Whirlpool Calypso GVW9959K Top Load Washer

Pros: Good looks, easy to use, good features
Cons: Price, terrible reliability, clothes not clean

We bought the machine in October 2001 because it was highly rated, looked cool and I loved the features. Unfortunately, the caveat is the new technology has not been tested long enough to know how many failures there would be. I can see by the reviews that many people have had the same problems. For the first 18 months, it was OK, but I couldn't get large items clean (like comforters). Other reviewers have talked about lint and discoloration in the folds of large items--I had the same problem. In February of 2003, the machine stopped mid-cycle. Repair came and it took them a total of a month(!)with repeated visits and ordering parts to fix it. They basically replaced the whole motor and other parts. At least they didn't charge me for any of it except the initial service call. It broke down again in July 2003--the pump was clogging (a BIG problem with this machine). I am writing this tonight, service is scheduled for next Wednesday, the machine is broken again, October 2003.

Pros: Nice appearance, saves on water bill
Cons: Ruins clothes, cannot clean dirt, stains. Leaves dry spots, rinse cycle barely gets warm

I waited 13 years to purchase a new washer, and boy am I sorry I bought this one. I took the time to research washing machines on Consumer Reports, and this machine came in 2nd for their 2004 review of washing machines. This machine does NOT clean clothes well at all. It can barely clean normal stains and dirt out of a typical wash load. It has ruined several pieces of clothing because the neck or elastic legs get caught around the agitator and get completely stretched out. When I called Whirlpool (for the 3rd time to complain without any result or assistance from them) the rep finally admitted to me that this machine was more appropriate for "white collar types of jobs because it really cant get out dirt well."
I get so mad when I think about how I was ripped off. My only hope is that I can get rid of it when our house goes on the market.

Pros: Cleaning results, gentleness, quiet, ease of use.
Cons: None, it was worth every penny I paid.

I never thought I would be excited about a washing machine but this is the coolest appliance in my house. I put the dirtiest mud covered jacket in with 10 towels on the first load and everything came out clean. Its fast, quiet, easy to use (just press a button and go). It fluffs the clothes during the spin cycle so they are not plastered to the sides of the tub when the wash is finished. The clothes are also much drier after the spin cycle than with a conventional washer, my drying time for towels was almost cut in half.

Pros: attractive
Cons: doesn't clean, ruins clothes, uses only high efficiency detergent

My clothes and towels have aged about 20 years in the 5 months I have owned my Calypso. My clothes don't smell or look clean and they come out wrinkled. My towels are all ripped and my clothes have spots and stains.I wrote whirlpool and begged them to replace it with a simple inexpensive washer. They denied being ware of any of these problems and refused to help me. I am donating the washer and buying a new one. This was sad and frustrating. I can't afford to replace my clothes, sheets and towels in addition to getting ripped off.

Pros: Ease of use, Quite running, Water saver galore, Great looking
Cons: Staining, Staining, Staining, Too expensive, and No manual water setting.

The calypso washing machine seems to be leaving stains on our clothes as well. I am pointing to the fact that we use downy and that the machine uses to little water for rinsing. I have ruined many of my wifes clothes including brand new clothes costing a bundle. She, nevertheless, is extremely dissapointed with this machine. Sure it saves water but at the price of buying new clothes. I guess you can't beat the old technology in this case. More water, better wash. I will leave you with the recommendation of not buying this expensive machine. The old machines just get the job done better.

Just like low flow toilets, great for the environment but not when I have to flush twice!

Pros: It still runs.
Cons: It ruins your clothes with either grease marks or rips them up!

My Kenmore of more than 20 years died and I purchased the Whirlpool Calypso Washer and Dryer to my horror! First it ripped and tore my clothes. After finally getting the tearing issue resolved, it is still putting black streak marks that look like grease on my clothes. I have only had this washer one year and I have had to call repair three times and it still is putting the grease marks on my clothes. I hate it! I asked to be reimbursed for the clothes it has ruined but I cannot get a straight answer from anyone. DO NOT buy this model (GVW9959KQ).

Pros: No pros
Cons: Bad control panel; bad wash twist washed item in knots.

This Whirlpool Calypso has a control panel that is defective. If yours has not had problems, it is just a matter of time until it does. I recommend not buying the Calypso washer but if you do, also buy an extended full warranty. While the panel has an 5 year extended warranty, the labor cost is not covered. I bought a full kitchen of Whirlpool appliances when I bought this. My refreg has had ice/water dispenser problems 5 times. When I bought these Whirlpool Appliances, I also replaced the appliances in 3 other condo units with a different brand. I have not had any problems with the other brands.

RECOMMENDATION: Don't buy Whirlpool. They are not worry free & could prove costly.

Pros: easy to use
Cons: Durability, downy clogs dispenser

I bought my Calypso washer in December 2002. It was highly recommended by Consumer Reports. Well, I just had it repaired to the tune of $150! Both the circuit board and control panel had to be replaced. Although they are both covered by the warranty, the labor alone was $150. A three year service plan is $191! Pay now or pay later. It costs $65 just to diagnose the problem!

I can't believe there was such a major problem with a washer that is just over 1 year old! My other Whirlpool washers lasted 15 years, but they had manual controls. I definitely would not recommend this washer, but if your mind is already set, make sure you buy the extended warranty.

Also, my queen and king comforters do not fit into it - so off to the commercial washer at the laundromat.

Another downfall is that the Downy fabric softener needs to be diluted before it is added to the dispenser, otherwise it will clog and water will drip from around the rubber seal under the top of the lid. A MAJOR annoyance!

For those of you that like it now, just wait, you'll hate it soon enough!

Pros: NONE!
Cons: Stains clothes, doesn't clean, needs constant repairs.

I purchased my Kenmore Calypso washer in October of 2001. I paid over $1,000 for this machine because the salesman (Sears) told me that it cleaned clothes 30% better than the next best Sears machine. Since we live on a ranch and I wash some VERY dirty clothes, I paid the price to get a better cleaning machine. Since day one, this machine had not cleaned HALF as well as the 15 year old machine that it replaced. Then in July of 2003, the pump went out and I had to have it replaced. Then in April of this year (2005), I have spent nearly $350 on this machine to replace the pump/motor assembly, the leveler assembly and have lint cleaned out of the pump (it clogged & stopped).

And if all that wasn't enough, I have clothes coming out with mysterious stains, that they didn't go into the washer with. To put it mildly...I HATE this machine. As soon as I can possibly afford it, I will replace it and I can guarantee you it won't be with a Whirlpool/Sears product.

Pros: Works well. Large capacity. Easy to use. Coolness factor.
Cons: Water pump flawed. Electronic controls can be a bit scary for maintenance.

We've had our Calypso for about 18 months. Overall, we like the machine. There is one major flaw which we learned of the hard way and had confirmed through others.

The flaw is the water pump. It is a simple design but it breaks easily. From what we have come to find out, this is the most common failure point. And fail it does! Apparently there are a high percentage of failures.

The good news is that this is really an easy fix. I don't know the cost of the part since ours was covered by the maintenance plan, but the replacement of it is simple. If the part doesn't cost too much then I would not let that keep me from buying the machine.

Also, as is pointed out in at least one other review, there is an issue with lint build-up in the washing machine water ports.

Pros: Many choices on control panel. Looks good in the laundry room.
Cons: Pump can't seem to handle any lint. I'm up to my neck in dirty laundry.

Have had my Calypso Washer since April 17, 2004. It no longer operates. The pump clogged up. The washer tore a small seam in a cotton comforter and some of the filling came out into the wash. I would not have thought that this would be enough to put the washer out of commission but it was. The repairman put in a new pump today and it immediately died too. Now Whirlpool is telling the repairman they will not warranty it. The repairman is going to call Whirlpool again today and try to speak to someone else. $900 for a washing machine that lasted 5 months. My last washer lasted 16 years and my son is still using it in his apartment. Maybe he'll let me borrow it.

Pros: None that I can readily identify
Cons: This is a terrible product, if it were a car it would be recalled.

This washer does not clean clothes; if you put a dirty shirt into the washer, you get a dirty shirt out of the washer. The washer will not get whites white even using the whitest white setting. I washed a comforter stained by one of our dogs and when the cycle was completed, the comforter was not even completely wet, and it still smelled from the dog accident. I rewashed the comforter using the soak cycle, hot water settings and it still did not come out completely clean. We are ready to toss this washer into the nearest trash bin and but an LG or Bosch. This machine was a huge waste of money.

Pros: styling , features, looks good
Cons: $$$$$$$$$$$$$REPAIRS$$$$$$$$$$$$$

This is by far the worst appliance I have ever owned. Purchased in 2001 we have had the motor replaced twice, and the mother board or the electronic panel replaced once, with each repair costing over $300.00 . These repairs are far to costly for a machine that we purchase for $1200.00 in 2001 My husband has twice, taken it outside, and emptied standing water then taken out the drum to get to the no yes no filter area to remove the clog . This machine has no filter for lint collection which in turn burns up the motor. This machine works okay when it works but that seems to be seldom for us as the Sears repairman knows all my kids by name and the dogs to. Also this washer is under a class action settlement suit if you qualify, which we didn't our problems began 4 months to late to apply.

Pros: Innovative.
Cons: Annual repairs.

Purchased July 2001. March 2002 washer pump failed. April 2004 spin cycle failed. Dispenser for the fabric softner will clog up regularly. We wash three loads a week.
Repairman from Whirlpool showed up today. 1st he opened the area where the controls are looking for the booklet on this model to tell him what the error codes meant. Not finding that he then opened the top to look around inside. I found a wad of lint in the spout where the water comes into the tub. This may have cause the pump to overload giving us the overload code. While trying to cycle the machine through various stages he discovered that the code LS came up and could not get the machine to start on what he programmed it to do. I had to tell him to lift the lid so that the machine could see that it had finished with the previous task and was ready to accept the new one. At this time I have to believe that the original problem was the lint buildup. I had thought since 2001 Whirlpool technicians would be better trained on this top of the line model.

Pros: Glad we bought the Extended Service Agreement
Cons: Smell, Pump, Sears Customer Service

We've had our Calypso since 2001. We bought a 5 Year Extended Service Agreement and faithfully utilized it each year for Service checkup and cleaning. Bad pump early on and Sears replaced the entire machine. Now, after Service Agreement expired we are experiencing a Moldy/Mildewy smell coming from the drain hose. Sears says they have no idea what that could be so try washing a load with Clorox (no clothing inside). Tried that and seemed better for a week, then smell came back. We've come to find out that mildew and mold is a big problem with this model. SHAME ON SEARS FOR LYING TO US ON THE PHONE!!! I called them again, got a Service Person and he explained that he'd seen a FEW of these and thought they could take the machine apart, change hoses and pump, etc. Cost somewhere around $600. What a sham! Good luck to rest of you - I am buying another machine (Not from Whirlpool and NEVER AGAIN FROM SEARS!)