Switching back to a classic

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Again, I Agree:

Hey! David, I again agree with you. If I were to look into buying any more Front-Load Washers {New} it would be one of the Kenmore "Fridgemore" Models. I've heard more good things about the Kenmore especially, over the Frigidaire and GE Models. I even recommended the Kenmore Model to some Friends who are very happy with both the Washer and Dryer. They've had them for 3 or 4 years now and have never had any Repairs on either Machine.

The Frigidaire/GE Models seem to be having quite a lot of problems with the Bearings and Control Boards, besides a couple of Tub/Basket Replacement problems.

Peace and Happiness, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[frigilux]

I love my Electrolux-made Frigidaire FL! The cycle length is only a little longer than a TL, and it doesn't waste a lot of time trying to balance the load before going into a spin. I've never had a problem with either of my Frigiluxes. The 1996 machine (first edition Frigilux) is still going strong servicing a multi-family apt building. My 2002 hasn't given me any trouble, either.

 

[scott55405]

What a fun ad, must send that to Mark. I had no idea Larson's lasted into the '80s. They, of course, were a big Frigidaire dealer too.

 

[scott55405]

What a fun ad, must send that to Mark. I had no idea Larson's lasted into the '80s. They, of course, were a big Frigidaire dealer too.

 

[Itguy04]

Not sure why you have so many problems

We had an '80's Maytag TL that was left by the previous owners in our house.... It never did a decent job of cleaning our clothes. Most of my undershirts had a white cakey residue from deoderant in the armpits and my wife's socks always looked dirty on the soles....

When our dryer caught fire in Dec, we got the LG WM2277 and matching dryer as the Maytag was making funny noises for the past 2 years and Best Buy had 2 years no interest....

Let's just say the crust in the t-shirts is gone, the wife's socks are looking cleaner with every wash, and even our other clothes are coming cleaner than the Maytag or any other washer.

Doesn't matter what temp we use - warm, cold, or hot. Can't explain it, but our clothes just look better.

As for the HE detergent - we've had good luck with Costco (Kirkland), although many have issues with it (we have hard water). Also we've been using Sears Ultra Plus and it's doing a great job as well.

Not to say FL's are for everyone - the long cycle times take a little getting used to, but we're doing almost 2x the laundry per load than we were with the Maytag so it's evening out on the end.

 

[agiflow]

I know you front load owners like to say you would not go back to a toploader.But how do you compare stain to stain.

If we didn't have he detergents,these machines would just be glorified suds makers...no? May be spin wise they will dry your laundry faster,but i do not believe they are superior cleaners by any stetch of the imagination. also that beating on a rock principle is reaching a little too much.

Guys just my honest opinion from using both types of machines.

 

[golittlesport]

FL for me

We all are entitled to our opinions. I have used both types of machines too, and I believe the FL of today cleans better than the TL of today. My son and I both work at a gym and generate some very sweaty, stinky laundry. He works on cars and I work in the yard. We have some very dirty clothes. Everthing comes out fresh and sparkling clean...much better than it did from a modern TL with a corkscrew agitator. (And that thing was harsh, it frayed a set of expensive sheets in one year. After getting the FL, I replaced the sheets...exact same set from same store...and they are over four years old now.)
Persperation stains are a thing of the past. We used to get a build up of persperation/deodorant under T shirt sleeves, but no more. I know it is hard to believe that a machine using so little water in the wash cycle can clean better...but for me seeing was believing. I think using the right detergent for your machine is a big factor. All detergents these days should be HE....there is no reason to have suds...except for entertainment value for folks like us.

P.S. I still like my Unimatic the best, though.

 

[richm]

FL washes great

Hi,

I concur with my Neptune's FL cleaning ability, it's just as good as any top loader I have ever owned. I have owned many different types of front and top loaders, some were good at cleaning, some not. I currently have both the Neptune and a 1-18. They both wash great and I am very picky about clean. My son plays baseball and other sports, lots of very dirty clothes here....never a problem getting stains out with either of these machines. (While I won't rave about the Neptune due to quality issues, I have never a problem with it's cleaning ability.) I use only Tide regular powder due to chemical sensitivity. I have no problems using it in the Neptune for washing or rinsing. I know some have expressed concern about the amount of water used in a FL, but I do not think that there is a problem with cleaning ability, at least not in my experience. The things that the 1-18 do better IMHO are quicker cycle times and better spin dry,with less water left in the clothes. You have to get used to longer cycle times with the FL, but I've adapted.

Rich

 

[hoovermatic]

What is the obsession with getting laundry done so quickly, don't you guys have anything else to get on with while the washer is running?

 

[frigilux]

hoovermatic--- Yes, we Americans are obsessed with getting things done VERY QUICKLY! We want instant everything, and we wanted it five minutes ago, thank you very much! LOL

On FL vs. TL washers: I noticed that after I switched to FL washers, I never lose a button off shirts.

 

[frigilux]

hoovermatic--- Yes, we Americans are obsessed with getting things done VERY QUICKLY! We want instant everything, and we wanted it five minutes ago, thank you very much! LOL

On FL vs. TL washers: I noticed that after I switched to FL washers, I never lose a button off shirts.

 

[re563]

Well, Like many of you, I have had serval machines over the years, top load and front load. I have to say, I've always had the best results with a front load washer.

On the subject of "special detergent", years ago it was "Dash" and it was recommended for all machines because of it's low sudings formula, thus being better for ALL machines. Today it's "HE" formula----hmmmmm sound familar yet?? Anyway, As far as long cycle times, My machine today is an HE3. I wash most things on the Heavy Duty cycle and adjust the water temp to the type of Load/fabric I'm washing. Estimated time is at 50 minutes. Sometimes it takes a little long than that, sometimes shorter. However, when running the washer and dryer together, They always shut off with in a minute or 2 of each other. So if your dryer is taking lets say 40 to 50 mins to dry a load of clothes, than whats the problem with the washer running that long. Can't do anything anyway until the dryer shuts off. As far as cleaning, my partner always wears white sox around the house like slippers and they are blacker than black when he puts them in the wash. (I have tile floors and a I mop them everyday). At the end of the cycle after being washed in hot water with a scoop of Tide HE they are very white with no trace of black on the soles.

 

[MrX]

I'm slightly confused!

I use a Miele (far cheaper here in Europe btw.. you guys are soooo ripped off!) anyway I really don't understand your speed-obcession.

I stuff the machine full of clothes to the point that there is absolutely no space in the drum.
Throw a small scoop of Ariel (one of the normal detergents in this part of the world)
A spash of conditioner (read fabric softener)
Set the controls press start and get on with my life!... often I run the machine just before I go to bed so the washing's done over night (on cheaper night rate electricity too)

If you need something urgently there's a QuickWash that only takes about 32 mins.

But, normally you'd put towels, bed linen etc on for a longer programme.

The long washes are ideal for very heavily soiled items or towels / bed linen which can be washed at relatively high temps (60 to 95C) (140 - 203F) for hygine reasons.

Normal washing is done at 30 or 40C (almost all washing) (86 or 104F).
Also, for normal washing you use a SHORT option so the cycle doesn't actually last that long. While these machines do have very long cycles, there's absolutely no reason to use them for everything! There are typically anything between 10 and 25 programmes on a european machine so the length of the wash really depends on how dirty the items are, what the fabric types are etc etc..

The temp is freely selectable between Cold and 95C/203F (obviously it doesn't allow inappropriately hot temps on wool or other delicate cycles)

I get the impression your H-Axis detergent selection's pretty bad over there too though. I've lived in Boston and the local supermarkets didn't seem to stock much in terms of HE detergents. In Europe, there really is nothing else except HE detergent and it seems to be far more effective as the market is for it is more developed. Although, I really don't understand why you guys don't have it as almost all detergent in both markets is made by UniLever and Proctor and Gamble.

Also, my experience of using a US whirlpool top loading machine wasn't too great. I didn't really think it held all that much more washing to be quite honest. Most of the drum was taken up by a huge agitator and if you overloaded it the clothes simply didn't wash at all and came out stained with detergent. The controls were pretty primative and didn't provide any real control over the temprature.

I found the rinsing performance to be absolutely pathetic and had some really nasty skin alergies which I soon found were caused by insufficiently rinsed clothes. (I washed my clothes in a H-axis machine in a laundry and they went away!)

I generally put the machine back through the rinse and spin cycle again when it finished to make sure the clothes were properly rinsed out and used the smallest amount of detergent possible.

Also regarding speed and capacity:

There are several machines over here that occupy quite a lot less space than a US toploader yet still have pretty serious capacity. e.g. see http://www.dyson.ie/range/range_overview.asp?model=CR02&sinavtype=pagelink

2 contrarotating drums ... i.e. the drum is split in half and the back and front half move in opposite directions. It has a 7kg load (15.43lbs), 78L (2.75cu ft) drum.

It will hapily wash a king size duvet (king size very thick quilt basically)

Anyway ... my point again : put your front loader on, go out do some shopping, go for a walk, sleep, go to work... or whatever! There's no real need to babysit these machines.

Loading…

www.dyson.ie

 

[maytagbear]

Well.....

Here in the States (Canada, too), we generally have large hot water tanks. It is not rare for a family of 2-3 to have a 40 to 50 gallon hot water tank. Until recently, having a washer be able to heat its own water was a novelty. Now, it makes sense (sort of) to me, to heat the water as needed. However, electric resistance heating is not necessarily the best approach, I think!

As for the cycle speed, it depends. As a single man, living alone, it makes little difference to me. (It probably does not make much difference in the end, but I do use my Maytag's "Extended Spin" setting.) However, when I was doing laundry for my mother, sister, and me, it made a huge difference. Also, if one has a large or active family, it also makes a difference.

I like FL washers, in theory. I have yet to own one, and have only used them in coin op settings.

This thread goes back to priorities. As water and energy get more expensive here in North America, I have a feeling that there may be a time when new toploaders are legislated out of production.

It is also a question of custom. If manufacturers other than Westinghouse had stayed with the FL here...

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[MrX]

Cold/Hot Fill in Europe

The reason for the water heater in European machine's is nothing to do with the availability of hot water in European homes. (Most homes have signifigant quantities of hot water available on tap...)

Many older European machines (up to the late 1980s) filled with signifigantly more water than current models and used both hot and cold water. (The water would come up almost half way up the glass door!)

The heater was only used to maintain temprature or increase it to >60C

However, newer machines only use a tiny amount of water. They're often already full by the time hot water would get via the plumbing from the hot tank using only a few liters for the wash cycle.

That has made hot water fill rather pointless.

On top of that, biological detergents used in europe tend to perform best if gradually warmed up rather than simply added to hot water. The enzymes break down stains more effectively as the wash temprature gently rises.

Also, because wash tempratures are now much cooler (30-40C) it's difficult to get an accurate wash temprature with hot and cold filling. The temprature of water in a domestic hotwater system varies from home to home and, in some cases, could be more than 60C.

In the past, it was quite common to wash at 60C (hot water tank temprature) for quite a lot of washes.

Modern detergents have changed all that!

 

[MrX]

Also...

Washers in Europe have gone through similar environmental / legisilative / market pressure to become more and more efficient.

Water prices have gone up
Energy prices have gone up
and there's been a very definite legislative effort to force domestic appliance manufacturers to become more and more efficient.

E.g. all European appliances (and soon houses for sale/rent!) have to have an energy efficiency rating. They're rated from A to G (A = best G = Worst) and also rated on their wash and spin performance in the case of washing machines.

So, when you go into a store to look at appliances there's a label which is legally required that gives you a break down of how efficient it is, how well it washes and how well it spins. Manufacturers are forced to strive for AAA ratings otherwise they just look bad and don't sell.

These tests are carried out by an EU approved testing agency and the labels are a legal requirement and must be displayed.

They also operate on a sliding scale benchmarking system. .So, as things get more efficient, the bar is raised and what was an A rated machine 5 years ago might be a C rated machine today!

 

[mrsalvo]

I'm just lovin this thread! Maytagbear, I have a feeling you
are right on the money about the future of F/L's in this country. I'm going to try and hang on to my T/L maytag for as
long as I can. I think you have good foresight.
Mrx, its interesting some of the points you have brought up
and shows the difference between Europe and stateside on some
things. Yes, I wouldn't mind owning a Miele if I could afford
one here in the US, I understand they are about the best washer
ever made period. But for now my Maytag will do fine, and its
fast cycle time.
Interesting thread.
Mrsalvo.

 

[toggleswitch]

Anyone Like ASKOs

IMHO-

T/L are great for mud and grease and muck for truly filthy work clothes. More water and more detergent can simply hold in suspension more "yuck" and the rinsing.... as another member so eloquently said.....(hi girls!)...is a function of good dilution, so more water is better!

But for normal domestiic use, it's hard to beat the through-ness, and gentle-ness and felxibility of a F/L. Did I mention frugal-ness? My neighbor had an ancient Westinghouse [I was informed this is pronounced "We-stink-house" by a dear friend and club-member]in her place (came with apt)and she said it removed stains better than a top-loader.

I have the first front-load in the family. When the family comes in for the holidays they bring their

blankets
pillows
tennis shoes
coats
rugs.

And no... not to sleep on..... or go camping.........
no,no,no to wash in my F/L.

These things would choke their T/L machines or get ruined.

Haven't heard much about ASKOs... anywhere here in the club. Anyone have an opinion? (oh my that's a loaded question. LOL) And why, oh why, oh why, does Maytag put their name on them?

 

[toggleswitch]

water conservation

another thought.

Are washers gonna become like water-saving toilets?

They use so little water that you have to run it through two cycles to get the job done well.....

PS those old waterhogs (toilets)are worth a small fortune ... if you can get them second-hand.

so keep yer water-hog washers.. LOL

 

[tolivac]

Yes I have "water hog" potties and washers-love'em-won't give em up either.