Calling Jason Surgilator

The Cabrio/Bravos debate....this is sure to ruffle some feathers.

Yes, I think it�s good for people who have normal dirt. I found that it would not get my greasy nasty work clothes clean. But it did OK on non work clothing and seemed to rinse OK too. It is not as hard on fabrics as the Calypso which may by why it does not clean as well.

The early ones had various issues that we�ve seen. Boards, balancing, and rusting drive shafts. They also redesigned the wash plate to be more gentle on clothing. The tub cover was redesigned to prevent splashing from the dispensers. I�ve seen some with bad bearings and seals too. All of these issues have been corrected. The only problem that I have not seen corrected is the rust issue. Because of the recirculating and splashing water the top cabinet frame and underside of the top tends to rust. If they would galvanize the metal, use a thicker coat of paint and do a better job on the porcelain coating it would be ok.

I don�t advise anyone get an extended warranty. Simply because the warranty pays the servicer pennies on the dollar. Which means usually and I did say USUALLY the only ones willing to accept that, are the ones who are hard up and don�t really know what they are doing anyway. It�s better to find a local independent or self servicing dealer who actually knows what they are doing.

It isn�t really good to pit SQ against the HE Top loader. That would be like comparing my car to a Civic. My car is big, fast, reliable, comfortable, takes a corner nicely and blows almost everyone off the road. But it comes with a penalty at the gas pump. The Civic on the other hand is small, reliable, very fuel efficient, is an ultra low emission vehicle, choppy riding, slow, is usually seen in my rear view mirror and four people are also packed in like sardines.

The HE Top Loader has a larger capacity, uses less water, spins faster, uses less energy and does an ok job at removing normal dirt from clothing and is usually easy to repair. Depending on model it is very flexible in cycles, water temps, spin speeds. You CAN fit a king size comforter in the machine, how clean it actually is at the end of the cycle....well you can decide that.

The SQ on the other hand, holds less(if you go by capacity ratings. Personally I could put more in the SQ and get them cleaner than I could in the Cabrio), uses a lot more water, completes the cycle in 30 to 45 mins, spins slower but in my opinion gets things cleaner. Repairs are a little more involved if it comes to something major like a main bearing or a transmission. But the machine is very sturdy, dependable and comes with a longer warranty from the start. Expect to go through a belt every once in a while.

So the question is really what are your priorities. What is important to you and remember that you can�t have it all. There will always be a trade off.


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Post# 442712 6/18/2010 at 17:21 (5,060 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)
Checkrate/Likes The questions are: Is the Cabrio/Bravos washer any good at all? Does it wash good? Better than a Collapse-O? Easy on fabrics? What about the internal components? Usual cheap Chinese plastic crap? How's the reliability so far? Do you advise an extended warranty? In your opinion, would this washer be superior to a SQ T/L? If so, how? THANKS!

Post# 442713 , Reply# 1 6/18/2010 at 17:23 (5,060 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)
Checkrate/Likes *BTW* Any of you with first-hand experience with this type of machine---please feel free to comment!

Post# 442727 , Reply# 2 6/18/2010 at 19:21 (5,060 days old) by surgilator_68 (Maryland)
Checkrate/Likes The Cabrio/Bravos debate....this is sure to ruffle some feathers. Yes, I think it�s good for people who have normal dirt. I found that it would not get my greasy nasty work clothes clean. But it did OK on non work clothing and seemed to rinse OK too. It is not as hard on fabrics as the Calypso which may by why it does not clean as well. The early ones had various issues that we�ve seen. Boards, balancing, and rusting drive shafts. They also redesigned the wash plate to be more gentle on clothing. The tub cover was redesigned to prevent splashing from the dispensers. I�ve seen some with bad bearings and seals too. All of these issues have been corrected. The only problem that I have not seen corrected is the rust issue. Because of the recirculating and splashing water the top cabinet frame and underside of the top tends to rust. If they would galvanize the metal, use a thicker coat of paint and do a better job on the porcelain coating it would be ok. I don�t advise anyone get an extended warranty. Simply because the warranty pays the servicer pennies on the dollar. Which means usually and I did say USUALLY the only ones willing to accept that, are the ones who are hard up and don�t really know what they are doing anyway. It�s better to find a local independent or self servicing dealer who actually knows what they are doing. It isn�t really good to pit SQ against the HE Top loader. That would be like comparing my car to a Civic. My car is big, fast, reliable, comfortable, takes a corner nicely and blows almost everyone off the road. But it comes with a penalty at the gas pump. The Civic on the other hand is small, reliable, very fuel efficient, is an ultra low emission vehicle, choppy riding, slow, is usually seen in my rear view mirror and four people are also packed in like sardines. The HE Top Loader has a larger capacity, uses less water, spins faster, uses less energy and does an ok job at removing normal dirt from clothing and is usually easy to repair. Depending on model it is very flexible in cycles, water temps, spin speeds. You CAN fit a king size comforter in the machine, how clean it actually is at the end of the cycle....well you can decide that. The SQ on the other hand, holds less(if you go by capacity ratings. Personally I could put more in the SQ and get them cleaner than I could in the Cabrio), uses a lot more water, completes the cycle in 30 to 45 mins, spins slower but in my opinion gets things cleaner. Repairs are a little more involved if it comes to something major like a main bearing or a transmission. But the machine is very sturdy, dependable and comes with a longer warranty from the start. Expect to go through a belt every once in a while. So the question is really what are your priorities. What is important to you and remember that you can�t have it all. There will always be a trade off.

Post# 442733 , Reply# 3 6/18/2010 at 19:47 (5,060 days old) by supremewhirlpol ()
Checkrate/Likes The cabrios, scaly-wops, scaly-wags and such? Yep, they have the control board issues. Not so sure they are as efficient electrically as has been claimed. The plate issue haws been fixed. Not so sure they are worth the high price. For anything that high of a price, and given the short life of machine these days, it does not hurt to get the extended warranty. Parts have gone up in price these days, less quality. If not, there is a great hack to turn a cabrio into a wind turbine. Those motors do come in handy. The Crapso? parts are expensive, u-joint, u-ball assembly failures. You get the control board issues too. The calpyso was a good idea, but lacked development, and proper marketing. Not so sure it can be for real washing, although very efficient on water. The SQ's? Their still good machines for a commercial TL machine sold to consumer market. They can be labor intensive, but I think they are a little better than the previous machines. I sure hope they corrected the issues with the tub seals. Get spare parts, ya never know, Alliance just may screw ya over just like they have people who have Ipso, and older Supermates, Super II's and Super 20's. good luck dude!

Post# 442834 , Reply# 4 6/19/2010 at 07:57 (5,059 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)
Checkrate/Likes Thanks to Steve (Gyrofoam) for initiating this thread! I called him yesterday to ask the question "what's the scoop on the cabrios?" I've seen 2 pairs in black in the past couple of days that have intrigued me, but I know nothing about them. There is an appliance/furniture rental business that I pass each day that is having a Tent Sale and they have a brand new black pair for $1600 (I learned this by calling; have not stopped to look at them yet). There is also an ad on Atlanta's CL for a similar pair (link included). I've thought for a long time that when the time came to replace my center-dial Maytags I would buy a new SQ TL pair - and then these two pairs appeared. Honestly, I think the most interesting thing about them is the color. I think the black pair would be fantastic! But I do realize one doesn't purchase a laundry pair for it's color alone... If anyone else has information to share, speak up! Lawrence CLICK HERE TO GO TO pulltostart's LINK on Atlanta Craigslist

Post# 442845 , Reply# 5 6/19/2010 at 09:43 (5,059 days old) by surgilator_68 (Maryland)
Checkrate/Likes Get the model and serial of the black pair on CL. The dryer is 29in wide but 29 1/4 deep. It won't fit through some doors. The washer is also 27 1/2 inches wide and it too will not fit through some doors. So make sure you measure first. If lint is an issue, IE: you line dry then don't get the Cabrio. It does not have a lint filter nor does it use enough water to flush the lint away.

Post# 442857 , Reply# 6 6/19/2010 at 11:31 (5,059 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)
Checkrate/Likes *Lint* Thanks for the tip! Lint isn't a problem, but dog fur definitely is. With 2 yellow labs in the house, every load of laundry contains some of it. Lawrence

Post# 442861 , Reply# 7 6/19/2010 at 11:55 (5,059 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes *dog gur* Then the Cabrios would not be an option for you either.

Post# 442868 , Reply# 8 6/19/2010 at 12:15 (5,059 days old) by yogitunes (New Jersey)
Checkrate/Likes for Dog Fur you need a GE FF to handle this stuff...!

Post# 442932 , Reply# 9 6/19/2010 at 17:41 (5,059 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)
Checkrate/Likes The Maytags do a good job on the fur. At least I like knowing that it's not going down the drain - where it might cause future problems!

Post# 442953 , Reply# 10 6/19/2010 at 19:48 (5,059 days old) by laundryboy (Orlando Florida & Moravia NY. )
Checkrate/Likes Are the new LG hydro waves top load HE machines worth the $1099. ?