Have you seen these portable washing machines??

[mark_wpduet]

I've always hated watching the blooming wash action of TL HE washers with no agitator..Some models do seem a little better than others with their wash action.. but here's the thing I don't get:

I was watching this video on youtube and this lady had bought a $200 portable washer off Amazon (apparently that's a "thing" now for a lot of people because now I see videos over and over recommended to me about them now.) The wash action was so much better in this little thing and it only had a wash plate...I immediately wondered (if this little thing can give that kind of wash action with a wash plate, why can't the others? I remember having a portable kenmore with dual action agitator that you pushed up to the kitchen sink, (exactly like a portable dishwasher) and you started the cycle and it worked exactly like the old school kenmores and did it's thing.. then you could hang the clothes up to dry..

Well, with these, you have to do each step manually.. This is like 3 steps backwards from what I had YEARS ago.. I guess if you're desperate not to have to go to the laundromat I might do this.. but I'd much rather what I had in the past than this thing...I do remember thought it cost more $$ than a full sized TL washer cuz it was a specialty item... wonder if they make anything similar? I haven't bothered to look.

All I know is... after watching that video.. I'm so thankful to have a full sized FL washer and dryer

 

[ea56]

Thats just like the twin tubs that Hoover and Maytag used to make, among other brands.  These newer machines may have a bit more advanced controls, but a twin tub is a twin tub.

 

When I was in my 20’s and renting apartments without WD hookups I owned a Whirlpool Convertible Automatic for about 3 years before it crapped out.  I replaced it with a Maytag A50 twin tub which I used for 5 years and I loved it!  True, there was more hands on work, but like a wringer washer you can get a weeks worth of laundry washed, rinsed and spun extremely damp dry in an hour.  A great time saver!  

 

If I were to once again find myself in a situation without WD hookups I’d certainly be happy to own and use one of these new twin tubs.  Better than going to a laundromat any day.

 

Eddie

 

[mark_wpduet]

Yea... I'll agree anything is better than going to the laundromat (at least for me)

I was able to find a pic of the washer I had...I remember when I sold it... It took less than a day to sell it, but I took a pretty decent loss.. but I needed to get rid of it. The wash action in this thing was exactly like my grandma's kenmore TL

 

[ea56]

Mark that is like the Whirlpool Convertible Automatic that I used to own.  It could be either connected at the sink like in the photo, or if you had WD hookups it could be connected that way too, hence “convertible”.  It washed well, but the capacity was small and the weak point with the machine I owned was the clutch, which failed twice, the first time while under warranty, the second time not. Thats why I got rid of it, the repair was gonna be damn near what I paid for a brand new Maytag A50.

 

When I bought the Whirlpool Convertible I also bought the matching portable dryer that ran off of regular household current and didn’t require a 220 outlet.  I vented it out the kitchen window.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 8/2/2023-14:42]

 

[ea56]

Mark,

I just watched the video.  This machine is nowhere near as convenient as my Maytag A50 was.  The A50 had a pump, there was no need to drain it into a bucket.  The drain hose fit into a slot at the back of the top of the washer so the wash water that was spun out from the first load could be reused for successive loads.

 

You only needed to agitate for a max of 5 mins to wash.  It held at least as much as the one in the video, or more.   I used to wash double bed size blankets, bedspreads and quilts in it with no problem.  And I don’t know why this woman doesn’t wash her towels in her machine, because my A50 washed towels with no problem, and I washed lots of towels because for a while I was doing hair at home and had lots of towels to wash.

 

When it was time to spin the clothes the spin tub held ALL of the load in the wash tub, there was a rubber disk with holes  in it that you pushed down firmly onto the clothes before closing the lid and pulling the lid lock that activated the spin motor.   The water drained back into the wash tub for the next load, or you could hook the drain hose into the sink and drain it there if the wash water wasn’t going to be reused, also when you were finished with the laundry you could drain the water into the sink easily, no monkeying around with a flippin’ bucket.

 

You washed whites first, then light colors, then colors, saving each washed and spun load in a basket.  Then drained the wash water, refilled the tub with clean rinse water and rinsed and spun each load in the same order as they had been washed.  It sounds like a lot of work, but really it went fast and 4 loads could be washed, rinsed and spun damp dry in 1 hr. or less.  The speed of the spinner was I believe 1600 rpms and the finished loads were barely damp and dried very quickly.

 

This new machine would certainly be helpful for an apartment dweller, but its not as user friendly as the old Maytag A50’s of the Hoover Port-A-Washers were.  Also the all plastic construction is very flimsy compared to the older twin tubs, but then nothing is built like it used to be is it.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 8/2/2023-16:43]

 

[Chetlaham]

I really like the fully automatic wash versions of these. I wish they made more of them and in various sizes. I don't like the idea of manually filling than manually draining the machine. Set a timer and let it do all that. 

 

[mark_wpduet]

I know... it's almost like these take the automatic OUT of washing clothes...but the uploader seems happy with it..

My biggest question is how this thing has better agitation than even the full sized HE TL washers that also have a wash plate.. I mean, this wash action looks crazy intense to me in comparison to what I've seen of HE TL washers doing their thing.

 

[ea56]

The agitation on my Maytag A50 was really impressive!  There were 2 smaller impellers on the back of the tub and they reversed direction about every 20-30 secs. Five mins of agitation got anything clean.  

 

The spinner was so fast that the power draw used to blow the fuses in an older duplex I lived in, so if I was doing the wash after dark I couldn’t have anything else going that drew much current or I’d have to climb up on a chair under the eves outside where the fuse box was inconveniently located to change the fuse.

 

Eddie

 

[Chetlaham]

Mark, this is what I have in mind:

 

 



 

 

I've searched the internet up and down, both new and old, and for reasons I can't explain I can not find any of these in existence. Ultimately I think its what consumers are actually looking for. Cheap, light, yet automatic.

 

 

These have the advantage that since they are impellar, its technically possible to couple the disk to the motor drive shaft eliminating the need for a belt and pulley. This saves money while increasing longevity.

 

Wash action is great with the large, high speed impeller. I noticed the wash motor on the Chinese versions is rated 330 watts while the spin motor is rated 110 watts. In other words 3 times the power is invested in  washing vs spinning- that tells you something right there! 

 

 

My dream would be a full size unit. 27 x 28 inches, machine tub stopping 6 inches above the floor to accommodate the motor and pump. Can you imagine the capacity of such a beast?

 

[mark_wpduet]

that was some serious wash action..Imagine if the Cabrios or Bravo's with wash plates did that???

..but I wouldn't want anything with a separate spinner. It just sounds like all these extra steps...drain after wash...move over to the spinner........spin them, load them AGAIN, fill, rinse, spin AGAIN...

With all that said... if that's all I could have... I'd rather have it than not have it..

out of curiosity, I checked whirlpool and they do make portable washers..but as I suspected it's over $900.. but I couldn't figure out of they connected to the kitchen sink like a portable dishwasher... It sounded like it would...

 

[bpetersxx]

yes indeed here

as I have a Maytag A50 and a Danby TT

yes having a pump is essential

the TT Danby has a real agitator like my TL Danby I have

this video is after I rinsed the clothes out and am draining the tub out

 

[seedub]

Mark, I am quite pleased with my Equator FL with portability kit. Fully automatic, it washes up to 13 lbs, spins up to 1200,dries, hooks up to the kitchen sink and rolls away into a standard size closet. So small that owners of campers, RVs and boats use them. The price is as much as a full size but was worth it to me - so much so that I will likely keep it when I relocate to a place with laundry hookups.

--Chris

 

[launderess]

IIRC member "AriLab" (WHET to him?) had one of those twin tub units (Panda?).

As with everything else unit was purchased because it suited a purpose. If one has few other options besides doing washing manually or going to laundromat one takes what is on offer and makes do.

"..but I wouldn't want anything with a separate spinner. It just sounds like all these extra steps...drain after wash...move over to the spinner........spin them, load them AGAIN, fill, rinse, spin AGAIN..."

These sort of twin tubs like other semi-automatic washers still have a large following in USA, Europe and elsewhere in world. One large reason is ability to reuse wash and or rinse water.

Easy, General Electric and many others marketed twin tub washers with separate spin drying tubs from about 1920's or so. Spin basket allowed doing away with dreaded (and by some hated) wringer, but still allowed savings of water, especially hot.









Yes TT washing is bit more work, but if one has everything planned correctly and is organized one can plow through quite a lot of washing comparatively quickly. This applies to using all sorts of semi-automatic washers and again with economical use of energy along with water.

 

[launderess]

Toshiba and other Asian manufacturers then and since have come up with some state of the art TTs.



Again TT or other semi-automatics aren't up everyone's street, but if one has a an itch that wants scratching.

 

[logixx]

Wash action

If you increase the water level and impeller speed, and decrease the load size, you will probably get a similar wash action in a large machine. This is a 50 lbs. Samsung with only a few towels in there but a high (manually selected) water level. If you skip 50 min. into the video you can see clothes swirling around instead of blooming.

 

[foraloysius]

That swirling around is similar to the wash action in my LG Turbodrum.

 

[launderess]

Wash action in Samsung machine linked above is similar to my Haier and always use "high" water level.

Find things roll over far better and wash action is more through with "high" water. Forces created washer along with having good amount of water allow things to be dragged under if you will.

Have said in posts about my Haier was rather gobsmacked at how well it washes.

There are a number of videos on Haier HLP21N showing wash action. Here's one:



Issue in common with all impeller washers is tangling. Thus having a twin tub where one has to transfer things to spin extractor isn't bad as many would believe.

With Haier one has to stop washer either between rinses or before final spin often to untangle things. This is especially true of loads that contain shirts or any sort of trousers.

 

[retro-man]

Had a Norge twin tub back in the late 70's that was used for a few years when living in an apartment with out hook up. Hung clothes out on the back porch and they dried in a couple of hours after the high spin speed. Great little machine. The impeller was on the bottom and had great turn over.
Jon

 

[ea56]

Tangling

I can honestly say that when I had my Maytag A50 I can never recall a problem with items tangling.  I believe that the unique placement of the two impellers on the back of the wash tub with their intermittent reversing action is what prevented tangling in these wonderful little dynamos.  And as Laundress stated, transferring the washed items to the spinner was really not a problem, time consuming or difficult at all.

 

I can see though that machines with only one impeller could cause some tangling.  Regardless IMHO these machines really clean remarkably well, better that a lot of TL automatics that take much  longer to wash.

 

Eddie