What if a modern Maytag wringer appeared on the market?

[earthling177]

I'm not sure the market here would care for a lot of automatization. They can get a small automatic washer already, less than $500, right?

The market you are competing in (apart from people like us that buy such things to play with or have in a collection) is apartment buildings (where people *can't* make *any* mess, or even *have* a washer, and more than a couple of cups of water falls on the floor and don't get immediately mopped up, it will show up on the ceiling in the apartment below) and people in RVs and boats. An even smaller market, almost zero, but still there, are people who live in farms and/or rural areas with well water or (semi-)desert and they *need* to save water by reusing wash and rinse water (and hence do *not* want automation) and preppers (people who "prepare" for the end of the world, if you understand what I mean).

Either way, even the twin tubs with pumps (which make as little mess as possible) get people to demote the star rating at places like Amazon, because the machines will put a tablespoon or two of water on the floor because of the way the impeller sometimes throws the water at the washer lid and it leaks a bit.

If I remember right, you were telling us about a customer that complained the spinner let water on the floor because they had no idea they had to put a bowl to catch the water?

So, yes, I think even the spinners in US would have to have a pump too to gain wide acceptance.

People in US, in general, do not see laundry as a task like cooking, which, hard work or not, at the end you eat. They think it's a thankless task to be avoided -- I know people who *have* a washer and dryer in their basement *and* are on a tight budget and the minute they find out an extra $20 bucks they send laundry to the wash&fold laundromat around the corner so they don't have to do it.

Cheers,
-- Paulo.

 

[yoblount]

Spin Dryer

Thomas
Not to hi-jack this thread, but what model is this "big-ass" spin dryer?
I checked the Laundry Alternative website and found a 22-lb spin dryer. Is this the one?

With all of this talk about spin dryers/centrifuges I am now thinking about getting one. Lol

BTW, I have the Super Compact automatic washer and just LOVE it! I use it weekly to wash my "too small for the front loader" loads of gym clothes/socks, and dog bedding. Just carry it over to the sink and wash away.

 

[thomasortega]

Yoblount, the "big ass" spin dryer is the Mega.

It's the largest capacity household spin dryer in the World until now (as far as we know). That thing is really big and can spin even a king size blanket or the load from a full size washer.

I also love the SCAW. It wasn't designed by me, but right now I'm designing its 2nd generation.
The new SCAW 2ndGen will hit the market in 2 months, will have the same cosmetic design but "only" 7 new "old school" automatic cycles added to it.

I also added a spray rinses and 2 other "HE dumb down" cycles that i obviously hate but you know... I HAD to do it.

The spin speed was also increased to 1100 RPM

Not sure yet on the SCAW but we are also planning to increase the full warranty to 5 years instead of only 3. Just like a Shark vacuum cleaner, if something goes wrong with the product, even the shipping is covered, no questions asked.

I know for sure that 3 other models that are going to be launched soon (LAX, ORD, PHX) will have the 5 year full warranty as standard and the JFK will come with 8-year full warranty.

 

[tolivac]

If the machine is to be plastic-very large injection molding machines would be required.And the rate of consumption of plastic pellets to feed the molders would be high.-Yes,the metal would be cheaper-and would last longer.WEG is an EXCELLENT motor brand.They also build generators.Have some WEG 3,15 Hp motors here at work.They are used as blower motors(15Hp)in our older transmitters.The Westinghouse motors are no longer available.The 3 hp WEG is used for roof vent blower-fan motors.The WEG motors last a long time-very little trouble from them.Would recommend this brand HIGHLY.Grainger now stocks WEG products.And on the WEG 15Hp motors-the grease nipple is covered-so no dirt or dust can get into it.Esp when used for a blower motor.

 

[thomasortega]

"If the machine is to be plastic-very large injection molding machines would be required"

The partner company that makes or washers in Brazil has the huge injectors for years. Don't forget they even have a front load washer 100% plastic and the washer is great. Switch to metal would require heavy investments on heavy machines. Porcelain is even worse because they'd need to rebuild the oven and using the oven wouldn't be allowed in Brazil anymore because of the environmental laws. (only companies that don't have a greener alternative can have an oven) The total cost would be several millions of american dollars and the result will be a washer that can rust someday. Plastic NEVER rusts.

Mueller is famous in Brazil because of the high quality and technology they use to make the products really reliable and long lasting. It's completely different than a "chinese crap" that smells like burnt just right after unboxed. In Brazil it is not difficult to find Mueller washers that were made on 1980's and they still look like new and never failed. Mueller washers are known for being "really built to last"

The plastics used by Mueller never rusts (of course like all plastics) but it also never yellows (well, it does, but it starts after decades), and is affected (starts to bubble and crack) only if the washer is left exposed to extreme sunlight (like installed outside in California "sunbathing" all day long) for years)

 

[thomasortega]

Note*

In Brazil, due to the environmental laws since 1998 nobody makes washers with porcelain. there is an alternative to porcelain (stamped stainless steel or injected plastic), so the manufacturers were forced to deactivate their ovens.

If somebody makes a washer using porcelain, the factory will be fined per day the oven is on, the product will never receive the "PROCEL" label, because it wasn't built using green techniques and if a unit is found in a store, the store is also fined for selling a "non green" washer. and the fine is per unit in stock.

On the other hand, manufacturers like Schmidt, Germer, Porcelanosa and Oxford (famous and traditional companies that make "china" dinner sets), can have their huge ovens to burn the porcelain because there is no other way to make such unique "high end" plates, cups and saucers and cast iron pans. So the government authorizes them using their ovens, but there's a rigid control and the ovens are inspected once a month. and they have to pay a HUGE tax for having the oven.

 

[combo52]

Laws Against Making Porcelain Washer Parts In Brazil

If this is true it is absolutely stupid, A goverment should never regulate how a product is made, but rather only energy usage of the product { and people think the EPA is bad in the US, LOL ]

 

Porcelain Enamel coatings can and are very ecological and cheap to manufacture if companies invest in modern safe furnaces to manufacture parts. Whirlpool is still making millions of PE wash baskets a year, and SQ makes all there top load washer outer tubs with PE coatings.

 

Porcelain coated steel is much more recyclable than plastic when a product reaches the end of life.

 

Porcelain enamel is not likley to ever go away in home appliances, range tops, oven liners to name two uses that can not be easily replaced. And of course making Glass, Dinnerware, Ceramic Tile, Sinks & Bath Tubs, Toilets and the list could go on and on of things that need high temperature ovens to produce.

 

[tolivac]

John--You hit the nail on the head and drove it in with one blow!!!Long live PE!!!!Down with crappy mold and mildew-odor absorbing plastic!Dumb regs in that area where PE can't be made.

 

[thomasortega]

It's sad, but true and also ridiculous... The government in Brazil thinks everybody is stupid and needs regulation for everything.

In Brazil nobody (Not even Whirlpool) can make appliances with PE.

And also, even if there was no regulation regarding the ovens, the cost to operate an oven is absurd because fuels and electricity are absurdly high in Brazil.

At the end, price speaks louder. Manufacturers that use metal prefer to use stamped stainless steel (the raw material is super cheap and the process is a lot simplified.

On the other hand, thanks to the limitations imposed by the government, the technology on plastics is much more advanced and cheap in Brazil. The Brazilian plastic tubs don't "yellow", don't stain when you wash a load of jeans and they don't absorb odors. (In fact that's not a rocket science, but adding different polymers that change the properties to make the plastics better and much more resistant. I don't understand why American companies don't do the same. The technology already exists!

I'd think twice before buying an American washer with plastic drum (it's acceptable, but quality could and should be a lot better), i'd never buy anything "chinese" made of plastic (except when i have the chore to test the competitor's models), but I'd buy a Brazilian plastic appliance for my personal use without thinking twice because I know the quality is much different. (four members here sent me emails after I created this post and they said the SuperPop's plastic is really different and resistant.)

And also, there's the customer factor... millenials would look at a porcelain machine and say "WTF? this is so old, my grandparents had something like that. I want the other one made with modern materials that look like an iPhone."

 

[launderess]

Mega Spin Dryer

Have been looking at that "jumbo" spin dryer for awhile now, but just cannot get myself to pull the trigger.

Reviews are all over the place but upshot seems to be the older spin dryers by LA (with metal basket) were better.

As for blankets IIRC the directions in owner's manual states not to put them in this spinner. Since wanted a larger spin dryer for just that reason that gave pause as well. https://www.amazon.com/Laundry-Alternative-Mega-Spin-Dryer/dp/B0150X71NU

Will keep looking out for a used small capacity Bock or Montex extractor. Have waited this long and am in no huge rush. While the older Miele isn't good for bulky items like blankets, Lavamat has no issues. Then there is always the Maytag wringer washer. Failing either of those two final option is putting the blanket through hand powered mangle. Have done it before......

 

[thomasortega]

I put that instruction as a "millenial safety measure".

The instruction should be a little bit different:

"If you were born after 1998, NEVER try to spin a blanked in this spin dryer because you probably don't know the difference between a blanket and an "ultra fluffy Californinan king size duvet", then you will try to toss a duvet that is visibly 5 times bigger than the spin dryer and will return the product and write a horrible review saying the description at Amazon.com is wrong."

The mega is the largest capacity household spin dryer in the world (4x a Nina Soft). "normal" people can use it to spin blankets and even a "normal" king size duvet.

 

[brucelucenta]

If a modern Maytag wringer appeared on the market it would just sit there because no one would buy it other than perhaps a very few very eccentric individuals.

 

[thomasortega]

And of course you are old enough to have a brain and know that when you're spinning a blanket you must stop the spin dryer after 3 seconds to have time enough to drain the container, unless the container is really big because there will be at least 2 gallons of water.

Think of the number of people yelling at me on the phone because of a flooded floor to justify editing the user manual.

It may sound funny but it's actually tragic.

Today I spend over 1 hour on the phone with a customer in NY that has a Super Compact Automatic Washer. It was nice to finally answer a call from somebody that REALLY UNDERSTANDS about laundry. When he said he returned a modern top loader (Maytag or Kenmore maybe) and got a brand new Speed Queen "because i want quality", I immediately asked if he new this website. He started to laugh. He's also a member here. It was a very pleasant conversation and I ended up telling him about some new products that will arrive on the next 2 months and I never mentioned here.

He bought his washer second hand a couple of days ago and it came with a minor cosmetic crack. He was a impressed with our warranty procedures and of course loved it. We don't care if it's a big or a small problem. if anything isn't 100% ok, we won't even try to fix the product. We replace it immediately by a brand new one at absolutely no cost for the customer.

If the customer simply doesn't like the product after using it, we will refund 100% f the order (even the shipping), no questions asked.

If was funny to hear the customer saying "but it is not a malfunction of a defect i bought the washer used and the seller even gave me a discount because of the crack. I want to buy the part to fix it and pay for it" and I said "I'm sorry, sir, we won't sell you a replacement part, we insist on sending you a brand new washer and you will not spend a dime".

Tell me, what company in the USA has a warranty policy like this? 3 years on all models (soon 5, 8 and 10 years depending on the model) that even if you call us and say "oh, there's a 1 milimeter scrach on the lid", we will immediately send you a brand new product without procrastinating.

 

[thomasortega]

Bruce, but that's the idea...

I don't think this washer will be a best seller like the WonderWash or the Nina Soft. it will just be "cool" product for an specific target.

If we sell only 100 units per month that's more than perfect. (we sell 900 WonderWash/month and growing).

When I started working at TLA I thought the WonderWash was the silliest crap ever, and I couldn't understand how could so many people love that "jar with a crank" until my boss forced me to try the unit he gave me and was forgotten in my car's trunk for over 2 months.
I had to swallow my ego and admit the WonderWash is really wonderful. That little thing goes against everything I learned in college and all those years designing washers.

Even sneakers came out perfect! No matter how nasty and stained the clothes are, they clean in 2 minutes.

 

[wringer]

There is

a new wringer washer being made and sold by an Amish man in PA. It looks exactly like a Maytag E but its brand name is Dutch Made. It retails for 1,925.00 and is selling like hot cakes in Amish communities. The wringer is an exact copy of a Maytag. Tub, skirt and legs are fiberglass. Wheels are aftermarket as is the blue agitator. Power unit is an exact replica of Maytag. Has a 1 year warranty and is really a well made unit. Photo's to follow.

 

[wringer]

Dutch Made Photo's

Sorry for the poor quality pics. Pic taker was a bit nervous LOL.

 

[iej]

It probably would breech all sorts of present day US and EU safety standards. You'd have to have some kind of system to feed the clothes safely into the wringer without risk to fingers.

 

[norgeway]

If people dont have sense enough

Not to let a kid around a wringer washer, they should be run thru it feet first!!LOL, It amazes me the total lack of common sense in the world today, I'm going to get a good wringer washer one of these days, hopefully a Norge.

 

[launderess]

Since this old thread has been resurrected...

Will say it again; Satan will be placing an order for fur coats before wringer washing machines ever make any serious return to the market.

Consumer Reports and others couldn't wait to kill off the things, nor did they stop after around the 1950's or so reminding women there simply were far safer (and better) ways to get through wash day.

Even *IF* anyone thought about reintroducing a wringer washer design, it is almost all but certain the *suits* (attorneys) would strongly caution against any such venture. Just one child or adult is maimed or suffers any sort of injury from a modern incarnation of wringer washer, and said company will be sued off face of earth.

Leaving all that aside, wringer washers just aren't very practical for most households, nor very energy efficient.

Unless wash water is reused (something many find gross), wringer washers like all top loaders of old use lots of water.

Next power wringers at best equaled around 200rpm spin speed. Unless that laundry is going to be hung to dry you will need a very powerful dryer to bake out all that moisture so things dry in a reasonable amount of time. Don't know off hand but does anyone still make dryers that reached the high temps of some units of old?