Hmm. Hmm, again.
Visually it has the look of something from 1950s "the house of tomorrow," especially in that metallic color. They should include a clear window in the lid of course.
The auto detergent dispenser (that holds a full bottle of detergent and dispenses the right amount in each load) should have a way of dealing with "normal" vs. "ultra concentrated" detergents, otherwise you might end up with a surprise.
I don't think the name "Cobra" will go over well. Poisonous snakes, eww. At least find a non-poisonous animal to name it after.
Internet connectivity for diagnostics is cool. Though, don't leave it connected all the time, or the New Inquisition might start snooping your laundry to be sure you're not living in "sin" or "doing" anything the government doesn't approve of.
I'm always skeptical of computerized controls. But putting the entire user manual online via a touchscreen is cool, might be cool enough to justify the computerized controls
.
The specs say it holds 22 lbs. OK, now most w/d combos only dry half as much as they wash, so does that mean 11 lbs. if you're going to go full cycle, or does it have a way to dry a larger load?
Another good place for glass: the very front of the unit, and another piece of glass in the side of the outer tub. You couldn't see the clothes sloshing around but you could see the water and suds in the space between the inner and outer tubs.
I don't think Staber is involved in this one. A core element of their design philosophy is user-serviceability, and this would be a 180-degree reversal because it's obviously a complex mechanism.
Also I don't think it would have been necessary to buy out the Whirlpool patent to do this one. That patent was for a pulley & drive system, not for the entire design concept of the H-axis TL, which has long since gone generic.
So... cautious optimism here, points for some innovations, and let's see how well it works when it's released to the market.
