My washing machine might as well be a Lexus (2 year update)

In Oct 2001, my husband and I went all out and bought the "luxury" Kenmore Elite HE3t High Efficiency Front Loading Washer (Model 42922). This washer retails for $1449 and is often on sale for $1299. You may be wondering if my husband (and mostly me) need to have our heads examined (which I will suggest is another topic altogether), but this washing machine is really like the equivalent of owning a top of the line luxury car. There are cheaper ways to get from here to there, but can you do it with such style and comfort? Well, there are cheaper washing machines, but this has all the bells & whistles one could want, and it's top-rated by Consumer Reports. Plus, if you need some rationalization, this baby is energy-efficient and may qualify for rebates if they are offered in your area.

Why this washer caught my eye?

Energy Star qualified
I like having energy efficient products when possible. It not only makes me feel like a more responsible citizen, but it also does save a little money every month when I pay my utility bills. A normal cycle uses 15.8 gallons of water, whereas old-style washing machines use more than 42 gallons. I live in SoCal, and there really is no water here other than the ocean, so it's really good to conserve even though we're often not pressured to do so. Plus, since it uses less water, when I do need a warm water cycle, not as much water is heated, thus saving energy. I also received a $75 rebate from my utility company, and although that doesn't really offset the cost that much, it is something.

3.7 cubic feet capacity
Not too long ago, the largest front loaders had a 2.7 cubic feet capacity and the energy efficient top loaders had a 3.0 cu. ft. capacity. This model has 3.7 cubic feet! You can really put a lot in here and still feel like you're not overloading the washer. The manufacturer says you can put up to 22 towels in here. I don't usually count my towels when I wash, so I can't 100% verify this claim, but I do know that I've successfully washed a king-sized comforter in my washing machine. For me, that means I never have to go and use a commercial-sized machine for any reason.

Automatic dispensing system
This is something that is not 100% necessary to get clean clothes, but it sure is a nice feature. The machine has a pull-out drawer, and you put in your detergent, bleach, and fabric softener; shut the drawer; and turn on the wash. Everything gets mixed in the water before it touches your clothes, and everything gets added at the proper time. If you like using liquid fabric softener, this is quite handy! If you use liquid detergent, just be aware that some of the liquid will seep into the washing machine after you pour it in, so if you want both a prewash cycle and a regular cycle, you need to have powder detergent in the main detergent compartment or else not so much detergent will be left by the time the regular wash cycle starts.

"SUD" cycle
High efficiency washing machines need less suds to get your clothes clean because they use so much less water. You can now buy special "he" detergent for high efficiency washers, but it's possible that it may be hard to find or ridiculously expensive in your area. Initially, in my area, the "he" detergents were quite expensive so I used regular laundry detergent. You need much less regular detergent or else you will have a suds problem (and in older models this could cause clogging problems). In the beginning, it's really hard to know how much detergent is appropriate, but the Kenmore Elite helps you out. It senses if you have too many suds, and it will then automatically run a special cycle to rinse all the suds out. After the cycle is complete, "SUD" appears on the display to let you know that the machine had to run the suds cycle, and then you can adjust your detergent accordingly. Now, I sometimes do use "he" detergent because the prices are now comparable to regular detergent (Wal-mart has the best prices in my area), but I am glad that I can use regular detergent also.

Gentler on your clothes
Front loading washing machines are gentler on your clothes than traditional washing machines. There is no agitator, and the clothes are gently tumbled up and down when the tub moves side to side. We've had this almost 10 months now, and it does seem like we're getting a few less holes than we used to.
update
I have seen some complaints about people experiencing tears/rips in their clothing, supposedly from the washer. I have not experienced this. I suspect that if clothes are not loaded in the washer well, they could be stuck in the door and this could be a problem. Also, the high speed spin should be reserved for more heavy duty items (it is perfect for towels). The delicate cycle spins items at low speed for just this reason.

Add-a-garment
Even though this is a front loading machine, you can still add that last minute garment. As long as the wash cycle hasn't progressed too far, the "add a garment" light is on. If this is the case, simply press the pause button and wait a minute for the washer to settle down. The door will then unlock (it's normally locked during a cycle to prevent inadvertent messes) and you can throw in those last items, and then you simply push start to get the cycle going again. Sometimes you will get a few drips on your floor from the door, but it's nothing unbearable.

Control panel lock
While this is not an issue for us currently, it will soon be. The controls on the washing machine are all located on the front, and little fingers could go crazy with them. If you push the drain/spin button for 3 seconds, you can lock the controls, even if you have a cycle running. Pushing the button again for 3 seconds will unlock the controls.

Optional buzzer
Unless I am anxiously awaiting something in the laundry, I don't like hearing buzzers alerting me when my washing machine is done. You can set the buzzer to high, low, or off as desired. I keep mine on off.

Lots of automatic laundry cycles
This washer has more cycles than I honestly need. The preset cycles are: sanitary cycle (where it heats the water to 150 degrees), whitest whites, heavy duty, normal/casual (45 min), express wash (35 min), delicate, silk, wool, and ultra handwash. The purpose of most of these cycles is that the length of the wash cycle, water temp and spin speed are preset. In some of the cycles, prewash, autosoak, 2nd rinse, and extended spin are included. The water level is automatically determined by the washing machine, so there is one parameter you don't have to worry about. You can change some of the options for the present cycles, but you can't modify everything. For example, you can change the normal/casual wash to a cold wash/cold rinse setting from the preset warm wash/cold rinse setting, but you can't change the temperature on a "silk" cycle to extra hot/cold and set the spin speed to extra high. If you really need to wash the heck out of your silk garment (and don't think you'll ruin it in the process), just use a cycle that has options that you want since the actual tumble action is the same on all the cycles.

Some other nice features:
* Easy to operate electronic control panel - select your cycle and press start
* Stainless steel tub - of course, you would expect that on a machine that costs this much
* Good looks - this machine looks like a luxury machine
* 6 wash/rinse temperature options
* It is quiet - the wash itself is very quiet, and even during the fastest spin speed, it has a very reasonable noise level
* Spin goes up to 1200 rpm - this is great for towels or when you need something dry in a hurry
* Design is such that it's easy to find all items when unloading the washer.
update Now that I have a baby, I am washing some very tiny items - newborn socks & booties. Baby booties may get stuck in the plastic lip area that seals the door. After doing a load of baby clothes, I check the lip area just to make sure the booties don't get lost. I have noticed that making sure all the clothes are far enough back in the machine when loading clothes reduces the chances of a stray bootie getting lost in the lip area. I also use garmet wash bags more often for small items.

Other notes
Sears sells a matching pedestal to elevate the washing machine so you have to bend over less to get your clothes in and out, but we passed on that $149.99 option. I don't find that I stay stooped over long enough for this machine to bother my back, but it is something to consider if you have serious back problems. If you really need your machine elevated, you could probably build a platform for the washer for much cheaper.

Another nice thing about this washer is that it is stackable along with the companion dryer. I don't stack my machines, but I do use the space on top to store my laundry sorting bins.

What about the Whirlpool DuetHT?
After receiving a couple of emails, I wanted to include some comments about how this machine compares to the DuetHT. When we purchased this washer, the DuetHT had not come out yet, so we did not do a comparison between the models. However, after the DuetHT came out, I did take a look to make sure we would still be happy with our Kenmore (the Kenmore HE3t was so new when we bought it Sears had a 'try it out for 12 months and if you don't like it we'll take it back no questions asked' deal). The machines are actually very similar in capacity and features and are supposed to be made by the same manufacturer. Other than appearance, the only difference that I noticed is that the Kenmore HE3t spins at 1200 rpm max, while the Whirlpool spins at 1100 rpm max. The Kenmore should thus be able to spin out just a tad more water from your clothes than the Whirlpool, but I am not sure how 100 rpm translates into drying time. We're still happy with the Kenmore, but the DuetHT is probably a good option to consider.

Whirlpool DuetHT update
Epinions user drpimper4 also pointed out another important difference in the comments:

"The Kenmore has an advanced stain treat option. This isn't like the stain treat you would find on any other washer. What the Kenmore actually does is use its internal heater to gradually raise the water temperature during the cycle. The reasoning behind this is that different stains react at different temperatures. For example, a blood stain would not come out at the same temperature as an oil based stain."

My final thoughts

I really do like this washer; it's been great for the 2 years we have had it and I expect it to continue to perform well. I know that it is expensive, but it does a great job and has so many automatic options. I actually feel spoiled with this washer. Previously, my husband and I purchased used appliances for our last home to save money, and going from an older, used washing machine to this is like going from a Pinto to a Lexus!

I remember reading some reviews of older Kenmore front loaders, and I think that with this model, Kenmore seemed to address any issues that people had with earlier models. I really don't have anything bad to say about it, other than the price. I haven't had any trouble with it at all in the past 2 yrs, and I expect it to continue to work well for years and years.


You can check out the detailed specs at www.sears.com.


Disclaimer: I do not own nor have I ever owned a Lexus.