Haier Full Size Agitator Top Loader Washer Gaining Popularity

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300c

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May 28, 2010
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75
Location
Jonesboro, GA
I noticed Home Depot now carries the Haier RWT350AW washer. It's an agitator 3 cubic foot top loader. Lowes has carried it since earlier this year, as has Brand Smart.

I've noticed a difference in prices: Lowes wants $560.00; Home Depot wants $449.00; Brand smart wants $289.88.

It seems to have all the features: bleach and fabric softener dispensers plus a hollow, orificed agitator column that can be used as a detergent dispenser. It also has a stainless steel tub and multi-speeds. The manual says it'll fill with water with the lid up.

Is this machine gaining a foothold? Is it any good?

http://www.homedepot.com/Appliances...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
 
They carried these at our local Nebraska Furniture Mart a couple of years ago and they've been there on and off since. I've seen a couple sets and a dryer on Craigslist but haven't bitten, yet. I'm very curious about them, the dryer is a knock-off of the Whirlpool 27" design, like most Asian brands. Haier is making (or was) a version of the Maytag Neptune TL with the paddles in the tub but I've not seen one of those in person.

I didn't see Haier at Home Depot last Saturday, but our local HDs don't have much of an appliance department to speak of.
 
I'd be cautious!

I have a hard time beliveing a Haier washer would be anything but trouble. Knowing of Haier's quality record from people who have owned their junk it will probably be broke in 2 months with no service or parts to be had. But who knows? Maybe they built somthing good, time will tell and I won't rule it out.
 
Haier

I saw these machines at our local Fry's Electronics back in July. I snapped a few pics and now I have a reason to post them. I don't know if these are the exact same models but as you can see the prices are pretty low. They do look like they'd be fun to play with.

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Turbo Wash

I was wondering whatever happened to your machine. Do you still have it? What problems did you experience?

Malcolm
 
Thoughtless Designs

I am most certainly NOT a fan of most large items made in the "US of China"(as I call it). I simply cannot justify our paying "haier" prices for built-in obsolescence. For example, who thinks drop-down dryer doors are convenient? Let me tell you, I still have my 1989 Lady Kenmore dryer with that kind of door. It is the MOST INCONVENIENT design ever! I have to get on my knees to reach into the drum! Imagine all the short Chinese people trying to use that? The plastic washer tub bottom and agitator sure do look like a ripoff of F&P's!
 
I know it sounds silly, but I don't like the sound of the name, it doesn't sound strong. Maytag, Whirlpool, Kenmore, Electrolux, Frigidaire, General Electric etc... all have strong sounding names (I know a name really has nothing to do with the quality). Haier sounds like a a sneeze, not a name for an appliance manufacturer.
 
海尔

Haier - pronounced "high-r" two syllables, emphasis on the first.  The two chinese characters together are a proper name so have no actual meaning but the first character is hai - or sea/lake. Same as Shanghai 上海。

The appliance trade mags & sites have been buzzing for years about the Asian companies and in less than 10 years some of these brands have rocketed to the top of the ratings in numerous categories. Haier is a giant player in the global appliance biz and it's products and component parts are sourced by many brands.

From Wikipedia:

Haier is the largest white goods manufacturer in the world with 6.1% of the market (2010). (You may remember Haier making a bid for Maytag in 2005, backed in part by Bain Capital who is now running for the GOP nomination
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)

"Haier had been founded as Qingdao Refrigerator Co. in 1984. With China opening up to world markets, foreign corporations began searching for partnerships in China. One of these, Germany's Liebherr Group (Liebherr is the worldwide leader in premium refrigeration), entered into an joint-venture contract with Qingdao Refrigerator Co., offering technology and equipment to its Chinese counterpart. Refrigerators were to be manufactured under the name of Qingdao-Liebherr (simplified Chinese: 青岛—利勃海尔; traditional Chinese: 青島-利勃海爾; pinyin: Qingdao-Libohaier)."

"By 1986, Qingdao Refrigerator had returned to profitability and sales growth averaged 83 percent per year. With sales of just CNY ¥3.5 million in 1984, sales rocketed to CNY ¥40.5 billion by 2000; a growth of more than 11,500 percent."

"Having diversified its product line beyond refrigerators, the company adopted a new name in 1991. Borrowing from the German name of its partner, "Haier" came from the last two syllables of the Chinese transliteration of Liebherr (pronounced "Li-bo-hai-er"). Qingdao Haier Group was further simplified in 1992 to Haier Group, the company's current name."
 
I like it with the lid open, because i see "hoses included",   I was helping a friend out and  discovered whirltag no longer provides a new set of hoses with a toploader  you, "buy them separate".   I was truly weak  for about 10 seconds.  When did this start? how did i miss it?   alr
 
HAIER APPLIANCES

Thanks for the information about Haier Greg, as the old song says [ The Times Are A Changing ]. 

 

I love dryer doors that open down I wish that FL washers would go back to these also.

 

If Liebber is a world leader in refrigeration why can't even get an ice-maker to work? they also had the most uneven cooling performance in a recent CRs test.
 
Years ago when I first heard of Haier the first thing that came to mind was "german".

I disagree with a previous comment about drop-down doors. I love my 27" Whirlpool, and if I can help it, I will never own anything but a dryer like it.
 
Though the quality may be sub-par compared to a 10 year old MOL Kenmore DD, it is pretty much the new reality of the washing machine those with less than $400 to spend will buy.  I would expect that quality will improve somewhat over time.  For a Chinese company to have the largest market share of white goods sales on the planet in 25-odd years is nothing short of stunning.  At an equal pace, Midea appliance group is also one to watch.  Midea owns a majority share of Little Swan Washing Machine Co. in Wuxi (woo-shee) just up the Yangze River from Shanghai where most Danby twin-tubs and the General Electric front loading washer are made.  IIRC the GE's were among the top in CR's ratings in last couple of years. If you have a small refrigeration appliance, dorm fridge, wine fridge, window air conditioner, dehumidifier, etc. in your home that says "Made in China" it likely came from one of these two appliance giants.
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http://www.midea.com.cn/midea/index.do
 
A Big Lot's here in the Atlanta area had these on the sales floor for $179 something back in June. I quickly called a couple that I know that just bought their first home. They bought a pair and actually love it. I have heard them running. I don't find they sound cheap at all. The motor in the washer sounds very strong. Very good turn over. Ramp up speed for the spin on a heavy load is very quick.
They dryer sounds like a typical WCI dryer today.
 
haier dryer

so the dryer at least is made for haier by frigidaire?(in the USA i presume)
I have heard haier's large fridges are made in the USA...(no doubt with some asian
parts-last GE fridge i looked at was assembled in mexico with asian parts...)
 
Sales are picking up

I was at the Brandsmart yesterday and asked one of the reps about these machines, and he stated that sales are slowly increasing. I asked him about the quality, and he stated that he hoped that as sales increased, the availability of parts would improve.

His next remark, however, was so hilarious I almost laughed out loud; he stated that what I should consider instead of the Haier was the Amana front loader we were standing in front of because it was made by the Amish and that the quality was therefore much better!!! I didn't have the heart to tell him that Amana was a division of Whirlpool and that the Amish probably didn't even use let alone manufacture automatic washers.
 
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