When was Whirlpool ahead of their time?

[user 12105]

The Kenmore belt drive on the other hand always has foam in the wash when you hear the pump running. Sometimes it foams up and other times it doesn't. All because it's an active filter I assume.The rinse can sometimes foam up even when I'm not using a lot of detergent

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Hot take.
I don’t even consider the Direct Drive “technologically advanced.” There’s nothing “advanced” about it. If anything it was cheaper for WP to make vs. the belt drive. We customers were just lucky it was also durable.
The Maytag helical is I think more technically advanced, just for the inventiveness and sheer simplicity of the helix engagement and NO clutch. Just using the slipping belt as a clutching mechanism.
Marketing-wise, I guess you could argue Whirlpool’s self cleaning filters were nifty technology.
Performance is mostly in the cycle programming, which WP had was pretty good. Sans the poor spray rinsing.
The Dual Action agitator launched via Kenmore was pretty revolutionary I’d also say. But those were launched on the belt drives, so….

What about their futuristic looking control panels on their high end models including in the Kenmore line?

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Sean, I have definitely found that my Whirlpool belt drive has the clearest rinsing. With the KitchenAid the water seems cloudy a lot. Oddly enough, it clears up if I use some fabric softener, but the belt drive the rinsing for the most part is clean with a little bit of suds on top, but that also gets sprayed off during the spin.

I wish all washers would do this. I remember my GE filter-flo would spray rinse before the deep rinse. My model T GE wouldn't do a spray rinse until the final spin. We used softener anyway.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

The Kenmore belt drive on the other hand always has foam in the wash when you hear the pump running. Sometimes it foams up and other times it doesn't. All because it's an active filter I assume.

I like how the pump aerates during high speed agitation on direct drives.