Pros: Huge volume, accommodates bulky items, fast spin=dryer clothes=less time in dryer, displays time remaining.
Cons: Twisting and potential wrinkling of clothes. Concern about long term reliability.
The Bottom Line: Great! Huge volume washes clothes thoroughly and is easy to use. Spins clothes so fast that they require shorter drying times. No vibration issues for our second story laundry.
asw-iii's Full Review: Whirlpool WTW6600S Top Load Washer
Why I bought it…
I bought the Cabrio washer/dryer pair a month ago to replace a Speed Queen pair circa 1982 in which a dryer element had worn out and was not replaceable. I knew we wanted high capacity for both washing and drying because I used to do 8-10 loads a week in the speed queen; a quiet machine with an Energy Star rating (for washer) was also a priority. I also liked the idea of losing the agitator so I could put in large items like down sleeping bags and not have to wrap them around the agitator. We have second story laundry so, as attractive as they are, the potential for shaking kept front loaders off of our list. Our old top loader would shake the house during final spin on heavy loads enough to concern us about vibration.
I did a lot of research and deliberation about the Cabrio. I am not quick to part with my money, especially if I perceive that the money is going towards largely useless gimmicks and a stylish appearance (rather than performance). I feared this was the case when the salesman showed me the Cabrio, it has a lot of settings and it looks slick (a glass lid to watch the washing). The Cabrio had several significant bad reviews out there so I continued to deliberate and research. I was particularly concerned about reliability over the long term but also the high spinning RPMs shaking the house.
The salesman offered to let me run a load in the Cabrio at the store to see how much vibration a cycle generated. I took him up on it and brought in 6 “sheet” size bath towels and a dense cotton bath mat that always set the Speed Queen rocking. Because I had read about the Cabrio’s problems with unbalanced loads, I loaded the towels and mat on one side of the tub to see how the washer would cope. It balanced the load as it filled with water, gave them a thorough cleaning, and spun them down to a damp dry that surprised me. That low moisture level in heavy towel after the final spin can’t help but cut down on drying time. The shaking during the spin cycle was very low.
I was impressed with the demo wash but still concerned about the long term reliability of the machine and Whirlpool’s apparent (based on reviews) disinterest in standing behind and repairing their Cabrio. So I bought the comprehensive extended warranty (5 year) offered by the store because it was reasonable ($160) and half the cost is refunded if no claims are made at the end of the 5 year term. All service and replacement is also done locally by the store (Not Whirlpool).
My experience washing with the Cabrio…
The pair arrived and were installed. (Note: do check the measurements of your laundry room, the dryer is larger than all others I had looked at so it barely fit in our laundry closet).
Predictably, I washed everything I owned within the first two days and I have run at least 20 loads since buying.
Size:
Huge. I can wash an adult size down sleeping bag and several large towels in one load. I do about half as many loads of laundry as I used to.
Vibration:
Not even remotely an issue. The old Speed Queen would shake the house while spinning the heavy loads. The Cabrio has never even come close to generating that type of vibration.
Twisting and wrinkles:
Wrinkles can be an issue but it is avoidable. I notice it particularly with jeans because the washer twists up the legs a lot while agitating. They come out of the washer twisted into tight coils. I just shake them out and smooth them a bit before putting them in the dryer and then they are fine. Sure, this is more than I used to have to do but it’s worth it since I can dry a load of denim in 45 minutes!
Also interesting, my towels twist up a lot too but I just throw them in the dryer as is and they come out fine. Go figure.
Recently, I was concerned about washing a favorite velvet blazer because if it wrinkled, I couldn’t iron them out. But it smelled and needed a washing and the care instructions specifically prohibited dry cleaning so I sucked it up and washed it. I put it in on the delicate cycle and it came out great.
The only real problem with twisting I have had is that once a load of towels got twisted into a ball-like wad. Of course this caused an unbalanced load that the machine couldn’t sort out on its own. So I untangled them and had the machine finish the spin cycle; they were fine. It was pretty funny to see the towel ball, maybe I just do too much laundry.
Water and energy use:
Saved $8 on our water bill the first 20 days. Still waiting for the power bill but I can tell you that drying time is cut to a third of the old dryer.
Cleaning:
The washer has done great with everything I have thrown at it. I pre-treat stains on clothes like I did for the previous machine and it works fine. I have only had one shirt that had to be re-washed and that was my 2 yr old son’s that had yogurt dried on it (I didn’t pre-treat). I have noticed that our towels are softer and brighter, even without bleach. What a great surprise! The towel setting and “whitest whites” work great. I have used all the settings except the Wool and Self Clean cycles (are you kidding me?) and they all do as promised with no problems.
Features:
Everything you could need in a washer. I love the fact that the display shows how much time is left on the cycle. The see-through lid, that I considered a gimmick, is a huge hit with my 2 yr old son. He now helps with the laundry and watches it get washed. This is an unanticipated bonus! The locking lid is great because he can't throw it open and stop the cycle.
Sometimes the dryer finishes drying a load before the washer finishes its load! Four big loads washed and dried in four and a half hours, what more can I say?
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