Having lived with it for a few months, I thought I'd post a user review of the washer and its companion dryer.
Let's get this out of the way first: Things that aren't great about the washer.
1) Hot water setting is really warm (110 degrees). The machine fills with so little water that the wash cycle is really just a purge of the hot water line. I will occasionally purge the line by filling the washer, then draining and resetting the cycle. If hot water is selected and the incoming water is too cold, it will trigger the internal heater. But it only heats it to 105-110, so you're still not getting hot water.
To get a truly hot wash, I use the Allergy option (available only on the Heavy, Pet Beds, Kids Wear cycles). This heats the water to 132 degrees and adds about 20 minutes to the length of the cycle. Annoyingly, the Allergy option cannot be used in conjunction with a Pre-Wash or the Stain Pretreat setting. Again, one can let the cycle progress through Pre-Wash and Stain Pretreat, then cancel and reset the cycle, but that's a lot of fuss.
Another way to get a very hot wash is to use the Sanitize cycle, which heats the water to 152 degrees. Again, annoyingly, you can't use the Pre-Wash or Stain Pretreat options with this cycle, but it seems to remove all stains without the help of either of those cycle add-ons. This is now the cycle I use for loads of kitchen whites. Provides a great profile wash!
2) The Add Steam option doesn't seem to do much, except add 20 minutes of tumbling. I've never actually seen steam in the tub, although if you open the door, the clothes in the machine are warmer than the water in the tub, so something must be happening. Using the setting seems to improve cleaning a bit, but I've come to the conclusion that has more to do with the extra 20 minutes of tumbling in detergent than it does with steam. The Add Steam option happens during the wash portion of the cycle, except when using the Sanitize cycle, where it takes place during the first rinse. I don't use it very often.
3) The default wash times are too short. I always use the Max Soil setting, which adds about 6 minutes of wash time. Fortunately, the washer remembers cycle settings, so it's not something I need to fiddle with on every load.
My 'go-to' cycle for loads of greatly-stained kitchen whites is now Sanitize (1:47). I used to use Pre-Wash + Stain Treat + Heavy Cycle, but since the water never gets hot, the occasional greasy tomato-based stain wasn't fully removed. I now just use the Sanitize cycle, which gives you a great profile wash.
The whole hot water issue is moot for most loads; I don't need it for most loads.
OK, now for the things I like:
1) Cleaning (when wash time is lengthened) is excellent! I'm amazed that so little water can get loads so clean.
2) Capacity is off-the-hook. Interestingly, the Frigidaire website now lists the tub capacity as 4.4 cu. ft. When I bought the washer, it was listed as 4.8. Don't know what has prompted the change. I have washed a very heavy, bulky queen-sized comforter twice and it does a great job. Most of my loads fill the tub 1/2-2/3 full. It's nice to have the huge capacity when you need it, though. I can generally wash huge loads of whites only once a week, and I BobLoad® it with bath towels. Even tiny loads get proper lift-and-drop tumbling, as there is almost no standing water in the tub, just a sudsy foam.
3) The 1300 rpm spin speed is awesome. Drying time is reduced by about half compared to clothes spun in my 02 Frigidaire (950 rpm).
4) The balancing protocol is not too long, especially for the first two spins. It takes only 1-4 minutes for most loads. If a load is more unbalanced than it likes, it will do a few very low-speed interval spins to remove excess water, then tumble a bit and take off. The tub is so large that there isn't much room within the cabinet for it to be out-of-balance.
5) The recirculation which takes place is a great feature. Even very bulky or extra-large loads are completely saturated quickly, either with detergent-rich water, or fresh water (rinses).
6) The machine uses so little water (13-14 gallons for most loads) that I don't mind adding a Fresh Water (extra) Rinse for loads that have been dosed with liquid chlorine bleach or extra detergent. The Fresh Water rinse is a third rinse.
7) If your wash loads are relatively lightly soiled, default cycle times are short. Casual (Perm Press) is 37 mins; Normal is 40; Heavy is 47. Add 5-10 mins. for balancing protocols. Even with that, the cycle times are short.
8) Good value for money. You get a lot of high-end features for the approximately $1850 cost of this TOL set. I received a $50 rebate from my local utility, and another $200 from the state of Minnesota, which brought down the price to $1600. Considering a TOL LG or Whirlpool/Maytag washer costs around $1600- $1700 on its own, getting the pair for $1850 was a relative bargain!
The Dryer: No complaints. Huge capacity, dries evenly, and doesn't over-dry. The Add Steam (which adds steam when load is nearly dry, but still heating) and Anti-Static (which sprays a bit of steam into the cool down) options get frequent use.
Add Steam cuts down on wrinkling. I use it for loads of shirts, pants, etc. Not needed for loads of bath towels or kitchen whites.
Anti-Static means no more static-cling for loads of dress shirts or man-made fibers, especially important since I no longer use fabric softener. An item or two will emerge with damp spots, but they dry quickly and leave no water mark.
The 15-minute Steam Refresh cycle gets used almost daily, especially with pants, which get wrinkled but not dirty. It's also a great way to get wrinkles out of shirts worn for only a couple of hours.
[this post was last edited: 12/8/2010-07:46]
Let's get this out of the way first: Things that aren't great about the washer.
1) Hot water setting is really warm (110 degrees). The machine fills with so little water that the wash cycle is really just a purge of the hot water line. I will occasionally purge the line by filling the washer, then draining and resetting the cycle. If hot water is selected and the incoming water is too cold, it will trigger the internal heater. But it only heats it to 105-110, so you're still not getting hot water.
To get a truly hot wash, I use the Allergy option (available only on the Heavy, Pet Beds, Kids Wear cycles). This heats the water to 132 degrees and adds about 20 minutes to the length of the cycle. Annoyingly, the Allergy option cannot be used in conjunction with a Pre-Wash or the Stain Pretreat setting. Again, one can let the cycle progress through Pre-Wash and Stain Pretreat, then cancel and reset the cycle, but that's a lot of fuss.
Another way to get a very hot wash is to use the Sanitize cycle, which heats the water to 152 degrees. Again, annoyingly, you can't use the Pre-Wash or Stain Pretreat options with this cycle, but it seems to remove all stains without the help of either of those cycle add-ons. This is now the cycle I use for loads of kitchen whites. Provides a great profile wash!
2) The Add Steam option doesn't seem to do much, except add 20 minutes of tumbling. I've never actually seen steam in the tub, although if you open the door, the clothes in the machine are warmer than the water in the tub, so something must be happening. Using the setting seems to improve cleaning a bit, but I've come to the conclusion that has more to do with the extra 20 minutes of tumbling in detergent than it does with steam. The Add Steam option happens during the wash portion of the cycle, except when using the Sanitize cycle, where it takes place during the first rinse. I don't use it very often.
3) The default wash times are too short. I always use the Max Soil setting, which adds about 6 minutes of wash time. Fortunately, the washer remembers cycle settings, so it's not something I need to fiddle with on every load.
My 'go-to' cycle for loads of greatly-stained kitchen whites is now Sanitize (1:47). I used to use Pre-Wash + Stain Treat + Heavy Cycle, but since the water never gets hot, the occasional greasy tomato-based stain wasn't fully removed. I now just use the Sanitize cycle, which gives you a great profile wash.
The whole hot water issue is moot for most loads; I don't need it for most loads.
OK, now for the things I like:
1) Cleaning (when wash time is lengthened) is excellent! I'm amazed that so little water can get loads so clean.
2) Capacity is off-the-hook. Interestingly, the Frigidaire website now lists the tub capacity as 4.4 cu. ft. When I bought the washer, it was listed as 4.8. Don't know what has prompted the change. I have washed a very heavy, bulky queen-sized comforter twice and it does a great job. Most of my loads fill the tub 1/2-2/3 full. It's nice to have the huge capacity when you need it, though. I can generally wash huge loads of whites only once a week, and I BobLoad® it with bath towels. Even tiny loads get proper lift-and-drop tumbling, as there is almost no standing water in the tub, just a sudsy foam.
3) The 1300 rpm spin speed is awesome. Drying time is reduced by about half compared to clothes spun in my 02 Frigidaire (950 rpm).
4) The balancing protocol is not too long, especially for the first two spins. It takes only 1-4 minutes for most loads. If a load is more unbalanced than it likes, it will do a few very low-speed interval spins to remove excess water, then tumble a bit and take off. The tub is so large that there isn't much room within the cabinet for it to be out-of-balance.
5) The recirculation which takes place is a great feature. Even very bulky or extra-large loads are completely saturated quickly, either with detergent-rich water, or fresh water (rinses).
6) The machine uses so little water (13-14 gallons for most loads) that I don't mind adding a Fresh Water (extra) Rinse for loads that have been dosed with liquid chlorine bleach or extra detergent. The Fresh Water rinse is a third rinse.
7) If your wash loads are relatively lightly soiled, default cycle times are short. Casual (Perm Press) is 37 mins; Normal is 40; Heavy is 47. Add 5-10 mins. for balancing protocols. Even with that, the cycle times are short.
8) Good value for money. You get a lot of high-end features for the approximately $1850 cost of this TOL set. I received a $50 rebate from my local utility, and another $200 from the state of Minnesota, which brought down the price to $1600. Considering a TOL LG or Whirlpool/Maytag washer costs around $1600- $1700 on its own, getting the pair for $1850 was a relative bargain!
The Dryer: No complaints. Huge capacity, dries evenly, and doesn't over-dry. The Add Steam (which adds steam when load is nearly dry, but still heating) and Anti-Static (which sprays a bit of steam into the cool down) options get frequent use.
Add Steam cuts down on wrinkling. I use it for loads of shirts, pants, etc. Not needed for loads of bath towels or kitchen whites.
Anti-Static means no more static-cling for loads of dress shirts or man-made fibers, especially important since I no longer use fabric softener. An item or two will emerge with damp spots, but they dry quickly and leave no water mark.
The 15-minute Steam Refresh cycle gets used almost daily, especially with pants, which get wrinkled but not dirty. It's also a great way to get wrinkles out of shirts worn for only a couple of hours.
[this post was last edited: 12/8/2010-07:46]
