Advice on purchasing a new Duet

[kenmore58]

HELP! My partner Eric has decided it's time to purchase a new washing machine. He's got his eye on the Whirlpool Duet, but doesn't know whether to get the standard model or the more expensive fancier model.

Any input on which model to purchase and/or the Duet in general would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ron

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: My Opinion:

Hi! Ron and Eric, 1st of all, what Brand{s} are the Washer and Dryer in question and how old are they that are being looked into possibly being replaced?

What would be your necessary needs/wants of Features on the replacement Washer and Dryer?

I would think about what the needs/wants are of Features and then go from there.

Ron, what is your opinion of replacement, given your collecting background, if any?

Good Luck with what you end up doing/getting, let us all know what you work out.

Peace and keep the Vintage Laundry going, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[kenmore58]

Steve,

Thanks for the reply. The washer being replaced is aproximately 20 years old. It is a Hotpoint from the '80's. It recently developed a problem where it would not stop filling up after beginning to agitate, sometimes. So, he is now setting a timer for 20 minutes which brings him to the rinse cycle and he runs downstairs to check it. Plus, although he shares my vintage appliance admiration, he needs a new machine to use every day.

Perhaps a small vintage appliance collection will happen in the future. Anyway, he's pretty much hooked on the Duet. Just looking for comments for or against on that machine or any other input as well.

Ron

 

[harry]

Duet Washer/Dryet

Just purchased the Duet duet. The washer and dryer with all the bells and whistle. Fantastic units. Stacked in the same space as the washer/dryer I removed. Space was important, I have little to spare in my house. Very happy with the gas dryer, completes a load of 15 or so bath towels in about 30 min. Nice units.
Harry

 

[frigilux]

Ron---I've been looking at purchasing a new Duet, too. After a lot of consideration, I like the TOL 9400 the best, mainly because it has a 1200 rpm spin speed. (The 9300 and 9150 have 1000, which is certainly not bad, but my Frigidaire spins at nearly that I want to step up.)

The 9400 and 9300 have built-in water heaters if that's an attraction for you.

The 9400 lists at $1399, the 9300 at $1199 and the 9150 at $999.

My nephew and his wife have the 9150 on pedestals and they love them!

Let us know which one you wind up getting. I think you've made a wise choice going with the Duet.

 

[frigilux]

Here are lists of features for the three big Duets. Notice that the 9400 also has auto-advance prewash and soak cycles. Another selling point for me. And you'll be able to find them cheaper than the list prices I mentioned in my last post. Happy shopping!

 

[frigilux]

Here are the 9300's features:

 

[frigilux]

And finally, the 9150's features:

 

[kenmore58]

Hey Frigilux,

Thanks for all the info. Eric can spend some time perusing all the info. and making his final decision.

Since Eric and I are back together (and I didn't splash bleach all over this clothes -- ha, ha), I guess we'll go together to pick the machine out for him.

I'll keep you posted.

Ron

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Hotpoint Washer:

Hey! Ron, I'm assuming that the Washer does have a Pressure Fill, instead of a Timed Fill. Have you by chance checked the Water Valve? It might just need to have the Screens cleaned out and possibly behind the Water control Rubber Stopper inside, that is operated by the Solenoids. If anything, you could if necessary replace the Water Valve.

Hopefully you are going to keep the Hotpoint Washer, if not at least offer it to someone in the Club.

As indicated before, whatever your needs are of Features, I would certainly go with a Duet Set, or the Kenmore "Hetty's" in whichever Models have the Features I would be looking for.

Good Luck with both the new Washer & Dryer and Vintage Washer Repair.

Peace and Great Duet/Hetty Laundry Cleaning, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[westtexman]

Not to be an elitist . .

But I would recommend getting the 9400. I believe that the internal heater is essential to good cleaning in a FL machine. I no longer have to use Chlorine Bleach to get my whites white. My clothes last longer, they look better and I feel like they are MUCH cleaner. Just one man's opinion here.

Bryan

 

[appnut]

Ron, I totally agree with Bryan. A front loader with the supplemental heater is the only way to go. The sanitary cycle heats water to 153 degrees and with y'all up north, helps during the4 winter with the cooler environment of the house (which impacts component temps as well as water temps being a bit unstable, despite auto temp control too. How far away is the water heater from the washer? Bob

 

[gansky1]

I have the non-heater model that I found a sales-war price on a couple of years ago. I love it and although the heater would be nice at times, I really don't miss it all that much. I paid $619.88 for my washer and $449.88 for the Duet gas dryer - the set for the regular retail price of the washer alone. There have been times I've wished for a couple more options here and there, but for that price, I'm a very willing dial-pusher to get the cycles I need!

 

[frigilux]

Wow, you got that pair at an amazing price, Greg. I would have snatched that up, too. I wouldn't miss an internal water heater because I'm washing everything in temp-controlled cold water these days. Besides, I've had FL'ers without a heater for YEARS and always had excellent cleaning results. I keep my water heater at 140-degrees, so it's plenty hot on its own.

 

[appnut]

Greg keeps his at 160 and it's right next to this washer. Not everyone can be "extravagant" with their water heater settings.

 

[gansky1]

Ohhhhhhhh, don't get me started on that POS Whirlpool water heater!

 

[frigilux]

Oh, come ON, Greg! You can't leave us hanging with a teaser like that. Tell us all about your POS Whirlpool water heater.

 

[lightedcontrols]

My Advice....

Don't.

 

[bobofhollywood]

kenmore elites - whirlpool duets

I have a pair of kenmore elite, which are just like the whirlpool duets..and although i love them..they're fussy.

They almost always run longer than they estimate they're goin' to, and I've already had to replace the water pump on mine, even though it's not even 4 years old yet.

I do love the built in water heater. And, I think that the cleaning ability of these machines is hard to beat.

Also...please be careful only to take advise from folks who have actual experience with the appliances you're asking about..and not somebody who just guesses and conjectures about every post he sees..and you know who I mean.

That kind of superflous blah blah blah is really not the kind of advice you're seeking.

Holla from Hollywood.

Bob

 

[bajaespuma]

Consider LG

If I were you, I'd wait until Miele sell its new large capacity FL in the US. You want the highest spin speed possible and a machine that heats its own water should run on 220V not on 120V. It's more energy efficient and doesn't take all day to do a load.

If you have to buy something right now I would consider LG. I really like mine. I've had it for 2 years; it's convenient to use, quiet as a mouse, spins at 1200 and, bottom line, the clothes are cleaner than they've ever been. Only gripe is that because it runs on 120V it takes a long time when I choose the heated water cycle. Mine is similar to this one; it has a backsplash. I chose this configuration because I liked the dispenser set up better than the drawer and it sort of goes with the Maytag dryer I already had. (When you buy a machine like this that spins so fast, the dryer becomes almost an afterthought: I dry more clothes now on the line and just by hanging them up because they come out of the washer practically dry).

http://us.lge.com/products/category/list/home appliances_laundry_washers.jhtml

 

[frigilux]

Bob, if the "superfluous, blah-blah-blah" comment was aimed at me, then I will counter that I'm just providing information about a machine's features from the manufacturer and sharing what CR has to say.

If a prospective buyer should heed only the advice of someone who actually owns a given machine, then one trip to Epinions.com will confirm there are vastly differing posts on almost any model you want to name. Some people's experience with the Duet/Hettie, for example, leads them to state it's the greatest frontloader made. Others attest it is the biggest piece of crap they've ever owned and advise people to steer clear of it. That's so much more helpful?

If you find any of my information to be incorrect or misleading, then please say so. Certainly no one at AW has ever hesitated to disagree with me if their opinion or experience is different than mine. That's what a forum should be, no?

 

[bobofhollywood]

opinions vary

Opinions vary...that's true.
Even within my own post I say that I love the machine and also have had problems with it.

I'm talking about another guy, who replys to nearly every post on this site and seems to not know anything about any of it...just superflous blah blah blah like he loves to hear himself talk.

..it's a dude from the upper part of california, I do believe...seems to be an expert on everything, yet has no ACTUAL experience with any of it.

That's just my opinion...and I'm stickin' to it.
Please ignore my posts if you do not find them to be helpful.
My only intention is to provide help ONLY if I have actual PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with the appliances in question.

Holla from Hollywood.

Bob

 

[tumbler]

Duet tangling/balance

I bought the Duet HT (the fanciest one with the heater), and couldn't be happier. 220 volt service isn't really necessary due to the fact that the heater in most f/l's that have them are only about 1000 watt, and don't have very much water to heat. Note that I bought my machine at Sears; the Duets sold through Sears are slightly different than what you'd get from a Whirlpool dealer, i.e. 1250 r.p.m. instead of 1200, for one thing. Mainly, though, you have a choice of service providers; you can call either Sears or an authorized Whirlpool service company. If you buy a Kenmore, it has to be serviced by Sears, if you buy from a Whirlpool dealer, it must be serviced by them. (I'm referring to warranty service).

 

[rp2813]

Just my $.02 on the "epinions" web site and others. It's true you get both sides of the story from people who own the product, but I noticed when I was shopping for a vacuum cleaner, I'm pretty sure it was "epinions" that had been obviously hijacked by the marketing department at Hoover, with multiple posts gushing and extolling the virtues of the "Wind Tunnel" machine with testimonials that were so over embellished and involved that it was clear they were fake. Like with other types of data gathering, it's probably best to throw out the extreme reviews either in favor of or against the product and study those that are more moderate in tone.

 

[lightedcontrols]

Now I'll tell you why...

I got a set to use when I had lots of company one Christmas. It took OVER THREE HOURS to wash a load of towels! As soon as Christmas was over and the crowd was gone, I reconnected my 59 Frigidaires and gave the Duets (He3t's) or whatever they were away. The washer was not real impressive to me on washability (we had a sick kid that threw up all over the place and chunks were left on clean up towels etc.....AFTER they went through the VERY HOT long sani cycle) The dryer was slow too. Mark

 

[rp2813]

I've had my eye on a Duet/HE/KA pair when the time comes to replace what I've got. When I look at these on display, the latching mechanism seems flimsy to me on the Duet. I don't go to Sears or OSH that much to see the HE's and have yet to see a KA pair on display anywhere. Can anyone comment on whether the latch design is any better on the HE or KA models? Needless to say, after reading Mark's accounting of a 3-hour cycle I may be reconsidering as I prefer a machine I can still have some control over, but maybe by the time I'm ready some kind of override option will be included for those of us who can't wait 3 hours.

 

[lavamat_jon]

3 hours seems to be a bit of an exagerration for cycle times - from what I've seen and read most cycles clock in at 45-60 minutes.

Jon

 

[zipdang]

3 hours?

My KitchenAid's running time for a Normal/Casual cycle set to medium soil level is 40 minutes (plus a little extra if the load is tricky to balance before spinning).

The Whitest Whites cycle with the default extra rinse is 60 minutes, and if I eliminate the extra rinse it drops it to 50 minutes.

The longest cycle I can run is the Sanitary cycle (which defaults to "super hot" temperature), and if I add the Autosoak and extra rinse options the total cycle time is 2h35m.

 

[tumbler]

New Duets

For what it's worth, I bought a Duet set-w/all the trimmings-from Sears back in May. So far, I couldn't be happier with them. I got the washer w/the heater and the 12 cycles (Duet HT), and the 1250 r.p.m. spin. By purchasing from Sears, I have the option of having warranty service (if needed) performed by either Sears or a Whirlpool service co. (If I have problems after warranty, I'll deal with it since I'm in the business). Note that the full-size Duets are made in Germany by Bauknecht, which was bought out by Whirlpool. The Duet "Sport" (odd name for a washer) is made in Mexico and is somewhat smaller in capacity. I would avoid the LG machines due to the fact that parts are very difficult to come by-you can only get them from LG-and apparently there aren't many service techs trained on them.

 

[tumbler]

Duet cycle times

Regarding long cycle times on the Duets-even if I choose Sanitary (heated) wash, extra wash time, prewash and extra rinse, I can't get the time readout anywhere near 3 hours. I suppose this could happen if one is supplying the machine with "hot" water which is too cool, i.e. below 125 or 130 deg. f.