Thread Number: 7502
Advice on purchasing a new Duet |
[Down to Last] |
Post# 147006   8/4/2006 at 17:39 (6,445 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
HELP! My partner Eric has decided it's time to purchase a new washing machine. He's got his eye on the Whirlpool Duet, but doesn't know whether to get the standard model or the more expensive fancier model. Any input on which model to purchase and/or the Duet in general would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron |
|
Post# 147012 , Reply# 2   8/4/2006 at 18:29 (6,445 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Steve, Thanks for the reply. The washer being replaced is aproximately 20 years old. It is a Hotpoint from the '80's. It recently developed a problem where it would not stop filling up after beginning to agitate, sometimes. So, he is now setting a timer for 20 minutes which brings him to the rinse cycle and he runs downstairs to check it. Plus, although he shares my vintage appliance admiration, he needs a new machine to use every day. Perhaps a small vintage appliance collection will happen in the future. Anyway, he's pretty much hooked on the Duet. Just looking for comments for or against on that machine or any other input as well. Ron |
Post# 147031 , Reply# 4   8/4/2006 at 19:27 (6,445 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Ron---I've been looking at purchasing a new Duet, too. After a lot of consideration, I like the TOL 9400 the best, mainly because it has a 1200 rpm spin speed. (The 9300 and 9150 have 1000, which is certainly not bad, but my Frigidaire spins at nearly that I want to step up.) The 9400 and 9300 have built-in water heaters if that's an attraction for you. The 9400 lists at $1399, the 9300 at $1199 and the 9150 at $999. My nephew and his wife have the 9150 on pedestals and they love them! Let us know which one you wind up getting. I think you've made a wise choice going with the Duet. |
Post# 147032 , Reply# 5   8/4/2006 at 19:35 (6,445 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 147033 , Reply# 6   8/4/2006 at 19:37 (6,445 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 147034 , Reply# 7   8/4/2006 at 19:38 (6,445 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 147037 , Reply# 8   8/4/2006 at 20:22 (6,445 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 147187 , Reply# 11   8/5/2006 at 20:35 (6,444 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Ron, I totally agree with Bryan. A front loader with the supplemental heater is the only way to go. The sanitary cycle heats water to 153 degrees and with y'all up north, helps during the4 winter with the cooler environment of the house (which impacts component temps as well as water temps being a bit unstable, despite auto temp control too. How far away is the water heater from the washer? Bob
|
Post# 147288 , Reply# 12   8/6/2006 at 02:12 (6,444 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
I have the non-heater model that I found a sales-war price on a couple of years ago. I love it and although the heater would be nice at times, I really don't miss it all that much. I paid $619.88 for my washer and $449.88 for the Duet gas dryer - the set for the regular retail price of the washer alone. There have been times I've wished for a couple more options here and there, but for that price, I'm a very willing dial-pusher to get the cycles I need!
|
Post# 147303 , Reply# 13   8/6/2006 at 09:53 (6,444 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Wow, you got that pair at an amazing price, Greg. I would have snatched that up, too. I wouldn't miss an internal water heater because I'm washing everything in temp-controlled cold water these days. Besides, I've had FL'ers without a heater for YEARS and always had excellent cleaning results. I keep my water heater at 140-degrees, so it's plenty hot on its own.
|
Post# 147321 , Reply# 14   8/6/2006 at 12:27 (6,443 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 147790 , Reply# 15   8/9/2006 at 15:11 (6,440 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 147798 , Reply# 16   8/9/2006 at 16:04 (6,440 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 147841 , Reply# 17   8/9/2006 at 21:18 (6,440 days old) by lightedcontrols ()   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Don't. |
Post# 147881 , Reply# 19   8/10/2006 at 08:34 (6,440 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
If I were you, I'd wait until Miele sell its new large capacity FL in the US. You want the highest spin speed possible and a machine that heats its own water should run on 220V not on 120V. It's more energy efficient and doesn't take all day to do a load. If you have to buy something right now I would consider LG. I really like mine. I've had it for 2 years; it's convenient to use, quiet as a mouse, spins at 1200 and, bottom line, the clothes are cleaner than they've ever been. Only gripe is that because it runs on 120V it takes a long time when I choose the heated water cycle. Mine is similar to this one; it has a backsplash. I chose this configuration because I liked the dispenser set up better than the drawer and it sort of goes with the Maytag dryer I already had. (When you buy a machine like this that spins so fast, the dryer becomes almost an afterthought: I dry more clothes now on the line and just by hanging them up because they come out of the washer practically dry). CLICK HERE TO GO TO bajaespuma's LINK |
Post# 147906 , Reply# 20   8/10/2006 at 13:44 (6,439 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Bob, if the "superfluous, blah-blah-blah" comment was aimed at me, then I will counter that I'm just providing information about a machine's features from the manufacturer and sharing what CR has to say. If a prospective buyer should heed only the advice of someone who actually owns a given machine, then one trip to Epinions.com will confirm there are vastly differing posts on almost any model you want to name. Some people's experience with the Duet/Hettie, for example, leads them to state it's the greatest frontloader made. Others attest it is the biggest piece of crap they've ever owned and advise people to steer clear of it. That's so much more helpful? If you find any of my information to be incorrect or misleading, then please say so. Certainly no one at AW has ever hesitated to disagree with me if their opinion or experience is different than mine. That's what a forum should be, no? |
Post# 148604 , Reply# 23   8/15/2006 at 16:51 (6,434 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Just my $.02 on the "epinions" web site and others. It's true you get both sides of the story from people who own the product, but I noticed when I was shopping for a vacuum cleaner, I'm pretty sure it was "epinions" that had been obviously hijacked by the marketing department at Hoover, with multiple posts gushing and extolling the virtues of the "Wind Tunnel" machine with testimonials that were so over embellished and involved that it was clear they were fake. Like with other types of data gathering, it's probably best to throw out the extreme reviews either in favor of or against the product and study those that are more moderate in tone.
|
Post# 148866 , Reply# 25   8/17/2006 at 14:32 (6,432 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
I've had my eye on a Duet/HE/KA pair when the time comes to replace what I've got. When I look at these on display, the latching mechanism seems flimsy to me on the Duet. I don't go to Sears or OSH that much to see the HE's and have yet to see a KA pair on display anywhere. Can anyone comment on whether the latch design is any better on the HE or KA models? Needless to say, after reading Mark's accounting of a 3-hour cycle I may be reconsidering as I prefer a machine I can still have some control over, but maybe by the time I'm ready some kind of override option will be included for those of us who can't wait 3 hours.
|
Post# 148869 , Reply# 26   8/17/2006 at 14:35 (6,432 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
3 hours seems to be a bit of an exagerration for cycle times - from what I've seen and read most cycles clock in at 45-60 minutes. Jon |
Post# 148940 , Reply# 27   8/17/2006 at 19:19 (6,432 days old) by zipdang (Portland, OR)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
My KitchenAid's running time for a Normal/Casual cycle set to medium soil level is 40 minutes (plus a little extra if the load is tricky to balance before spinning). The Whitest Whites cycle with the default extra rinse is 60 minutes, and if I eliminate the extra rinse it drops it to 50 minutes. The longest cycle I can run is the Sanitary cycle (which defaults to "super hot" temperature), and if I add the Autosoak and extra rinse options the total cycle time is 2h35m. |