Stuart,
In response to your question about Fisher & Paykell, I can tell you that the marketing reps for the company have been on a HUGE push to sell their products. The regional rep came to our store a few months ago for the first time I can remember and barked until he was literally red in the face about why his product was better than any other. He literally brought a feeling of uncomfortable desperation and forcefulness to the sales floor with him that day. The associate you spoke of may have been under the influence of one of these recent barking sessions. I am an appliance salesman at a Lowe's store. Overall, we don't get a lot of complaints about the product, though we sell very little. But, good luck finding a service person if you do have a problem. They do have a great idea putting a truly direct drive on their washers. The way I understand, the motor doesn't have windings like a traditional electric motor, yet it uses computer controlled, opposing, electromagnetic forces to attain movement. Take in mind the super rollercoasters that rocket right out of the gate and you sort of get the idea on the concept. Overall, I would only recomment fisher and paykell if you know an authorized service person is available in your area. A quick note on the motors is that Whirlpool/Maytag use a motor manufactured by F&P in their Cabrio/Bravos line. Fisher & Paykell also manufacture Medical equipment and Robotics, and they are the only appliances at Lowe's that feature a two year warranty as opposed to one year like all others.
If I had to make a recommendation, I would say go with either the Samsung line or the Whirlpool Duet line. At our store, we sell high numbers of Duets, and to be honest have very little complaints. One great thing that I love about the Duets, besides reliability, is the fact that they have a "Clean Washer" cycle. One of the top complaints about all frontload models besides long cycle time is a pungent mildew odor after a year or so usage time. Most people forget or don't understand how to prevent this. The said cycle simplifies this by allowing you to Add 2/3 cup of bleach or Affresh tablet, turn the cycle selector knob to "Clean Washer", turn it on, and walk away. When the cycle is done, wipe the seal and around the seal with a bleach solution, clean any accumulated debris from the tub and drain holes under the seal, and you are done. This cycle should be done once a month. The best preventative measure between cleanings is simply leaving your door open between cycles. Also, remember to use HE detergent only, and use only small amounts. Trust the measurement lines that the cap shows. If not, or if you choose to use traditional detergents, you can encounter high sudsing, and residues can build up inside your washer lessening the efficency of the sensors and feeding the smell, even leading to toxic black mold problems on even the best models of any brand.
Samsung is also a great line of washing machines. Again, we sell fewer samsung, yet we get mostly positive feedback. The model numbers escape me now, but on their higher end models, you get a "silver care" option. There are actually pure silver bars in an intake chamber on the washer. When you select "Silver Care", the cold water flows over the pure silver and through a process, silver ions are released. Silver ions sanitize your clothing. 99.9% of bacteria and viruses cannot withstand silver ions. So, in reality, you are sanitizing your clothing without using bleach or harsh chemicals or a drop of hot water! Kind of neat if you ask me. Samsung also features VRT or "Vibration Reduction Technology". This allows samsungs to be installed on all types of subsurfaces, even in mobile homes according to the reps, without vibration issues. Not to worry about the silver bars, Samsung features a lengthy warranty on the Silver Care system that stretches beyond the normal manufacturer's warranty.
A few tips to remember:
Don't fall for too many bells and whistles. There are a lot of sales pitches out there featuring cycles for every kind of stain and clothing imaginable. Ask yourself, "do I really need this many cycles for my day to day laundry" For instance, GE features a front loader where you can select about a bazillion different stain removal options, or a pedestal that holds 60 loads worth of detergent and fabric softener. However, in my experience, I have found GE to be an unreliable brand when it comes to laundry. And you can achieve the same stain removal results using a steam washer. Also, many HE laundry models feature ungodly spin speeds. In a recent study done by whirlpool/maytag, it was found that you really can't force much more water out of most materiels once you reach 800 rpm's. 1000 rpm's is plenty enough. Maytag features an option on some of their washers called "Max Extract" The cycle will attain and hold a spin speed of approx. 800 rpm's til near the end of the cycle. At that time, the washer will quickly shoot the rpm's up to 1000 using the extra burst of centrifugal force to ring out a little extra water. surprisingly, through their own testing results, this removes more water than simply acheiving and maintaing a speed of 1,000 rpm's.
Remember, high efficency only pays for itself if you wash clothes often. On average, in my estimation, most high efficency models save you anywhere from 50 to 70% on water usage over plus sized front loaders, Yet they cost sometimes as much as three times more. If you are only going to use it once a week, the washer will never pay for itself like most claim.
Finally, remember that price can be deceiving. Frigidaire offers some models that cost under $700, but quality is spared. The duet models cost anywhere from $800 upwards of $1200 dollars and seem to be one of the best in my experience. However, you will pay over $1200 dollars for an Electrolux model (Frigidaire's parent company) yet the Electrolux looks strikingly similar to the Frigidaire, and feels alot alike. I will, however, refrain from making any claims to quality as the new Electrolux models have yet to be put to the true test of time in this country. But, putting two and two together, you come to a fishy conclusin.
Hope these few tips help, usually the best thing to do is spend time with any sales associate. Ask lots and lots of questions, even seemingly harmless ones. If you notice babbling, inconsistencies in their answers, or generally forcefull answers, then most likely that salesman has selling a particular product in mind because of commission, and not selling you the right product for your needs. They are trying to feed you a story, not the facts. A gen
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