Apartment dweller's dream! Manufactured for Sears by Whirlpool.
Written: Sep 03 '04
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Ease of Cleaning: |
|
|
| Style: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Surprisingly powerful. Large capacity, space-saving design. Quite, multiple cycles, excellent drainage. Made by Whirlpool.
Cons: About half-again as expensive as conventional full-size washers. Only comes in white.
The Bottom Line: Pricey, but worth it, especially if you don't have a permanent hookup. Can pay for itself in savings on laundromat fees, not to mention the convenience. Good resale value.
|
|
|
| starstuff's Full Review: Kenmore 42722 Top Load Washer |
NOTE: To my knowledge, this is the only Kenmore portable washer sold by Sears that does not require a permanent hook up. Be sure to double check the model number (42722) or check with your Sears salesperson if you need a truly portable washer that will hook up to your sink.
It's a Whirlpool
First things first: There is no "Kenmore factory" churning out various appliances exclusively for Sears. Sears contracts with various manufacturers to produce appliances to Sears' quality specs and puts the Kenmore brand on them. This model is manufactured by Whirlpool, certainly a well-known and respected name in laundry equipment. Couple that reputation for quality with the backing of Sears customer service and excellent maintenance agreements, and you have a winner.
Plastic parts? Yeah, so what?
Welcome to the 21st century, friends. "Plastic" does not necessarily mean shoddy or breakage-prone; in fact, in many cases today's plastics are more sturdy and serviceable, not to mention cheaper, than rust-prone metal parts. That savings can be passed on to the consumer, and when it comes to compact portables that's a huge consideration. Since there is much less demand for portables than for regular-size washers and dryers, they can't be made in the higher quantities that translate into lower per-unit cost.
Another thing to consider is that plastic is much lighter than metal. Most people with homes of their own put their laundry equipment in the basement or on the first floor. These washers are marketed primarily to apartment dwellers, and so must be as light as possible to be supported on upper-story floors. They also, in order to be "portable," have to be light enough to be moved on their casters by the average consumer. Casters or no, I wouldn't want to have to wrestle my mom's big metal full-size washer to the sink whenever I want to do a wash! The manual that comes with this washer is very specific about the need for a solid floor that can support the weight of the machine, plus the water, plus the clothes.
Surprising capacity for a compact washer
I replaced my old second-hand GE portable with this model. The Kenmore is a bit larger than the GE, but it has much more capacity. I was amazed that I could wash my queen-size mattress pad with no problem in the Kenmore. There was no way I could even stuff it into the GE, let alone give it room to agitate.
Even though this washer has a generous capacity for a portable, I'm wondering if some of the problems other reviewers reported were caused by overloading the machine. People used to large-capacity washers, particularly those in laundromats, may be prone to stuff as many clothes as possible into the basket. The manual says that you should drop clothes loosely into the basket and not wrap them around the agitator. Even following these directions I was amazed at how many items I could fit in the good-sized basket.
Settings
My old GE had just three cycles: Regular, Permanent Press and Gentle (Delicate). This washer has these three, plus Hand Washables for extra-delicate items, Heavy Duty for sturdy fabrics like denim and/or heavily soiled items, and Soak for stained or really, really grimy items. Each cycle features different agitation and spin speeds to give your clothes the best and safest cleaning with the fewest wrinkles. It also has a nifty extra setting: Drain and Spin Only, to get even more moisture out of your clothes after they've completed their wash/rinse/spin. Very handy for heavier loads like towels or jeans.
You can also pause the wash at any time by pressing the Start/Pause button, and resume within two hours just by pressing the button again or after two hours by turning the knob to Cycle Reset and then pressing the Start/Pause button. So if you have to leave your laundry in the middle of a cycle, you don't have to start from scratch when you get back. Neat feature!
There are two intermediate water levels available between Small Load and Large Load so you can customize the amount of water you need if you have too much for a small load but not enough for a full one. I haven't noticed that this washer uses more water than my old GE, but frankly, as an apartment dweller, my water is included in my rent and so I don't keep a very sharp eye on my water usage.
If you have a permanent installation, you can choose from four different wash/rinse temperature settings: Cold/Cold, Warm/Cold, Hot/Cold or Warm/Warm. If you're using the machine as a portable with a sink hookup, you leave the setting on Warm/Warm and control the wash and rinse temperatures at the faucet. The fill-and-drain hose connector that you attach to your faucet has a button you push to allow water to flow through, so you can easily check the temperature. This washer comes with the hoses and attachments for the portable installation. You have to purchase a separate kit with hoses and clamps for permanent installation.
I love that there are lighted indicators on the control panel that tell you when the washer is in Wash, Rinse or Spin cycle. Just a cool little "added value" feature that I appreciate.
Awesome agitation and drainage power
I am amazed at the power in this compact model. I mentioned before that I was able to wash my queen-size mattress pad in this machine. I did have to stuff it in to full capacity, and I was a little apprehensive that there wouldn't be room for adequate agitation. To my delight, the agitator handled this large, heavy item beautifully. The machine also handled the spin cycle evenly and efficiently and the pad came out practically dry. In fact, every load I've washed has come out of the spin cycle feeling drier even than loads I've washed in my mother's full-size washer.
Convenient fabric softener and bleach dispensers
After years of having to catch the rinse cycle to toss in some fabric softener, it is SOOOO nice to be able to put in the softener at the start and have the washer dispense it at the proper time. You just measure the appropriate amount of softener into the dispenser in the top of the agitator, fill the dispenser to the designated level with warm water, and that's it.
The bleach dispenser is even more clever: You put in the specified amount of bleach, and at the proper time the machine actually mixes the bleach with the right amount of water and adds it to your wash! Maybe this is a standard feature on modern machines, but it's the first time I've been exposed to it and I think it's neat. Note that this is only for regular liquid chlorine bleach, not powdered chlorine or color-safe bleach.
Another great feature is the easy-to-clean filter. You lift up the fabric softener dispenser and a little cup-shaped lint filter is attached to the bottom of it. You simply clean out the lint, rinse the whole contraption under the faucet and replace it in the machine.
Quiet operation
This washer comes with something called "Quiet Pak" sound insulation, which is supposed to greatly reduce the noise, a particularly desirable feature in a machine designed for use by apartment dwellers. Guess what? It really works! In the next room, I can't even hear the machine going through the spin cycle. In the same room, only the sound of the water sloshing indicates that it's agitating! I don't know what effect the vibration has on the apartment below -- I do feel vibration in the floor when the machine is spinning, even though the noise is extremely muffled. I do know it's ten times quieter than my old GE.
Appearance
Unfortunately, this model only comes in basic white, and its design is boxy and uninspired. That said, it's not so ugly that you want to hide it in the closet, though you certainly can if you want to (it's portable, after all). Mine sits in my kitchen alongside the matching Kenmore compact dryer, and they look fine.
An actually useful manual
Being a biz/tech writer by profession, I'm pretty critical of most product manuals. The manual that comes with this machine is very clear, thorough and well-illustrated. There are also concise, well-written instructions printed on the washer lid for quick and easy reference.
Excellent and reasonably-priced maintenance agreements available
I purchased a 3-year maintenance agreement for $109 with my Kenmore. For that price, I get a once-a-year maintenance visit for a thorough cleaning and inspection (for the washer, I mean!) plus absolutely free labor and parts to repair anything that goes wrong, even cosmetic repairs, whether it's my fault or not. You can also opt for a 5-year agreement for $169. As one negative reviewer wrote, it cost him about that much for one replacement part, not to mention the time and aggravation to make the repair himself. As another reviewer observed, Sears has a "lemon replacement" policy with their maintenance agreements that gives you a brand new machine if you require four repair visits in any given year.
Bottom line: You're a fool not to take advantage of a reasonably-priced maintenance agreement on an appliance like this that gets used so frequently and has so many working parts.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 480
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
starstuff
|
|
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.