Vintage let's say. :)

Pffft spent almost £600 on a hotpoint washer/dryer combi in 2008, it was gone within 3 years. A right PoS it was.

We replaced it with two beko washer and dryer for around 300 for the pair, and they are still ticking along. Doing at least 4 loads a day.

The dryer doesn’t get used much in the warm months, but October through March it drys almost all out washing.

We did try a winter without a dryer, but the house looked like a Chinese laundry for the whole winter.

I wonder if out cheapo beko stuff will last 70 years? Lol

I’ll updated this thread  in 2081. Maybe not given its doubtful I’ll make it, never mind the washer

Until around 1961, my mam had only 2 Dolly tubs, a scrubbing board and a boiler flued into the main coal fireplace and oven, for hot water. By the time I came back from my first trip as a Junior Deckhand in 1962, she had moved up to a machine. Powered by a handle on the top, which my dad brought back from the Co Op in a wheelbarrow, thus saving 5 shillings on delivery. ?? When she used the machine, she still had to wrestle it out from the toilet under the stairs and fill it with hot water from the boiler. If I was at home, I would drag that monster out for her, but mam was a hard woman who could do it perfectly well herself. Later still, dad spotted a second-hand ‘Thor’ electric machine in a Mansfield paper, then got my brother to bring it back in the boot of his Vauxhall Cresta, tied on with rope. How the springs did not break is a mystery! That was heavier than the old muscle-powered monster, with a mangle on top. Eventually I bought her a Hotpoint automatic, which she had for years. When they moved into a flat, I bought her another Auto, a Bendix I think. She promptly opened the door while it was full and flooded the kitchen of the (brand new) flat. That is not possible now of course, as there are locks against a full washer.

We have had an Indesit 8 Kg model, which, I was surprised to discover, is now 11 years old and still going strong* despite our hard water and SWMBO’s curses at it. I know, 8 Kg for 2 of us: wife was not convinced that one grandson, a son and his two, can do their own washing. I have disabused her of one load, but grandson gets his done by grandma. That will change when grandma goes for her new hip, as grandad will make grandson use his almost unused 2yo machine.

*Hope I haven’t jinxed our washer…

The Duke wrote:

I went for a hotpoint, as growing up everyone I knew had the cream and brown one they did, including my mum. They lasted forever. Sadly the grey one we got never. My great nan, still had her twin tub untill her death in about 1990. I have no idea how she got it out the pantry and to her sink. She was a tiny woman.

That generation were all stronger than they looked Steve. Probably born about the same time as my mam (1906) lived through 2 World Wars and lives that were all hard work for little reward. I know that, until my mam was almost 70, she could still lift and carry stuff that some men today would ask for help with. Dad was badly injured at 59 in the pit and did not work for almost 2 years. Mam had not worked since before marriage in 1926, but she went straight out and found 2 cleaning jobs. I was in the Army by then and sending money home.

My gran (born 1878) was mother of 13, died 13 years after granddad and was in a Sanatorium bed when I last saw her alive. Dad said something she did not like, she smacked him upside the head! 89 and still dishing it out, in her last 2 weeks of life. Amazing old lass, I loved her to bits but I was careful what I said in her presence.

Tough generations.

Mum had insurance on her old oven, well worth the money then. To my knowledge over 2 years the bloke came out 28 times.

After the first few visits she knew how he took his tea, what the result was going to be and the parts were on order before he set foot in the house. The manufacturers would not accept there was a fault with the igniter, even though it probably cost them 8. times the cost of the oven in repairs. (The insurance was their own scheme).

When I heard how crap it was I got in touch with them and applied some pressure, after lots of faffing about there was a £300 discretionary payment and £200 irf they agreed to cancel the insurance and allow the oven to be removed. A new one was offered for £1.2k. Go forth and multiply was heard.

The oven they have now cost £350, from a neighbour who has a kitchen/bedroom showroom, ex display but with a full 3 year warranty. Hasn’t missed a beat.  No insurance on that, not worth it for the money.

3 years ago, my lad stripped and repaired a Hotpoint washer that was 4 months out of warranty, for a mate of mine. He is now doing a roaring trade in taking on otherwise ” dead and dying” appliances for various folk. “Xxxxxx says you fixed his washer/dryer/cooker/w.h.y. Can you have a look at this?”

He always passes the advice I gave him: if I have to strip it and it’s not repairable, it’s down to you and you have to be able to take it back. I don’t think he has failed yet, but a lot of that is having a very good ex-schoolmate back in Notts, who runs a Domestic Spares business and gives him cost price. He also has a shelf full of manuals from the same source. Latest appliance in his self-built Shed No.3, is an old monster Maytag dishwasher, for a Mablethorpe restaurant. He is looking forward to some free meals…

Word gets around here, it’s amazing. Everybody knows somebody who can carry out a service of some kind. People like the RNLI guys, all have at least 3 jobs and know others with 3 more.