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Thread Number: 21211
Worst Washer |
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| Post# 334831 3/11/2009 at 02:01 (5,517 days old) by autowasherfreak () | ||
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What do you think is the worst washer ever made, vintage or modern? | ||
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Post# 334838 , Reply# 1 3/11/2009 at 02:49 (5,517 days old) by peteski50  (New York) |
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worst washer ever made | ||
| Post# 334851 , Reply# 2 3/11/2009 at 06:45 (5,517 days old) by bobbyderegis (Boston) | ||
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Direct drive Whirlpool. Bobby in Boston | ||
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Post# 334857 , Reply# 3 3/11/2009 at 07:41 (5,517 days old) by turquoisedude (.) |
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Post# 334867 , Reply# 5 3/11/2009 at 09:14 (5,517 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Come on folks - I think we can come up with some suggestions better than a Whirlpool DD or even a later WCI machine. In economies the size of those in Europe, Australia, and the U.S., truly bad products don't stay on the market for very long when there are alternatives available. It works just as in nature - survival of the fittest. This would surely apply to the Direct Drive washers which have been manufactured in one form or another for 29 years (admittedly in small relative numbers the first couple years) and to the WCI design as well. I am less familiar with it, but I'd guess it has been around a decade or two as well, or longer? The DD WP has been the widest selling washer in the world for a number of recent years in a row. Based on what Robert has posted in the Deluxe forum about two 2003/2004 Whirlpool Duet machines that have already suffered catastrophic failures...if that is a sign of things to come, they may be right up there on my list. An $800 machine that lasts 6 years is unacceptable. I am a Whirlpool fan in general, but the Calypso and it's class-action lawsuit (settled in 2007) comes to mind too, as does the Maytag Neptune and it's class action suit, which was settled in 2005. Neither of these machines survived the public outcry in their exact form. Gordon | ||
| Post# 334871 , Reply# 6 3/11/2009 at 09:42 (5,517 days old) by tuthill () | ||
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WCI Frigidaire | ||
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Post# 334876 , Reply# 7 3/11/2009 at 09:59 (5,517 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula) |
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Here in Brazil the worst washer was Lavinia 4kg (late 70's) It had no agitator or impeller. It's an average top loader with a drum with fins, just like the front loaders. It would work great if.... the drum had an horizontal axis. it was ridiculous to watch that drum "agitating" like crazy and the clothes completelly stopped in the center. Deppending on the load, some parts wouldn't even get wet. | ||
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Post# 334878 , Reply# 8 3/11/2009 at 10:27 (5,517 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut) |
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| Post# 334894 , Reply# 9 3/11/2009 at 12:22 (5,517 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E) | ||
My Vote Goes To...
...The infamous Maytag Neptune, which I feel embodied everything that is wrong with appliance design and manufacture today. It was intended to be energy-efficient and save water too. Unfortunately, due to poor boot design and lousy mainboard quality, many Neppies ended up scrapped years sooner than they should have been, a complete waste of the energy and resources used to build them. It is true that the problems were later corrected, more or less, but not before many consumers gave up on their Neptunes - and on Maytag. What a contrast to Maytag's other big failure, their combo machines of the '60s. In that case, Maytag did everything but get search warrants to get the machines back and replace them to consumers. Nobody had to file suit, because they were properly taken care of. And Maytag stopped production of the machines right away, rather than blithely telling consumers that nothing was really wrong for several years before finally, reluctantly, beginning to make things right. | ||
| Post# 334920 , Reply# 10 3/11/2009 at 15:28 (5,517 days old) by vintagesearch () | ||
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maytag neptune, whirlpool duet, kenmore he, blah blah blah I DEFEND the DD keny's and whirly's!!! | ||
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Post# 334922 , Reply# 11 3/11/2009 at 15:48 (5,517 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions) |
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| Post# 334926 , Reply# 12 3/11/2009 at 16:07 (5,517 days old) by kinnakeettom () | ||
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rollamatic gm frigidaire, the worst piece of junk frigidaire produced. even the 59' multimatic was better and that is not saying much. None finer than the unimatic. | ||
| Post# 334933 , Reply# 13 3/11/2009 at 16:23 (5,517 days old) by autowasherfreak () | ||
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Interesting so far, I had a hunch that the worst machines would be belt drive Whirlmores or Kenpools, LOL. | ||
| Post# 334945 , Reply# 14 3/11/2009 at 17:39 (5,516 days old) by xraytech (Rural southwest Pennsylvania ) | ||
I must go with the Direct Drive Kenmores. Not necissarly due to quality because we had a 70 series washer and dryer from 1988-2001 and replaced them with a 80 series set and we do on average of 15-18 loads a week, most are large loads. It is just the fact that they are so rough on the clothes. I am forever mending the seams on my scrubs and lab coats on my Singer, not to mention that they come out twisted in knots that they all need iorned while damp with a heavy steam iron and heavily starched. It has also started to wear thin spots in my scrubs, which are not cheap to replace since a pair of pants and shirt are around $45 plus lab coats are $30 each. and it shreds tee shirts very quickly. | ||
| Post# 334951 , Reply# 15 3/11/2009 at 18:38 (5,516 days old) by dnastrau (Lords Valley, PA) | ||
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Belt drive Whirlmores or Kenpools (?) Can't be... Jim, did you actually mean direct drive "...Whirlmores or Kenpools"? If not, what is wrong with the belt drive models? Andrew S. | ||
| Post# 334955 , Reply# 16 3/11/2009 at 18:54 (5,516 days old) by tuthill () | ||
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Well I'd say the BD's get points for popularity, longevity, and reliability, but IMO they are dreadful washers. Neutral drain coupled with a pathetic spin are my biggest beefs. | ||
| Post# 334959 , Reply# 17 3/11/2009 at 19:21 (5,516 days old) by redcarpetdrew (Fairfield, CA) | ||
While early Neptunes were problem children, I'm still fond of them. I always said that the Neptune design was a slow SHARP learning curve taken WAY too quick. What I hated were the early model WCI washers like the Gibson or Frigidaire. Noisy and a pain to repair. Making it so you'd have to dismantle the pump to try to change the belt was one step above root canals w/o painkillers. LGS springs that would break, and LONG before Neptune, these had the pricey lid switch/lock assy that would burn out, sometimes with a fair amount of smoke! How many customers would break that little plastic 'eye' on the lid so they could open the washer without having to deal with the lock assy? RCD | ||
| Post# 334961 , Reply# 18 3/11/2009 at 19:25 (5,516 days old) by autowasherfreak () | ||
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Oppps I meant Direct Drive I'm soooooo sorry, I meant Direct Drive. I LOVE belt drive Kenmores and Whirlpools. | ||
| Post# 334981 , Reply# 21 3/11/2009 at 21:06 (5,516 days old) by westie2 () | ||
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1978 Wards toploader made by WCI looked like a White/Westing house of the time and a tie with our 2002 Amana that burnt up in 2004 and leaked. | ||
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Post# 334993 , Reply# 22 3/11/2009 at 21:46 (5,516 days old) by abcomatic (Bradford, Illinois) |
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1963 Gambles Coronado washer. Vibration plus! AWFUL, my dad had to replace the FLOOR because of the constant beating to death of all that was around this thing! Gary | ||
| Post# 335030 , Reply# 27 3/12/2009 at 01:56 (5,516 days old) by charger (Seattle ) | ||
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Some years back I suggested the Maytag Neptune to my Partners Mom to replace her crappy WCI Top Loader, Both the washer and dryer were a disgrace. She now has a GE front loader (I was not consulted) and the crappy WCI Top Loader is still on the job with by sisters large family. | ||
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Post# 335033 , Reply# 28 3/12/2009 at 03:10 (5,516 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Ummm... I'm sure some people had problems with their Neptunes... but... mindful of some risk, when I bought my Neptune 7500 set in 2001, I got a seven year extended service agreement on both units. Fortunately at year three, when in short order the motor, motor controller, main board, and belt/tub driving spider all had to be replaced, it was all covered by the extended service agreement. I later learned that my washer was a relatively early model in the third generation series. I understand that later models has new motors etc which would have avoided some of the problems. The cracked belt/drum spider, however, was just a disaster waiting to happen. Since then haven't had any problems to speak of with the set. No mold or odor in the washer, either. So... the Neptune problems were all fixable... but an extended warranty was a very good idea to get with these machines. So I have mixed feelings about the Neptune. I don't actually think it's a bad machine, but it was hampered by poor manufacturing practices. The solid door is a point of contention amongst laundry enthusiasts, but I've learned to deal with it. I can actually tell from the sound if too much suds have developed. There's also a lot good about the 7500 series. You can more or less instantly pause and open the door at any point in the cycle (well, a spin might make you wait until it stopped). The LCD display is really a great feature. Not only for setting up a large number of custom cycles, but also for the diagnostic tools it offers. | ||
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Post# 335044 , Reply# 30 3/12/2009 at 05:24 (5,516 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc) |
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In my experience-shredmores and shredpools.these machines have some good points-think it could be a simple matter to redesign the transmission to give LONG-SLOWER strokes and still be DD.Best of both worlds!!Another would be the "plastic" GEs.Great trash truck and krusher bait.the plastic parts "krunch" so nicely. | ||
| Post# 335053 , Reply# 31 3/12/2009 at 06:44 (5,516 days old) by bobbyderegis (Boston) | ||
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Speaking of the new plastic GE's: I just saw one on the curb this morning! Bobby in Boston | ||
| Post# 335074 , Reply# 34 3/12/2009 at 10:48 (5,516 days old) by everythingold (Grand Rapids, Michigan) | ||
I'm in the business too, and DD's are great for most people. The older ones were solid machines. They do agitate fast and hard, but get one with agitation and spin speed control. Slow agitation + fast spin = a good wash. The worst are any of the new big door front loaders (except Speed Queen) and Admirals. matt
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| Post# 335121 , Reply# 36 3/12/2009 at 14:46 (5,516 days old) by mrcleanjeans (milwaukee wi) | ||
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Plastic tub GE's, excluding The HydroWave which is fairly good,followed by the WCI toploaders. | ||
| Post# 335152 , Reply# 38 3/12/2009 at 16:37 (5,516 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii) | ||
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Post# 335171 , Reply# 40 3/12/2009 at 18:27 (5,515 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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About the agitate stroke on Whirlpool DDs... I am right there with everyone else in that I dislike the short, fast agitation stroke. I am quite sure though that this was designed on purpose as a solution to creating enough water current in a tall slender basket to allow for good roll-over. I'm not saying it was the right decision, but I think that's why it was done. If you look at the history of Whirlpool's belt-drive machines, little to no real development was ever done on the standard capacity machines in regard to functional design alterations that would affect wash performance. From the beginning, there were Roto-swirl, straight-vane, and Surgilator agitators, and they lasted the entire near 40-year production span. The basket size didn't change much, and I don't think anyone ever complained about them other than for lack of overall capacity. The large capacity machines though had initial problems moving clothes. The first agitators were enlarged versions of the originals, but they tore up transmissions. The next batch (the penta agitators) didn't wear the transmissions, but people complained of lack of rollover (when over-stuffed). The Dual-Action was the result, which is better, but a highly stuffed machine can still clog-up. The problem was attributed to the height of large capacity baskets, since they were taller than standard, but not much wider. Seems that clothes could only 'climb' and roll-over a certain height in a basket with the long stroke. Since the DD machines are narrower and even taller than the baskets in a BD, something needed to be done to ensure that clothes would circulate. Hence the 'blender effect' you see in a DD vs. the dramatic storm going on in the water of a BD. Since Maytag went to a similar short stroke, they must have come to the same conclusion. I think if WP were to go back to the long agitation strokes, with all else the same, the water would become more turbulent but less able to "carry" the clothes in a current from basket top to bottom. Speed Queen still uses the nice agitation arch, but I think their tubs are wider and shallower, yes? Did Maytag's short stroke result in clothes wear? I suspect the 2.4/2.5 cu ft. large capacity Whirlpool DDs are worse with this than the 3.0/3.2 cu ft. super capacity models. Gordon | ||
| Post# 335271 , Reply# 44 3/13/2009 at 05:13 (5,515 days old) by whitekingd () | ||
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75 or so Kenmore BOL One water level, one speed, one temperature. All this is actually fine, except for the Penta-Vane agitator. Two inch paddles, and a huge wash tub! Rollover? HHAAAAA! No wash action to speak of. Just, awful!!!!!!!!!!! | ||
| Post# 335296 , Reply# 45 3/13/2009 at 09:46 (5,515 days old) by davy1063 (Pennsylvania) | ||
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I find it hard to believe.... that the Calypso was not mentioned anywhere in this thread. It has taken such a beating previously. | ||
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Post# 335305 , Reply# 46 3/13/2009 at 11:13 (5,515 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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| Post# 335340 , Reply# 47 3/13/2009 at 15:55 (5,515 days old) by davy1063 (Pennsylvania) | ||
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LOL, my bad. Must be the 45 year old eyes. | ||
| Post# 335399 , Reply# 48 3/14/2009 at 06:29 (5,514 days old) by robliverpool (england Liverpool) | ||
My worst washer was what i thought was a bargain, a Haier 1400rpm washer. bought from comet and it took ages to wash and the clothes never spun it kept saying un balanced load, so tried everything to no avail. called comet they sent engineer out said machine was faulty, like i didnt know, they sent out a replacement machine and that one done the exact same thing so i have stuck with my faithful old hotpoint thats never gave me any problems except fot the odd drain pump change i wouldnt have a haier washer even if they were giving them away for free | ||
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Post# 335412 , Reply# 49 3/14/2009 at 09:28 (5,514 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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any WCI 'product'
I won't dignify them with the name, washer. My mom fell for them, thinking she was buying a 'real' Frigidaire several decades back. When I finally got around to hauling it out of the basement, I was surprised to find I could do it buy myself. All plastic, there was nothing there to it, at all. And that 'stroke'. God's, worse than the fourth wife in a harem gets when she's last up for the night. Haier, by the way, has been improving their quality. Their cooling division now has the parts assembled in the US for their NA market and they actually have a better look and feel than GE products. The life expectancy is still too early to tell, but if they could get their washers and dishwashers (make the washers look good) up, that would be so cool. | ||
| Post# 335422 , Reply# 50 3/14/2009 at 11:56 (5,514 days old) by everythingold (Grand Rapids, Michigan) | ||
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Post# 335461 , Reply# 52 3/14/2009 at 17:36 (5,514 days old) by bobbins (Victoria, BC, Canada) |
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70's top loader westinghouse - oil leakage on to the clothes. Washed good, but not very good of extracting water out of the clothes. Bendix flextub top loader | ||
| Post# 335554 , Reply# 53 3/15/2009 at 06:59 (5,513 days old) by angus (Fairfield, CT.) | ||
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First generation of the plastic GE's (circa 1997) - average life span of 18 months with multiple repairs along the way. | ||
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Post# 335558 , Reply# 54 3/15/2009 at 07:27 (5,513 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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| Post# 335587 , Reply# 55 3/15/2009 at 10:43 (5,513 days old) by eddy1210 (Burnaby BC Canada) | ||
Louis | ||
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Post# 335612 , Reply# 56 3/15/2009 at 13:16 (5,513 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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Nobody has mentioned those "ghastly" GE front load washers made by Little Swan? I've seen several of these (trying) to run and they are just a joke. Friday, I saw one try to balance for the final spin and it took nearly 20 minutes to get it. The machine had skipped all the previous spins between wash and rinses. Considering it was a load of king-size sheets, truly a pathetic showing. This GE was about 18 months old, the recent CR report on washers gave them pretty high marks this round but the jury is still out on reliability. For vintage machines, I think the Franklin design (Wizard, Coronado, later Kelvinator, etc.) were pretty skanky. | ||
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Post# 335621 , Reply# 57 3/15/2009 at 13:48 (5,513 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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Eddy | ||
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Post# 821935 , Reply# 59 5/4/2015 at 00:40 (3,272 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA) |
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GE filter-flo The worst washer was a GE filter-flo. Not because of the cleaning power, but because the stupid transmission died! There was gear oil all over the laundry room floor! Ugh! | ||
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Post# 821954 , Reply# 60 5/4/2015 at 07:31 (3,272 days old) by kenwashesmonday (Carlstadt, NJ) |
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Worst automatic washer ever. The infamous Jacobs Launderall perhaps? | ||
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Post# 821973 , Reply# 61 5/4/2015 at 10:40 (3,272 days old) by abcomatic (Bradford, Illinois) |
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1930's Thor wringer washers were't very good at all. | ||
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Post# 821984 , Reply# 63 5/4/2015 at 12:56 (3,272 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine) |
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