Those of you who have read my posts before may remember that I've owned the new style Kenmore belt-driven washer for several years. It's a great little machine especially for what I paid for it and despite what everyone says I've had no mechanical failures to date. However, I think its kind of silly that they still offer anything more than this in a top loader.
For $299, I could care less if the machine lacks a tub brake or takes forever to fill. The washing performance is all that matters. And the fact that an off balance load makes the tub smash against the cabinet before its up to speed doesn't really phase me either. If I cared about either of these, I could pick up a direct drive for half the price. But I didn't because I get more capacity and much less noise with the new machine. And while its still rough on clothes, direct drives have always been blenders to my laundry.
The more expensive impeller washers do great with smaller loads but can't do much for a full load of towels or a comforter. I really want to like these but can't get past the poor performance in larger loads, especially for the price they're sold at. And the Frankenstein "agipeller" washers aren't great at much other than appealing to those who want something above bottom line and are firmly rooted in the agitator days. They perform worse than either the cheaper or more expensive machines, and near the price of a front loader. For what it is, the VMW platform is great at the $299 or $399 price point, but anything more is silly given the performance a relatively inexpensive front loader can give. Especially given that the more expensive top loaders have most of the same shortcomings as my cheap washer since they're largely built on the same design.
At around the $500-$600 dollar point, much larger capacity with low water and energy usage and turnover in just about any condition short of overload is guaranteed. Plus the noise level is much lower over the cycle. I don't see why people would pay the same amount for a top loader with lower performance in just about every category, unless they're firmly rooted in the standard fare we get here in the USA. Or maybe they're concerned about reliability with all the electronics in front loaders, although top loaders are just the same now. Today's top loaders have an electronic control board, a pump, a drive motor, a capacitor, a mode shifter, a lid lock, and a basic suspension assembly. The front loaders also have an electronic control board, a pump, a drive motor, a door lock, and a suspension assembly but lack the mode shifter...
Then there are those who are worried about the mold and smell issues that can come with a front loader. While I've used machines with this issue before, I've been able to get rid of it with a few cleaning cycles with bleach and letting the machine air dry after use. It's not that difficult. And while front loaders do tend to shake a house, they've gotten much better throughout the years. The new ones are very smooth. My good old VMW shakes my house too.
The times of belt driven Whirlpools and GE Filter Flo's and Maytags are over, not because we don't have soft spots for these machines, but because the need they filled has now changed. That's why they're no longer on the market. These machines came out in a time where automation was becoming prevalent and necessary in our lifestyle and held out for so long because they're reliable and inexpensive. But times have changed. We now demand better performance and higher capacity. We saw that many years ago with the switch to dual action agitators and direct drive mechanisms that could pull more laundry through the same size tub. Now our needs have continued to increase and our climate demands that we be more resourceful. We demand higher efficiency and robust wash programs for every type of garment. These needs are filled by horizontal axis machines.
And for those of us who just want washing performance above all, the basic $299 Whirlpool fills the need just fine. But the agipeller or impeller machines try to combine too many things into one and end up falling flat on their faces. I haven't gone out and bought a front loader yet because I can't bring myself to get rid of a perfectly working machine and spend a grand on a new set. But the moment any repair pops up greater than 100 dollars, it'll be put out for scrap and I'll be buying a brand new pair of LG's, even though I'd love to have a vintage machine to tinker with.
I too was in the agitator/filter-flo camp, although a part of me is still there. However, my mom has a matching LG tromm steam washer and dryer that was purchased in 2007 and is still running. My dad has the Kenmore Elite washer and matching steam dryer made by LG. The washer does an exceptional job thanks to the accela-wash feature which I use all the time.
Comes to the Rescue!
