Have you seen these portable washing machines??

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mark_wpduet

mark_wpduet

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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

 
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
 
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

mark_wpduet-2023080213122601858_1.png
 
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]
 
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]
 
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. 
 
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.
 
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
 
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! 
smiley-laughing.gif


 

 

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?
 
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...
 
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

 
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.
 
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.

 
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.
 
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
 
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
 
Mark

The machine in your first post is an entry level "starter" washer with spin tub.

For about $110 on ebay you can have it shipped to you and that includes shipping.

I tried this back in 2020 for a bit. Not having a pump is a sticking point, though they make some models with a pump.

I'm particular about wanting to do a wash (sometimess even a pre-wash), then a spin-out, then back to the wash tub for the rinse, then the final spin-out WITH spray rinse. I used a 2" hole saw and put a hole in the top lid so I could use the kitchen spray hose to do the spray rinse.

I used it on top of a counter where I could easily drop the hose into a sink to get drainage. Eventually I used it on the floor with a dishpan to catch the drain hose and a fountain pump in the dishpan to pump out the dishpan.

The spinner works great.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1913431398...2B7crFE4s7OFOgoFt8hRpq08jXOZrgiwjn81cQA2YP37x
bradfordwhite-2023080312064205089_1.jpg
 
As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
If you're looking for compact, affordable, light weight, easy to move but certainly capable machines, try this pair.

The washer is a topload tumble washer. Washes just like my WP Duet. And you can wash a full size load in this.

Automatically it fills(cold water or single valve only. You can use an external mixing valve or hose), it goes through cycles, it washes, it dispenses fabric conditioner in the final wash, and it drains.
The only thing it doesn't do is spin out.

That's what the spinner is for. Again, I put a 2" hole in the lid so I can spray rinse with a separate spray hose.

When I use it I spin out after the long first wash, then put the clothes back in the washer to complete the cycle, then do a final spin out with no spray rinse.



https://laundry-alternative.com/pro...18-12-13&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_c
bradfordwhite-2023080312282802511_1.jpg

bradfordwhite-2023080312282802511_2.jpg
 
I watched those TT videos...and also the Haier video... I would choose that Haier in a nano second...I think I'd rather deal with tangling than draining/spin/rinse/drain/spin.. Back when I had my Kenmore that basically did the same thing as the Haier, except it had a dual action agitator.. I'm trying to remember having any loads off balanced.. I think some loads would spin a little louder than others but I don't remember having to run to stop it or anything.. I guess if price is an issue you would get an entry TT for much cheaper...but I wonder if the people that buy these TT even know that there are better/easier portable machines? Also... I'm sure these wash plate portables hold more than my Kenmore did simply because of its agitator

Another thing that occurred to me... How much $ does a typical laundromat cost? Makes me wonder if that alone paid for my Duet in the last 18 years
 
Oh crap... I forgot to comment on that Niagra...wow...that looks even better than the Haier...I wonder if it works well? I can't believe the price on it as well
 
Correct, no spin.

 

This drastically lessons the cost of the washer and makes it very light weight as no suspension, balance ring, counterweight, or high speed drive mech is required.

 

I've long advocated for more washers like this just to increase the number of automatic portables in apartments.
 
Re: #22

If the machine doesn’t spin then you’ll need to either have a separate spinner, hand crank wringer or wring the laundry out by hand.  This doesn’t sound like a convenient machine at all for an apartment dweller.  Nor is there anything automatic about a machine like this.  A twin tub would be way more practical.

 

Eddie
 
Not only that... but the mere fact that it doesn't spin means things may not get rinsed well... You really need to spin between wash/rinse... I mean, I guess if you have a spinner you can do the dance of washing, taking out, spinning yourself, returning to washer to rinse, then spin again. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
 
Just like with "full-size" washers and dryers one needs to consider the capacity of various compact washer AND spin drier models as well. Just saying "compact" doesn't cut it.

The separate spin dryer shown above by Laundry alternative has a larger capacity than the spin tub in the $110 twin tub model

I've no doubt that the old hoover and maytag twin tubs had larger capacity wash tubs and perhaps spinner than the $110 model up above, as well.

Any Twin tub is not convenient because it's two appliances crammed together into one wide bodied appliance. If one part of the machine breaks you're still stuck lugging around the whole machine so you can use the part that still works.

Having the machines in separate cabinets makes them easier to store, easier to move, and easier to modify if need be.

The Niagara washer is BIG capacity. I have washed two bed sheets, two towels, two pillow cases, and other miscl whites all in one load. And that was not over loading it. I've even washed a bed comforter in it.

Lets put it this way, it washes so much that when you wash as much as I just pointed out, one has to divide the stuff in half and do two loads in the spinner.

Yet the Niagara is only about 18" wide and maybe 15" deep by about 30" tall (the height of a bathroom vanity). It's very easy to pick up and move if needed. When empty you can even lay it on it's side without damaging it.

The spin dryer is even more compact at only about 12" x 12" x 28" tall.

-----

Those old Kenmore and Whirlpool compacts were fun to play with years ago. Of course they no longer make the metal compacts with a transmission like they did in the 60s-00s. I had several of those over the years.

The truth about them was they had the same motor, timer, switches, transmission, pump and valves that the full size models had, and were only a few inches smaller in each dimension and not much lighter. Yet one could only wash a fraction of what one could in the full size models.
 
"I mean, I guess if you have a spinner you can do the dance of washing, taking out, spinning yourself, returning to washer to rinse, then spin again. "

You would be doing this if you had a twin tub ANYWAY, but the capacity isn't there.

Twin tub you still need to wash, move to spin out, move back over to rinse, move over for final spin out.

Plus with the twin tub you have to manually fill, empty and rinse the wash tub.

With the niagara it fills itself and pumps out. It also has a cycle timer which the twin tub doesn't. The Niagara fills, does up to a 20 minute wash, drains and does THREE rinses after that all automatically.

I spin out after the wash, but one doesn't have to. Three rinses all done automatically takes out quite a bit of wash water.

-----

Just curious, are you buying this for kids going off to college in a couple weeks?
 
The Haier one piece will probably do it all in one but I would be concerned about how well it cleans.

Just depends on what you're looking for.

Do you know the RPMs of spin tub in that?
 

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