|
Thread Number: 44750
Our little semi-scientific towel test! |
[Down to Last] |  |
Post# 656697 1/29/2013 at 08:14 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin  (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
Or as scientific as we could get considering neither of us are scientists!
I went over to Rich's (Golittlesport) house last weekend to visit and he wanted to do a test to see which dryer would produce more fluffy towels.
So I present to you the "1955 Frigidaire vs. 2006 Frigidaire towel challenge"! 
This post was last edited 01/29/2013 at 10:26 | ||
|
|
Post# 656698 , Reply# 1 1/29/2013 at 08:16 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
The contenders | ||
|
Post# 656699 , Reply# 2 1/29/2013 at 08:17 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
versus
The 2006 Frigidaire "square door" FL washer and gas dryer... 
This post was last edited 01/29/2013 at 09:34 | ||
|
Post# 656700 , Reply# 3 1/29/2013 at 08:18 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
Rich had eight IDENTICAL towels. We washed and dried four towels in each set of machines.
Here I am stuffing... er... loading four of the towels into the Unimatic. 
This post was last edited 01/29/2013 at 10:29 | ||
|
Post# 656701 , Reply# 4 1/29/2013 at 08:19 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
| ||
|
Post# 656702 , Reply# 5 1/29/2013 at 08:20 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
| ||
|
Post# 656703 , Reply# 6 1/29/2013 at 08:21 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
| ||
|
Post# 656704 , Reply# 7 1/29/2013 at 08:22 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
| ||
|
Post# 656705 , Reply# 8 1/29/2013 at 08:23 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
| ||
|
Post# 656706 , Reply# 9 1/29/2013 at 08:25 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
Once both sets of towels were dry, we bring them into the laundry room and Rich folds ALL the towels so they're folded the exact same way for consistency.
First the towels dried in the Filtrator. 
This post was last edited 01/29/2013 at 09:46 | ||
|
Post# 656707 , Reply# 10 1/29/2013 at 08:26 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
| ||
|
Post# 656709 , Reply# 11 1/29/2013 at 08:28 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
Drum roll please...........
And the results speak LOUDLY!
The stack on the left were dried in the Filtrator, the stack on the right in the modern dryer. We were both surprised by the results!
Measuring to the front edge nearest the measuring tape only, the stack of towels dried in the 1955 Filtrator was 1.5 inches taller then the stack dried in the modern dryer! 
This post was last edited 01/29/2013 at 09:36 | ||
|
Post# 656710 , Reply# 12 1/29/2013 at 08:31 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
| ||
|
Post# 656711 , Reply# 13 1/29/2013 at 08:32 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
versus
8 inches high!
This was a fun and interesting little challenge!
Makes me wish I had a Frigidaire Filtrator to dry MY towels!
Kevin 
This post was last edited 01/29/2013 at 09:40 | ||
|
Post# 656715 , Reply# 14 1/29/2013 at 08:38 (4,101 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
||
I wasn't too surprised. Between the pulsating action of the washer and the steamy drying in the Filtrator, GM Frigidaire excels at towels!
I typically don't ever wash towels in a front-loader, almost always in a Frigidaire unimatic or pulsamatic. Even dried in a standard airflow dryer, there's something about that pulsating wash & rinse that "fluffs" the fibers rather than mashing them down in a front loader. Vigorous shaking after washing and before drying helps somewhat, but it's still not the same. Thanks for the test guys, very fun. | ||
| Post# 656718 , Reply# 15 1/29/2013 at 08:59 (4,101 days old) by marks (Tucker, GA) | ||
That is a great post! Thanks for that!
Did you use softener in the wash? Nothing scientific here, but I've noticed that when I do a load in my Easy, and let it rince for a long period of time, the water will clear and the softener is absorbed into the materials. In the FL Kenmore (2010) the rince cycle is too short, and doesn't use enough water, so the clothes do not come out as fluffy as when done in the Easy. Anyway, love the machines and the pics! Those GM Frigidaire's look like they borrowed some car grills. Love them! | ||
|
Post# 656724 , Reply# 16 1/29/2013 at 09:16 (4,101 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
||
|
No fabric softener used for either load.
A note on extraction rpm. The 1955 Frigidaire (as most of you already know) spins @ 1140 rpm and the 2006 FL washer spins @ 1000 rpm.
Kevin This post was last edited 01/29/2013 at 10:24 | ||
|
Post# 656732 , Reply# 17 1/29/2013 at 09:46 (4,101 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
||
I also believe that the amount of water removed in the spin between the wash and rinse(s) as well as the overall rinsing ability is crucial to getting the towels as soft as possible. In my 17 years of owning and using vintage machines you simply can't beat a solid tub overflow rinse for the best rinsed clothes. I had a Duet for a while and I remember the strong detergent smell on the towels that I washed in that machine that was nearly absent with towels coming out of a Unimatic.
From the start I knew the '55 Unimatic and Filtrator were going to win this hands down. | ||
|
Post# 656828 , Reply# 18 1/29/2013 at 17:10 (4,101 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
||
Thanks for sponsoring the Great Towel Test of 2013, guys! I've never used a Filtrator, but have read numerous posts raving about the fluffiness of towels emerging from one.
I have only one question: Is it the washer or the dryer or a combination of both that help produce the extra-fluffy stack? Rich...when you get a chance, run four towels through the '06 and dry them in the Filtrator. You wisely kept measurements, so it will be easy to find out if the Filtrator does the heavy lifting in the fluffy towel division, or if, as Robert says, it's a combination of the two. Aside: I really wish Frigidaire would go back to the script-style logo used in the 50's and again during the 00's. The current blocky logo with its triangle 'A' is so...fugly and completely devoid of style. This post was last edited 01/29/2013 at 19:09 | ||
|
Post# 656831 , Reply# 19 1/29/2013 at 17:21 (4,101 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN) |
||
Kevin,
Great test. Interesting way to compare that beautiful pair of vintage appliances to the upstart newcomers! Well documented as always. I'm curious what the difference in the spin basket diameters is between the two washers, isn't the front loader's larger? Perhaps the actual spin G-Forces may be close. Did one or the other show a clear superiority in extraction? Phil | ||
|
Post# 656834 , Reply# 20 1/29/2013 at 17:30 (4,101 days old) by appnut (TX) |
||
 This was a no-brainer. Rich & Greg have said over the years--a Unimatic and Filtrator are the best for towels. This post was last edited 01/29/2013 at 19:28 | ||
| Post# 656858 , Reply# 21 1/29/2013 at 18:14 (4,101 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada) | ||
 | ||
|
Post# 656894 , Reply# 22 1/29/2013 at 23:17 (4,101 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
||
Neat test | ||
|
Post# 656895 , Reply# 23 1/29/2013 at 23:24 (4,101 days old) by d-jones (Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh Area)) |
||
 | ||
| Post# 656905 , Reply# 24 1/30/2013 at 00:14 (4,101 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
That was a lot of fun doing the test with Kevin. I felt like we worked for Consumer Reports! I knew the 55 set would win. Nothing like that steam drying of a condenser dryer for fluffy sweet towels.
Robert, Greg and Bob - I know you guys weren't surprised! Eugene - good idea to retest and isolate the dryers and determine how much difference the Filtrator dryer makes by itself. Kevin already called me to schedule another towel test. We'll wash all 8 towels in the front loader and then split the load into 4 towels each into the electric Filtrator and gas 06 model. Jon - wish you had been here too! We had a great time. I even let Kevin clean out the lint in the Filtrator with the official lint brush! Ha! Did you notice the cap on the pulsator? | ||
| Post# 656913 , Reply# 25 1/30/2013 at 01:46 (4,101 days old) by frontaloadotmy (the cool gay realm) | ||
|
Might it be possible that a less severe extraction would result in an even taller, fluffier stack of towels? (not to mention the more thorough washing action EASY-ly available in other, more proven brand names!!!!!)
CLICK HERE TO GO TO frontaloadotmy's LINK on Orange County, CA Craigslist | ||
|
Post# 656914 , Reply# 26 1/30/2013 at 01:46 (4,101 days old) by pdub (Portland, Oregon) |
||
 | ||
| Post# 656942 , Reply# 28 1/30/2013 at 06:51 (4,100 days old) by kenmoreguy89 (Valenza Piemonte, Italy- Soon to be US immigrant.) | ||
 | ||
| Post# 656951 , Reply# 29 1/30/2013 at 07:54 (4,100 days old) by alr2903 (TN) | ||
|
This is a great thread.. Thank you, Kevin and Rich. So the humidity in the filtrator is like a spa for towels? Would the newfangled steam cycle dryers recreate the same drying environment? arthur
| ||
|
Post# 656981 , Reply# 30 1/30/2013 at 10:40 (4,100 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
||
|
Too much airflow through a regular dryer for steam to have a chance to build up. | ||
| Post# 657000 , Reply# 31 1/30/2013 at 11:38 (4,100 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA) | ||
Generally speaking... | ||
| Post# 657062 , Reply# 33 1/30/2013 at 16:21 (4,100 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 657063 , Reply# 34 1/30/2013 at 16:24 (4,100 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
||
|
Rich | ||
|
Post# 657448 , Reply# 36 2/1/2013 at 11:26 (4,098 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN) |
||
|
Extraction G-Force
I was curious about the relative G-forces that these two machines develop during spin. I'm not sure that extraction plays into this test in any major way. Also relative extraction will depend on other factors such as spin duration and basket design etc. Still I wanted to crunch the numbers as I guessed that the front loader had a larger diameter basket which might offset the higher RPM of the Unimatic.
The formula for those that want to know is: G-Force = 1.12 x Basket Radius (in mm) x (RPM/1000)^2 The Unimatic has a basket radius of 254mm compared to the front loader's slightly larger 282 mm. With respective assumed spin speeds of 1140 vs 1000 RPM the calculated G force is: Unimatic - 370 G 2006 FL - 316 G Of course looking at the formula G-force relates to the square of the RPM so increases in spin speed increase G-forces faster then increases in the basket diameter do. It would be interesting get a weight comparison of the towels after extraction to see if theory and practice meet. It likely has no bearing on the fluffiness test, but it is a curious comparison in itself. | ||
|
Post# 657470 , Reply# 37 2/1/2013 at 13:01 (4,098 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
||
Steamers
Another good test result there team, Rich is this your 2nd Frgidaire set now?, they look really nice matches side by side, kevin do you ahve a Frigidaire FL set?
It seems that if you need the test to be with this very hot running Filtrator, then moisture content will come into it, the more moisture left in the clothes the more steam there will be, I bet 800 / 1000rpm with be about right, if it was out of a spinner or 1600rpm spinner then the dryer will quickly evaportate the moisture without the full steaming effect.. Many of the new condenser dryers heat up to steaming point in 10`s of minutes, if you opened the door and shook the steaming clothes almost dry and then pop them back you would reduce the drying time considerably, probably the same with the filtrator, thats if you could hold the clothing according to how they work!! | ||
| Post# 657489 , Reply# 38 2/1/2013 at 14:40 (4,098 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
|
Hi Mike!
Yes, this is my second front load set. We gave the first set to my son when he moved out on his own. Kevin actually has this same Frigidaire Gallery washing machine in his huge laundry collection and likes it alot.
I know what you mean about shaking out the steamy items out of a condenser dryer. The towels almost feel damp, and scalding hot, when you take them out of the Filtrator. After a couple good shakes they cool down and feel bone dry. The cool down on the Filtrator timer is only about 8 minutes and given the temperature it reaches, that is not really enough. Modern dryers bring clothes down to room temp...not this beast! But I love it. I grew up with this exact model. I had been touting "Filtrated" towels to Kevin for a while...and so this test was devised. We also did a load of towels he brought from home through the 1955 set so he could luxuriate back at home in the bath with sweet fluffy towels. :-D | ||
|
Post# 657592 , Reply# 39 2/2/2013 at 08:18 (4,097 days old) by Logixx (Germany) |
||
Nice test!
So, is this like a vented vs condenser dryer test?
My Bosch is rated at 2800 watts and the door streams up within like 30 seconds. Normal temp is roughly 158F during drying. Still I can't say my towels are as soft as those wonderful towels in the pictures. My Duet fills three inches up the door glass for its three rinses but it may be the very hard water we have here that makes my towels only so-so soft. Oh, and wonder if it made a difference if you set the modern dryer to a lower temp? | ||
|
Post# 657598 , Reply# 40 2/2/2013 at 08:59 (4,097 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
||
|
Rich really!! Be careful!! | ||
| Post# 657602 , Reply# 41 2/2/2013 at 09:42 (4,097 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
|
Ha! | ||
|
Post# 657620 , Reply# 42 2/2/2013 at 11:03 (4,097 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
||
|
Oh deer | ||
|
Post# 657626 , Reply# 43 2/2/2013 at 12:02 (4,097 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
||
|
They are right by the Tiki Bar Lamp with the other bottled anesthetics. | ||
|
Post# 658918 , Reply# 45 2/8/2013 at 10:38 (4,091 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
||
|
A little information about Books Stevens From the Hamilton Dryer to the Weinermobile CLICK HERE TO GO TO Tomturbomatic's LINK | ||
| Post# 659155 , Reply# 46 2/9/2013 at 10:35 (4,090 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
|
Thanks for the info, Tom | ||
| Forum Index: |
| Other Forums: |
|
|
|
|
|
Comes to the Rescue!
