I've actually had it since last Friday, but with the new job and the chaos of the holiday, I'm just now getting to post pictures. It wasn't a decision made without A LOT of deep thought and research, but with the price I paid for it, and the fact that I could finance it with 12 months no interest, which helps to boost the credit I'm trying to build, it seemed like a logical decision.
The model number is MVWB725BW0. It has the Fisher&Paykel drive system, recirculation system, and 4.5 cu.ft tub. The only things I passed up by not choosing the model up was the built in heater, and the claim of a 4.8 cu.ft capacity, which side by side look exactly alike. I posted a picture of the underside while it was tipped forward.
In the last week I've done probably 10 loads, and I honestly have to say, as skeptical as I've been of any HE top-load impeller style machines, I'm surprisingly impressed with its performance so far. The window-lid has caused me to stand watching, mesmerized, for the entire cycle, and though I've had, and still have, reservations about certain things about it, clothes come out feeling fresh, smelling light and crisp, and stains that seemed impossible to remove were gone without a trace. With its 1100 RPM final spin speed, there have literally been dry spots on the load, which I know for certain were being saturated and pulled in and out of the water. As a result, the dryer that already does a fantastic job with heavy loads is now knocking out full loads of towels in around 30 minutes!
I'm still learning and experimenting with the cycles and options, but I suppose I should share what I've learned so far:
- As most owners of HE top loaders have stated, it is CRUCIAL that users follow the directions on loading the machine and choosing cycles. So far, simply following the advice on the sticker right on the inside lip of the door has proven that the machine will give perfect results.
- Following that statement, while the diagram shows to load clothes loosely around the basket and wash plate, the main thing to make sure of is that there is nothing draped over the wash plate. As long as you reach down and make a small "hole" so that the center hub of the agitator is visible, there's nothing to worry about.
- My favorite feature of the machine is that on every cycle, it begins by flushing the detergent dispenser, then recirculating that concentrated detergent water evenly over the load while slowly turning the basket. It will spin up to a low spin speed in between dispenser flushes and recirculating sprays, "squeezing" the soapy water out and then saturating them again. It does this over and over for about 10 minutes, adding water whenever the pump starts to cavitate. I believe it also judges how much water is absorbed because of that cavitation, because with heavy loads of towels it adds much more water for this "PowerSpray" process. In my opinion, the saturation with the concentrated detergent is as effective as pretreating, but it's over the entire load, and I feel it has made a huge difference in the cleanliness of the clothes as well.
- I have been especially impressed with the agitation in this washer. It seems to do a much better job with the "blooming" rollover action than machines I've seen in videos. I have noticed that it does better with larger loads, I assume because the weight pushes the clothes on the bottom against the impeller vanes. I've yet to have anything tangled or wadded up, even jeans and long sleeve shirts. Again, I've been shocked but pleased.
- The Heavy Duty and PowerWash cycles seem to use the recirculation pump much more frequently, using a pattern of agitation, slow rotation sprays, and soak periods during the wash. This is in addition to the PowerSpray process at the beginning of the cycle.
- This is by far the QUIETEST machine I've ever heard. The door seems to seal some of the noise in, because there is a night and day difference between how the machine sounds with the door open or closed. And yes, the lock can easily be tripped with a magnet to the right of the latch, and when the latch pops out, you have to push it in so that only about an inch is sticking out. The motor is nearly silent, and the fill valves are pretty quiet as well. The only time you can hear it from another room is when the drain pump runs "dry", but because it is horizontally mounted, there's only a muffled gurgling sound rather than the horrible rhythmic choking that the WP agitator model has. The drain seems to only run when needed, so most of the spin is just the sound of what seems like a tiny jet engine whirring up or down.
- As far as detergent use, I'm noticing that in most cases I'll need to use half or less of the normal dose that I would have used in the WP. There are still some suds with the lower dose, but nothing that carries over to the rinse, and everything still comes out fresh and clean.
- The Bulky cycle is the only cycle that fills to a substantial amount, between 1/2 and 3/4 of the tub. The agitation is also longer strokes. When washing a comforter, it seemed to roll the comforter around easily; with a full load of towels, the blooming rollover action was more vigorous, so I'm still trying to decide what I'll use for such loads. The Heavy and PowerWash cycles seem to do an excellent job with those as it is.
- The only two complaints so far are that:
1. I wish that the fill for the rinse would be a little higher than the wash. Granted, with the Water Save Spray Rinse button deselected, it does a "spray rinse" after the first rinse, then fills for an agitated rinse. I have not yet needed to run a separate rinse cycle, however, so maybe the technique of water sprays and agitation are more effective than it would seem.
2. The fill flume could use some improvement. While it does fan out, it seems most of the water falls on the outer edge of the wash plate rather than the clothes. I may remove the flow restrictors and test to see if it takes care of that. Some of the "jets" are directed backwards toward the top of the basket, as well as a heavier jet of water that flows out toward the upper row of holes, but there isn't enough momentum for the water to go that far, and instead it just falls straight down anyway. As long as removing the restrictors doesn't cause the dispensers to overflow or an error to occur, I think it may help the spray rinses become more effective. There are some Cabrio/Bravos owners that have removed the restrictors and haven't reported problems, so I assume the dispensers have their own valves and that it would just affect the fill flume.
Sorry to practically write a book. I'm both excited and reserved about it, so I'll have to post updates as I learn the machine a little more. I'll also try to post the videos I've taken so far as well. For now, here are a few pictures!!!
The model number is MVWB725BW0. It has the Fisher&Paykel drive system, recirculation system, and 4.5 cu.ft tub. The only things I passed up by not choosing the model up was the built in heater, and the claim of a 4.8 cu.ft capacity, which side by side look exactly alike. I posted a picture of the underside while it was tipped forward.
In the last week I've done probably 10 loads, and I honestly have to say, as skeptical as I've been of any HE top-load impeller style machines, I'm surprisingly impressed with its performance so far. The window-lid has caused me to stand watching, mesmerized, for the entire cycle, and though I've had, and still have, reservations about certain things about it, clothes come out feeling fresh, smelling light and crisp, and stains that seemed impossible to remove were gone without a trace. With its 1100 RPM final spin speed, there have literally been dry spots on the load, which I know for certain were being saturated and pulled in and out of the water. As a result, the dryer that already does a fantastic job with heavy loads is now knocking out full loads of towels in around 30 minutes!
I'm still learning and experimenting with the cycles and options, but I suppose I should share what I've learned so far:
- As most owners of HE top loaders have stated, it is CRUCIAL that users follow the directions on loading the machine and choosing cycles. So far, simply following the advice on the sticker right on the inside lip of the door has proven that the machine will give perfect results.
- Following that statement, while the diagram shows to load clothes loosely around the basket and wash plate, the main thing to make sure of is that there is nothing draped over the wash plate. As long as you reach down and make a small "hole" so that the center hub of the agitator is visible, there's nothing to worry about.
- My favorite feature of the machine is that on every cycle, it begins by flushing the detergent dispenser, then recirculating that concentrated detergent water evenly over the load while slowly turning the basket. It will spin up to a low spin speed in between dispenser flushes and recirculating sprays, "squeezing" the soapy water out and then saturating them again. It does this over and over for about 10 minutes, adding water whenever the pump starts to cavitate. I believe it also judges how much water is absorbed because of that cavitation, because with heavy loads of towels it adds much more water for this "PowerSpray" process. In my opinion, the saturation with the concentrated detergent is as effective as pretreating, but it's over the entire load, and I feel it has made a huge difference in the cleanliness of the clothes as well.
- I have been especially impressed with the agitation in this washer. It seems to do a much better job with the "blooming" rollover action than machines I've seen in videos. I have noticed that it does better with larger loads, I assume because the weight pushes the clothes on the bottom against the impeller vanes. I've yet to have anything tangled or wadded up, even jeans and long sleeve shirts. Again, I've been shocked but pleased.
- The Heavy Duty and PowerWash cycles seem to use the recirculation pump much more frequently, using a pattern of agitation, slow rotation sprays, and soak periods during the wash. This is in addition to the PowerSpray process at the beginning of the cycle.
- This is by far the QUIETEST machine I've ever heard. The door seems to seal some of the noise in, because there is a night and day difference between how the machine sounds with the door open or closed. And yes, the lock can easily be tripped with a magnet to the right of the latch, and when the latch pops out, you have to push it in so that only about an inch is sticking out. The motor is nearly silent, and the fill valves are pretty quiet as well. The only time you can hear it from another room is when the drain pump runs "dry", but because it is horizontally mounted, there's only a muffled gurgling sound rather than the horrible rhythmic choking that the WP agitator model has. The drain seems to only run when needed, so most of the spin is just the sound of what seems like a tiny jet engine whirring up or down.
- As far as detergent use, I'm noticing that in most cases I'll need to use half or less of the normal dose that I would have used in the WP. There are still some suds with the lower dose, but nothing that carries over to the rinse, and everything still comes out fresh and clean.
- The Bulky cycle is the only cycle that fills to a substantial amount, between 1/2 and 3/4 of the tub. The agitation is also longer strokes. When washing a comforter, it seemed to roll the comforter around easily; with a full load of towels, the blooming rollover action was more vigorous, so I'm still trying to decide what I'll use for such loads. The Heavy and PowerWash cycles seem to do an excellent job with those as it is.
- The only two complaints so far are that:
1. I wish that the fill for the rinse would be a little higher than the wash. Granted, with the Water Save Spray Rinse button deselected, it does a "spray rinse" after the first rinse, then fills for an agitated rinse. I have not yet needed to run a separate rinse cycle, however, so maybe the technique of water sprays and agitation are more effective than it would seem.
2. The fill flume could use some improvement. While it does fan out, it seems most of the water falls on the outer edge of the wash plate rather than the clothes. I may remove the flow restrictors and test to see if it takes care of that. Some of the "jets" are directed backwards toward the top of the basket, as well as a heavier jet of water that flows out toward the upper row of holes, but there isn't enough momentum for the water to go that far, and instead it just falls straight down anyway. As long as removing the restrictors doesn't cause the dispensers to overflow or an error to occur, I think it may help the spray rinses become more effective. There are some Cabrio/Bravos owners that have removed the restrictors and haven't reported problems, so I assume the dispensers have their own valves and that it would just affect the fill flume.
Sorry to practically write a book. I'm both excited and reserved about it, so I'll have to post updates as I learn the machine a little more. I'll also try to post the videos I've taken so far as well. For now, here are a few pictures!!!
