H-axis top loading washing machines

[aegokocarat]

Hello
as some know i have a whirlpool AWE6517 H-axis top loading washing machine, i was wondering why they arnt so popular in the UK (with four models on the UK market, 1 model from hotpoint, 2 models from whirlpool and 1 model from hoover), and what make and model of H-axis top loading washing machines are popular in Europe?
thanks
Tom

 

[aegokocarat]

here's my machine

 

[dj-gabriele]

Here in Italy are popular among those that have the machines in the toilet as they are "slim" at only 40-45 cm of size compared to the "cube" of 60x60 cm of most front loading washers.
Plus some can find them more confortable to use because of the top loading (even if one needs to stretch a little to reach the bottom of the basket if not really tall).
They can be coupled with a top loading dryer and have a complete set in only 80 cm (Candy advertised it some years ago!) again compared to 120 cm of non stacked machines.

Other than that I see no benefits! You can't even see your washing being done and you have at least two lids to open if not three in many machines! And the pothole is much smaller!
Market share is around 15% over here.

 

[glenfieldmathk1]

I hear they are not popular in the UK, because most people put washing machines in the kitchen here, which means under a worktop. Even most Utility's these days have worktops, and standard kitchen size gaps. This means people can't open the lid to get inside, a worktop is in the way.
TBH I prefer front loaders, or Top Loaders with Agitators inside them.
A H axis is literally a front loader after all, just no viewing window, which is a disadvantage.
Bosch ones regularly appear on Ebay, as Bosch dominated the UK market Top Loaders before 2010, when they stopped to concentrate on more popular front loaders.

 

[glenfieldmathk1]

There is no point in making a product, and trying to sell it to shops, when it is very unlikely to sell anyway.

 

[aegokocarat]

i quite like mine, one thing that H-axis top loaders have which is clever is the lack of a door seal, so mould cant build up (i leave my lid open on it)
US top loaders are really harsh on your washing and the also have a G energy rating

 

[dj-gabriele]

lack of a door seal, so mould cant build up

Oh, it's not the lack door seal that stops the mould from growing... you should see some machines around, totally gross! All the flexible bellows around the opening all black and everyplace where humidity could go, yuck!
I see that as a disadvantage as most keep their top loaders closed because they put stuff on them when not used!

 

[mikeklondon]

H- Axis

I am sure I read something about a Miele HA that said they had 2 bearings and there moor stability, it was an option I looked at once but what stopped it for me was in the UK the only Miele on the market at that time only has a 1200 spin and the FL has 1600 rpm + there was no Top loading dryer to mach but I think where was a Washer/ dryer. Its one option I will look at agin when we do a house refit next year

 

[aegokocarat]

@mikelondon, my whirlpool has 2 sets of bearings
and i also have a TL dryer, unfortunantly it needs to be fixed

 

[dj-gabriele]

they had 2 bearings and there moor stability

Yeah, all the top loading washers have the drum connected on both sides with bearings

 

[haxisfan]

@ dj-gabriele (all the top loading washers have the drum con

Not all X-axis top loaders have bearings either sides... Mieles don't. I made that mistake myself some time back and 1 of you guys put me right ;-)

 

[dj-gabriele]

Really? They must have both on the same side to save space like in slim front loaders then! You never stop learning

 

[foraloysius]

Miele:

Actually Miele didn't do that because of the space. Miele frontloaders are 45cm wide while a lot of other toploaders are only 40cm. The reason Miele did this because they thought it was a better to have bearings on one side because bearings on two sides give double the risk of bearing problems. Besides that, if one of the bearings goes bad and the drum might get damaged because it is still attached on the other side too. BTW, the Miele bearings are similar to car bearings, sort of overkill so you don't need more than one.

Dryers:

Several brands make 45cm wide dryers, but AFAIK there is no 40cm wide dryer. IIRC Candy never made a dryer with a width of 40cm, but I could be wrong there. At the moment they don't sell any topload dryers at all anymore. I guess they leave that to the French.

Porthole:

In the past the drum openings of H-axis toploaders was indeed rather small. Newer models give a better access to the drum. My mother has a rather new Zanker (Electrolux) that has a much bigger opening than for instance my older Philips toploader. Miele has the best solution in this matter I guess. Not only a good opening, but also very easy access with the slanted front. Sort of a mix between a frontloader and a toploader.

Window:

Many French toploaders had windows. While it is true you couldn't see the laundry, there was the possibility to keep an eye on the amount of suds.

Popularity:

I guess the Ha-xis toploader is more popular in France than in any other country. They always did quite well overthere. I remember an old Thomson-Brandt brochure that showed more toploaders than frontloaders.

If you like toploaders you must look at the website of one of our French members. He has quite a collection and also on his website there are weekly pictures. Here is the link. Look at "L'image de la semaine"! Wonderful ads and pictures!

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[hoovermatic]

I had h-axis machines for 13 years until about 4 months ago when I had to change to FL due to a kitchen refit. I loved my h-axis machines - initially thought it was weird that you couldn't see what was going on but got used to that quickly - I had Hoover,Servis and Hotpoint ones - Miele were too big for the space I had available at the time and never got around to getting Bosch. The Electrolux ones looked nice but the only one I could find in the UK had an 850rpm spin so was not suitable for me. Agree totally about the flexible boot being a mould trap - I used to keep the lid of my machine open all the time unless it was washing and that cured the problem. I wouldn't hesitate getting another one if I could accomodate it and thoroughly recommend them!

Incidentally, the Servis were the best machines - three proper baffles and an anti crease cycle at the end of each wash so things weren't left stuck to the drum and much less creased than my new machine. I don't think it was supposed to be an anti-crease function but the action of the machine positioning the opening at the top, so you didn't have to manaully rotate the drum to find the flap basically served the same purpose.

 

[launderess]

H-Axis Top Loading Washing Machines

Tend to fit many small French kitchens/laundry areas better than front loaders. For about the same capacity you can have a washing machine say in or near the kitchen rather than the bathroom because one only really needs a small narrow space.

Commercial laundries have long used top or side loading H-axis washing machines indeed once you reach capacity >200lbs that is pretty much what you will find as such machines are easier to load and unload . Laundries and others who process hospital linens can also have these machines built into a wall where one side is "clean" and the other "dirty" to prevent cross contamination of freshly laundered linen.

The one disadvantage of H-axis top loaders is once you start going above say 15lbs capacity the tub pretty much starts becoming longer versus deeper/wider. However at some point you reach the limit as to what would fit in the standard washing machine cabinet. Whirlpool has held the patents to an top loading H-axis washer (much like the Staber) for years now but has never moved on production. IIRC it did have a standard sized American cabinet for top loading washer, but not sure of the capacity.

Personally think a large capacity top loading H-axis washing machine along the the new top loading dryers some are offering would be great for certain persons. The disabled and even some elderly come to mind.

 

[nickuk]

current thoughts

I am considering purchasing one of these.

Here in the UK there isn't a huge choice right now! I believe we can choose between a Hotpoint (sold as Indesit in France) or a Montpellier (sold as Candy / GIAS in France) a Zanussi (Faure / Electrolux) or a couple of Whirlpools. Montpellier is the least expensive at about £280.

There are a couple of B/S/H still for sale but I believe these are old models as the B/S/H website doesn't list top loaders on their UK website any more. The latest reviews on them on the `Darty' website are not so great anyway.

I am leaning towards the Zanussi Lindo (see link) from what I have read but would be really interested to hear if anyone has any recent experience of them.

By the way, I fully get that one can get much better spec front loaders; I just don't own one of these types of machine and would like to!! My ideal one would be a 1970s Philips Slimstar but I'm not likely to find one of those

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdIqfsRTq7Q

 

[henene4]

I'd agree on the Lindo. I hate the dispensers in the top of the lid, and these E-Lux machines have a tray like setup. They take quite a time, but have a good time saver option.

 

[foraloysius]

The Zanussi Lindo is a good choice IMHO. The Electrolux and the AEG models are similar, but with more options.

Nowadays a lot of models are based on the Indesit. Whirlpool, Hotpoint, Bosch, Siemens etc. I think it may be sold under a few French labels too.

I don't know much about the Candy related models.

The best one would be the Miele TL models, but they come with a high price, not sure if they would be worth the money.

A classic Philips TL would be awesome, but they are becoming harder to find now. The later models have a different spin sequence, they don't ramp up while the water is being pumped out, they stay at a certain rpm for a very long time and then ramp up.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"dispensers in the top of the lid"

How do those work? Do they rely on some kind of water hose in the hinge area?
Can they take powder?

(I've never used a top-loader of this type).