New GE Front Loader

[sudsmaster]

Just saw that GE is offering a newly designed front loader. It appears to be somewhat different from their previous offering:

1) Tilted instead of non-tilted drum.
2) 4.2 cu ft capacity ("colossal")
3) Teardrop shaped door
4) No lip on upper control panel so they can be fit under counter.
5) Stain detective (like in the Harmony)
6) Option for "Smart Dispenser" which will automatically dispense detergent/softener (not bleach) from lower compartment/pedestal.
7) 1300 rpm top spin speed

http://products.geappliances.com/Ap...T=SPECPAGE&SKU=WPDH8800JMG&SITEID=GEA&TABID=4

 

[peterh770]

Put a pink film over the window...

 

[sudsmaster]

Oops!

 

[tuthill]

I thought GE Appliances went belly up???

UUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGLLLYYYYYYYYYYYY

 

[gyrafoam]

With the pair placed side by side they look as though they have sunglasses on!

 

[johnb300m]

idk, i kinda like 'em!

how they perform is something else.

 

[appnut]

Very nice features and cycles. I'd pretty much end up using the specialty cycles instead of the standard ones--those cycles include just about everything I usually wash winter or summer!!

 

[nmaineman36]

They are nice but....they are still Chinese made and they are according to CU not very good at all. Lately I take what they say and think about it...i find that opften times they are wrong about something. Not like in the past.

 

[gansky1]

Tear-drops of joy or...

Buy the extended warranty.

 

[thomasortega]

Maybe this washer (AKA Frankenstein) was created by Procter & Gamble...

Does the hatch (door) reminds you something?

 

[gansky1]

Hee hee...

I was thinking of the Vicks or that I've seen birth control pills used to come in a similar shaped container...

 

[sudsmaster]

What, Me Warranty?

Yeah, I vote for the automatic fluid dispenser as one of the first things to go haywire... with suds billowing out of every washer orifice... lol...

Made in China is not necessarily bad, if GE took the trouble to go beyond novel new styling and actually fixed some of the complaints people had about the first gen ChinGE front loaders: interminable wash cycles, failure to achieve final spin due to inability to balance load, mysterious error messages, abysmal tech support...

I'm not too thrilled with the change from horiz to tilted drum. Doesn't say HOW tilted they are, tho.

Look to see discontinued 1st gen GE frontloaders going for a song at outlets and maybe briefly at the box stores like Home Depot/Lowes. I had high hopes for these machines when they first came out, but typically GE dropped the ball somewhere along the way and they appear to have been released with major flaws.

Oh, and the door reminds me of the Alfa-Romeo grille. Not too shabby, that connection. But it does seem rather out of place on a washer. I don't understand what the problem is with a simple round window door. Styling gone wild. The champagne color also leaves me a bit tepid. My favorite washer color of the last few years is that slate blue of the top of the line Frigidaire Affinity. But I fear it's already passe as I didn't see it at the latest Lowe's display.

Another potential issue with the new GEFL is the dimensions. 32-1/2 inches deep - that's not gonna fit in many laundry closets. And from the photos it looks like the machines will not fit under any normal counters. Just too tall. But at least they got rid of that stupid facade that precluded placing the machines under anything that needed to open horizontally.

Probably the best plan is to let the suckers at Garden Web and eOpinions be the beta testers for this latest offering from the General.

 

[sudsman]

looks a bit monsterish

but then so is G E

 

[jeffg]

I think the teardrop doors are logical. What's crazy is spending $2500 for a W/D with a 1-year warranty.

 

[sudsmaster]

What's so logical about the teardrop door? I can see negatives: lower lip might require lower water levels. Lower edge of pointed door will interfere more with laundry hampers that otherwise might slide under a round door. I just can't think of any practical benefit to the teardrop door shape.

 

[jeffg]

I'd have to try it to know, but just from the looks of it, laundry should be easier to unload with this teardrop door. Loads wind up at the bottom of a drum, right?

As for water levels, they're already very low in most modern FL's, so the new door shape shouldn't cause a problem.

 

[sudsmaster]

OK, well, I was just using a hamper to transfer almost dry towels from the line to the Neptune dryer. I liked that the hamper came up nearly exactly to the bottom of the dryer opening, so that it was pretty easy to move the laundry from the hamper to the dryer. Similar for the washer. And this is a relatively tall hamper.

 

[tecnopolis]

There is a set on ebay for sale as we speak.
-Alex

http://cgi.ebay.com/GE-Profile-Fron...=39:1|66:4|65:7|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[jetcone]

I saw these at my local Sears

they have really wavey fins in the drum, they are actually pretty cool looking in person. But I don't hold out that these are durable appliances at all. They are too orphaned to be good appliances. Designed 10,000 miles away from where they are made leaves the people who designed them not responsible.

Now those E'lux machines oooo lookout baby!

 

[jetcone]

What an exciting time though for

front load laundry, did you ever think we'd see this as far back as 1989??

 

[laundromat]

I saw them at Lowes last night. Nice but pricey.Unlike Whirlpool though,They too have the stainless steel dryer drum.

 

[stainfighter]

tilted drum...

must have been designed b/c of the funky door design so it could hold some water. Would be interesting to see one in action, if there isn't a secondary seal in the door how does the water not spray on the glass (plastic?) during spin and make a mess upon unloading. I find it amazing that some will spend THOUSANDS for stuff like this that won't be working in 7 years (or less), definitely extended warranty kitsch!!!

 

[jbuscemi]

This is the ugliest machine I have seen to date. It looks intimidating.

 

[peteski50]

GE Front Loader!

Now just what happened to the Simplicity of a bendix or a weatinghouse front loader. With all this jazz you would think you were getting something exciting. And is asking for some splashing action a lot to ask for?(I guess it is). Their is so much hype that went into this and I am sure it's pure garbage. (hopefully I will not insult anyone) - But what happened to the Kiss theory - Keep it simple stupid! I could imaging just how wonderful it works. No splashing, problems balancing to spin, extremly long wash times, cycles most will never use and probably more issues. I hate to sound negative but lets see. Now you all can see why I'm not in a rush to buy anything else so fast. And this doesn't include service issurs.
Peter

 

[peteski50]

Ge Front Loader continued!

I had to add the fact it has so much Drama including that optional automatic soap dispenser. (just more to break down)
I did see one at a store recently. The power was turned on. I was able to get it to spin. It took 3 minutes to go into a spin WithOut clothes in it. So you tell me this is progress.
Peter