Just the other day I found out that our 9 year old washing machine died. Actually, it did not die, but it started blowing oil out from under the agitator during the spin cycle, thus ruining clothes.
I called three servicepeople, who told me that the seals and bearings in the transmission were blown, andf that it would be too costly a fix, even to do myself, in a 9 year old unit.
Well, with a houseful of kids, this is not something that can wait until i feel like getting around to it. I started doing some research, went all around looking, etc, and ended up buying something I would have not considered at first.
I almost bought a Kenmore, and I had a dozen salespeople try to talk me into a expensive front loader....they say the savings in water usage pays for itself, even after spending a grand on one........thankfully, my wife did not want a $1000 front loader.
We ended up buying a washer made in New Zealand.a brand named Fisher and Paykel...... I know, you never heard of it. Me neither.
The washer is awesome.....it is a direct drive DC motor....it has no transmission, no clutch, no belts, no brakes...it is amazing. It uses way less water then our old Amana, spins 1000 rpm, (fastest in the industry) so the clothes come out almost dry. It is quiet, does not get thrown around, does not walk all over the laundry room. Parts, if needed are inexpensive, and it comes with a full two year parts AND labor warranty. With no transmission, belts, etc, there is way less to go wrong and break down.
Since we started using this washer, the dryer time has been cut in half, saving more money.
My wife loves it, and it cost me about $100 bucks more then the kenmore we were looking at, but it was still ONE HALF the cost of those front loaders.....cost me $549.00
They also make the coolest TOP LOADING dryer, but we did not need one yet, so we just got the washer. Anyway, it is neat when you find something that seems a bit better then 95% of what is out there, at a good price, and you make the wife happy.
Ariens 1332DLE Pro, Exmark 52" HP ZTR, Gardian Generac generator, Shindiawa T230 Excell/Honda PW, Craftsman rototiller, Favorite IPE- My Mac + Ipod- No Windoze for me!
