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Thread Number: 8231
GE, Frigidaire or Whirlpool FL Washers |
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Post# 156961 9/25/2006 at 12:52 (6,416 days old) by rp2813  (Sannazay) |
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Hey guys, A local dealer has the following washers all at the same price: GE WCVH260 Frigidaire AFT7000 Whirlpool Duet GHW9150 These are all going for under $700 (after rebates) Would like to get some input from knowledgeable guys who frequent this site on which they'd choose and why. There's something about the look of the Frigidaires that I like, but my main concern is functionality and reliability. Thanks for any opinions! Ralph | ||
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Post# 157161 , Reply# 1 9/26/2006 at 06:47 (6,415 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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Post# 157227 , Reply# 2 9/26/2006 at 11:32 (6,415 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Thanks TS, I've never seen the Fridigaire up close in a store so will need to go get a closer look at that pair. With GE I'm concerned about quality and reliability. Whirlpool has a good reputation although I see some things posted here that make me think twice about a Duet pair. Largest capacity is something I want and I think these three are all pretty close on that. I'm not in any hurry to buy, but I don't trust Consumer Reports anymore and would like to be a bit more educated going into my purchase when the time comes. | ||
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Post# 157321 , Reply# 3 9/26/2006 at 18:56 (6,415 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Every brand has its champions and its detractors. I've had good luck with Electrolux-made Frigidaire front-loaders, but if I were buying again, I'd get a Duet pair. In fact, I'm now saving up for a new FL pair. I was going for Duet, but I'm a Maytag fan of late, so I'm now going for the Duet-twin Maytag Epic. They seem to have worked out the bugs and their capacity is greater than the Frigidaire's. Also, I'm not a big fan of the Frigidaire dryer--the drum is fairly small, especially compared to the Duet. | ||
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Post# 157367 , Reply# 4 9/26/2006 at 23:14 (6,415 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Frig, capacity is a concern and will be the major deciding factor as I have large king sized comforters I'd like to stop hauling to the laundromat. Sounds like Frigidaire might come up a little short in that aspect. Too bad as I like their styling best. Should I be surprised that nobody has said anything positive about the GE pair? Ralph | ||
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Post# 157374 , Reply# 5 9/26/2006 at 23:58 (6,415 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Post# 157375 , Reply# 6 9/26/2006 at 23:59 (6,415 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Post# 157430 , Reply# 7 9/27/2006 at 10:16 (6,414 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Thanks Frig, I'm back to having the Duet pair as my #1 choice then. And I should point out that I've seen "foreign" brands such as LG that claim largest capacity but the negative comments I've seen here about parts and repair on those machines make it necessary to rule them out. Thanks for everyone's input. | ||
| Post# 157459 , Reply# 8 9/27/2006 at 12:21 (6,414 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH) | ||
Avoid GE!
As I wrote in another post, my mother recently got a GE set of front loaders. The dryer is not bad, but the washer takes for EVER! I am also not impressed with its washing ability. I think that she would have been better off keeping her old Kenmore DD. I would vote for Frigidaire on quality, followed very closely by Whirlpool, and GE a distant third, a VERY distant third. Hope this helps, Dave | ||
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Post# 157649 , Reply# 9 9/28/2006 at 14:09 (6,413 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Thanks Dave, Sadly, your comments about GE come as no surprise. I'm trying to visualize what .2 cubic feet looks like. I think that's the difference between Frididaire and Whirlpool washer drum sizes. I'm thinking it might not be a big enough difference as far as getting my king size comforters in either of them. I really do find the Frigidaire's styling very clean and attractive compared to the Duet. | ||
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Post# 157659 , Reply# 10 9/28/2006 at 16:32 (6,413 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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King sized down duvets are a challenge for domestic front loaders on more fronts than just capacity. You will need a unit with strong construction and very stable. Down is difficult to launder because it naturally resists water, thus it will not compact down readily unless throughly wet and the trapped in said down is forced out. Large commercial units are so huge that the duvet can tumble freely, which aids in saturation, spinning will then force the water and air out of the down. One can mimic this using small down filled items, meaning items that are not too large/heavy so they will not just tumble round and round. Also remember down filled items will become heavy and hold quite allot of water when fully saturated. This means you will need a machine with good bearings and a pumping system able to cope with lots of water. If you are one that launders down duvets frequently, look for commercial or near commercial quality front loaders IMHO. Speed Queen's homestyle units come to mind, but not sure if they will hold a king sized duvet. Miele is set to introduce early next year, a washer with a down cycle, but again not sure if it will hold a king sized down duvet. L. | ||
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Post# 157792 , Reply# 11 9/29/2006 at 17:26 (6,412 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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| Post# 157797 , Reply# 12 9/29/2006 at 18:33 (6,412 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
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Post# 158376 , Reply# 13 10/2/2006 at 11:33 (6,409 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Thanks GLS, I did notice the Frigidaire dryer was much smaller compared to the Duet. Just this weekend I needed to wash a puffy king size mattress pad and even that was a little much for the Amana TL. So a front loader will make that an easy job and yes, I'll take a comforter with me when I go seriously shopping. I remember laughing at a lady who brought her pots and pans with her when she was trying out different stoves. I wish I had done that, as I really have ended up disappointed by the noisy and flimsy grates on my Jenn Air gas cooktop.
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| Post# 158421 , Reply# 14 10/2/2006 at 17:02 (6,409 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
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I saw the new Maytag Epics at Home Depot over the weekend and was surprized when I looked in the dryer....looked the same size as my Frigidaire. Checked the back and sure enough it is not extended way back like other WP/KM super capacity models are. Maybe the Epic dryer is a Maytag design, which I think was a 6.0 capacity (Frigidaire is 5.8). The nice thing is that makes installtion easier, without the dryer being 4 or 5 inches deeper than the washer.
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| Post# 158425 , Reply# 15 10/2/2006 at 17:53 (6,409 days old) by zipdang (Portland, OR) | ||
Epic size | ||
| Post# 158432 , Reply# 16 10/2/2006 at 18:22 (6,409 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
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| Post# 158437 , Reply# 17 10/2/2006 at 18:50 (6,409 days old) by zipdang (Portland, OR) | ||
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Post# 158440 , Reply# 18 10/2/2006 at 18:59 (6,409 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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Statement~...capacity is a concern and will be the major deciding factor as I have large king sized comforters I'd like to stop hauling to the laundromat. Response~ Has anyone considered that perhaps the DRYER is a critical part of this equation? I have no problems washing a comforter/duvet in my litle FridGeMore. BUT...it got burned in the dryer... my nice BIG GE dryer. Yes, I used a low heat and a timed dry and rotated and re-positioned the thing every 10 minutes, but apparently the rotating metal back piece heats up (ever so nicely) such that the hole pattern burned onto the fabric. At least a huge commercial dryer is a perforated cylinder revolving in another one. Methinks the heat injection site is at least a few inches away (and it's not possible to make direct contact with same). Therefore, in my opinion, the whole drying process in a commerical machine [of the proper type] is much safer for big bulky items. :-) Just a thought. 
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| Post# 158523 , Reply# 19 10/3/2006 at 09:46 (6,408 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
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Post# 158542 , Reply# 20 10/3/2006 at 12:59 (6,408 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Hey Toggle, yes for sure the dryer size is an issue. That's why I have to rule out Frigidaire. I'm hoping the large capacity of a Duet dryer can handle the king sized comforter in question. I've managed OK with my Amana dryer and that thing likes to fry everything to extra crispy, so am thinking I can only be better off with a larger capacity Duet. The laundromat is probably the best option but I'm lazy that way.
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Post# 158552 , Reply# 21 10/3/2006 at 14:26 (6,408 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT) |
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Never a problem for me...... | ||
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Post# 158840 , Reply# 22 10/5/2006 at 06:49 (6,406 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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Post# 159132 , Reply# 24 10/6/2006 at 16:50 (6,405 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Post# 159137 , Reply# 25 10/6/2006 at 17:01 (6,405 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Post# 159494 , Reply# 26 10/9/2006 at 12:27 (6,402 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Yes Laundress, exactly the issue I have at home. I have too much shade in my yard and not enough room in a sunny spot to use my retractable clothes line for much more than a few items of clothing. A good sized dryer and usually one re-positioning of the large item is the way I get things like king-sized mattress pads and comforters dried. My partner has discovered the look smell and feel of line-dried sheets and has taken to draping them on patio chairs and the patio umbrella to dry instead of throwing them in the dryer. Winter is coming so that routine will be over soon, but it was nice while it lasted!
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| Post# 159495 , Reply# 27 10/9/2006 at 12:50 (6,402 days old) by cbosch () | ||
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Line dry I have to agree with your partner I like line dried sheets when everpossible. Don't care about hucking everything else in drier so long as the sheets are line dried. This is a problem during the winter living in Scotland so I have learned to compromise | ||
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Post# 159825 , Reply# 28 10/11/2006 at 11:54 (6,400 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Cbosch, even here in supposedly sunny California it's tough to get much line drying done in the winter. Unless you're in southern California it's damp most of the winter and line drying will have mixed results at best. I hope to have a new system rigged up for my clothes line when the warmer weather returns next year.
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Post# 159836 , Reply# 29 10/11/2006 at 14:21 (6,400 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT) |
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Line dried sheets.....
are really the BEST! Brings back so many wonderul childhood memories of my grandmother drying her sheets(from her Filter-Flo) on the line, and then putting them back on the bed....so fresh..... I am lucky I have those retractable clotheslines and am able to line dry my sheets. But here in Ct, unfortunately, the line drying season is coming to an end. But now is the perfect time for leaf peeping.... | ||
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Post# 159895 , Reply# 30 10/11/2006 at 20:40 (6,400 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Who's Been Peeping At My Leaves?
*LOL* Since only line dry linens until damp dry for ironing, finding a room for total drying is not a huge problem With certian percale linens, especially vintage sheets and pillow slips, find there is less creasing thus less ironing if I use the permanent press cycle on my Miele. This cycle does not spin between rinses, and only has a short final spin. Works well for cotton dress shirts as well. L. | ||
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