Thats just like the twin tubs that Hoover and Maytag used to make, among other brands.  These newer machines may have a bit more advanced controls, but a twin tub is a twin tub.

When I was in my 20’s and renting apartments without WD hookups I owned a Whirlpool Convertible Automatic for about 3 years before it crapped out.  I replaced it with a Maytag A50 twin tub which I used for 5 years and I loved it!  True, there was more hands on work, but like a wringer washer you can get a weeks worth of laundry washed, rinsed and spun extremely damp dry in an hour.  A great time saver!  

If I were to once again find myself in a situation without WD hookups I’d certainly be happy to own and use one of these new twin tubs.  Better than going to a laundromat any day.

Eddie

Mark that is like the Whirlpool Convertible Automatic that I used to own.  It could be either connected at the sink like in the photo, or if you had WD hookups it could be connected that way too, hence “convertible”.  It washed well, but the capacity was small and the weak point with the machine I owned was the clutch, which failed twice, the first time while under warranty, the second time not. Thats why I got rid of it, the repair was gonna be damn near what I paid for a brand new Maytag A50.

When I bought the Whirlpool Convertible I also bought the matching portable dryer that ran off of regular household current and didn’t require a 220 outlet.  I vented it out the kitchen window.

Eddie

I just watched the video.  This machine is nowhere near as convenient as my Maytag A50 was.  The A50 had a pump, there was no need to drain it into a bucket.  The drain hose fit into a slot at the back of the top of the washer so the wash water that was spun out from the first load could be reused for successive loads.

You only needed to agitate for a max of 5 mins to wash.  It held at least as much as the one in the video, or more.   I used to wash double bed size blankets, bedspreads and quilts in it with no problem.  And I don’t know why this woman doesn’t wash her towels in her machine, because my A50 washed towels with no problem, and I washed lots of towels because for a while I was doing hair at home and had lots of towels to wash.

When it was time to spin the clothes the spin tub held ALL of the load in the wash tub, there was a rubber disk with holes  in it that you pushed down firmly onto the clothes before closing the lid and pulling the lid lock that activated the spin motor.   The water drained back into the wash tub for the next load, or you could hook the drain hose into the sink and drain it there if the wash water wasn’t going to be reused, also when you were finished with the laundry you could drain the water into the sink easily, no monkeying around with a flippin’ bucket.

You washed whites first, then light colors, then colors, saving each washed and spun load in a basket.  Then drained the wash water, refilled the tub with clean rinse water and rinsed and spun each load in the same order as they had been washed.  It sounds like a lot of work, but really it went fast and 4 loads could be washed, rinsed and spun damp dry in 1 hr. or less.  The speed of the spinner was I believe 1600 rpms and the finished loads were barely damp and dried very quickly.

This new machine would certainly be helpful for an apartment dweller, but its not as user friendly as the old Maytag A50’s of the Hoover Port-A-Washers were.  Also the all plastic construction is very flimsy compared to the older twin tubs, but then nothing is built like it used to be is it.

Eddie

I really like the fully automatic wash versions of these. I wish they made more of them and in various sizes. I don't like the idea of manually filling than manually draining the machine. Set a timer and let it do all that. 

The agitation on my Maytag A50 was really impressive!  There were 2 smaller impellers on the back of the tub and they reversed direction about every 20-30 secs. Five mins of agitation got anything clean.  

The spinner was so fast that the power draw used to blow the fuses in an older duplex I lived in, so if I was doing the wash after dark I couldn’t have anything else going that drew much current or I’d have to climb up on a chair under the eves outside where the fuse box was inconveniently located to change the fuse.

Eddie

Mark, this is what I have in mind:

I've searched the internet up and down, both new and old, and for reasons I can't explain I can not find any of these in existence. Ultimately I think its what consumers are actually looking for. Cheap, light, yet automatic.

These have the advantage that since they are impellar, its technically possible to couple the disk to the motor drive shaft eliminating the need for a belt and pulley. This saves money while increasing longevity.

Wash action is great with the large, high speed impeller. I noticed the wash motor on the Chinese versions is rated 330 watts while the spin motor is rated 110 watts. In other words 3 times the power is invested in  washing vs spinning- that tells you something right there! 

My dream would be a full size unit. 27 x 28 inches, machine tub stopping 6 inches above the floor to accommodate the motor and pump. Can you imagine the capacity of such a beast?

I can honestly say that when I had my Maytag A50 I can never recall a problem with items tangling.  I believe that the unique placement of the two impellers on the back of the wash tub with their intermittent reversing action is what prevented tangling in these wonderful little dynamos.  And as Laundress stated, transferring the washed items to the spinner was really not a problem, time consuming or difficult at all.

I can see though that machines with only one impeller could cause some tangling.  Regardless IMHO these machines really clean remarkably well, better that a lot of TL automatics that take much  longer to wash.

Eddie

Correct, no spin.

This drastically lessons the cost of the washer and makes it very light weight as no suspension, balance ring, counterweight, or high speed drive mech is required.

I've long advocated for more washers like this just to increase the number of automatic portables in apartments.

If the machine doesn’t spin then you’ll need to either have a separate spinner, hand crank wringer or wring the laundry out by hand.  This doesn’t sound like a convenient machine at all for an apartment dweller.  Nor is there anything automatic about a machine like this.  A twin tub would be way more practical.

Eddie

If you have a WP Duet.... it's got a SS tub too. No sharp edges.

Put the clothes in from the top instead of the front.
Put detergent on the top of the drum(not too much),
put vinegar (or whatever you want to use for the rinse agent) in the dispenser on the left side, close the lid, turn the dial,

the water valve activates and adds about 2 1/4 gallons of water,
then it turns the tub several revolutions(I'd say about five), stops,
reverses several revolutions, stops,
reverses again...... (repeat for all wash and rinse phases)
this is how it washes so the clothes don't get tangled. Just like a front load washer should do.

When done washing the tub stops, the drain pump comes on and it stays on extra long so it gets water that's dripping out of the clothes.

Then it fills with rinse water,
starts tumbling (and repeating above)
It does this for about 3-4 minutes for all three rinses
then it drains as above.

The only difference on the final rinse is the water is diverted into the dispenser which dilutes the rinse agent and adds it to the tub. Just like it would in a fully automatic front loader.

I don't think I've ever had problems with tangles.
I've washed shoes in mine, I will often prewash sheets and whites. Sometime I will reset the timer to add more wash time. I've never had issues with buttons coming off or tears.

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Now on the twin tub, it was kind of rough. There I started noticing tears in clothes and I lost a couple of buttons. There you have the laundry coming into direct contact with the wash plate that frankly has to spin quite rapidly. When I washed shoes I devised a rack to protect the shoes coming in contact with the impeller. I think the best way to use a wash plate washer is with some type of mesh screen over the blade to protect items ones washing but that's discussion for elsewhere.

So I put it right next to the washer so I can take clothing out and maneuver them over and into the tub without dripping on the floor.  

try and keep them loose as possible so they can move around.  don't just throw balled up clothes in there. 

Then push the mass down and make sure the top is level.  If you can feel empty spots in the top of the mass it will not spin correct so reorganize the clothes now.  

Close the lid and turn the dial.  I hold the top of the machine to get it started with one hand.  It has thick rubber feet so it can sway a bit.

If you've loaded it correctly the tub will slowly start but then quickly speed up and the water will come gushing out the bottom into your pan.  Once it's going you just let it spin a few minutes.  It is self balancing.

I usually step away and do something else.

Then turn the knob to turn off the motor and let it coast to a stop or near stop.  Then use the knob to activate the brake, open the lid and remove the clothes.  

It extracts so much water, it doesn't take much time for clothes to dry.