The Award For The Best Agitator Design Goes To........

[launderess]

Factors include but not limited to:

Effective in cleaning action.
Gentle on fabrics.
Turn-Over rate.
Longest lasting design.

Now cast your votes, and remember to please be specific and explain your choice or choices.

L.

 

[laundromat]

agitators

Speed Queen/Amana.Their own version of the Dual Action Agitator.Pre Whirlpool ownership.Thorough,yet gentle.No need to slow down.

 

[hooverzodiac12]

no way man. i so reckon the ge styal or old hoover.

GE Activators and
Hoover Heli Spiral Agitators i think thats what there called

 

[hooverzodiac12]

GE

 

[alr2903]

Alex I will take Rotoswirl for $100.

 

[volvoguy87]

Maytag Power Fin.

Long slow stroke, and a regular capacity tub makes the Power Fin a gentle, yet thorough, choice. Plus, it is turquoise!
Dave

 

[aldspinboy]

Hello guys...Laundress very nice post.

THE BEST UP RIGHT SHAFT BASE AGITATOR SYSTEM I THINK, AND IV'E SEEN VERY MANY OF THEM IS...DRUM ROLL......

P H I L C O

F L A P P E R

S T Y L E

A G I T A T I O N
( AND MY DREAM MACHINE )

1. THE WASH SYSTEM IS VERY ORGANIC AND FLUID, LIKE A WHIRLPOOL BUT ONLY WITH CLOTHES IN THE BASKET I LOVE IT.... I THINK IS VERY GENTLE ON FABRICS AND PRETTY QWITE SYSTEM OVERALL. AND A BEAUTIFUL ROLL OVER.

RUNNERS UP...

1. Super roto swirl

2. Roto flex

3. Blackstone swirl agitator

4. Surgeulator

The most exciting and advanced washing system iv'e seen in vintage is that Apex washer is simply amazing! Never seen nothing like it before i am in still in shock and speachless. This is hard lol.

Darren k

 

[autowasherfreak]

Whirlpool Supersurgilator.

Gentle on clothes.
Excellent Rollover.
Excellent Cleaning.

 

[revvinkevin]

Personally I like the spiral ramp type agitators! They seem to do a good job cleaning, are gentle on cloths and do a pretty good job in the roll over department.

 

[chestermikeuk]

Best Agitator Design....

Hotpoint Spiralator with Filter-Flow...

First produced mid 60`s until end of production in the 90`s, used on Hotpoint TwinTubs & Top Loading Autmatics....

Great roll over & water movement
Simplistic Design
Easily Removed
Filter Flow Tray for effective lint removal

Usual colour was white, managed to find very rare turquoise!!!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Hotpoint Spiralator...!!!

 

[polkanut]

That Hotpoint Spiralator looks like it has a phallic inspiration, LOL!

 

[polkanut]

Actually, the Gyratators from Maytag get my vote, hands down. Very simple, yet very effective design which creates great rollover.

 

[maytagbear]

My vote is for

the Maytag Power Fin!

It was wonderful in my A208.

I'd put one in my LAT9806, if the replacement ones were still turquoise instead of white. It was a cheery thing to see when I opened my washer. (The A208 was in the basement, and I kept it closed to keep out the spiders.)

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[kenmoreguy64]

It's a toss-up for me, so I say either the Whirlpool Surgilator / Super-Surgilator, or the Kenmore Roto-Swirl.

I say this because the Surgilator survived almost completely unchanged from 1952 (maybe earlier?) into 1987 when commercial belt-drive washers were finally discontinued. It began as a metal agitator, moving to bakelite, then into modern plastics. When anything survives that long on the market largely unchanged, it's not because it's bad!

The Roto-Swirl and Super Roto-Swirls in my mind are tied with the Surgilator for the same reason. The early 50s bakelite 'pregnant' Roto-Swirl was reborn into the Super Roto-Swirl in 1963 (one day I'm going to compare the two side by side) and that agitator also survived the transition completely unchanged into modern plastic form. There was even a stint in the early 70s with this agitator in steroid form for the 18-pound machines. The last commercial Kenmores with the Roto-Swirl were made in later 1987.

It seems very fitting that of all the Kenmore agitators that were available (4 designs of the Straight Vane, the Roto-Swirl, Roto-Flex, Vari-Flex, Penta-Vane, Pent-Swirl, and Dual-Action) that the Roto-Swirl was dominant in the early days of the belt-drive design, and closed it out as well.

That's my vote anyway....

Gordon

 

[tristarcxl]

With my own limited experience I can only really comment on straight-vane shredmores, Cruel-Action shredmores, GE ramped Activator and the maytag PowerFin.

With all those, hands-down the best rollover and cleaning has to be from the GE. no contest. The Maytag is a close runner up, but the rollover leaves a lot to be desired with a full load or anything bulky. Toss some sheets in there and they won't roll at all. the GE doesn't care what's in there......it's GOING to roll over!

I've never had the GE destroy anything either. It's always been very gentle on my clothes and everything comes out spotless.

So yeah, I'm with the guys saying the ramped agitators!

 

[deeprinser]

Hi All.
C.Mikes Hotpoint agitator wins hands down !.
Also the old Servis top loader "snap on " agitator.
Lou.

 

[70series]

I will put the Whirlpool Surgilator as the best, and Kenmore Rotoswirl (pregnant and Super) as the number 2. Both move clothes very effectively, and with great rollover. The Surgilator gets the edge because they are best at turning over large loads.

Have a good one,
James

 

[peterh770]

As much as I love the solid tub SQ agitator, I have to give it up for the spiral ramps and go with the GE Activator.

Can't give it to the Easy Spiralator or the Hotpoint Siloette. Watching them wash, there's too much "back roll" on them to make them efficient.

Can't give it to the Roto-Swirl, Super or pregnant. The straight vanes at the end make it too rough.

Can't give it to Westinghouse. The indexing tub lowers the washability.

So the GE Activator wins as the best. More gentle than any straight vane. Can really move a load through the water, including denim jeans. The flat of the ramp pushes the clothes out of the way so there is little back roll.