NEW! - Frigidaire Affinity

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tgodel

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Oct 3, 2005
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Although I can't take credit for discovering them, I do think we need a thread dedicated to discussing the new Frigidaire Affinity models.
Compared to the He2 pair, for example, Affinity offers notable differences, like:

- a digital countdown timer on both washer and dryer
- a fully round dryer door (very useful when stacked!)
- a porcelain dryer drum that is smaller than the He2

I'm sure we will discover many pros and cons to this new offering, but I wanted to open the door to discussion.

--Trip

Best Buy's Affinity listing:





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This looks like a warmed over version of the existing Frigidaire front loader, with a circular instead of a square front door. The capacity is identical, and the lack of an internal water heater is also notable.

For the price, I'd go first for the GE FL, which leaves both Whirlpool and Frigidaire in the dust, with its internal water heater and larger capacity.
 
I like the Frigidare FL's but...

I was in Lowes today looking at them and while the machines seem to look really nice, the construction of the smaller ones seem pretty light weight. I noticed on the smallest FL by Frigidare, the door was already off it's hinges, just one hinge in the middle and it was already bent.
The large Frigidare machines were built a lot more sturdier, but the switches on the machines seemed really light weight. When I turn a knob or flick a switch, I like "positive action", but on these machines the switch position was rather vague as to where the switch was actually positioned. The pointers sometimes looked like they were "between" positioned when they were actually "clicked in". And there was virtually no tactile response when moving from one position to another.
 
I'm curious to see how well the GE versions last. The Fridigaire FL's have proven themselves to be quite reliable and tough machines. GE's latest TL's have a bad reputation of being built with inferior materials and engineering...I wonder if that translates into their FL line. I do like the fact that they have an internal heater though, that's what sold me on the Danby!
 
My local Lowe's says they will have the Affinitys in-stock by the end of the month, but they could not specify whether this was the 6000 or the 7000.

The 7000 has disappeared from Frigidaire's web site, as noted elsewhere. At least by this morning, the 6000 remains all that was visible on there... not that I expected change over the weekend, but Frigidaire's doc site has done it before...

--T
 
Pricing!

According to the MSRP of the 6000 and 7000 washers, you can get a water heater and metal-style trim for only an extra *$20*!

6000 - $879
7000 - $899

I'm sure it makes the point that perhaps the 6000 starts too high (let's just call it the GE effect).

But I'm happy about one thing: Finally, someone has put a realistic incremental value on an onboard water heater. It's just a heating element and a thermostat, people!

:-)

--Trip

 
Advanced Rinse Technology

Frigilux:
I'm glad you mentioned this...because I have tried and tried to figure out what on earth Frigidaire means by this. It seems insane the way they describe it. They introduced the terminology on their previous square door model...and even after asking them about it, I am still completely in the dark about what they mean. It must be pure marketing crap because even they don't really have a clue what they mean (at least in their response to me). Any ideas anyone?
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Frigidaire appliances; but you definitely nailed it on the head with your 'pure marketing crap' comment. It rinses just like any other FL'er does, with changes of fresh water.

OR....perhaps Frigidaire has come up with a way to extract all the detergent and other chemicals from the wash water and reuse it for the rinses, LOL!
 
The new 3.5 Frigidaires dont always fill the tub from a waterfall flume like the smaller ones do. Water enters between the inner and outer tubs - this is where the detergent bleach and softener are dispensed, which I really like. On most rinses, depending on cycle, water also enters the tub from a 12 o'clock position, showering the clothes. That is what ART is. It is a very good fill system I think, but some marketing geek went bananas in calling it that and then not explaining it well. I just got the square door model and am pissed that a Frigidaire with a heater is released one month later. Darn!
 
First Touch - Affinity 6000 - Very Positive!

I had the pleasure of handling the Affinity 6000 at my local Best Buy tonight, and I must confess that I was VERY impressed.

This is clearly a redress of the previous TOL Frigidaire "Square Door" 2940. But that's not a bad thing, because this is a time-tested design. Both the GE and He2t/Duet Sport machines are relatively unproven. Although the Affinitys still lack the bulk of an He4t/Duet, nearly all of my fit-and-finish issues with the 2940 have been resolved. Through a side-by-side comparision (literally!) I noted the following improvements:

- beefier round doors with a nearly round dryer opening
- more substantial rotary dials, plus chunkier, better arranged modifier buttons
- more sound insulation
- removal of many almost-redundant cycle variants on the control dials
- removal of the annoying slide interlock on the detergent drawer (washer only)


The overall impression is clean and tidy. The larger buttons still feel like Chiclets, but no longer held in place by ballpoint pen springs. The rarely used Option Select and Pause buttons are now relatively smaller. Minor cycle variations such as the 2940 washer's redundant "inner ring" cycles are pleasantly absent. Unlike the He2, the 2940 helpfully retains cycle modifiers after Power Off and I'll bet the Affinity does too. A few modifiers and labels have been changed. LED countdown timers are on both machines, and Frigidaire claims evenly matched wash and dry times.

My washer disappointment was the loss of a non-ATC Hot wash. ATC Hot--which IS included--may mix cold water into a hot fill to achieve a "desired" target temperature LOWER than pure hot. Kenmore got stuck with ATC Hot on its verion of the 2940, and this time Frigidaire gave it to itself. My dryer disappointment was a flimsy lint screen, although a drying rack is included.

Even with all this freshening, the Affinitys are utterly trumped by the polished presentation of the GE front-loaders. However, the pair was selling for $250 less, which makes the duo pretty attractive, especially if:

- you need a machine slightly smaller than the GEs
- you need shorter wash times than the GEs typically offer
- you prefer a rounder dryer door opening than the He2
- you want a machine based upon a highly proven design
- you have a problem with GE's Little Swan Chinese labor


March will bring the Affinity 7000, which adds an onboard heater and metallic trim for only $20 more MSRP (an obvious choice that highlights a puffed-up price for the 6000). It is not yet known how hot the 7000 heater will get, but it better be 140 degrees or higher, or I will be disappointed. You can also get fancy metallic paint for an extra $100 MSRP (pricey paint: Glacier Blue or Platinum Ice).

After more than a year of diligent research, I may finally buy my first FLs with this pair! The GEs won't fit in my space, and the He2 dryer opening bugs me when stacked. I'm obviously impressed with the Affinitys, but what do you think?

--T


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ART and Frigidaire

I agree Frigilux. I am also a big fan of their appliances...in fact, every appliance in my house is Frigidaire (except my diswasher...because I wanted the stainless front without visible controls) and I've never had a single problem with any of them. I've got their original Gallery series washer and dryer which I bought in '96/'97 and both are still going strong without a single repair on 8 loads a week. The only reason I am going to replace them is because I want a heater...and the new Affinity set is going to be sitting in my laundry room as soon as the 7000 comes out! :-)

Thanks Golittlesport for your clarification of ART. The concept makes sense the way you describe it, but the way it is marketed is just plain dumb.

Thanks Tgodel for your preliminary review! I can't wait to find out what temp the heater version will heat to. I, like you, hope to NOT be disappointed with the temp because I really want these in my laundry room. I'm also glad they decided to jump on the bandwagon with the stainless dryer drum on the 7000 dryer. It adds to the visual interest since the dryer door is a full round.

Oooooh...I'm like a kid in a candy store with these new Frigidaires! :-)
 
Tilted drums or true H-axis drums?

Do they have tilted drums or true H-axis drums?

If tilted, what is the tilted angle?
 
Frigidaire FL'ers have never had an angled drum. I'm willing to bet the farm the Affinity doesn't, either.

golittlesport-- I feel your pain; I bought the new-issue iMac in November and a few weeks ago they released a newer model using Intel chips. I also bought an iPod about 2 months before the video iPod came on the market. Bad timing!

Fortunately, even though I've had 'new washer fever' for a few months, I held off. Now I can pick up an Affinity.
 

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