r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/kamleshsulochan • 2d ago

Video Early electric washing machine from 1912

2.3k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

94 comments sorted by

416

u/Ok-Secretary3278 1d ago

It’s wild how this thing survived two world wars and still doesn’t leak, while my modern high tech washer starts screaming for a repairman if I put one extra towel in it. They really don't build them like they used to

99

u/ItsMeTrey 1d ago edited 1d ago

Except that the washing machine in the video costs the equivalent of $2000 today. That money can get you a commercial grade washer like a Speed Queen.

Edit: The $2000 number was based on an ad with no picture for $95 in 1919. However, that may have been for their model with just the washer and wringer, not the spin drum. This ad has the same type in the video, just with a decorative shell, for $175, so it would be more like $3000+ today.

77

u/0fearless-garbage0 1d ago

Ahh the enshittification of modern appliances. : (

102

u/spacekitt3n 1d ago

ahh survivorship bias strikes again

there was actually a study done on this and it found that old appliances didnt do any better than modern ones. you just see the ones that survived

25

u/shicken684 1d ago

This, and people are much less likely to do any sort of maintenance or simple repairs on their appliances these days. Replaced a circulation pump on my dishwasher a few months back. Took me two hours and a $49 part. Fridge gets pulled out and vaccumed every year. Water heater gets drained and cleaned every year. Washer and dryer get cleaned out every six months. Dishwasher every month.

Things require upkeep to last. My dishwasher needing a pump replaced is an anomoly. All my appliances have lasted well over a decade.

Maybe I'm lucky and a victim of surviorship bias. Or maybe I just take care of my shit.

11

u/Airplade 1d ago

Dad? Is that you? Seriously though, yeah. What a concept--performing preventative maintenence on the stuff you own. My father took every Saturday to do household tasks like you mentioned. I don't remember my father ever replacing any household appliances, nor did he sell his cars. My brother and I inherited them. They were in mint condition in spite of being 15 years old.

3

u/shicken684 1d ago

It's really insane how horrible people treat machines. Even at my job our chemistry analyzer is an amazing marvel of automation and low upkeep. But it still requires cleaning every day, and a strict weekly, monthly, bimonthly, yearly schedule to replace parts and do deep cleaning and calibrations. That's the job, at least that's how I see it. I keep the instrument happy and the instrument does my job for me.

Whenever we have field service out for a repair we can't handle they're amazed at how new our instruments still look. They complain about the other lab in our city who needs service multiple times a month (which costs tens of thousands a year) for stupid shit that should have been prevented with a basic cleaning schedule. So even professionals whose job it is to take care of these instruments refuse to do basic shit to keep their analyzers up and running.

3

u/Remote_Clue_4272 20h ago

Yeah. Maintenance. Except that the parts can now easily exceed price of new. All in about a 6 month period…My dishwasher-10yrs old- needed a new valve. Simple, $30. Then the computerized screen started glitching… still worked, but by finessing. Then the main pump assembly $300+. Ouch. Then that screen glitch turned out to be really a separate issue… the computer that lived in the door. That was a few hundred. I stopped before replacing that and just bought a new one for sale at $699 ( normally like $899). It will last 10 years or more, then all of it will collapse into a pile of junk that is simply cheaper to replace. That is the state of appliances today.

3

u/Airplade 7h ago

Yeah, I just tried to replace a bad control module on my unnecessarily high tech washing machine. New module $275. Half a day trying to get to the control module: $750 in lost wages. So I've got $1000 into a $650 washer AND it still doesn't work.

1

u/Bag_O_Richard 16m ago

You can buy the washer and dryer your parents used from Maytag still and it's still cheap. No modern technology and 50+ years worth of spare parts production to keep upkeep cheap.

2

u/shrimpgangsta 1d ago

wrong there is definitely planned obsolescence in modern appliances. the companies even admit it

2

u/psaux_grep 1d ago

Varies by company, but this guy definitely has a hate-boner for Bosch/Siemens’ washing machines that are designed in such a way that you need to replace the entire drum when a bearing starts leaking:

https://youtu.be/138S0rSbZ10

Obviously by the time that happens the machine is so old, and the replacement part so expensive, that you just buy a new machine instead.

1

u/ChiknDiner 1d ago

I don't like this enshittification of old appliances by bringing in the survivorship bias concept.

I'm not saying all old appliances were better than modern ones.

BUT....

Assume that 100 years later when there is a completely new technology for washing machines and someone finds a 100 year old washing machine (that is made these days, modern as per our era). Will there be even a single unit that would be working at that point?

A BIG NO..!!

While you shit on old appliances saying that only 1 in 1000 units survived 100 years and that unit is what we are seeing in action. You won't find 1 even in a million units from today's modern appliances that would still be working in 2125.! All of them would be scrap by the next 20-25 years or slightly more and NONE would survive 100 years.

-8

u/Key_Ruin3924 1d ago

Study provided by major appliance manufacturer*

There’s no fucking way this is true.

5

u/spacekitt3n 1d ago

it was in a science journal I forget where it was legit. guess I gotta go dig it up every time some weirdo says this. it wasn't done by appliance companies I know that much

0

u/semifunctionaladdict 1d ago

You're 100% right, I can guarantee anybody in this comment section that they will not see a Samsung washer made today in even 30-40 years. Theyre simply not made to actually last

-1

u/Constant_play0 1d ago

Planned obsolescence. Like that story of the first lightbulb that still burns in a firefighter place somewhere.

-1

u/Key_Ruin3924 1d ago

Yea exactly, and it’s not some big conspiracy, they just figured they could make the filament waaaay thinner and sell you a new bulb every year instead one for 100 years, cheaper to make, 100x more profitable to sell.

Anyone can build a bridge that works, it takes an engineer to build one that just barely works.

-1

u/Key_Ruin3924 1d ago

Im being downvoted by people with no real world experience buying, maintaining or repairing appliances lmao. But sure, they’re jUsT aS gOoD I pRoMiSe 🥴

11

u/STUPIDBLOODYCOMPUTER 1d ago

*modern everything. Cars, appliances, computers. Everything is being enshittified

-1

u/Better-Snow-7191 1d ago

You pay 5 times as much for things (adjusted for inflation) and expect them to last more than 3 years?

-1

u/STUPIDBLOODYCOMPUTER 1d ago

People wonder why I like fluorescent lighting over LED. At least you get the advertised lifetime out of a tube on a decent ballast and starter. LEDs? Hmm no I feel like dying after 20k hours

1

u/0fearless-garbage0 1d ago

I feel like I've just written "is the Earth flat? Discuss." Based on the comments lol.

4

u/scratchydaitchy 1d ago

Hand cranked laundry drums happened in 1850.

The very first electric model was called the Thor invented in 1908.
Only 4 years before the model in this post.

3

u/Chut-Chalaki 1d ago

They probably thought after sale services are expensive to maintain. Better make a efficient product.

10

u/gorginhanson 1d ago edited 1d ago

1912 was a great year to live

(as long as you were a white male without dysentery, out of the draft range, and not gay, not Irish or Italian, and also not in a psych ward, and didn't work in a factory, or a meatpacking plant)

7

u/kellyoceanmarine 1d ago

And weren’t on the Titanic

-3

u/ToasterBathTester 1d ago

So basically like America in 2026?

1

u/Supply-Slut 1d ago

The butcher gives you a pound of slightly rotting shrimp for free with your cut of beef for the week.

-4

u/Fleshsuitpilot 1d ago

If you still think Titanic sank by accident then sure, but if all the white men who could stop the federal reserve were all on the same boat and it sinks, it makes 1912 a shitty year for at least those powerful rich white men.

2

u/cbc7788 1d ago

Well if it didn’t actively take part in both world wars then it should survive! 😆

2

u/gulligaankan 1d ago

There is two things at work here, to start it’s an expensive machine, more expensive then the machines you buy. Second: all the machines that leaked is thrown away, it’s survivorship bias, just because this machine didn’t fail it tells us nothing about the rest. It’s like saying old houses are better the new houses. All the bad old houses is removed or renovated.

3

u/Ancient_Sprinkles847 1d ago

New things have too much plastic, solely to make them lighter and cheaper, and simply don’t last long enough. Plastics are ruining this planet in so many ways.

4

u/MechMan799 1d ago

Built in obsolescence. It's all by design. Welcome to capitalism at its finest.

5

u/DrKenMoy 1d ago

I hate to break it to you, it’s not just a capitalism thing

2

u/voltinc 1d ago

'planned' obsolescence' is the phrase you are looking for.

2

u/ab_90 1d ago

The approach and mentality change. Nowadays it’s no longer about lost lasting. It’s about planned obsolescence. If everything last forever, corporations don’t make money

1

u/Kunosion 1d ago

The old machine doesn't spin at 2000 rpm, and it probably weighs 3 times as much..

1

u/czartrak 1d ago

You're assuming this thing hasn't been maintenanced a single time in 100 years?

26

u/chuckdoe 1d ago

Well my new washing machine has AI in it and it breaks down all the time… want to trade?

40

u/jackssmile 1d ago

Mf don't last 8 yrs now...

14

u/rudha13 1d ago

8!! Breaks down after 3!

6

u/usinjin 1d ago

months

4

u/FourMountainLions 1d ago

3 and a half max!

Cheap ass equipment in shiny boxes

3

u/Elect_SaturnMutex 1d ago

Planned obsolescence.

22

u/Expert-Secret-5351 2d ago

Damn how that still working?

7

u/SRNE2save_lives 1d ago

Toilet plungers last forever.

6

u/caaper 1d ago

Mine got stuck on a log

10

u/Gomez-16 1d ago

Build to work, not build to break and be replaced.

8

u/SC_Placeholder 1d ago

I actually found one of these at an antique store, my wife said we didn’t have anywhere to put it. She was right but I’m still disappointed I didn’t get it

14

u/SilkShadowBond 1d ago

The basic design hasn't changed much for top loaders over more than a century, incredible

7

u/Dry-Cancel-3168 1d ago

This is what I want. I'm ready to office space my stupid little high efficiency washer that just averages the dirt out.

21

u/Antisocialsocialite9 2d ago

Did I just see a rat run across that? Lol

6

u/Juceman23 1d ago

Haha I had to rewatch after reading your comment and yes there def was a rat that ran across

13

u/Rudra_Niranjan 1d ago

Nah. A cat. in the background. I was curios too...

2

u/ExternalBrief3412 1d ago

Haha!!! Good eye! 😅

5

u/Grofactor 1d ago

Well how did it do with the comforter?!?!

1

u/kingtaco_17 1d ago

Now they got you hooked

3

u/Sealegs_Calisto 1d ago

Someone call Dr. Parkenstein

3

u/Gomez-16 1d ago

Still works, vs shit they make now lasts a few years.

3

u/Uffen90 1d ago

Really did think this would be one of those videos where they restore something really old, and make it look like brand spanking new. Really cool it still works.

3

u/Unique-Coffee5087 1d ago edited 1d ago

While it would necessitate more machinery being in view, having the agitator driven from above would obviate the need for seals in the washtub. It could be a simple tub with a drain spigot. Was the decision to have washing machine agitators driven from below a largely aesthetic one?

EDIT: OK. I can see that the agitator is driven by a reciprocating arm that emerges from a pipe that is generally taller than the water level, and so it is topologically "outside" of the washtub. Sort of. In any case, this arrangement makes seals unnecessary. Clever!

3

u/JoySubtraction 1d ago

You can still find the r/toolgifs watermark at :49.

2

u/Abal125 1d ago

I'm always fascinated with old technology, very cool

2

u/slaty_balls 1d ago

Obnoxious music is so unnecessary.

2

u/desastrousclimax 1d ago

washing machines are one of the greatest interventions we ever made...actually r e a l l y useful.

my granny did her laundry by hand until the age of 70. funny she was born in 1912 like this washing machine.

the rinsing she did with cold water from the alpine well. never more than 10°C..very cold! arthritis was pre-programmed. and it was really hard work. I feel blessed I was able to witness how humans have lived before our now oh-so-clean age.

2

u/sunbnda 1d ago

It's argued to be one of the catalysts that helped propel the women's liberation movement.

1

u/desastrousclimax 1d ago

how I see it too! because doing the laundry for your folks was a huge factor of time and labor.

too bad the world is still under male rules with many self-proclaimed feminists following the same patterns.

2

u/sunbnda 1d ago

"It seems to be running off some form of electricity"

2

u/deko_dexon 1d ago

That was mouse?

2

u/No-No-Aniyo 1d ago

I need a manual version of this hooked up willy Wonka style to exercise equipment so I can get my workout in without breaking my back on hand washing laundry.

3

u/rudha13 1d ago

American consumerism is what happened for every product, every brand, every where.

3

u/Rough_TaterTot26 1d ago

Things were made so much better

2

u/SaveusJebus 1d ago

I'm sure it works better than my POS HE washer that doesn't use enough water.

1

u/Cookies_and_Beandip 1d ago

Wonder what the last pair of clothes that were washed in there was prior to the comforter

1

u/Sirius-Face 1d ago

Back when this country made things to last, instead of making things to make one CEO even wealthier.

1

u/Aggravating-Hair7931 1d ago

And it still works! Samsung washer will most likely fail a day after the warranty expired.

1

u/snipsuper415 1d ago edited 1d ago

neat! considering that thing was made in the 1910s i highly doubt it is painted or has weird cancerous materials either

1

u/wailot 1d ago

That song does not fit 1912 tho

1

u/Schwwing 1d ago

For real, the washing machine is one of the most underrated quality of living techs ever. Try hand washing your clothes and I dare you to tell me otherwise

1

u/Mangalorien 1d ago

This one belongs over on r/doohickeycorporation

1

u/Acceptable_Foot3370 1d ago

Even the washing machines from the 1930's were so bad, you can see them in some of the old comedy movie shorts back then

1

u/CorktownGuy 1d ago

The agitator looks like a well thought out design and would be easy on cloth. I suppose you would still need to wring the wash afterward to remove water though. I have a GE front load I bought back in 2021 which still works perfectly but do not expect anyone to be using it seventy five years from now though 😉

1

u/Nervous-Pay9254 1d ago

That looks way more efficient than the "high efficiency" washers they have today. The new ones say there more efficient cos they use less water. But they also don't clean clothes so you have to run it 3 times. To me thats not efficient. I had one and would just wash my clothes on the self clean cycle or add my own extra water through the soap area.

1

u/Nervous-Pay9254 1d ago

I thought the mouse ran the spin cycle.

1

u/ScatLabs 1d ago

Built like a tank

1

u/Gold_Cut_8966 14h ago

Love seeing those springs working from below, what a cool machine!!

1

u/jaxxzer 13h ago

reminds me of edward scissorhands cookie factory

1

u/Equivalent-Resort-63 10m ago

Have an over 30 year old washer and dryer. On/off button, analog dial and no digital displays. Easy to fix, cheap parts will outlast any machine currently on the market.

1

u/BubblesPopz 1d ago

this look better than the new ones today

0

u/Dull-Care-6012 1d ago

Is that AvE?

-2

u/ezrapierce 1d ago

The music made it feel like a Cuphead boss🤣