Jack wrote:
Seerialmom wrote:
Jack wrote:
Doc wrote:
I'm probably going to have to get another washing machine since my ancient
Hotpoint has munched a seal and lubricant is leaking out.

A local appliance shop has a number of refurb'd top loader washers of
various brands - Roper, Maytag, Kenmore, Kitchenaide, Whirlpool, RCA, GE.
The ones they had on display ranged from decent in appearance to virtually
new looking. Supposedly they've all been gone through. Probably ranging from
5 - 20 years old. Those that had model names visible were Kitchenaide Quiet
Care, Superba. Kenmore Quiet Pak Plus. Whirlpool Ultimate Care Heavy Duty.

What's a good older brand or line within a brand that's known for tough,
dependable construction and also being repair friendly? Any to definitely
avoid? Any features that I should look for? I tend to go for simple, on the
theory that there's less to go wrong.

Thanks for all input.


Of older models I would pick the Maytag, It has the fewer moving parts
than any I know of. Primarily its operation is based on its reversable
motor. Motor turns one direction it washes, motor turns oposite
direction it spins dry. No solenoids or gear shifts, just a motor and
drive shaft..I had a 1950 model that washed weekly for 41 years before
it gave any trouble. Hard to beat that.

41 years!!! Did you enter it into any sweepstakes like "the oldest
appliance still running" where you get a whole new kitchen or sumpin?

No because I knew of some Maytags still going that were older. Heck
today I toast my bread in a two slice ToastMaster that was put in
service in May of 1941 and has toasted an average of two slices
practically everyday since. How many loaves is that? It still looks
new and does a perfect job. But there are older out there.

That makes my 60's era Sunbeam self-lowering toaster a teenager then!
Yours will likely outlast 100's of $10 toasters out there.

Jack wrote:

Of older models I would pick the Maytag, It has the fewer moving parts
than any I know of. Primarily its operation is based on its reversable
motor. Motor turns one direction it washes, motor turns oposite
direction it spins dry. No solenoids or gear shifts, just a motor and
drive shaft..I had a 1950 model that washed weekly for 41 years before
it gave any trouble. Hard to beat that.

The old Maytags were good. You might look around for one like this


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BsDkGNxWOA

C. Massey wrote:
"Mike T." wrote in message
reenews.net...
Kenmore IS the Sears BRAND even though it is manufactured by someone
else.


If you like Kenmore, that's great. To call Kenmore a brand however, is
(at worst) a bald-faced lie, and at best very misleading. To say that
Kenmore is a brand of appliances is like saying that "Geo" was a brand of
automobiles. If I tore off all the Ford emblems and stuck a "Mikey"
sticker on my car, would that mean that my car was Mikey brand??? Heck
no. That's why it's ridiculous to state that Kenmore is a brand of
appliances. For about the thousandth time, there is no company called
"Kenmore" that manufactures appliances. Never was, probably never will
be. -Dave


I never said that there was a company named Kenmore, did I?

OK... I'll bite... Why wasn't Geo a "brand"?


they, like kenmore, is/was a conglometation of different things made by
different companies and sold under one "brand name".

the geo metro was a rebadged suzuki sprint
the geo prism was a rebadged toyota corolla
the geo tracker? a suzuki sidekick
geo storm? isuzu impulse

Seerialmom wrote:
So using your line of thought; my Chevy Luv wasn't "really" a Chevy

bingo! and the ford courier was made by mazda. the dodge D50 was built
by mitsubishi.

now, the tables are turned, and the mazda, isuzu, and mitsu trucks are
now rebadged AMERICAN vehicles! what a crazy flip-flop.

toyota and nissan still make their own "small" trucks, but small is a
relative term now.

SoCalMike wrote:
Seerialmom wrote:
So using your line of thought; my Chevy Luv wasn't "really" a Chevy

bingo! and the ford courier was made by mazda. the dodge D50 was built
by mitsubishi.

now, the tables are turned, and the mazda, isuzu, and mitsu trucks are
now rebadged AMERICAN vehicles! what a crazy flip-flop.

toyota and nissan still make their own "small" trucks, but small is a
relative term now.

That's probably why I bought a Ford "Festiva" (a Mazda/Kia/Ford
venture) and before that a Ford "Fiesta" (the US one that was here from
77-81 I believe, not sure what that was actually...thought it might be
an Audi though); I knew they weren't really Fords. I do think a
company should think long and hard before they put their name on a
product they don't produce; it could lessen the value of that brand if
they put the name on anything and everything (Sunbeam...are you
listening...you don't make wooden spoons!).

On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 10:09:22 -0400, "Mike T." wrote:

Kenmore IS the Sears BRAND even though it is manufactured by someone else.

If you like Kenmore, that's great. To call Kenmore a brand however, is (at
worst) a bald-faced lie, and at best very misleading. To say that Kenmore
is a brand of appliances is like saying that "Geo" was a brand of
automobiles. If I tore off all the Ford emblems and stuck a "Mikey" sticker
on my car, would that mean that my car was Mikey brand??? Heck no. That's
why it's ridiculous to state that Kenmore is a brand of appliances. For
about the thousandth time, there is no company called "Kenmore" that
manufactures appliances. Never was, probably never will be. -Dave

Yes, Mike is right. Think about the Craftsman name for example. Just
today I bought a pair of 1/2 hp electric garage door openers at Sears
with the Craftsman label. There IS NO CRAFTSMAN COMPANY that actually
manufactures these machines! Chamberlain makes them, but their name
is not on the label.

The BRAND that you talk about is actually irrelevant in this
discussion because the OP was asking about manufacturers. Kenmore is
not an appliance manufacturer: Whirlpool and Kitchenaid and who knows
who else makes their appliances. So, learn who makes the specific
Kenmore models you're interested in.

KLS wrote:

So, learn who makes the specific
Kenmore models you're interested in.

Actually, the brand does have some bearning. When Sears goes to whomever for a
Kenmore washer, they specify the features and price. The manufacturer decides
whether they will substitute a plastic part for a metal part. So even if
Whilrpool makes it, it may not be to the same quality as their own brand.

KLS wrote:

Think about the Craftsman name for example. Just
today I bought a pair of 1/2 hp electric garage door openers at Sears
with the Craftsman label. There IS NO CRAFTSMAN COMPANY that actually
manufactures these machines! Chamberlain makes them, but their name
is not on the label.

It was always that way with every single Sears-branded product they
sold. Moreover, the actual manufacturer, who built the product to meet
Sears' specifications, varied from year to year, presumably based on price.

When I worked there (1958-1960) their towels were made by Fieldcrest and
Martex, both respectable manufacturers.

The BRAND that you talk about is actually irrelevant in this
discussion because the OP was asking about manufacturers. Kenmore is
not an appliance manufacturer: Whirlpool and Kitchenaid and who knows
who else makes their appliances. So, learn who makes the specific
Kenmore models you're interested in.

And Whirlpool probably outsources their stuff to Taiwan or Bangladesh or
Myanmar.

--
Cheers, Bev
===================================
New sig on order, watch this space.

In article ,
Stubby wrote:

My old, low-end Maytag washer and drier have been going strong since
1996. BUT Maytag is a different company these days and I would not buy
their products today.


I concur, my old Maytag washer lasted 24 yrs with one repair which I did
myself for $70 in parts.
--
Chainyanker