reply# 5 2/4/2016 at 08:19 (2,997 days old) by mikeymatic (Manchester UK) | ||
Fab !  | ||
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Post# 865530 , Reply# 6 2/4/2016 at 16:09 (2,997 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK) |
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Keymatics | ||
| Post# 865541 , Reply# 7 2/4/2016 at 17:04 (2,997 days old) by mikeymatic (Manchester UK) | ||
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Keymatics | ||
| Post# 865595 , Reply# 8 2/4/2016 at 23:41 (2,997 days old) by A440 () | ||
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Great video Mike! Awesome Sounds! Thanks for posting. | ||
| Post# 865603 , Reply# 9 2/5/2016 at 02:05 (2,996 days old) by electron1100 (England) | ||
Hoover Magic | ||
| Post# 865692 , Reply# 10 2/5/2016 at 15:19 (2,996 days old) by keymatic3203 (Cardiff UK) | ||
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Gary you've said it all, wonderful. | ||
| Post# 865696 , Reply# 11 2/5/2016 at 16:56 (2,996 days old) by triumphdolomite (Staffs(UK)) | ||
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Gary and Mathew I'll second your comments. Fantastic. I'd never noticed before the 3112 has the Programmer and Store the opposite way round to all the others! Ian | ||
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Post# 865754 , Reply# 13 2/6/2016 at 03:02 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
Hi Robert , they certainly have a sound of their own, like a rapid advance timer on steroids, the engaging cams in the timer give the start / stop fill, wash, pump, spin sounds!!
Morning Joe, Yes "How cool are they" glad you enjoyed them, more to come, the model with the Cool Blue light is Mathews (Keymatic3203) Hoover 3243 keymatic, the lights look great in the dark, and this style was the first lighted series. Hi Jon Jetcone, Nowthen are we nearer identifying the model you used in the Isle of Wight all those years ago, was it the widebodied model, the 3203 RHS with soap dispenser on top?? Morning Alan, glad you enjoyed them, now to get yours up and running and hear those sounds yourself. | ||
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Post# 865755 , Reply# 14 2/6/2016 at 03:20 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
Hello Mike, as Al says you are just over the hills, will drop you a line and work out some dates out with you, nothing like a Keymatic wash action for a nostalgic washday.
Morning Brent, glad you enjoyed, do you remember any US washers with rapid advance timers making the same type of energising sounds? Hi Gary, thought you would enjoy and it was thanks to you that inspired us to get the project started, many hours of searching and tinkering from you paid off in the end. ( ps. Mathew changed the heater to short version in A3112) no more rattling!! Morning Mathew, and thanks to you for all your hard work with the tweaks n fixes to get them all "Smoother Hoovers" ha ha priceless, but great to see the line up working!! Hi Ian , yes the Programmer slot is underneath the store slot on this last 3112 incarnation, it was to do with the timeline, which was introduced again after the 3203, the next 3 series all had lights for the programme status. The arm comes off the timer and aligns with the timeline for movement hence it needing to be lower down and in line. | ||
| Post# 865758 , Reply# 15 2/6/2016 at 03:34 (2,995 days old) by Sesteve (London, UK) | ||
Clickerty click
Great video Mike. Hoover seemed to maintain their unique sound all the way through the decades. My favourite has to be the A3112 - just love that styling. They really do speed through to the program start too. The brown fascia Bendix 7 series where you hold the start button in take ages to get to the right part - if you only want to spin something, the machine is half full of water by the time it gets there. They could of learnt a thing or two from the Hoover lads!
Who better indeed :) | ||
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Post# 865759 , Reply# 16 2/6/2016 at 03:36 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
Morning Lawrence, the first Sloping Front Keymatics where a marvel of over engineering and complicatedness, BUT when working did a great job, the amount of mechanicals, hoses and wiring is testamony to a purely "Engineered" washing machine rather than "Electronics" used in todays machines.
Here is the Keymatic 3224 from 1961 open back showing the drum, pulsator drive and big induction motor and gearbox.. | ||
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Post# 865760 , Reply# 17 2/6/2016 at 03:46 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
"Was it ever simplified?"
The next style change came in 1966 and produced the flat front Wide Bodied (27 inches) Keymatic, now using a stainless Steel drum and no pulsator, the drum hung on four large springs from the top chassis and used a large plate clutch to move the drum from wash / distribution to Spin. The top was hinged for quick access to dispenser , timer and timeline controls. Far less working parts than previous slope fronts so was more reliable. The clutch tendered to be the most problematic. | ||
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Post# 865761 , Reply# 18 2/6/2016 at 03:49 (2,995 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
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Mike! | ||
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Post# 865762 , Reply# 19 2/6/2016 at 04:11 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
"Was it ever simplified?"
Style Change Series 3 came in 1970 when the Hoover laundry range was re-vamped and produced in what was advertised as the "Matchbox" style, more compact style and shape and could be fitted into the space of a standard kitchen unit. These benefited from a range of electronic components, timers & power boards which controlled a number of fixed speeds. | ||
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Post# 865763 , Reply# 20 2/6/2016 at 04:20 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
"Was it ever simplified?"
Style change 4 came in 1975 when a stripped down Keymatic A3008 with simpler fascia was produced, called the Aluminium or Electronic series, the spin speed was upped from 740rpm to 800, cabinet style the same, and from then on it looks like what we are used to seeing in todays machines a drum, motor underneath in a compact cabinet with updated timers and powerboard controls. | ||
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Post# 865764 , Reply# 21 2/6/2016 at 04:45 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
"Was it ever simplified?"
Style change 5 was produced in 1978 when the "New Magic" Electronic series A3062 entered the field boasting 3 spin speeds, 500 for delicates, 800 for woollens and 1100 superfast for cottons. fascia changed to the metallic green and black, cabinet style same, updated electronics for the faster speeds. | ||
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Post# 865765 , Reply# 22 2/6/2016 at 05:19 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
"Was it ever simplified?"
The last incarnation of the Hoover Keymatic was in 1980 when the A3112 was produced, now with flush fronted door and larger round push buttons to match the "Smoother Hoover" range, 1100rpm spin speeds along with 500 & 800, cabinet styling similar to the last 3 series. Lawrence the Keymatic range where always the "Premium" range although from Hoover marketing you would not think so, they never produced a line of completely matching dryers and never sold in the same volume as the timer controller washing machine. | ||
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Post# 865767 , Reply# 23 2/6/2016 at 05:31 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
"were the wash plates interchangeable between series, or not?"
The Keyplates where marketed as "Any fabric yet to be made - We can make a keyplate for it" allowing your machine to be updated...Never quite worked like that, as newer models had different keyplates, readers and timers, the early models had a thick bakelite card, the widebodied 3203 had the larger slimmer grey and red / white cards giving choices of 16 programmes, the 3243 series and onwards where the same size but different programmes according to the readers, we have actually tried selecting a programme from a different machine card and they dont work as the readers / timers have been updated. Simply in theory, not logical in practice.!! Still, a Great Iconic series of Washing machines, and as the slogan stated, "From Hoover - Who Better".. | ||
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Post# 865768 , Reply# 24 2/6/2016 at 05:34 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics | ||
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Post# 865769 , Reply# 25 2/6/2016 at 05:39 (2,995 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
Jon what year where you in the Isle of Wight then? I always thought it would have been an earlier model? but then that is implying youre older than you are ha ha...
Oh, I feel a Slaaapppp coming over!!
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Post# 865787 , Reply# 26 2/6/2016 at 08:17 (2,995 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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| Post# 865869 , Reply# 29 2/6/2016 at 19:49 (2,995 days old) by Maytagbear (N.E. Ohio) | ||
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Chestermike.... Thank you very much for the photographs and information about these fascinating machines. I learned a great deal, and if I were "across the pond," I would definitely want a Keymatic! Lawrence/Maytagbear | ||
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Post# 865904 , Reply# 31 2/7/2016 at 00:13 (2,995 days old) by mayfan69 (Brisbane Queensland Australia) |
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Love the video Mike | ||
| Post# 866071 , Reply# 32 2/8/2016 at 03:46 (2,993 days old) by qualin (Canada) | ||
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This is going to drive me nuts... Has anyone ever decoded how a keymatic card works? i.e. What exactly do the notches do? How do they work? I noticed on the older keycards, the notches look different and they're wider. I can't find any information on the net about them. | ||
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Post# 866088 , Reply# 33 2/8/2016 at 07:29 (2,993 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Keymatic Heights | ||
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Post# 866089 , Reply# 34 2/8/2016 at 07:37 (2,993 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
Ian, get that lid off next time over ha ha, Mathew explained clearer than I did, you have to see it, those arms swinging about on the timeline as opposed to the "Timeline Lights" are something else.
Brent, yes belts belts more belts, hoses and wiring everywhere on the first 2 series, you an see how "Electronics" makes life easier...but are they as much fun? dunno.. Hi Leon,yes all those clicks n whirrs make them special and now Keith has a brochure showing an Aus Keymatic with woodgrain fascia and a "Sudsaver" who would have thought !! | ||
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Post# 866092 , Reply# 35 2/8/2016 at 07:47 (2,993 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK) |
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@ Qualin
If you look at the link below of Mike's flickr thread about the Keymatic about half way down you will see schematics of the 3224 machine from 1964 and on the right the diagram of the Keyplate reader. This was an entirely mechanical system and SupermaticJames recently gave a good précis of how it worked - I quote
"The Keyplate selects the programme, think of it as the dial you turn when selecting a programme. The Keyplate enabled the machine to offer a variety of programmes basically by choosing what operations the programme timer carries out. The slot in which the Keyplate is pushed into has many little switches, each linked to the timer. When these switches are closed by the raised sections on the Keyplate, the relevant sections of the timer are activated and the actions are carried out. Also, if there are notches in the Keyplate the switches are open and the relevant sections of the timer are bypassed and the programme advances." I hope this clarifies things a bit for you. I would also add that on my wide body 3203 you can actually hear and see it going through parts of the cycle that are not actually needed for the particular wash so that, for example, if you select Spin Only there is a momentary pre wash fill, quick tumble, drain, momentary main wash fill etc. until it finally comes to the spin - there is no knob to move the timer past those points before starting. CLICK HERE TO GO TO vacbear58's LINK | ||
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Post# 866093 , Reply# 36 2/8/2016 at 07:50 (2,993 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
Hi Qualin, "How Does The Keyplate Work" baffled us all until you get your head in and around it. The KEYPLATE has 4 programmes printed each side , x 2 keyplates make the machine distinguish 16 programmes.
You then identify the programme you want, insert it into the KEYPLATE READER - the slots for the identified programme engage with a bank of 16 SWITCH CONTACTS in the back of the reader. At the back of the reader is a similar looking box timer which has all the cogs and relays which then work the programme sequencing and switch on fill valves, heater, motor etc. This BOX SWITCH acts as a bank of open / closed / energised circuits which tell the machine to FILL, HEAT, WASH, DRAIN, Rinse 1, Drain, Rinse 2, Drain, Rinse 3, Drain and then SPIN. Here is the A3008 wil keyplates in. 
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Post# 866095 , Reply# 37 2/8/2016 at 07:53 (2,993 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Hoover Keymatic Keyplate reader / timer / switch bank | ||
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Post# 866096 , Reply# 38 2/8/2016 at 07:57 (2,993 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics | ||
| Post# 866098 , Reply# 39 2/8/2016 at 08:06 (2,993 days old) by alr2903 (TN) | ||
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Chestermikeuk, I wondered if they Keymatics where ever made with a coin op design? Great thread, Thank You! Arthur | ||
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Post# 866100 , Reply# 40 2/8/2016 at 08:09 (2,993 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Hoover Keymatic Sequencing Chart | ||
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Post# 866101 , Reply# 41 2/8/2016 at 08:16 (2,993 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Hoover keymatic Programme Chart
And here is a larger chart identifying the wash programmes you can select, this is from the A3062 Hoover Keymatic washing machine. The programmes shown here are classified as ITCL (International Textile Care Label) codes numbers 1 - 7, which is why we Brits refer to a number 2 Hot Wash or Number 5 (40d cotton darks wash) or doing a Number 7 wash (Woollens)
Hope this makes a bit more sense of the wonderful world of "Hoover Keymatic Keyplate Washing !! 
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Post# 866103 , Reply# 42 2/8/2016 at 08:27 (2,993 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
Hi Arthur, glad you enjoyed the thread, they are quite legend in their own right. There are no known coin op fitted versions that we know of and listed in the "Hoover Manuals -
BUT as the French Gas Hoovermatic showed up recently Who Knows !!
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Post# 866105 , Reply# 43 2/8/2016 at 08:34 (2,993 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Sounds of the Hoover Keymatics
Thanks Al, thanks for the info and links, forget how good they all look teogether. yes looking forward to seeing the latest Keymatic by James...another one restored.
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Post# 866107 , Reply# 44 2/8/2016 at 08:56 (2,993 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK) |
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Keymatic In The US?
Several US members in this and other Keymatic posts have commented that Hoover did not sell the Keymatic in the US and Canada. I believe that there are several reasons for this.
Firstly you have to give Hoover the credit for (generally) knowing their market and how to make the most of it. The washer market was already very well catered for by the major players (and indeed by 1961 several of the smaller, earlier manufacturers had either disappeared or were on the way out) and the market was almost entirely top loading washers. As a front loader this would have been very much a niche product, a niche already being very well serviced by the Westinghouse Spacemates which, incidentally, had their own matching tumble dryer. There was no matching dryer for the slant front machines. Aside from the Hoovermatic did Hoover ever manufacture laundry appliances themselves in the US? I know they sold other products, but were these not sourced from other manufacturers? Know your market and how to make the most of it. Secondly, speaking of Westinghouse, although I believe mechanically different from the earlier Westinghouse slant front models, there are a number of conceptual similarities which might also have prevented their introduction into the US on patent grounds. Thirdly as Mike noted above, particularly the early models, are mechanically very complex and we know that they were difficult to service in the field - we have heard stories of how Hoover service agents would keep spare machines that they could swop out with faulty machines so that they could be repair back at their own shop. Bad enough in the UK, but could imagine trying to do this all across the US? You might say, well what about the Hoovermatic which sold for many years in the US? This of course was another niche product, but very different in that it was a product cheap to manufacture and easy to maintain - two things that could never be said about the Keymatic which would have been produced in relatively small numbers - I cannot see how a justification could ever have been produced to warrant the financial investment Hoover would have needed to manufacture in the US. If they had been imported into the US there would, most likely, have been import tariffs too although they would probably not have been the same barrier into Canada. Finally, they would most likely have needed to have made substantial modifications to the machine to sell in the US. Although most machines were hot and cold fill they still conformed pretty much to the European habit of heating the water (at least to some extent) in the early stages of the wash which would most likely necessitate special wiring and, even if they could get over the lack of a heater, timers etc. would have had to be made to run on US voltage. And there was no provision for the use of LCB and other additives so beloved in the USA - in the slant front washers you just chucked the detergent in with the clothes and that was it. And of course they would have taken longer to complete the wash etc. So, whilst I certainly understand the curiosity value to members here, I think to have tried to sell the Keymatic in the US would have been a nightmare from start to finish and Hoover would not have gone near it. Al | ||
| Post# 866177 , Reply# 45 2/8/2016 at 15:39 (2,993 days old) by triumphdolomite (Staffs(UK)) | ||
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Mathew/Mike Thanks for that, I see now how it works, for some reason I was expecting the timeline indicator to come out of the top, hence the question. I'll have to have a look next time. Ian. | ||
| Post# 866449 , Reply# 46 2/10/2016 at 09:45 (2,991 days old) by fido () | ||
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A very interesting thread, thanks to all those who contributed. | ||
| Post# 866845 , Reply# 47 2/12/2016 at 16:42 (2,989 days old) by aquarius1984 (Planet earth) | ||
WOW
what a video!
Thankyou for creating and posting it Mike.. Now are we going to have a remix and a dance track of all the different noises to go with the flashy disco lights?
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Post# 866985 , Reply# 48 2/13/2016 at 11:52 (2,988 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
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Oh good point Mike | ||
| Post# 869601 , Reply# 49 2/28/2016 at 16:00 (2,973 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K) | ||
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Great video Mike! Always a privilege to see them and wonderful that, barring a couple of UK models, there is a representative of each preserved. Hopefully my example will work again one day (it did try, when it was re-energised briefly last year). Paul 
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| Post# 871552 , Reply# 50 3/9/2016 at 15:35 (2,963 days old) by Askodude () | ||
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@above Is that.. your 16002 next to the KM? | ||
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