Questions about various FL washers

[appnut]

I tink ya made a very good choiice. I'll bundle up my laundry and roll it down I-35 for ya!! ;-)

 

[3beltwesty]

In southern Mississippi Home Depot in FL washers carries GE, Amana, Maytag and LG. Lowes carries Electrolux, Samsung, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Maytag.

For November both stores dropped prices and hand many units on sale.

Who makes what seems to be a game as always.

The lowest cost FL washer was at HD; 349 for the Amana 4.0 CU FT NFW7300WW, normally 549. At that price I guess you just chuck the machine if it dies in 5 years. The patent plate on this low cost machine is Whirlpool. There was a floor model with a small dent in the side they had on sale for 279.

HD's other low cost FL was a 3.8 CU FT GE GFWN1000LWW for 399; marked down from 599.

The LG at the local HD is their premium priced FL washers. They
were pushing the LG Steam washer WM2501HWA on sale for 599 more than the on sale WM2101HW for 499. The most expensive FL LG was a WM3875HVCA for 1349 a 4.8 cu ft.

Having looked at washers at HD for the last year; theses are the lowest front loader prices I have ever seen. Even the token TL washer had a low cost model; a Maytag MVWC300VW FOR 249 dollars.

 

[3beltwesty]

With LG; there seems to be a game as to what "true balance" is. The same machine at Sears has a blurb about being true balance; where home depot did not have this on their tags and adverts. It turns out that there are several levels of true balance. The steam washer WM2501HWA has a better balance settup and is the one recommended for 2nd floor usage compared to the lessor models. The weird thing is the lessor models have shocks and the balance balls in the drum to; thus the betterment might be software or better/more shocks.

 

[fordtech]

I think a lot of the low pricing was the government incentives paid to the manufacturers this year for energystar ratings. If they dont get those next year you may never see prices like that again.

It sure ticks you off though when you get a huge energy star discount in the summer and other discounts and find the same price with no energy star discounts a couple months later. Looks like I replaced all my appliances a few months too early.

I would say Ill remember next time but that should be a long time from now.

 

[launderess]

Gentleness In Front Loaders

Is also in relation to how much water they use for wash cycles.

Tumbling items for long periods of time with low water levels leads to more abrasion, regardless of Miele's "drum design".

Consumer Reports has noted that as more front loaders become stingy with water levels and or increased cycle times, they are increasingly becoming hard on textiles.

 

[3beltwesty]

The old LT570 White Westinghouse FL here from 1976 was rated by Consumer Reports around 76/78 as the washer using the least amount of water. It uses about anywhere between 10 to 30 gallons total, depending on where the water level control is set. The 1976 WCI Marketing brochure calls this a "New Generation Washer" ; there are tables on the water savings per year and dollars saved with gas and electric hot water heaters.

"In todays' economy, saving is on everyone's mind"

Also the 1976 marketing is that this front loader is more gentles on the clothes, they last longer.

In that era; the top 4 best top loaders used 47 gallons of water

 

[mrb627]

Speed Queen Imperial

I must say that my SQ has an impressive old school feel about it. It reminds me of the early Westinghouse machines that alternated tumble direction. An instant classic in my laundry room.

Malcolm

 

[danmantn]

It was a rainy, cold day and I spent some quality time with the SQ top load...felt like a kid again in the mid 80s....gosh, I love that thing.

 

[passatdoc]

comforters and capacity

I have a 3.5 cu ft Frig 2140, which was mid-size in 2006 when I purchased it: Maytags were 3.3, Duets were 3.7-3.8, and square-door Frigidaire was mid-sized for that era (the older Frigidaire is still made and is 3.1 cu ft). Now, of course, 3.5 is considered small today.

I have a king size comforter set from IKEA (see link) which is a combination set: one lighter weight and one mid weight comforter, which can be used separately or snapped together. The lighter comforter is suitable for summer use, the heavier one for spring and fall. The two comforters are supposed to be snapped together to form one THICK comforter, but I generally avoid this because the combined comforters are so thick and bulky that it's hard to insert into/remove from a duvet, unless the opening runs the entire length of a side of the duvet. Trying to push the thick combination through a one meter slit in one side is hopeless. So instead, I give each comforter its own duvet and, in very cold weather, I use one on top of the other, but not snapped together.

These comforters have a synthetic filling, which is great for me because I have allergy issues with down. I can fit the thinner comforter in my 3.5 cu ft Frigidaire, but I can't fit the thicker one and have to take it to a laundromat and use a triple loader machine when it needs laundering. I have friends with a 3.8 cu ft Duet, but don't know anyone with a larger (4-4.5 cu ft) machine to be able to test whether the heavier comforter fits inside the largest home machines.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60132192