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brooksandivy

Agitator or Agitatorless Washers??

brooksandivy
14 years ago

Would love input on those who have the front load agitatorless washers. I am in the market to replace my top loader and I cannot decide which way to go - with agitator or without. Will the agitatorless machine really knot and tangle clothes badly? I certainly don't need extra work! Do you really have to rinse once a month with bleach to keep the tub clean and prevent odors? I know I want a stainless drum, handwashabe and delicate cycles and cycle for extra small loads. I would also like warm/warm, cold/cold, warm/warm, hot/cold water choices. Leaning toward Whirlpool or Maytag. Have a Maytag Dependable Care, about 12 years old and it is on its last leg. The brake bearing needs replacing and will cost just over 400!

Comments and opinions are appreciated. Thanks.

Comments (56)

  • mysteryclock
    14 years ago

    One thing I really do like about my Bosch Nexxt 500 is that the bleach is released from its separate dispenser compartment as dadoes describes -- in the last few minutes of the wash cycle and before rinsing, IIRC.

    If I use an oxygen bleach product I usually put it in with the detergent for the main wash cycle since it isn't nearly as damaging to fabrics.

  • mara_2008
    14 years ago

    It may be that my washer dispenses bleach in the last few minutes of the wash cycle, just before rinsing. I do know it does not dispense bleach after 5 minutes into the wash cycle as my former washers did.

  • mara_2008
    14 years ago

    dadoes, I had meant to add -- my main concern about bleach being dispensed in the rinse cycle instead of the wash cycle is that it performs much better in hot water. Which is why I've been putting it in the wash water.

  • brooksandivy
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks, Mara, for your detailed information. Sorry, posters, meant to ask about TOP LOADER without the agitators. Though I am now thinking about the front load washers. I have read about the top loader agitatorless machines knotting clothes and wringing the clothes so well that they are wrinkled. A question about FRONT LOADERS - do they shake terribly? This washer will go in my first-floor laundry room with a plywood floor and no-wax floor on top. I understand they are extremely heavy and can shake. Anyone have a problemn with this. Should I stick to a top-loader for this reason???

  • sholt576
    14 years ago

    I went through this purchasing dilemma a few months ago. I settled on a energy star Fisher Paykel machine with an agitator. It can be used in energy efficient mode or in traditional top load mode (which you might want if you were washing sandy beach clothes or other types of things with high debris content).

    I almost went with a glass lid, agitator free, whoopdee doo machine, but... I didn't.

  • caryscott
    13 years ago

    Jo

    It would be helpful if you shared the brand and model of your washer. Just because that model doesn't work well it doesn't necessarily follow that all HE top loaders without agitators are not good.

  • oasisowner
    13 years ago

    I would go with a front loader - Miele if it is in your budget - or a traditional top loader. I have had two different HE top loaders (Kenmore Oasis & Maytag Bravos) and did not feel that the clothes were getting at all clean and yes, they were more twisted. Despite the high spin speeds, I did not notice a decrease in drying time. Our electric bill remained the same.

    We went back to a traditional top loader (Speed Queen) and our clothes are clean again. The only drawback is the smaller capacity - but the cycles have a much shorter time, so the one extra load a week is not a problem.

  • gates1
    13 years ago

    I have no cleaning issues with my HE TL even with it dumped down temperatures. It uses more water than the Whirlpool/Maytag models. I even did a load of whites on the coldwash cycle and was surprised by the results. I came from a Front loader, so this machine has a tough wall to over come with cleaning performance and such and so far it has

  • peytonroad
    13 years ago

    I would love to go back to my old fashioned top loader with agitator. It broke and they don't make them as well anymore.
    I have the Oasis matching set with the agitator. Are you aware that you have to manually every time you turn on the machine set the choices you want? Hot water, size, etc. I was using the autosense cycle and found my clothes were not getting clean. (Just try that on an intimate load and smell your undies after wards to convince you). I am not impressed at all by this washer. You can restart but only from the beginning of the cycle. It does at times twist my sheets, makes me crazy despite me loading them correctly. I do find I can do bigger loads with the machine. I just always use the highest amount of water I can. I loved to see a washer work in action andyou can not with this one. It stops once you unlock the lid to view. I think most TL are like this. Lately to my horror I have smelled the smell of mold coming from somewhere inside the drum. I leave the lid open.

    I miss my old Kenmore!! If I had to do over, I would buy the nicest least priced but highest capacity washer from Sears. These newer models are crappy.

  • pbdb2_frontier_com
    12 years ago

    I bought a new HE top loader GE model last fall. I am so disappointed. Doesn't clean the easiest things. Always use full water with small loads otherwise the clothes dont' get wet and come out with detergent stuck on them. Also so twisted you have to iron. Have to pretreat everything and sometimes wash twice. Need to take bed sheets to laundry mat. Never buy these they are horrible.

  • smithadelic_gmail_com
    12 years ago

    I just bought a Kenmore top loading HE no agitator. I washed 3 loads and am returning it. My clothes are a tangled heap. Everything needs ironed...things that have never needed ironing in the past. I have white film on my clothes to a point I have to re-wash the clothes. It took almost 3 hours to wash a comforter...it just wouldn't stop. I finally put it to the rinse cycle. The comforter looked worse than it did going in. I bought the washer on a Saturday, they delivered it on a Tuesday and I returning it on a Sunday. My previous washing machine was a front loader. It lasted 9 years and didn't wash worth a darn either. I am going back to an old fashioned top loader with an agitator and with full water levels. The joke about the HE washers is that it uses less water, but I had to do a double rinse on all loads, the cycles lasted an hour and things were never clean. God forbid you have pet hair to deal with, that is just another huge issue. Go Basic!...Tried and True...old fashioned washing machine.

  • livebetter
    12 years ago

    Lisa, I'm sorry you've had a rough go of it.

    But I must post a reply telling you I've been using a front load washer for over 10 years (Frigidaire and a new Miele this year). NEVER an issue. I have two small boys and my laundry is very clean and well rinsed.

  • nerdyshopper
    12 years ago

    We have a Samsung HE front loader and I would trade it in a minute for a Speed Queen top loader with an agitator. The government regs forced them to reduce the quantity of water used in the fill cycle, but I am told that it is an easy do-it-yourself to get a full tub. I hate the computer that figures out how much water to ration in my FL. I have to do wierd things just to get the clothes agitated enough to unfold them. (Never have gotten handkerchiefs unfolded). I normally use heavy duty cycle for most washes and Sanitary (hot wash) with chlorine bleach added for whites. The bleach still doesn't work as well as my old top loaders---can't even get blue stains to bleach fully. I suspect the computer has figured out how to prevent adding bleach until the last minute even there. Yes my t-shirt collars frayed faster with the old machines, but everything got WHITE. So I am out of step with most folks posting here.

  • bestf100
    12 years ago

    Well, I am going to be the one who does not go "with the crowd's" washer choice. After much thought, as to what new washer dryer to buy, (just like nerdy shopper) I decided on a new Speed Queen.

    However, I am buying the front load Speed Queen washer, matching dryer + 10" pedestals. I am moving from a standard sized, water consuming, GE top load washer (which came with my new house). I left my 7 year old, front load, Kenmore HE3-T in my old house behind.

    What convinced me a Speed Queen front loader was for me was:

    A) True Horizontal axis. Benefit: Reduced clothes twisting and knotting. All
    clothes wash in a level "patch" of water, unlike most front load washers,
    whereby the clothes trapped at the door hardly get wet or clean.

    B) Commercial quality. I expect to get over 10 years without a repair, and at
    least 15 years out of the washer. In my way of thinking, one $500 - $600
    washer repair bill can pay for a h*ll of a lot of water and laundry detergent.

    C) Made in USA. 'nuff said.

    D) I got a great deal on the price.

    I am aware I am giving up some washer volume capacity compared to other brands, but being able to wash a load in about 40 minutes, offsets some of that. My new Speed Queen set gets here next week. Wish me luck.

  • hoosiermama2011
    10 years ago

    Returning our new (month old) LG FL. Am very apprehensive about the HE GE TL that I "liked" at Sears. I have this gut feeling, that like most opinions above I'll wish I'd gotten an old-fashioned agitator TL.

  • transplant_annie
    10 years ago

    A lot of these posts sound like not all people are using HE soap. It will make a difference. The clothes come out cleaner and the soap rinses out better than non HE soap. I also try to do the vast majority of my loads with all cold water. If you stick to cold all the way you will automatically reduce wrinkles. It's a scientific thing which I could not explain if I tried, but it is a known fact where laundered clothes are concerned. When I wash a load of shirts I use the lower speed spin just to make sure I don't get wrinkles. Which frankly if I take my clothes and hang them very close to the end of the dryer cycle I don't usually see wrinkles even with high speed spin. If the clothes are really stinky or heavily soiled, I just add a presoak to the washer cycle. That almost always takes care of the hard jobs. I always load evenly around the sides leaving the center open and it works best that way. When I toss in a pile in the middle like a mad woman it shows in the end results. The only loads I ever get somewhat tangled are the ones I wash all my garden aprons in. Then the ties can get pretty tangled. I just pull them apart and shake them out and they still don't look wrinkled at the end of the dry cycle. I have been agitator-less for 13 years and I won't go back. My clothes last longer due to less wear and tear I use a lot less water and soap and am very happy. My last washer was front load agitator-less. My newest one is top load HE agitator-less. I like it too, but I bought it cuz the difference in the price between the two types was so ridiculous because the fad now is front load. I was always a fighter so I went for the top load as my protest to the market squeezing more money out of the consumer all for the sake of current fads. Also I was sick of the smell issues with the front load ones. I hated washing my washer on a regular basis and I had to dry the door seal after use too. It was a pain and I didn't want to do it anymore.

    I wanted to make note of something I noticed recently. I noticed that when my water softener was temporarily broken, I had more wrinkles in my clothes. Why soft water would help the clothes have less wrinkles I have no idea, but while it was broken my clothes were coming out wrinkled. When the water softener was fixed, the wrinkles went away. We have had a water softener for the last 20 years so I have no idea if that should help as I can't remember how my clothes came out that long ago.

  • Janice45
    9 years ago

    When my old Whirlpool washer finally died, I bought a Samsung top of the line washer - without an agitator. I didn't give any thought to this fact at the time I bought it. Big mistake. If you wash any clothing with sleeves or legs (pants or jeans), when the wash cycle is done, what you find in the machine is a giant tangled mess of clothes. Not only does it take a long time to untangle them, there are deep wrinkles from them spinning all tangled. I HATE this machine - that is as strong a statement I can make without using obscenities! I will never again buy a washer without an agitator.

  • triedandtrue
    9 years ago

    Also had an agitatorless washer. Though I didn't have a problem with tangling so much as with the faulty control board which started showing early signs of problems within the first month of use.

    Only 2 years that top.load washer lasted before it got tossed. Ridiculous !

    If you want a top load agitator washer , the only good choice left is Speed Queen. They have great warranties which no other make offers. Have my pair over a year now with no problems. Just good old fashioned reliable tried and true technology.

  • jessaka
    9 years ago

    We have to buy a new washer since the one we got a year ago is falling apart--the agitator that is. We almost bought a top loading one without the agitator but it wasn't in stock at the moment. So glad we didn't get it.

    I am not sure what to do. This makes the 3rd washer in 8 years.

    We shop at Sears or Lowe's. I don't mind paying more money if it will last longer. I certainly do not want to use soap that you have to buy for the washer and I don't want wrinkled clothes or tangled. Does anyone have an idea for us? We have some time left on our old washer. Not even sure if it is worth repairing. We also use it for rugs and blankets. I even thought of checking out used washers in Muskogee. Please help.

  • jessaka
    9 years ago

    I am going to get a Speed Queen.

  • zzackey
    9 years ago

    We had a new one without an agitator and when I took the clothes out parts of them never got wet. We returned it and got one with an agitator. It still doesn't work as well as the old style washers. I'd buy an old one in a heartbeat if I could.

  • Ronnie Reid
    8 years ago

    Have owned 2 HE Front Loaders. My clothes have never been clean since. All my white t-shirts are varying shades of gray. My blue jeans I work in each day come out dirty unless I spray them down with oxy clean stain remover. Whereas with the old agitator machines the agitator worked the dirt and stains out of the clothes. With the HE Front Loaders the clothes are tumbled one way and then the other. You using a smaller amount of water, and it gets the loose dirt out and the water is gray, and the deep dirt and stains are left in the clothes. We don't overload,a and have used the recommended detergents, but they just don't clean like a top loading agitator that woks like you have washed your clothes using a rub board. They pushmthemfeomt loaders to save energy, but you got dirty clothes. Next washer will be a traditional agitator machine that will get the white clothes white, and my blue jeans clean.

  • Laundry Mich
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    @Ronnie Reid, gray whites... typically come from, hard water minerals settling back on cotton clothes, and insufficient water temperatures.

    Are you using a Liquid Detergent or a Powder? Do you wash your whites in Hot?

    Another thing.. for heavily soiled clothes, I like to run a "Pre-Wash" which... simply soaks the clothes for a few minutes, loosening up the dirt & mud.. and sends it down the drain. This gives the detergent more resources to work on the actual dirt, and not get bogged/tied down, removing & holding onto the easy crap.

  • larsi_gw
    8 years ago

    @ Ronnie Reid....I have been using a Front load washer since about 1995, and my clothes and laundry has never been cleaner!!! I agree some front loaders use too little water, but the machines that use a decent amount of water and offer 3+ rinses, leave everything washed very clean, very fresh and cared for!!

    So sorry you have not had this experience. If I was to get a top loader, I would ONLY get a SpeedQueen! They are phenomenal machines!!!

  • suburbanmd
    8 years ago

    Post what machine you have now (brand, model, year purchased), and maybe someone here can help you get the most out of it.

  • elcamino83
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I'm new here (I've been lurking for a few weeks), but my experience is a little different, so I'll add my $0.02. I bought a SQ last month after my 5 year old TL Whilrpool Cabrio agitator-less TL died. The Whirlpool did clean my clothes, it also tore them up somewhat and the sheets regularly came out tangled with an other article/s of clothing stuck inside. The Cabrio died in part (we think), because an article of clothing somehow fell between the drum and the housing, became lodged between the drum and the bottom of the unit, and over time, when the Cabrio drum would drop on the bottom to spin, the article of clothing (child's underwear) would prevent the drum from completely sitting down and eventually the shaft became warped, totaling the machine. In all likelihood, the machine was overfilled (user error), but if you get an agitator-less machine, please beware of this potential fault. One note on FLs (I've never had one)--I am the QUEEN of finding a stray article of clothing AFTER I've started the machine (as I have 4 kids who play sports and tend to leave their clothes everywhere). I absolutely have to be able to pop the lid open and add an article, which is verboten in an FL. I've only had my new machine a month, and I'm still learning the ins-and-outs, but my clothes are clean and my sheets are never tangled. I love the water level; I haven't had to use multiple rinses or re-wash clothes. So far, so good. Good Luck!

  • georgect
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    elcamino83...just a correction (why I bought the Electrolux front loader).

    You can open the door at ANY time in Electrolux front load washer.

    The ONLY time your are locked out is if you are doing a high water temp. wash like the Sanitize cycle and the water is too hot. You are only locked out for safety.

    Otherwise you can at any time, pause the cycle and the door will unlock to either get something out or toss something in.

  • mamapinky0
    8 years ago

    Elcamino, which SQ did you buy?

  • Jody
    8 years ago

    The ONLY thing I miss about my HE top loader was the absence of the agitator. I have a conventional now and wouldn't go back to HE. If I need to wash something bulky, I have a very nice laundromat a mile from my house.

  • elcamino83
    8 years ago

    mamapinky, I bought the electronic awne92. I wanted the one you have, but it was backordered for weeks. The store was kind enough to deliver for free the next day, and I was tired of taking my mountain of clothes to the laundromat, so I caved. I do envy your ability to just turn back a dial. I posted a question regarding my new machine on the main page. Georgect was kind enough to respond (I am re-cleaning the drum!!), but knowing you have a Speed Queen, I am quietly hoping you weigh in as well.

  • jessaka
    8 years ago

    It has been almost a year since I got our Speed Queens. We love it. It is a work horse among machines. The clothes don't take long to wash, and they get really clean. When our new dryer breaks down, as new dryers always do, we will get another Speed Queen. I recommend it to everyone.

  • mamapinky0
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Jess are you planning on your new Speed Queen dryer breaking? Its reported it will give great service for 30+ years.

  • jessaka
    8 years ago

    I am sorry mamapinkyo, I don't have a Speed Queen dryer. I am planning on my Kenmore dryer to break down. I have gone through 2 washers and 2 dryers in 8 years. the washer, which I have now is a Speed Queen, and I expect it to last the remainder of my life. The dryer will not last very long as the others didn't. When it dies we will get a Speed Queen dryer. Hope that clarifies things.

  • mamapinky0
    8 years ago

    Lol sorry Jess you said Speed Queens lol..so are you going to help the Kenmore along to a quicker death lol

  • dadoes
    8 years ago

    Assuming the Kenmore of question was manufactured by / sourced from Whirlpool (110. leading characters on the model number) ... they tend to run for years unless abused, and majority of repairs are simple and not expensive. My parents have a KitchenAid-branded unit that's 21 years old, has had only one repair far as I'm aware. My grandmother had a Whirlpool that ran 32 years with no repairs (she sold it when I gave her a newer pair of machines, no idea how long continued to be used by the buyer). A friend gave a mid 1980s Kenmore to me a few years ago that they were going to trash. Said it was drying slow, and the (newer) non-matching washer also had a problem. I fixed and sold both. The dryer was just clogged with lint, the handle on the lint screen was broken so they weren't pushing it all the way into position which allowed lint to get by and clog the works.

  • jessaka
    8 years ago

    mamapinkoy0, I wish I could help the Kenmore dryer die earlier. ha.

    dadoes,

    we never abused ours. we checked out fixing the Kenmore washer and the dryer. too expensive. and once you fix one thing another thing goes. the Speed Queen is the only washer and dryer that is worth fixing as far as I am concerned. and now the new washers have that strange way of cleaning, i.e. no agitator, well. people have told me that they can't get their clothes clean. I even had a friend who traded hers for an old agitator machine, as she found someone who was moving and bought her old ones and gave her no agitator away. my Kenmore dryer takes 15 minutes longer to dry than the old one. Two washers and dryers in 8 years is expensive.

  • enduring
    8 years ago

    Jessaka, have you cleaned the vents and the area around the dryer screen, as Dadoes brought up in his thread? Dryers need to be cleaned periodically. I took mine apart several years ago after about 5 years of no real deep cleaning and I was shocked at the lint all over the machine. No wonder I wasn't getting years of service out of my dryers. It is time for me to get on the dryer again :) and get it cleaned.

  • jessaka
    8 years ago

    that is not what was wrong with our old dryer. but yes, we always cleaned them. the new one is working fine right now but when it dies, I will get a speed queen. I won't buy anything else because they are only making junk now-a-days. speed queen is made like the old ones and is made in America and is made to last. but thank you.

  • copeland_michelle
    8 years ago

    I am real nervous!!!! My wife and I just purchased a new Samsung washer and dryer (washer without agitator) and we are really concerned about our purchase. After reading all the reviews about top load, agitator less washers, I am not sure what we should do. Any advice will be appreciated.

  • mamapinky0
    8 years ago

    IDon't have one but Samsung has a bad rep.

  • jessaka
    8 years ago

    Personally, I would tell them that you want to return it as it doesn't work right or you hate or just because. We almost bought one and then they were out of the product and it would be in the next day. I changed our mind, found where they sold Speed Queens and drove to another town, an hour and a half away, and I still love it. coming here made me decide to get a speed queen. it is a work horse, lasts 20 years, can be repaired. I even checked local listings to see who repairs them, just in case. I am so tired of going through new products. we have been through a toasters too. got a crummy new one, but just found a website where they sell older American made ones and am thinking of spending the money for one and save it for when. it is under working vintage toasters at toaster central. just in case anyone wants to know.

  • 9xvq_dxhq
    8 years ago

    If anyone is looking at the Vintage toaster site, I got the brand new Polytron they sell and it is pretty solid. I doubt it'll break ever.

  • srechols2
    8 years ago

    I've only owned 2 washers since I've been married(31 years). Maytags. Pre-treating stains, soaking to remove diesel and hydraulic fluid (white vinegar works really well on strong smells and doesn't interfere with detergent) does take a little extra time but is well worth it. As far as ironing goes- the dryer should take out most of the wrinkles unless laundry isn't removed and hung up as soon as dryer stops. Afresh is a product that cleans the washer itself to remove smells from machine.

    Ironing isn't that bad. Buy a good iron like Rowenta.

  • jessaka
    8 years ago

    I own a Rowenta. best iron there is, and I probably will never have to buy another.

  • glenn taylor
    7 years ago

    I too have the Maytag Bravos but I am completely unsatisfied. Fabric softener doesn't rinse from clothes. The clothes on top never go to the bottom, they just sit in water. The wash cycle doesn't seem to mix the clothes up enough to do anything. I have the matching dryer which is great. I thought it was possibly user error to I used no detergent just to see clearly into the cycle, then no softener. It just doesn't to a good job.

  • houzzer0415
    7 years ago

    The impeller machines are crap. I agree with everyone who said so. They mash the h3LL out of the clothes and things that should not need ironing need ironing. I can't trust the machine and have to hand wash my delicates. Worse mistake ever. If I had known this I would have kept my old machine and tried to get it repaired. Sure it's nice to be able to wash a blanket or quilt and if I had room, I'd keep both, but for regular clothes cleaning the impeller machines suck and take all the fun out of washing clothes. I found a few machines with agitators and am going for it. Wish I could find the old ones, because I'm sure these new agitator machines are not as good as the old ones. Geez. Nightmare. NIGHTMARE.


  • jessaka
    7 years ago

    Speed Queen still makes the old ones. I think now that they should pay me for spending time here praising them.

  • Linda Crawford
    3 years ago

    I detest my washer without agitator. It tears my clothes and everything has to be ironed

  • HU-911176393
    3 years ago

    yes they are awful twist everything bounce all around the floor you can't put many clothes in and because they are computerized they take longer when you have a standard washer with agitator you just turn the timer and washer holds a lot of clothes and if load uneven you hear it so you can go and adjust clothes which happens maybe once a year. My brother has one also and hates it.They won't exchane it either. P.C. Richards. They sent a guy out with computer but there were no clothes in it. It's a scam they suck. Bring back the old stuff my diswasher also is awful frm them.