Thread Number: 59200  /  Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Frigidaire Strips Features From Their TOL Appliances
[Down to Last]

automaticwasher.org's exclusive eBay Watch:
scroll >>> for more items --- [As an eBay Partner, eBay may compensate automaticwasher.org if you make a purchase using any link to eBay on this page]
Post# 817670   4/5/2015 at 22:03 (3,280 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
It started with their front-load washer: They dropped the TOL machine, raised the price of a model from further down the line, and designated it their new TOL. The result? Loss of features. No more allergy option to raise water temp in cycles; no more interior light; no prewash, etc.

Now it seems they've done the same with their ranges. Only weeks after purchasing their TOL 308 electric double oven model, it disappeared from the website to be replaced by---you guessed it---a model from further down in the line, complete with a hefty price increase. Result? Loss of features. No automatic conversion for convection baking; no slow cooker option; no more sleek all electronic touch pad controls, etc. Glad I bought one when I did!

Why, Frigidaire, why? Is this how Electrolux plans to make its flagship brand stand out as the premium choice?

Hope they don't wind up treating their newly-acquired GE brand so shabbily; or perhaps their plan is to make GE the mid-line brand and Frigidaire the (gasp!) budget line.

Very disappointing, at any rate.




This post was last edited 04/06/2015 at 01:02



Post# 817693 , Reply# 1   4/6/2015 at 06:30 (3,279 days old) by joeypete (Concord, NH)        

joeypete's profile picture
From what I read, Electrolux will be marketing their name as the premium appliances, GE will be mid range, and Frigidaire lower range. I imagine within each group they will various ranges of features too. Maybe they are getting Frigidaire ready to be BOL'd lol.

Post# 817698 , Reply# 2   4/6/2015 at 07:51 (3,279 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        
I DON'T use TIMED BAKE, because:

daveamkrayoguy's profile picture

I find the Automatic Baking on my range very hard to use! Rather than the old "Start" and "Stop" analog timers from the days of old, is the tedious task of pressing Up and Down arrows and translating the Minutes displayed, into Hours--and not helped by the doubt of when anything based on these increments is really "officially done"--as few can judge, without the experience of trial and error,--or just MY unwillingness to, that is--of how to avoid what you're baking gets under-cooked, dried out, burnt, or just burned...!

 

That is, ever since the innovator, FRIGIDAIRE, (the very make of my beloved gas stove) who first put NUMBERS on the key-pads of their very first Electronically-Controlled ranges became the very first too take 'em off (at least in the case of my "hi-end" GALLERY), which has a Speed Bake, giving me the impression of it being "Convection", but clearly not--and calls and inquiries to the manufacturer via eMail and snail mail, only resulted in endless offers to buy expensive service plans and even REPLACEMENT PLANS to an appliance that if it's STILL GOOD and WORKS, why such an effort to quickly wanna take it away & scrap it just to replace it with something that will also be a "Hunk O' JUNK!"????

 

 

-- Dave




This post was last edited 04/06/2015 at 08:45
Post# 817709 , Reply# 3   4/6/2015 at 08:42 (3,279 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)        
Frigidaire it the NEW ROPER!

mrb627's profile picture
Or Estate Or Galaxy...

Malcolm


Post# 817712 , Reply# 4   4/6/2015 at 08:50 (3,279 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
I knew this would become an eventual reality when I saw what Eugene mentioned happening with the FLeers. GE is the ONLY brand that featured heavy porcelain oven racks that could remain in oven during SC cycles. I noticed within the last few months Elux is offering said racks in their wall ovens. Previously Elux ovens wouldn't even execute a SC cycle until it could sense the racks were removed. I know I'm going to eventually need to replace my 1984 Hotpoiint slide in. I'm hoping GE will release an induction range with dual ovens and their porcelain racks. I'd like to see induction relegate smooth top radian to low-end cooking. Whirlpool already offers what I want but seems to be having electronic problems. KA does something similar, but not widely marketed from what I observe. And I hate the Aqua-Lift "oven cleaning" method. I've lived with the continuous clean joke for all these years. I don't want to live with half-assed aqua-lift cleaning either. At minimum I essentially cook for 2 meals and a snack 7 days a week.

Post# 817721 , Reply# 5   4/6/2015 at 10:19 (3,279 days old) by PassatDoc (Orange County, California)        

Does the new TOL Frigidaire range have a third heating element around the fan? Or is it the Speed Bake version, with a fan but without an additional element? For over 15 years, they offered Speed Bake (fan only) as an entry level convection model, and "True Convection" (with additional element and conversion) as their higher end convection model.

Personally, I know how to make the conversions in my head, having owned the Speed Bake version since 2001. My Breville Smart Oven (countertop) is also convection, but requires manual conversions.

If Frigidaire is being demoted to BOL, it is a shame because their TOL offerings were good quality/value, particularly before Electrolux began to offer products under their own name (which was not possible until they re-acquired the right to use their own name).


Post# 817738 , Reply# 6   4/6/2015 at 11:43 (3,279 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        
re: "Fan w/o Additional Element":

daveamkrayoguy's profile picture

That's the thing I don't understand about my Gallery's OVEN: I have a "baffle", at least, but my oven without convection, most-likely what my "Speed bake" is a substitute for, utilizes a fan supposedly behind it, that one for Convection Baking would make more obvious... (A baffle, that to me has no fan, or at least I don't see one turning, but hear a faint "Hum", if that!)

 

I just don't see any fan there, and maybe the "Speed" behind my "Speed Bake" has some other heat-increasing process to quicken the baking, but no matter: I follow the correct Time/Temperature procedures in what I bake, anyway, so such a feature is no use to me anyway, regardless...

 

 

-- Dave


Post# 817794 , Reply# 7   4/6/2015 at 17:50 (3,279 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
 
Dave, look up your range's model number at an online parts source that has breakdown diagrams (such as SearsPartsDirect.com) to check if a fan is shown in the components.


Post# 817804 , Reply# 8   4/6/2015 at 19:45 (3,279 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
"Frigidaire is the new Roper!"

Post# 818328 , Reply# 9   4/9/2015 at 20:54 (3,276 days old) by logixx (Germany)        
On a slightly different note

logixx's profile picture
I just saw that the GE high efficiency top loaders are "no longer being manufactured". Only agitator models are left.



Post# 818336 , Reply# 10   4/9/2015 at 21:20 (3,276 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        
"Perhaps left the way they are..."

daveamkrayoguy's profile picture
What about this 'GE-Artistry-Series', or whatever it was, that came out?!

Granted, these were not any sort o' hi-end-y models, let alone-Frigidaire-associated, until perhaps, the recent Electrolux acquisition... But, will it still exist?



-- Dave


Post# 818340 , Reply# 11   4/9/2015 at 21:40 (3,276 days old) by KenmoreBD (Mass, usa )        

Just checked and it looks like no more washplate washers for GE, one precise fill style washer left, and about
three regular hydrowave washers left even one with stainless steel tub!.... I hope they remain for now. The hydrowave from GE is not bad at all. I also hope they get to keep the fancy kitchen appliance line, something tells me the fancy stuff would go to Electrolux brand.

-ANDY


Post# 818347 , Reply# 12   4/9/2015 at 22:48 (3,276 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)        

laundromat's profile picture
I just bought a Kenmore range with dual fan,Dual Speeder (/convention,Dual Fans,3Ring front right Burner,Dual Ring legt front Bürger,Warnung drüber,Warming burner,and all glass control back panel. It's stainless steel and works great. I bought a three year protection plan through FRIGIDAIRE because insects love to home the electronic boards. I need to find the meat thermometer because it has the option of using it and needs the probe to use that.

Post# 818721 , Reply# 13   4/11/2015 at 07:42 (3,274 days old) by joeypete (Concord, NH)        

joeypete's profile picture
I noticed too the GE HE washers are not being manufactured any longer. They must be getting ready to share technology with Electrolux/Frigidaire. The last version of their top load HE was pretty good actually, with the WaterFall system. One model is just about 1/2 price at Home Depot. I imagine the higher end ones will get slashed more too. Would be a good buy.

Post# 818763 , Reply# 14   4/11/2015 at 11:06 (3,274 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)        

philr's profile picture

Other bad news in the appliance world.

 

I don't think I'm going to shop for one of their products anytime soon... I won't change my mind about Electrolux being good vacuum cleaners but I'll never be interested in getting a large appliance with the Electrolux name! And I don't like the idea of GE being down the hierarchy from Electrolux and Frigidaire even lower! 

 

I know how WCI and Electrolux damaged the Frigidaire brand to the point many people who are 60 or younger (and who were too young to shop for new appliances before 1980) associate this brand as crap but I'm afraid that they'll do the same with GE.   


Post# 818767 , Reply# 15   4/11/2015 at 11:16 (3,274 days old) by brastemp (Brazil)        

Here in Brazil Electrolux killed an important and old brand in the 90s .. Prosdócimo was a very important brand of refrigerators and freezers. I see electrolux with a very selfish brand, it kills any brand that it acquires, no matter what represents for the country.

Post# 818770 , Reply# 16   4/11/2015 at 11:33 (3,274 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)        
me i can predict that alot will be searching for old ff wash

pierreandreply4's profile picture
me i can predict that there will be lots of serching on craiglist for old ge fliter flo washers and that lots of members who own int here collection filter floo washers will be keeping them in find working order

Post# 818836 , Reply# 17   4/11/2015 at 17:48 (3,274 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada)        

countryguy's profile picture
PhilR,

What I think you refer to as Electrolux vacuums is not Electrolux anymore...Electrolux became Aerus several years ago which is still very confusing to the general public.

Gary


CLICK HERE TO GO TO countryguy's LINK


Post# 818869 , Reply# 18   4/11/2015 at 21:12 (3,274 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)        

philr's profile picture

Hi Gary, I know that! I guess that's also why Electrolux now sells Frigidaire vacuum cleaners! They must have some kind of agreement with Aerus that doesn't let them use their own name on vacuum cleaners!  I wish that would also apply to other appliances they sell in North America!

 

I do have just a few vacuum cleaners but all the ones I currently have but one pink Hoover Constellation are Electrolux models. Most of them are made in Pointe Claire but I do have one Golden Jubilee (I think some of these were sold when the Pointe-Claire factory was on strike). So I have an 88, two 89, an AP-100, an AP-280 and the 1205 Jubilee. I hate the fact that Electrolux (which I don't think has anything to do with Consolidated Foods) now sells Frigidaire-branded central vacuums. The real Frigidaire division of GM never did that! 

 

Oh, I forgot, I also have an Electrolux CB. It's been hidden in a pile of stuff for years! 




This post was last edited 04/11/2015 at 21:35
Post# 819060 , Reply# 19   4/13/2015 at 08:11 (3,272 days old) by iej (.... )        

In Europe they more or less did the same, but I think they underestimated the power of AEG as a brand and somewhat rolled back on it.

Their original plan seemed to be to replace AEG with Electrolux as their premium brand, but that didn't really work out for them and AEG is back as their premium range again.

Zanussi however didn't fare so well. This was an old Italian middle of the range, good quality brand with an excellent reputation in many markets. It's now Electrolux's budget brand.

I'm a bit confused now as I don't know where Electrolux is positioned anymore here.


Post# 819073 , Reply# 20   4/13/2015 at 10:21 (3,272 days old) by PassatDoc (Orange County, California)        
FYI gas ranges

I looked on the Frigidaire website and noted the following:

1. Their TOL single-oven gas range still has third element convection cooking with conversion. Further down the line, they still seem to offer an entry-level convection model, with fan but without third element, but it's no longer called "Speed Bake". (I have the 2001* iteration of this model and it bakes beautifully, and no service calls in its 13 1/2 year service life).

2. Their TOL double-oven gas range still has self-cleaning on both ovens, and the larger (lower) oven still has third-element convection cooking with conversion. There is a BOL double-oven without convection. There does not seem to be a middle option (fan but no element), but I don't recall if they ever offered the double in that option range.

So as far as I can surmise, they have not tweaked the feature set of their freestanding gas range line-up. Since I don't have 220V behind the range (just a gas pipe plus 110V), I never studied their electric range lineup and would not know if something has been deleted.

I agree they have really decimated their FL washer line-up. Ten years ago they were very highly rated by CR and by experienced buyers (the kind who read this website), both for performance and price. It seems as if they got rid of their TOL, brought the BOL up and renumbered. Maybe they are trying to push their higher end customers into Electrolux. However, the manipulation of the washer line-up began well before they acquired GE appliances. FYI my original Frigidaire 2140 is nine years old, no service issues ever, and is still washing away over at my neighbor's; he inherited my 2140 set when I got my new Electrolux set.

*the cooktop of my model is somewhat behind the times, in that the highest power burner is 12K BTU, with two 9K units and a 5K unit. The current models offer uprated burners, I think 16K on one, 12K on one, 9K on one, and 5K on two (there is a fifth center burner), and some models seem to have a center griddle option. In addition, my model does not have grates that go all the way across (the higher end third-element convection model did have grates all the way across). However, I tend not to replace or discard something unless it's broken and cannot be fixed (or costs too much to do so) so for now the range stays. If it broke tomorrow, I'd buy another Frigidaire, it has been a great product. I had to calibrate oven temp once and that was it. At the time I purchased it, there were only four non-commercial gas convection manufacturers: GE, KA, JennAir, and Frigidaire. As I was on a budget at the time, I chose the Frigidaire, which cost literally half of the other models, and the savings paid for a new Bosch DW (still in service since 2001, no service calls).


Post# 820900 , Reply# 21   4/25/2015 at 14:15 (3,260 days old) by logixx (Germany)        
GE High Efficiency

logixx's profile picture

Seems they are back with a face lift and some new features such as Time Saver and, unsurprisingly, WiFi connectivity.

 

www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadis...


Post# 820901 , Reply# 22   4/25/2015 at 14:29 (3,260 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
Saw these new GE high efficiency top-loaders at the local GE/LG/Whirlpool/Speed Queen dealer, yesterday.

The new consoles have an interesting sort of concave curve to them.



Post# 820908 , Reply# 23   4/25/2015 at 16:27 (3,260 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        

daveamkrayoguy's profile picture
That was me who "Like"-ed it...!



-- Dave


Post# 820978 , Reply# 24   4/26/2015 at 10:04 (3,259 days old) by warmsecondrinse (Fort Lee, NJ)        
Click a random link and you never know what you'll learn

Starting at the top and working my way down:

-- I agree that analog is easier than most CURRENT digital designs. My mom's undercounter GE microwave and my first microwave (both so old as to have no turntable) are much simpler to use than anything I've used recently.

-- I'm not quite sure what to say about this, but I've never even heard of needing to remove oven racks to do self-cleaning.... Ooooooopppps? and not just mine, lol.

-- As for Dave's problem of asking a question and getting a service plan offer as a response, this is becoming a major hot button with me as I get older. My personal theory is that it works like a google search. Questions are matched with canned answers. The 'best' answer is sent back without any thought given to whether or not the answer actually addresses the question.

It seems to me that more and more places work like this. That's why my favorite superpower is ATFQ: The ability to force people to Answer The eFfing Question!

-- I agree with corporate decisions being able to ruin a brand name permanently. Right or wrong, I will NEVER again be able to associate "GE", "HydroWave", and "washplate" with clean laundry.

Jim


Post# 820993 , Reply# 25   4/26/2015 at 12:12 (3,259 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
 
Chrome oven racks generally are to be removed during self-cleaning to avoid dulling the shiny finish and developing a drag when sliding in/out.

Porcelain-coated racks can stay in, the finish is not affected ... but they also can develop a drag when sliding.  A very light application of vegetable oil helps with the drag but I've found can also cause a bit of burned residue.


Post# 821012 , Reply# 26   4/26/2015 at 13:42 (3,259 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture
Aren't the GE higher end washplate/impeller washers sourced? LG?

I know someone who just bought one of these (sets) about a year ago and is pretty annoyed with the long cycle time and "lack of adequate water" in the washer. They live on a lakefront beach and the ge is pretty bad at sand removal with a mostly solid plastic tub bottom. She wants her full-fill KM Oasis (agitator) washer back.


Post# 821022 , Reply# 27   4/26/2015 at 15:20 (3,259 days old) by logixx (Germany)        

logixx's profile picture

LG used to make GE's high efficiency top loaders. The ones linked above are GE's own design.



Forum Index:       Other Forums:                      



Comes to the Rescue!

The Discuss-o-Mat has stopped, buzzer is sounding!!!
If you would like to reply to this thread please log-in...

Discuss-O-MAT Log-In



New Members
Click Here To Sign Up.



                     


automaticwasher.org home
Discuss-o-Mat Forums
Vintage Brochures, Service and Owners Manuals
Fun Vintage Washer Ephemera
See It Wash!
Video Downloads
Audio Downloads
Picture of the Day
Patent of the Day
Photos of our Collections
The Old Aberdeen Farm
Vintage Service Manuals
Vintage washer/dryer/dishwasher to sell?
Technical/service questions?
Looking for Parts?
Website related questions?
Digital Millennium Copyright Act Policy
Our Privacy Policy