Agitators vs Pulsators

[pulsatron]

Hi Folks,
A question if I may,what would be the majority opinion amongst our group on the subject of wether agitators or pulsators/impellers provide a better washing action.
I was browsing through 1 or 2 appliance stores today looking at the different styles of machines now available and it seems to be apparent that traditional brands i.e. Simpson,Westinghouse,Whirlpool all have agaitators of one type or another and the Asian brands, i.e. Hitachi,Haier,L.G.,Samsung all use different types of pulsators.
What do you folk all prefer?,I personally prefer the pulsator action of my Twintub as I find I can fit a slightly larger load in and it does not seem to be too rough on the clothes as compared to the last T.L. we owned (Whirlpool),which was a real clothes shredder.
I must admit however if I overload the washtub it can cause some degree of tangling but if I am careful not to do this I find tangling is not really an issue.
I would be very interested to get some other views on this.
Cheers folks.
Steve.

 

[panthera]

good question. tough question

If we include the "real" Frigidaire thumpers, then I think it is fair to rank washing action versus wear/tear/tangling this way:
(From best washing to least effective)
no agitator - Front Loader
Frigidaire Uni-Multi-Rollermatic
Maytag Impeller (reversing) or newest Asian reversing impellers
Long stroke agitators
Short stroke agitators
Hoover impellers after 4 minutes
There are so many variables involved. Anybody who knows me knows how "fond" I am of Whirlpool - but in all honesty, I never once had my clothes - even silk shirts - shredded by one in the way some folks talk about their "shredmores". And the wrong wash program - even in a FL can kill a woolen sweater.

 

[gizmo]

In Choice magazine, over the last few years top loaders tend to come out the following:

Best: very long stroke agitators eg: F&P, Simpson, Hoover. (These are the type that reverse the motor to reverse the agitator, so the stroke is longer than you can achieve with an oscillating transmission.)

Next Best: large diameter pulsators (impellers)eg: most Asian brands.

Next best: traditional agitators eg: Kleenmaid, other US designs.

Second Worst: small diameter pulsators eg: smallest Sanyo, Aldi.

Worst: air bubble washers eg: NEC.

the best performers are always front loaders, though, have been for years.

Chris.

 

[irishwashguy]

I like my front loader.It cleans and rinses well.

 

[panthera]

Well, that seems a bit of a consensus

On the other hand - except when spinning, my FL is boooo-rrrr-iii-ng.
Even if I did spend a day working on her every three or four months, my rollermatic was entertaining.
Perhaps just as intersting - how full do you have to fill yours to get it to wash well?
If two of my jeans equal five of Robert's, then...
Seriously, which type is least and which most touchy about mixing loads?
My front loader is very forgiving (it is SUCH A BUMMER that LG service sucks big time. Their products are excellent.) but most FL don't like it when you only have one big bath towel and nothing else.
My Frigidaire only tangled things when I didn't remember my Latin: Linteum est omnis divisa in partes quad...
She was more than happy to do the quartering and wild horses thing all by herself...with Gordian Knots attached.

 

[jasonl]

High Efficiency top loaders

I'm well satisfied with my Oasis, being a top loader with the large wash plate. It cleans well and spins fast for fast drying. The Frankenmore, while I LOVE it, has a mediocre spin but that Rotoswirl can clean my underwear just as well.