What Kind of Washing Machine is This?

There are all kinds of washing machines being used that are either top load washing machines or front load washing machines. If you can see the tiny picture to your left, what kind of washing machine is that? It's a top load washing machine that shouldn't even be sold anymore, but it is.

Old-Style Japanese Washing Machines

I saw the kind you can see in the picture when I was stationed and living in Japan back in the 1980s. I thought they went the way of the dinosaur until I moved to the Philippines in 2006.

They still sell them in Japan, but they don't sell them like they used to. Most of the Japanese people use washing machines similar to those sold and used in the US.

The old-style Japanese washing machines being sold and used in the Philippines are actually made in Korea. They're cheap, usually costing less than $100 (in US dollars) or between 4000 and 5000 pesos. They come in all sizes, from a 4-kilogram capacity to a 10-kilogram capacity. The more they hold, the more they cost.

My older son bought a 4-kilogram washing machine for one of my brothers-in-law in 2006 for 4000 pesos and it's already worn out and non-functioning. When it comes to washing machines, you really do get what you pay for.

On a side note, some people seem to think that the rinse section, when separate from the washing section, is called a dryer – a washer and dryer combination. Don't ask me why because I have no clue.

Washing Machine Brands

If you live in the US, and even in some other countries, you've probably heard of the various brand names used in the US. I'm sure you've heard of Hotpoint washing machines (at the low end of the cost spectrum) and Maytag washing machines (at the high end of the cost spectrum). These are consumer-level washing machines we should all be familiar with, but have you ever heard of a Camel washing machine?

My brother-in-law has a Korean-made, Japanese-style washing machine with the same logo as you see on Camel cigarettes. I'm quite sure the cigarette manufacturer doesn't make washing machines. If washing machines with "borrowed" trademarks were being made in the US, they'd be sued into oblivion. When they're made in other countries, US trademarks don't have the same kind of protections they enjoy in the US.

These cheap washing machines have one compartment for washing and another compartment for rinsing and spinning. The clothing has to be moved, by hand, from one compartment to the other. Don't even ask about dryers. Almost everything in the Philippines is hung up for drying.

Observations

When I was young and living in Arizona, my mother and older sisters used a washing machine that included a tub and device above it that squeezed the water from the clothing. Clothing that had to be hung-dry on clotheslines. Every weekend, you could see clothing hanging on those lines, from small baby clothes (for my younger siblings) to plus size clothing (for my oldest sister who was quite a bit larger than normal and still is to this day).

I don't remember when my parents bought their first completely automatic washing machine, but commercial washing machines were fully automatic for years before they bought one for the home. The delay was probably due to finances since my parents had nine children. Don't laugh, that was normal in the 1950s and 1960s.

My parents have always had top load washing machines. Since I've been married, my own family has always had top loading washing machines, until we moved to the Philippines. Our washing machine right now is a brother-in-law's wife, who washes them by hand. We're in this situation until we finish our laundry room and buy an American-style washing machine along with an American-style dryer.

I've taken two trips back to the US since moving to the Philippines and I had to go to laundromats to do my laundry while I was there. One thing I noticed is that the average industrial washing machine is changing from a top load washing machine to a front load washing machine with a much higher capacity. After I did a cursory search on the net for washing machines, it appears that consumer-level washing machines are going along the same path. Dryers have always (as far as I can remember) been front loading. It makes sense to have the washing machines and dryers open in the same ways since they're usually sold in pairs.

Plans

After our laundry room is built, I and the wife plan to put in an American-style washing machine and dryer combination. The electrical outlets and plumbing connections are already in place. The drain will be added, which will empty into the creek next to the property, just before the flooring is put into place.

I've already looked at the washing machines in the local appliance stores and the only American brand I can find are the Whirlpool washing machines. While that brand isn't the most expensive brand in the US, it isn't the cheapest either. When my wife returns, and it looks like it will be in May now, we'll be shopping around in other places to see if we can find other brands like LG washing machines or Samsung washing machines (the American-style versions).

Until we find what we want, we'll have to continue to use our current washing machine — a bilas who washes our clothing by hand. Don't worry. She gets paid to do it.

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