HE top loaders

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brucelucenta

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I have watched several youtube videos of top load HE washers with the impeller. I do see how with a smaller load of clothes they can do an adequate, maybe even a good job of washing clothes. But with something like a comforter it just doesn't work. Also with a really big load, it doesn't do very well. I think that is where the new front loading huge capacity machines really have it over these machines. There really is no comparison to the washing ability of a new front loader, to say nothing of the wear on the clothing the top loaders have to be doing by washing that way. It seems perfectly obvious after watching some of the videos.
 
That was my experience with the Frigidaire Immersion Care (impeller-based) washer. It handled regular loads well, but was pretty useless with comforters/blankets. And you're preaching to the choir mentioning the benefits/advantages of the front-load format. Card-carrying front-load guy since 1987.
 
I think the key is having enough water in the machines for washing comforters. I washed my queen size comforter in my Kenmore 28102 (Cabrio). It didn't move around very well but would have, if there was more water. This was in the Deep Wash cycle which worked fine for thinner blankets, however. I've seen videos of the LG machines washing comforters and they do a better job...but the tub fills almost completely with water. The impeller is usually powerful enough to at least move the comforter through the water well to get it clean. I mean my comforter came out fine, but it go sort of tangled.

Having a taller agitator would have helped keep the comforter moving better. It's too bad Whirlpool abandoned the Cabrio design with agitator.
 
Bulky cycle

If I do get a second he top loader, it will be a Samsung, otherwise maybe an Alliance product.
Unless I decide to go with a reconditioned Maytag dependable care, or an old WP or Kenmore belt drive.
Bearings and seals in those lasted well over ten years unless the family was one with ten kids.
We will be two empty nester's needing mainly to wash out our guchies every few days. One load of sheets and towels per week, the occasional napkins and table cloth after a holiday dinner.
If we buy a motorhome, it would be convenient to have a washer/dryer in it, but most camping parks have them.
My hubby will only camp in luxury, so that likely is not happening anyhow.
He'd much rather stay at a hotel. Fly/drive/sleep/drive more/fly home.
 
I am just so shocked by how badly most of the HE top loaders wash clothes and comforters and such. They would HAVE to be hard on your clothes and I know that 20 years ago I used one made in korea that filled full enough, but tangled the clothes as badly as an early model Frigidaire did! At least with Frigidaire you could load it the way they said to and it would reduce the tangling.
 
Well, I dunno. I have just been watching youtube and am amazed at what I have seen. I just don't see how it's possible to wash effectively in a top load machine with no agitator and virtually no water. Top loaders were just not designed to do that.
 
I'm not sure which videos you're watching, but I do know the majority of the users who have primarily been posting videos have been prime examples of how not to use the machine. They either load improperly by piling everything in the center or they use a totally inappropriate cycle, so the purpose behind their video is to troll about how "awful the machine is" when really they haven't bothered to even read the quick start sticker on the lid, much less even opened the manual.

My Bravos XL (Oasis-Cabrio) does a fantastic job with loads of all types, and never once has tangled or damaged anything over the course of 1.5 years. It excels with towels especially as far as rollover, but has no problem with a load of mixed garments filled to the top of the tub, in fact, it does better with full loads than it does with smaller ones, which means I wash far fewer loads per month, and the dryer runs less.

The one drawback I will note is that while it has a Bulky cycle, it's not the most effective with our king sized comforters, and really isn't with any load in general. The funny thing is that it uses TOO MUCH water, and the agitation is too aggressive, so the comforter/quilt instead gets rolled into a ball that gets rolled and spun around in the water, and because there is no short stroke agitation, it's nearly impossible to spin because of the huge wad of dead weight at one side of the tub. HOWEVER, if I use the Sheets cycle, I get much better and more balanced results. This cycle begins by filling through the detergent dispenser rather than the fill flume, so the comforter is soaked from the bottom which prevents giant air bubbles that would otherwise form if saturated from the top. It still uses much more water than normal cycles, but the agitation is programmed to prevent tangling of sheets by alternating long and short strokes, which also works beautifully for large blankets and the like. So long as the comforter or large item is loaded as though there is an invisible agitator post in the middle, you'll never have problems with tangling.
 
No, actually some of the videos I have seen explain how you load it and are quite careful about doing it. Some of them think they are getting great results! I just don't see a whole lot going on other than excessive rubbing of the towels or clothing to get them to move and "bloom" which is I guess a new term for making the clothes turn over. It sure doesn't turn over quickly and with large comforters not at all, that I can see without manually helping it. Agitator washers could be kind of hard on clothes, but these things are incredibly rough on clothes and have to promote a great deal of lint too. I think I can trust what I see and hear watching the youtube videos.
 
Videos?  Who needs videos.  I've used one, a TOL Kenmore, never again.  Even on small loads the wash action was a joke.  I tossed some sheets in and used the high water cycle and there was no turn over of much movement in the center.  I'd never allow a TL in my home, they are just a bad joke.
 
Um, that is pretty much what I have been saying….But some folks are willing to put up with that and some actually think they do a decent job on most things. My point is this: you cannot make a top load machine do the same job as a new front load machine with the same amount or even a little more water. They were just not designed to do that. It is like trying to force a round peg into a square hole or vise versa. The results are marginal at best and the wear and tear on clothing along with linting is bad.
 
Like I said, there are those that have them and think they are wonderful. I have used and seen several and do not agree. I have a friend right now who replaced his older machine with a new HE top loader and thinks it is great, despite the evidence to the contrary and what he can actually see with his own eyes. An impeller rubbing against your clothing to make the water and clothes move around has to cause friction and wear on whatever it is rubbing against, only common sense. It would cause linting and wear along with minimal movement. The old style washers and the speed queen actually move the clothes and water with a full tub of water. In most of the youtube videos, the person making them is in most cases showing you how well the machine works. I watched and thought just the contrary. I believe they are trying to make them do something that is practically impossible.
 
Well luckily it seems that regular agitator washers are coming back to "normalcy" with the options to fill them completely..even WP has put the old trusted dual action agitator back in a couple models. So the options are getting greater, while keeping with regulations. I prefer an agitator but after using an impeller model I can attest that they work just fine in most situations. It's really a matter of opinion whether or not they work.
 
Matt-- The Immersion Care (Frigidaire) allowed the choice of letting the machine or the user set the water level. I found letting the washer opt to the level it wanted to for sheets worked best. Using more water, as one would intuitively do with a traditional top-loader, hinders rather than enhances the wash action.

While I have no burning desire to own an impeller-based top-loader, manufacturers have improved and refined them since they were first introduced. The Immersion Care, typical of Frigidaire the past few years, is far behind the curve. There is no real spin between the wash and first rinse, making the use of chlorine bleach nearly impossible, and the rinses are not as effective as those in today's Whirlpool/Maytags, LG's and Samsung's.

Although it kept the maximum spin speed down around 850 rpm, I was glad Frigidaire kept the excellent suspension system from their traditional front-loaders. They could spin a wildly unbalanced load like no other machine. Unfortunately, that is about the only positive thing that can be said about them, LOL.
 
Evidently, despite the bright, crisp, and damage free look of all my clothing, I'm apparently walking around in filth and despair, as is the conclusion I must come to because people who have never used or owned one of these machines tell me so. You guys must be taking some hefty vitamins to be able to telepathically see my filthy wardrobe without having ever set eyes upon me or my laundry. ;)
 
I do like the Fisher&Paykels and the older Whirlpools like Andres has: both have taller impellers that seem to move clothes, towels, sheets etc. around just fine - save for comforters, which seem to be a challenge to most/all impeller washers.

The newer Whirlpools with the very flat impellers: I've seen so-so videos of them...

The SamLsunG units that have impellers that are basically integrated into the base of the tub seem to require the load to be submerged in water (water savings?!) for rollover to take place.

 
Correction: I am glad Frigidaire kept the excellent suspension system from their traditional TOP-loaders for the Immersion Care models. Sorry for the confusion.

Andrew--- I know you are very particular about laundry so I completely trust you're getting great results from your HE top-loader. You've adopted the correct procedures to maximize performance. The only thing HE machines have in common with traditional washers is that they load from the top.
 
HE top load washers

I think roughly 1/3 of our customers have HE top load washers one third have traditional top load washers and another third have a front loading washer. We get a lot of complaints about all three types and actually probably the most complaints about the front loading washers due to issues of smell etc.

 

Personally if I could only have one type I would have a front loading washer and do have front loading washers that I like, they are superior for washing large items coats and blankets etc. And a lot has to do with any machine is learning to work with it and use it properly and a lot of people don't use their front loading washers properly or their HE top loading washers for that matter.

 

It is interesting that even the very critical Consumer Reports does not have a strong preference for front loaders versus HE top loaders, so I really would conclude that both types of machines are highly satisfactory for users.

 

Last Thursday our delivery guys picked up a lovely LG front loading washer that was only 4 1/2 years old and the guy just hated it and bought a SQ top loading washer from us, In his house the washer was a long ways from the water heater and he said he was sick and tired of not being able to get a hot wash and tired of the smell from the LG washer.
 
Well we have the 28102 Like Joeypete used to have and we think it still cleans and works fine today. Sister has done our comforters in it and reports it does fine in the sheets mode, and actually works and they fit better then our old 90 DD large capacity whirlpool we had since about 92.
That machine cleaned fine but was extremely loud and used a ton of water which we couldn't afford at our new house with a much higher water bill.
New machine is also super quiet which is nice when you're stuck with a laundry nook in the kitchen.
Other then a penny getting stuck under the impeller it hasn't given us any trouble yet and I pulled the impeller myself easily and removed the penny.
Like mentioned if you load and set them right they work fine, at least ours is good.
 
logixx

That video you posted shows the clothes moving more than any other video I have seen of an HE top loader. I do clearly see the "bloom" affect in progress. I am not and have not said that these type of machine are useless or that they absolutely will NOT clean your clothes at all. It just seems that it takes a lot more friction and rubbing to even get the clothes to move in some of the units. I mean, just wetting clothes down and soaking them in soapy water will clean them somewhat. These machines just don't seem very capable of moving larger, heavier items around very well either. I would also hate to have to depend on very little water to rinse the soap and residue out of my clothes too. Anyone would have to agree that the old style agitator washer did a far superior job and did it quicker. The reason that front loaders can do it with so little water is because they were designed originally to use less water and are quite capable of washing and rinsing that way. I guess that it all boils down to what we percieve to work and do the job. I have had several different bad experiences with different machines and perhaps that has shaded my opinions on them. I really do like the front loading machine I have now, something I thought I would NEVER have let alone like. Up until over 2 years ago I would have never in my wildest dreams thought I would be using a front loader as my daily driver. I was ALWAYS an advocate for top loading machines until recently.
 
The F&P is a great machine! Probably the best out there in terms of handling the items. Until WP changed the new Cabrio designs I would have gone to them too but honestly now I'd either get the F&P or the LG top loader. The LG does a really good job actually, especially when the TurboWash kicks in lol I don't know enough about the GE's to make an informed decision about them. It does appear though that the recirculating spray stays on most of the wash cycle, which would be a selling point for me. They are based on the F&P SmartDrive design too I believe.
 
A front-loader has been the daily driver since 1987 and I've never once had a problem with mildew/smells/mold/gunk. I didn't even leave the door ajar 'til 1996. I do, however, wash in hot water several times a week, usually with some liquid chlorine bleach.

The class action lawsuit against Whirlpool was for a design defect that apparently allowed mildew and mold to develop in unseen areas. That has been rectified in newer models, from what I've read.

The Maytag doesn't prompt one to run the Clean Washer cycle as did the 2010 Frigidaire. I've used the Clean Washer cycle only twice in the year I've had it. No problems, so far. I leave the dispenser open a bit as well as the door.

Maybe I'm just lucky.
 
I received a card

from WP, saying that all FL washers manufactured from 2001 to I can't remember the exact dates, but my Duet fell within those years, and it was some sort of recall. My machine is on it's 12th year and not a single hint of a smell. I absolutely love my machine. I also trust that (even though I have never had an HE TL) that Andrew knows what he's talking about. If he says he likes the machine, it's a good machine. I think because HE TL's have improved drastically compared to when they first came out.
 
Andrew nailedit:

'So long as the comforter or large item is loaded as though there is an invisible agitator post in the middle, you'll never have problems with tangling....'

The key to getting good performance out of these HE TLs is too follow the rules exactly to the letter.
They're marginal performers, at best, so any deviation from the 'best practice' will result in poor cleaning.
 
Frigilux

I think the statement you made is the most true. "The only thing HE machines have in common with traditional washers is that they load from the top."
 
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