Why no love for this GE roundie ?

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Old Moto Nut

I agree there were some GE chassis that weren't so good, like the JA and QA. But, the KE's were good sets. So were the KC's. I always thought the early H sets were really good at the time and for the money. I mean, they were pretty reliable and didn't need much adjustments, and were cheap for a color set in 1966. You couldn't say those things about a roundy set a few years earlier. Sure, by the 70's there were much better portables, but GE kept cranking them out. All manufacturers made gems and lemons in their history.

BUT, I don't remember people believing GE sets were bad in general. It wasn't until I started reading posts on here that I ran across anybody generalizing them that way, and from one person in particular.

What I can generalize about GE consoles is that they had two problems: cabinets and pictures. GE cabinets were nothing special, and they were one of the first to adopt laminated particle boards. I remember when a GE console would come into our family's store and it would be put next to a Motorola set with a Drexel cabinet, there was no comparison. When you'd turn the GE on and look at the picture next to a Sylvania, again there was no comparison. The GE's usually had to sell for $50-100 cheaper to make them competitive. HOWEVER, the Motorola and the Sylvania sets were more likely to be back in the shop getting fixed before the GE would. And, the GE CRT's lasted longer too.

I'm colorblind and my eyesight's not the greatest, so personally I never minded the softer picture and colors of GE's. That's what kept me out of the electronics business, I couldn't read resistor codes or wiring colors. My granddad said I'd never make it because I took too much time having to rely on schematics and tracing to fix stuff. By 1980 my dad had moved on to a different business and my granddad sold out, so I wasn't around much newer GE stuff.

I wonder who that one person is?
BTW, I have several GE sets in my collection. Three Porta Colors, An HD and two HE2's.
A great working 9", made by Samsung and three 5" portable, undercabinet color sets, I think, made by Samsung. Plus a few Portsmouth built sets.
So, I'm not a complete stranger to GE products.