|
Thread Number: 95606
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
POD March 31, 2024 White Westinghouse FL |
[Down to Last] |  |
|
Post# 1202541 , Reply# 2 3/31/2024 at 18:35 by Launderess  (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
||
Not for want of trying from likes of Bendix, Westinghouse and others, but H-axis (front loading) washers just never caught on in USA. They remained a niche market even after European washers appeared in USA back in 1980's (or was it 1990's).
Even then many including Consumer Reports panned front loading washers for many reasons. Having to bend to load and unload. Requiring special (low foam) laundry detergents. Tendency to go walkabout or bang, clang when spinning. This and or needing to be installed on solid/stable flooring. Tendency for some front loaders to tangle loads into knots. IIRC Westinghouse washers got nicknamed "the rope makers" Even Ms. Betty Furness in all her high heeled and girdled glory couldn't shift many minds. | ||
|
Post# 1202542 , Reply# 3 3/31/2024 at 18:38 by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
||
|
In end it was just Westinghouse, soon to be White-Westinghouse that kept up producing front loaders for USA market. This was a shame as W-W began to take money out of their machines and seemingly innovation ended.
When Maytag launched their Neptune front loaders they touted themselves as being first to bring h-axis washers to USA market. IIRC one or more members of group set Maytag straight on that score. | ||
|
Post# 1202548 , Reply# 5 3/31/2024 at 20:12 by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.) |
||
My Aunt had a set of Westy Slant fronts she bought in ‘55 and used daily of 9 years without ANY repairs and sold them with the home ‘64. She always used either All, Dash or Salvo. She had three kids and did laundry several times a week. Watching those machines is what got me hooked on washers.
We bought a new set of White Westinghouse FL’s in ‘87 and used them for 7 trouble free years and also sold them with the home when we moved in ‘94. I never had any problems with tangling and really loved that WD set. They could handle any large kingsize bedding and never failed to go into a well balanced spin every time. I remember CU giving them a bad rap and couldn’t understand why. Frankly, if they still made FL’s like those Westinghouse machines I’d still have one. I don’t like the new FL’s at ALL. Cycle times take too long, have a mind of their own about whether to go into a spin or not and they don’t use enough water IMO. The last good domestic FL’s IMO were the Frigidaire FL’s that came out in the late 80’s early 90’s and the Maytag Neptunes. I had an LG FL in 2015 for about 6-8 mo. and was never so happy to see a washer being carrying out of my front door. What a POS. There were certain things that I just couldn’t wash in them because that machine REFUSED to go into a spin and I had to go to the laundromat to wash them. And I’m not talking about big comforters, but merely a set of heavy bath towels from Restoration Hardware or bath room throw rugs. My current BOL Roper TL washes and spins these towels and bathroom rugs with NO problems at all, always goes into a well balanced spin without any hesitation. Eddie This post was last edited 03/31/2024 at 20:27 | ||
|
Post# 1202549 , Reply# 6 3/31/2024 at 20:44 by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
||
Picture of the day white Westinghouse front load washer
Yes, it’s too bad. There was only one manufacturer making them in the end and when you only have one, you just don’t generate a lot of interest in the product. It’s just like throughout the 70s only Amana made a bottom freezer refrigerator and as a result a small but steady number of people bought them, but they just wasn’t a lot of interest.
Westinghouse had a huge market because they were the only full-size stackable washer dryer alternative thousands and thousands were sold for condominiums and apartment buildings, Frigidaire continued to build the same size washer till 2011. They were absolutely stupid to go with the supersize machines only they threw away tons of replacement business, now we’re pulling out all these white Westinghouse deck and having to put in Chinese 24 inch GE machines Frigidaire threw it all away stupid marketing. Hi,Launderess in reply number two you missed the mark on a lot of points. These Westinghouse washers never had a problem with vibration unless there was something wrong with the particular machine, they were never rated poorly in cleaning. In fact, consumer reports top rated the white Westinghouse front loaders in the early 90s After 1959 there was no tendency to tangle whatsoever in Westinghouse front load washers. The early slant front machines tangled terribly. That is true. Reliability was never great after 1959 the early Westinghouse slant front ones actually had pretty good reliability if you look back in the durability surveys about 1960 and consumer reports , they went downhill and reliability from there although they were easy to repair and they were great machines for do it yourselfers. John | ||
|
Post# 1202563 , Reply# 7 3/31/2024 at 23:01 by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA) |
||
In my part of the country...
Many people either "worked for" or "were an engineer" for Westinghouse and could get discounts on their appliances. Almost all of them chose the WH top loader. Even one neighbor who had a matching front loader set replaced the washer with a WH top loader. The front loaders were more expensive. My aunt always had a WH front loader, one from the 50's and another from early 70s, she replaced it with a Whirlpool in the 90s because the Westinghouse "leaked and attracts ants". My sister still has the Whirlpool DD, I named "Walter" after replacing several parts but after 30 years I wonder how long it will last. In case you wonder, Westinghouse and Kenmore were the 2 appliances brands in Pittsburgh, it was when we went on vacations in other parts of the country I saw Maytag, Frigidaire, even GE for laundry. Even Whirlpools were few and far between.
| ||
| Forum Index: |
| Other Forums: |
|
|
|
|
|
Comes to the Rescue!
