Stuart Little's Clothes Washer: The Frigidaire Front Load washer (updated 4/26/04)
Written: Dec 19 '00 (Updated Apr 26 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Clean clothes, space and energy efficient.
Cons: Some difficulty in putting laundry in and removing it.
The Bottom Line: A relatively durable, and very efficient clothes washer; highly recommended for those on limited capacity wells, or environmentalists of all stripes.
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| pageclot's Full Review: Frigidaire FWT449 Washer |
Trivia note:
If you've ever watched Stuart Little, the movie with the voice of Michael J. Fox, and the acting talents of Geena Davis, and Hugh Laurie, then you've seen this washing machine. It's the washing machine that Stuart accidently gets dumped into, and almost drowned in, near the beginning of the movie. I myself watch that movie all the time, just to get a glimpse of the washer. (I'm kidding, it's because my son likes the movie. Ok, ok. I like it too.)
Why did you buy this product?
Our previous washing machine broke, so we had to replace it.
We had moved into a home with well water and a septic system a few years ago. The well didn't produce a lot of water, so we had an urgent need to conserve it. Septic systems are reputed to balk at having to handle many loads of laundry all at once. We bought the Frigidaire front loader because it used far less water than top loading machines. The machine we were replacing was a small capacity top loader that had to be wheeled out from underneath the counter. We were looking for a fixed, front loader, to save space in our mudroom, as it is at a premium. We never seriously considered a top loading model.
Alternate products
Before buying the Frigidaire, we compared features and prices of two other front loading models: The Maytag Neptune and the Miele front loader. The Maytag was readily available at Sears and a local chain, the Miele would have been a special order item at a small appliance store. The price of the Maytag Jupiter was several hundred dollars more than the Frigidaire.
This was a shame, because I liked the wide open loading bay, and the slightly tilted drum, which would have made loading that much easier. Also, only late in the decision process did we see a stackable version of the Maytag. The price was still several hundreds more than the Frigidaire.
The Miele was the most efficient unit, but almost double the cost of the Frigidaire. The possible difficulty in getting service, and the lack of success in viewing an actual washer turned us away from Miele.
In the end, the lower price, in the format we wanted (stackable) made us decide in favour of the Frigidaire.
How do I love thee....?, also Pros
1) Clean clothes. Our clothes were clean! Really clean! Whites were whiter, etc. Much improved over the previous machine
2) Less water. For a while, we were catching the laundry discharge water and dumping it outside. With the old, small capacity washer, we dumped 2 40 litre containers out. With the new, large capacity washer, we dumped a bit more than one. Clearly, we were going to be using far less water to wash more wash, and having far less strain on our septic system.
3) Less soap. This was a necessity, as the tumbling action of the washer creates more suds, especially with softened water.
4) Stackable format. The units are very space efficient. With the door to the washer on the front, we could have a full dryer on top, and a large capacity dryer in the same footprint as our old small capacity washer and dryer.
How do I hate thee?, and Cons
1) That rubber collar. It's awfully tough to cram laundry past the thick rubber doughnut surrounding the opening to the drum. The drum holds a lot, but you have to really be tenacious at packing it all in, and up inside the drum. It's even harder to drag the laundry out of the washer after it's spun and wet. It catches on the rubber doughnut, and you think you're going to wreck something. Somehow, I think the Maytag Neptune owners don't have this problem.
2) Jet engine sound in final spin. Our entire house shakes when the washer is in the final spin mode (I am not kidding). I've checked the legs of the washer, and they're firmly on the ground. The manual suggests that bracing of the floor the washer sits on might be required. Seems pretty extreme. Our clothes are certainly drier than they used to be when we used the top loading machine. The jet engine sound is a reasonable price to pay.
3) Time. The top loaders, although inefficient and sometimes ineffective at cleaning, are awfully fast compared to the Frigidaire. Our drying time is less, so there's a trade off here. Clothes that enter the drier with more water spun out of them don't need as much energy to dry. The time difference of the wash/dry cycle in total is negligable.
What is it like to use this product
Washing clothes with the Frigidaire front loader is much like using a top loading machine, but you have to bend over further. This in itself might bother some people. You can put the machine on a platform if you want to put the opening at a better height, which would improve access. The controls are easy to read and handy at the front of the machine. Load the washer with clothes, select the cycle, load the appropriate amount of soap, softener and bleach and pull the knob out.
If you overload the machine, it doesn't seem to bother the machine. One of the salespeople suggested ramming in as much as possible, that it all loosens up when it gets wet.
With the jet engine sound and feel of the machine, we have broken a few glasses in cupboards close to the washer. We didn't really like them anyway.
Features
There's an extra rinse switch, a cycle select (regular, delicate, perma press), temperature select dials, audible cycle complete signal (with volume control). The washer has a stainless steel drum, heavy rubber collar and glass window through which to watch your wash tumble. The washer can fit side by side with a dryer, or you can have the dryer stacked on top.
Durability
Our washer has washed about 2 loads per day since we got it, and has yet to give us a problem. It consistently gets our clothes clean (even really tough stains) and has since the day we first used it. I would rate it as very durable.
Rating
I am rating this unit 5 stars, due to its excellence in saving water, electricity, and space efficiency. The difficulty in getting laundry in and out of the machine is far outweighed by peace of mind in knowing we have a washing machine that works very well.
Who should buy this machine?
This machine (Frigidaire FWT449)is strongly recommended for:
- People with space challenges who need or want a full size washer/dryer
- People with a need or desire to conserve water and electricity
This machine is not recommended for:
- People with mobility problems (bending over)unless height of machine is modified.
Update, April 26, 2004
5 years later, and the washing machine is still going strong. Occasionally, if the machine is over-filled, the clothes will push on the door from the inside, and somehow cause the wash cycle to be interrupted. When this happens, rather than pull out a sopping wet towel, what I'll do is prop something against the door, like a large bottle of laundry softener.
That usually works.
The glass window through which you can see the laundry has acquired an iron stain on it. I'm assuming that will come out with a bit of scrubbing, and is more an indication of our water quality than anything else. The stainless steel interior, and the rubber collar show no signs of wear. The outflow works like a charm, pump is strong, and it still spins and shakes the house like nobody's business. I remain very happy with this washer.
Recommended:
Yes
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