Because it's fast, silent, and very, very effective. It lacks only being deadly, but that's probably a good thing in a laundry appliance.

It arrived well-packaged, and required some styrofoam removal, inlcuding wiping out the pestiferous crumbs, as well as clipping free the motor restraint bar from the bottom, before it was ready to use. Those were simple operations.

It's not that heavy, can easily be lifted to sink level, which you will need to do as the outlet (above the indent in the bottom) is not shaped to accommodate a drain line. If you leave it on the floor, it seems to widdle, or at least to spray water in unexpected directions which a standard dishpan cannot catch ... although the dishpan is perfectly sized to sit under the nozzle. The Nina also continues to drain for an extended period after use, so be warned.

Be careful to load clothes evenly, which is most easily done by laying them lengthwise around the inside of the barrel. Keep an eye out for weight distribution. If it's a LITTLE off, the Nina will shortly spin it into balance. If it's far enough off to trip the sensors, it will walk, and never get up to optimal speed. You'll have to resign yourself to practicing a bit at first.

Remember to put the little pink plastic thingummy provided in place on top of them. Items I tossed in on top of it, as I did not remember its presence, were not as dry as those under it.

Those needs attended, the Nina works like a dream. Your clothes come out about twice as dry as they do from a commercial washer.

Update: two months later, still extraordinarily pleased with the Nina. I've gotten into the habit of allowing it to work its magic after the wash cycle of my Bonus Package Panda Small Mini Portable Compact Washer Washing Machine 5.5lbs Capacity while the Panda refills. This means there is very little soap in the clothes when I rinse them, and two rinses are sufficient to get things quite clean. One more session in the Nina and they're ready to go into the Easy Dry- Portable Clothes Dryer. If you want to be laundromat free, these three will almost get you there. If you want to be totally laundromat free, you will need the larger Panda Small Compact Portable Washing Machine(6-7lbs Capacity) with Spin Dryer.


Update 5/3/14: Still in love with this fridge.  The two of us are still on our first SodaStream canister.  We love the flexibility of the snack drawer (currently "marinate the steak" drawer), and have adjusted the shelves to best suit us.  I scraped a glass bowl along one of these shelves and it didn't scratch--hooray!  The fridge continues to be quiet, except when dropping ice cubes, and it took a day for the dog to quit barking and us to sleep through. It's really not that loud, just a new sound.  The ice cubes themselves we think are a huge plus for this fridge.  They're softer than hard ice cubes--something we were expecting with the maker in the fridge and not the freezer.  I can munch on them all day.  It is important to note, unless you very strictly follow the setup instructions for the ice cube maker (shake the bin every hour after cleaning and reset), you will be enjoying a mix of cubed and crushed until you rest it again. We really love how bright it is.  It is packed with food and containers at the moment and not one of them is hidden from my hungry eyes.  Produce is staying fresh days longer than the previous fridge.

My husband and I are thrilled with our new addition.  It came very securely packaged and with easy to read manuals.  Most of the setup is common sense (hook up water, plug into wall, peel off plastic, etc.).  The carbonator was an easy find at Target and we received a rebate for a SodaStream with the manuals.

Soda has three different levels of carbonation (1-2 Pellegrino, 3 Perrier).  It takes a few minutes to fill the reservoir, but it's not inconveniently long.  The Samsung website has a chart that actually breaks down how much sparkling water is made at which level and how long it takes for each in the FAQ section.  The cartridge pops into the door; not a lot of force required.

Very roomy and well-lit.  The lights on the side in the interior really ensure I can see all my Tupperwares all the way to the back.  We're having fun with the middle drawer--do not put glass in it!  This is not for wine storage. Our thermometers say all temperatures are within ideal range on suggested settings. The ice maker does make noise when making ice, but otherwise there is no obnoxious noise coming from it.  No coils on the back that need to be vacuumed either.  Water filters are easy to find at Home Depot and install.

This fridge is 410lbs before groceries and replaced our 100lb fridge.  We live in an older home and reinforced the floor just to make sure we wouldn't find it in the crawlspace the next the morning.  Not sure if it was necessary, but couldn't hurt.  Overall my husband and I are thrilled to welcome the new member of the family.


Lesson learned. I will never buy another Samsung appliance. They make a mean phone or tablet, but this refrigerator is a gorgeous piece of dead weight.

To its credit, it's beautiful. It maintains a perfect temperature and stores lots of stuff. That's the good. Now....

The ice maker leaks. Apparently there's a service bulletin out on it, because of a small seam in the bottom left corner that allows the warmer air from the refrigerator section to get in and melt the ice & interfere with the freezing process. That means you will not get many whole ice cubes: even on the "cubed" setting, I get little pieces of ice and not anywhere near the "10 lbs of ice a day" that it advertises. I plan on sealing the seam with silicone gel to see if that helps. Oh by the way: I'm on my second ice maker, it's crap and I've only had the fridge 15 months!

So where does all this leaking water go? There is a tiny drip tray in the fridge door, and that's where it goes. The engineers at Samsung, however, decided to make it a NON-REMOVABLE drip tray. It doesn't drain anywhere... it just fills up and then you have to take a sponge in there to sop out all the water every few days. Very much a pain in the tailpipe, folks.

Next: the compressor is now making a God-awful noise, and I'm 3 months out of the 1-year warranty. I did get a 10-year major component extended warranty that covers the compressor, but not the service call, diagnostics or labor. Which means we're going to be out even MORE money on an already costly fridge.

Next: the Sodastream function works well enough, but good luck fitting a Sodastream bottle in the door straight to use it! No, again those pesky engineers designed the opening below the water spout too short for you to stand a 1-liter bottle up in. I've gotten very good at angling the bottle in and measuring the right amount of sparkling water into the bottle, though. If you still choose to buy this fridge, get used to it.

It's extremely heavy. I can't even budge this thing, which means that I have to wait for the service technician to pull it out and service the compressor before I can put a refrigerator surge protector in the outlet. I highly recommend this because the compressor is a very specialized one, and not many appliance repair companies will even touch it. So if you're going to spend this much on this fridge, spend a little more on a surge protector. They're available on Amazon. The problem is that if it ever trips, you'll have to pull this monster out to reset it... so now I'm having second thoughts about installing it. We're hosed!

In summary, given the chance to go back in time 15 months and talk to ourselves while we were looking at this shiny, beautiful appliance, we would do so, screaming "NOOOO! RUN! STAY FAR AWAY!" You can surely do much better for the money that this dog of a fridge, and I cannot possibly recommend it to anyone I like. And I like you.


Ive had these for over a month and although I can't speak for the longevity of the machines, i can say that they are wonderful so far. We ordered them upon moving so I had quite a bit of laundry when they got here and I put them to the test load after load for 2 days, down comforter, dirty farm clothes, kids clothes, cleaning rags and towels. It does them all in record time! I did read a lot of reviews and hesitated for weeks on making the decision to buy online, but it worked out great. I thought the customer service was just fine and they were easy to put together. However just to clarify YOU NEED HOT AND COLD WATER HOSES TO HOOK UP AND A DRYER CORD THAT MATCHES YOUR OUTLET. They hoses that come with allow you to hook the dryer and Y it to the  COLD water spout and connect the washer to that (with the hoses you buy). Trying to explain all questions and other complaints that I saw and worked through. I saw another complaint that they got a NO WATER display on the washer. I did get one of those when washing the fleece blankets. the problem wasn't the machine malfunctioning, it was telling you it couldn't complete. When i looked in, i noticed the blankets were really sudsy, so what the NO WATER meant is it wanted to drain more, it sensed the bubbles but had no water. I simply ran a rinse cycle and it was fine. I had a problem with those type of blankets in my other washer getting really sudsy too with the same soap i do with other loads.
The pedestals are awesome with the spring release you can simply nudge it with your toe and it will glide open and do the same to close it! same with the doors. I can walk to the washer with a handful of clothes and just press the door and it pops open with tons of room! The lighting on these are fantastic and the noise the make it VERY MINIMAL. we made very sure the pedestals were set where they would be and leveled before pulling them out to install the W&D to the tops. And another thing i didn't know from the description is that apart from the steam/sanitize feature in both, the washer has a fresh rinse so the water in the rinse doesn't go through the soap container like other washers thus reducing soap residue. And the spin cycle is so efficient that I kid you not they are almost dry when you put them in the dryer! I am truly in heaven as a mostly stay at home mom of a farmer, two boys and an indoor dog, I do a LOT of laundry! This set has a setting for pet beds, towels, comforter, jeans along with all the others. The quick steam dry allows me to continue not to own an iron which i love and the sanitize dry allows me to have clean pillows without the lumps from the washer. There is also a shrink guard setting on the dryer mind you. So I hope that helps others make any decision they might be hesitating with.


I wish I had some nice things to say about these machines, but my story seems like a episode for Worst Case Laundry Soap Operas!  We ordered this set online and it took over 4 weeks for delivery (the first time) ~ and I had to make over 7 phone calls to find out where it was in transit -- no one EVER seemed to know.  It was supposed to have "WHITE GLOVE" delivery, but when it got here, the two truckers didn't know anything more than taking the machines out of a box.  Good thing my husband is a handyman and he was able to do the job, however, we PAID for installation service.  Even before it was shipped, the seller called to ask me if they could just DROP IT OFF on the driveway?  Our driveway is 1/4 mile long -- no thank you!

After installation, we had an error code on the washer the FIRST TIME we did wash!  After calling Electrolux, they determined the unit was defective and needed replacement.  While we were setting up replacement delivery, the dryer started leaking water from the steam feature.  Electrolux decided the dryer was also a complete lemon and wanted to replace BOTH the washer and dryer with a local supplier.  Another 3 weeks and the set is in place.

I wouldn't recommend this set for many reasons:

* It is made of cheap plastic, one would think titanium would be a metal of sorts, but it is really thin and flimsy plastic.
* Reversal of washer door is a disaster.  My husband had reversed both washer doors and they actually aren't MADE to be reversed.  You CAN reverse, but it doesn't function the same because of the bell shape on the inside of the door.  Don't order these if you want your door to open from right to left. They also don't close as well when reversed - POOR DESIGN!
* The dryer does NOT have a drying sensor as claimed.  We have tried every setting in the book and in the DVD and it does NOT sense the wetness of your clothes.  Be prepared to run your dryer through 2 cycles no matter what, 3 with towels or jeans.  It's just that bad.
* The "push" open feature is nice on the pedestals and the doors however closing is another story.  It takes quite a number of times pushing it closed to get it to actually STAY closed.  One very frustrating feature.
* The dryer lint screen is a bit tough in and out - not a big deal, but time consuming.  What is worse is that most of the lint doesn't even get caught up in the screen underneath the plastic grid that holds the screen in place.  There is no WAY to get the lint out besides sticking your fingers through tiny holes to pull it out, even still, you won't get it all out.  VERY POOR DESIGN.

There are some other negatives about this set, but suffice to say, the only positive is that it LOOKS good - but that's about all.

Lousy Service!
Lousy Delivery!
Lousy Performance!
Lousy Design!

Buyer Beware.
*


I purchased this to replace the AC/DC/Propane refrigerator which was in the Minnie Winnie RV we are restoring.  The old 3-way power refer no longer worked, and a new one like that is more than three times the cost of this one.  This fridge fit right into the same cabinet the old one came out of.  The height was perfect.  It is just a little narrower, but actually has a bit more interior space because the depth is greater.  To fasten it n place was easy.  The back is on two rollers, and there is a convenient hole next to each.  I bolted it down through the floor of the cabinet.  The front has leveling feet which screw in and out.  I took each out completely and then screwed it back in through a steel angle.  The angles fit against the front of the cabinet below the opening and are screwed in place.  To keep it from rocking I put a piece of foam about 6" square on each side near the top.  It is solid and still has good circulation.  I used some trim to cover the gaps on the sides.

The refrigerator works perfectly, and once we adjusted it the fridge part is in the high 30s while the freezer hovers near zero.  A compressor fridge like this just cools better than a propane model.  We boondock quite a bit, so we need to be able to run this when camping far from shore power.  I'm an electronics guy, so I did some testing.  This draws 70 watts when running, but it doesn't run all the time.  At 80 degrees ambient temperature it runs a bit less than half of the time, so it draws only an average of 30 watts or so.  Now, 36 watts is 3 amps at 12 volts.  Three amps times 24 hours is 72 amp hours, and I am using a really good AGM deep cycle battery with 85 amp hours.

However, I also have 200 watts of solar panels on the roof of the RV.  To keep the math easy, figure they average 144 watts for 10 hours a day.  144 watts is 12 amps at 12 volts, times 10 hours, means I am getting 120 amp hours of solar charging, which is well over what the refrigerator is consuming, so, in practice, my battery stays full.  If I get a few cloudy or rainy days, I just start the RV and let it idle for a little while.  When the engine is running it charges the house battery at about 50 amps.  Even on a cloudy day I still get quite a bit from my solar panels and it isn't cloudy all that much here in the southwest where we live and camp.  The power for the fridge comes from a 1000 watt pure sine inverter.

We did have to install some eye bolts so we can run a bungee cord across the doors when we are driving.  So, now we have a great fridge, no need for a generator, and I can enjoy an ice cream bar when camping in the middle of nowhere.  BTW, this arrived early in perfect condition, and the delivery guy even helped my unpack it and put it into the RV.


Thrilled this Samsung part works in my Whirlpool-built 2005 Kenmore Elite He4t (Model 110.45986400) as a functionally-compatible substitute for the original part (Whirlpool 8182634 Latch for Washer). Apparently many manufacturers use the near-same part but give it a wide variety of part numbers. I can vouch that this is fully compatible where it counts: door sensor, latch mechanism, 3 mounting screws and 3 cable connectors, and position of all of these.  It is different in three non-essential ways: (a) faceplate is white, (b) this lacks 2 wiring harness retainers, and (c) it has differing shape on its "wings"--none of which effect installation or function.

I was very glad to find this part (at a good price and with prime shipping) because the exact OEM part was twice the price and not Prime.  My original part (as removed from the machine) was made by EMZ of Germany (EMZ part no. 38.0140; also stamped as part # 461970200692)

As noted above, this Samsung part differs from the Whirlpool/Sears part in that  (1) this has a white latching surround and will change the color of your door-latch "dock" from OEM Black to Samsung White. It is also (2) the case that this does not have two tabs that, on the Whirlpool part, help loosely hold a nearby cable harness in place (which I've since found stays in place on its own).  But the cable connectors, screw holes, and switches all have the exact same geometry and the new latch has worked great (and quieter) through two test loads of laundry.

Samsung also makes a part (DC64-00519B Whirlpool Washer Door Switch Assembly)that has the two cable-harness tabs, but it was nearly 30% pricier when I looked.
Tip: your old latch may have failed because it wore itself out on a misaligned docking tab. So you may want to also buy a Whirlpool 8181651 Door Strike


I have only had this little gem for less than twenty four hours, and I am already quite impressed with it.  After reading so many negative comments on this washer (though the positives far outweigh them), I thought I ought to address some of them.  For those who wrote that the connectors are garbage, I had no issues with mine.  I unscrewed my kitchen faucet's aerator, and screwed in the one enclosed with my washer, and...voila!  It was a perfect fit.  My only issue was the excess water coming out of the faucet side.  I solved this with wrapping a Handi-Wipe around the connection.  I later tightened the connections, manually. No more leakage. At first I connected the hose backwards, resulting in a drip of water going into the machine.  I unscrewed both ends (after turning off the tap), and tried it once again, and...voila! A current of water began to fill the machine.  Before turning anything on (water or power), I made sure the round connector in the back of the machine was turned totally clockwise.  The instruction manual is not written in perfect English, but it is very much understandable.  I read it from cover to cover, as I usually do with new appliances.  I did a trial wash with this little machine, and I put in:  two pairs of jeans, two t-shirts, and 6 different pairs of socks.  I used the NORMAL setting, and the LARGE load setting.  I used liquid detergent, about 1/2 (or a little less) of what is recommended for a small load. The washer indicated 31 minutes of total wash time.  I was impressed with the quietness of its operation during wash cycle.  You must place the outlet hose approx. 3 feet above the washer.  My kitchen sink was just the right height.  The spin cycle was a bit louder, as would be expected, but still not very loud.  One of this washer's front "wheels", the one on MY right hand side, is adjustable.  It is recommended you be certain the washer is level before you attempt to wash.  I stood beside the washer during spin cycle and held it down somewhat (it was after 12 midnight, I hate to admit), and later just angled it differently on my kitchen floor, but either way, it was pretty quiet, all things considered.  My jeans and t-shirts were well washed, and mostly dry.  My socks, which were white, turned bluish (my fault, of course), but were also very much spun dried.  This little washer is amazing, and most especially for its price.  The back "wheels" worked for me.  All you have to do is angle the machine, tilt it backwards, and it glides easily back into your storage spot for it.  I LOVE this washer.  I know it's only been a few hours, but I cannot contain my joy in knowing I will have clean, well washed clothes in my own home.  No more laundromats and all the issues involved with them!  Highly recommend. P.S.  Made mostly of plastic, handle with care, and avoid HIGH water temps.


The only reason I'm reviewing this is to help educate those who are thinking of ordering this kit.  If you are one of them, then your fridge isn't working and you probably realize your relay and overload component is bad.  Many forums help you diagnose the relay/overload unit.  Mine sounded like a rattle when I shook it, had a burnt mark on one lead slot and had little black ceramic pieces falling out of it.  The fridge/freezer wouldn't cool, the compressor wasn't running and the compressor was very hot when touched.

After realizing that my part number is replaced by this kit, I was a bit curious as to how it would all work due to the many parts which are displayed in the picture.  Once I opened the kit, there is a set of directions with photos and all the parts shown in the above picture.  The kit basically comes with four relay/overload setups for four different groups of refrigerators.  You won't use all the parts.  If you are lucky like me and one of the two shown in the picture look identical to the one you are replacing, then you can do a like for like swap ("combo relay").  One is used if there is an EGY80 in the compressor model, while the other is used if there is an EGY90.  These are the ones with the long plastic finger to hold the start capacitor in place.  If yours looks different (no finger), then you will have to do a pieced together rebuild ("discrete") using the remaining parts and jumper cable.  Again, an EGY80 will have you use one overload part, while the EGY90 will have you use the other.  The small relay (black part) is then used for both with the jumper cable.  The exposed rebuild is then covered with the black plastic cover shown in the picture.  If you used one of the combo units, all these other parts are not used at all.

Therefore, you may be lucky and simply have to buy this whole kit to get one of its parts, or you will have to put together a few of the parts in order to replace your old single part.  In the end, the kit should work if your original part number is included in the list.  The directions will help you figure out which part or parts you should use and how to put them all together.

One other thing, I believe my relay might have burned out because I had never cleaned the grate under the fridge for over 7 years.  There sure was a lot of dust in there when I pulled off the front bottom cover.  I vacuumed and blew it all out from the front and back.  The fan next to the compressor needs to be able to draw air through the grate in order to operate the fridge.  When covered with dust, the fridge works much harder.  Now that I cleaned the grate and replaced the relay, the fridge now works better than it did before it broke.  I have to remember to clean it every 6 months.  By the way, my fridge had two hidden papers folded up inside the back of the plastic grill on the front bottom of the fridge.  There are part numbers, electrical diagrams and resistance ratings for key components.  I wish I had known it was there to begin with.


I purchased this motor through "Amazon.com LLC". There are several providers of this part and unless you knowingly select a specific provider, you get which ever is the default seller out of multiples. The part I recieved appeared to be a genuine Whirlpool part, as it came in Whirlpool packaging.

I was replacing an motor in a Kenmore dryer and this was the part specified by Sears, but theirs was significantly more expensive. The part I recieved was manufactured, or at least assembled in Mexico. This is not the Asian motor that others seem to be having so many problems with. Like others noted, the wiring is different from my original motor and required the the replacement of two wiring connectors on the dryer (a fairly simple fix, but could be tricky for someone who hasn't done anything like that before).

Like others have noted in their reviews, the instructions provided for installation were poorly printed pages that were legible, but slightly difficult to read. The instructions do not explain how to remove the old motor, so you are best off finding one of the many videos on YouTube that show you how. Probably the most difficult part in the whole process of removing the motor was getting the motor separated from the plastic blower part at the back of the dryer. The best suggestion I found was to use vice grips to clamp on the nylon square nut, because using pliers and wrenches will almost always result in stripping the edges. The other trick is knowing that to remove that motor from the blower fan, you have to turn the motor in the direction opposite to normal (turn to the right).

Once the motor is out, it is fairly simple to reinstall the new one. I suggest replacing the leads first and wiring up the motor before reinstalling it. On my dryer, once the motor is installed, it is rotated counter-clockwise until it seats. At that point the male wiring leads were facing downward and would be nearly impossible to wire up because you can't see the numbering of the pins. The one issue that I ran into that wasn't included in the instructions was the replacement of the grounding wire. I had a green wire on my old dryer and the instructions didn't include a step for the replacement of that wire. On the motor I received, there is a T20 (star head) screw that is clearly marked as the ground on the motor. I had no difficulty connecting it, but if someone didn't have a T20 driver, that might prove more difficult. In the past, I've used a small flat head screwdriver and was able to remove star headed screws.

Installation was pretty easy, originally I messed up and installed the motor before wiring it and had one of the wires on the grounding lead, so nothing worked, one I figured out what I did wrong I quickly corrected it and everything worked beautifully. I know some people noted that their motors sounded louder than the original, I couldn't tell any difference between the two, personally.

I am very happy with the motor and I hope it lasts the test of time. I will update my review if I have any problems with the motor in the future.

ONE THOUGHT: Go ahead and get a replacement belt when you buy your motor, they are fairly inexpensive and since you have the belt off to replace the motor, you may as well put a new one on.


Fit my Kenmore model #10655249400 perfectly. For those who are wondering, this ice maker works with many older Kenmore models where the wire harness is NOT detachable from the refrigerator. The whole installation took me about 15 minutes from start to finish. This procedure is for refrigerators where the wiring harness cannot be unplugged from the refrigerator.

1. Turn off the water, unplug the refrigerator, and remove the ice container.
2. Remove the cover from the old ice maker.
3. Use a 1/4 driver to loosen (do NOT remove) the top two bolts.
4. Remove the bottom bolt.
5. Gently lift the ice maker up to remove it from the mount.
6. Use a small flat blade screwdriver and push down on the white clip while pulling on the wiring harness to remove it from the old ice maker, and then remove the wiring harness from the fuse clip.
7. Gently pull the shut off arm from the back of the old ice maker and then pull the front of the shut off arm out.
8. Remove the cover from the new ice maker and use a flat screwdriver to remove the wiring harness.
9. Install the shut off arm onto the new ice maker by gently inserting into the back of the new ice maker and then gently push in the front.
10. Slide the wiring harness from the refrigerator into the new ice maker until it clips and insert the fused wire into the fuse clip.
11. Gently lift the new ice maker and push it over the water fill tube. Make sure the fill tube goes through the hole.
12. Gently maneuver the ice maker until the top mounting bracket engages the top two screws and slide the ice maker down over the screws.
13. Tighten the top bracket screws.
14. Insert and tighten the bottom bracket screw.
15. Put the cover on the new ice maker and reinstall the ice container.
17. Turn on the water and plug in the refrigerator.
16. It may take up to 24 hours fro the new ice maker to completely cool. In most cases it should dump the first batch of ice within a few hours.

After the new ice maker is installed you may want to place a towel under the ice tray as a precaution in case water spills out of it. If water spills it indicates that either the ice maker is not level (most likely) or the water screw is set too far (highly unlikely). Check the top mount to make sure it is fully pushed down over the mounting screws. A small plastic water fill screw is located on the right side of the ice maker by removing the cover. Turn clockwise to lower the fill time.  In most cases none of this will be necessary.

This ice maker is a good fit, even for some Kenmore models (check Sears Parts Direct). It's a great deal on Amazon and even a better buy if you are lucky enough to get a Used Like New from Amazon Warehouse Deals like I did. Looked brand new to me. Most likely someone bought it and decided not to install it or figured it was too complicated. Believe me, it's a very simple job and will save you hundreds over calling out an appliance repair person.


This item is a generic exact copy of a Whirlpool product and fits my Whirlpool side by side that was manufactured in 2001; this is the model with the ice auger and clear vertical ice bucket in the door and has the optical circuit board trigger.  Install was easy in our model has a sliding sled assembly that holds this modular ice maker.  Suggestions to make life easier you will need a 1/4 ratchet socket wrench. This makes it unnecessary to remove a shelf.  I use a short straight blade screwdriver to gently separate the four conducter plug that connects the ice maker to the line in the freezer.  I turned the ice maker switch to off.

Some tricks to make install go a bit easier:
1. Our unit has one vertical locking screw underneath that holds a "sled" that locks the icemaker in the fridge. Once you have the old unit out and off the sled(if you one in your freezer unit) carefully remove the end cap that covers the timing mechanism. Looking where the connecting wire goes in there is a kind of hidden tab that locks connector to the ice maker. Pry DOWN on this tab and the wire will slid gently come out of the icemaker assembly.  I would recommend using the old wire harness.  Wire harnesses rarely fail. ALSO the fuse holder clip on the new unit was in the same spot as the old unit.  The new wire harness fuse assembly will require moving the chrome clip that holds the fuse to ice maker.  Hence use the old harness.  The wire harness was not made to exactly match the original in my unit and assumes the installer will move the clip. There are plenty of You Tube videos installing this type of modular ice maker.
2. Keep the old ice maker handy to compare.
3. My unit had a really flimsy flap door that is easy to break - this covers the front of the ice maker unit and does serve some purpose but mostly causes the ice cubes to "hang" or bouce back into the ice maker.  You may want to experiment with leaving the flap door off.
4. Test your optical trigger by holding the flap door of the receiver side of the trigger and seeing if the led light goes solid. If the light shines solid on, the unit is ok. The led normally blinks when the main freezer door is open.
5. Ice maker units of this type take a long time to start working up to 12 hours. Until the device reaches normal operating temperature, nothing happens.  While it is possible to use a short jump wire to trigger the machine into cycling I would just wait. If the unit fails to make ice and there was evident movement of icemaker(look at the tines of the ice maker tray or visually inspect the wheel inside end cap with teeth - you need a new solenoid switch for the water supply.
6. Why bother? Repairmen charge $100 to $200  for a relatively simple remove and replace of component repair.
7. Various parts suppliers will allow internal repair of a modular ice maker. The whole unit on Amazon was about $35 plus shipping. Unless you enjoy component testing and repair - buy the whole replacement unit.
8. The worst thing about repairing the icemaker is reading the 8 or 9 point printed Model number of the fridge.


Great timing - our dishwasher (Frigidaire) broke down Christmas day.  The day after, after driving 15 miles across town to a store who's online page said they had this part in stock, I arrived only to discover that I would have to wait for it to be delivered.  They lied.  After I complained the clerk told me I should be nicer around Christmas, which I thought I was, but I took note and was nice enough to leave without buying anything and I went home and ordered this here.  I wonder how long her job and her company will last, as it's name rhymes with Tears.

Here's the deal.  Mine arrived a day SOONER than promised.  It's somewhere between a 10 minute and 30 minute job depending on how handy you are and how much crap you have stored under your sink.

Steps:
1- Go to your panel and switch off the breaker that controls your dishwasher
2- Pull all the junk out from under your sink and turn off the water supply to the dishwasher, and empty the dishwasher
3- Remove the kick panel under the dishwasher (2 screws)
5- Open the little power box on the bottom right of the dishwasher and disconnect the three wires (black, white, and green)
6- Remove the two screws at the top of the dishwasher which connect it to the counter top
7- slide the dishwasher forward far enough (8-12 inches) to disconnect the water line into the dishwasher (lefty loosie)
8- Disconnect the dishwasher drain hose from the disposal
9- Carefully drag the dishwasher out from the cabinets, roll it onto it's back, and clean up any water spilled on the floor
10- Look for the motor and disconnect the power supply.  It has an idiot proof connector so just squeeze and pull.
11- With a torx bit, two screws holding in the retaining bracket, then remove the metal bracket holding in the old motor
12- Slide the old motor out, and do a final comparison to the new one going in.  If it's the same, proceed.  If it's different apologize to your husband for telling him you had it all figured out, slide the dishwasher back into the cabinet, reconnect the drain hose to the disposal so it doesn't leak all over the place, and tell your hubby to make due until the right part arrives as you send this one back.
13- Use some liquid dish soap to clean out the housing for the motor, and to lube the two new O rings that need to go on the new motor.
14- Stick the new motor in the housing (gently so as not to disturb the O rings), and when it is fully seated, re-install the retaining bracket
15- Follow steps 12-1 backwards.
16- Test it out, then make your hubby take you out to dinner for fixing the machine and saving the cost of a new one
17- If you swore anywhere along the way you probably owe him makeup sex.

I have only been using this new part for a day.  I will try to remember to re-post in a while to report on the durability of the motor.


This bearing kit was exactly what we needed.  Thank you to all of you who posted detailed reviews and installation information.  Based on reviews on other sites, I'd concluded that it was our drain pump that was leaking so I ordered that first.  Once I found and read through these reviews of the bearing kit, though, I realized that this was our issue (so we've returned the pump).  We too had a clay colored ring on the floor below the washer and a leak which had gotten progressively worse (to the point where we could see water running on the floor during the wash cycle).  We also had the terrible jet engine noise during the spin cycle but I guess we'd just gotten used to it because it had been going on for a while (the noise started long before the leak became obvious).  We have decent tools and are fairly adventurous on repairs in spite of our lack of experience so we decided to install the kit without purchasing the tool.  Watching the many videos on how to take apart the Whirlpool Cabrio was particularly helpful since the videos helped us get a sense of how much effort was needed to separate and lift the inner tub out and to pound out the old bearings and drive shaft.  We'd have been very reluctant to exert the amount of effort needed to get the bearings out had we not watched the videos.  If your inner (wash) tub sticks the first time you try to take it out, look for the video which shows how to use a car jack and a 21.5 inch 2x4 to put enough pressure on inside of the top of the tub to help it "lift" itself out.  We put towels over the 2x4 (no damage to the tub) and our Honda Pilot jack worked beautifully.

It really was not too hard to get the bearings to go in evenly using a rubber mallet.  It was, however, helpful to have two people installing the bearings.  My husband could exert more pressure to get the drive shaft and bearings into place and it was just helpful to have two sets of hands to move pieces around and install them.

You will need to take apart your washer to make this repair so expect to do some serious cleaning while you've got it apart.  I found six quarters in the sump area of the outer tub but no foreign objects other than lint in the filter area.  The hoses all needed cleaning and the exterior of the wash tub and the interior of the external tub needed serious scrubbing.

As with many of the others, we are doubtful that this repair will last forever.  The design of the washer, and specifically the drive shaft, bearings, and seal just lends itself to having water seep in this area and rust it out.  We really long for a washer, large capacity, without an agitator but with water level controls which would allow our clothes to actually be washed in water rather than mostly sitting on top of the water.  Surely the fact that we have to wash things more than once and use pre-soak and extra rinse on every load wipes out whatever water savings the manufacturer might have imagined with the current design.  I did look at washers briefly during this repair cycle (in case the washer was DNR) but it seems to be just more of the same.  Buy the kit... you can do this repair yourself!


The DX8 is an attempt by Spektrum to evolve their beginner line of radios into a more intermediate demographic.  It failed miserably.  The radio was released with a cornucopia of unsafe hardware and software defects, flaws, and legacy design faults.

Do a web search for "dx8 problem" and check out the DX8 owner survey that comes up.  46% (of nearly 500 polled) have unsolvable problems.  That poll is from a Horizon Hobby sponsored website, so it's probably too optimistic.

My own DX8 was such a basket case, it was morally unsalable on the secondary market.  Horizon replaced defective parts with brand new defective parts, like 4 of 4 defective control-stick potentiometers.  In fairness, I own several Spektrum DX6i's, a DX5e, a DX4e and at least 10 entry level UM transmitters and none have had a bad flight control potentiometer.  It's not just me, the internet is overflowing with reports of DX8 problems.  Search around.

A second critical problem is that all Spektrum receivers still use a legacy design that can only draw left-over electrical power from the 5V servo bus, and cannot pull it's own power directly from a high voltage motor battery.  That is because the design has not been updated since the days when all RC planes/helis had internal combustion motors and so servos and receivers had their own low voltage battery.

That's a dangerous design to use with modern e-power'd RC aircraft, because newer digital servos (a must for precise high quality control) and newer accessories like servo-less retracts use a ton of electrical power that can easily, very easily, brown out the servo bus and crash a plane with an old fashioned Spektrum receiver.  Helicopters are bigger, more digital, and even more of a problem to fly with Spektrum radios.  You can mitigate the brownout problem by purchasing a Pro BEC for each one of your airplanes and helicopters.  At $40 a pop, that gets expensive, and there is no guarantee that a Pro BEC will prevent a brownout (for example if a servo or retract gets stuck).

Spektrum's own receiver instructions say, "Inadequate power systems that do not provide the necessary minimum voltage to the receiver during flight have become the number one cause of in-flight failures."  Ok, so why not fix the design??  And what they don't say, is that safe receivers like Hitec's (no affiliation) 36V receivers connect directly to an high power electric plane or helicopter motor battery (up to a 10-cell).

A third problem is that voltage telemetry is built-in to the DX8, but not to Spektrum receivers, so you have to add a $55, 1 once telemetry module to every single model so you know how many electrons you have in the gas tank.

As someone who flies a lot of 3-cell to 12-cell planes and helis, I got REALLY sick of completely uncontrolled crash after crash...

AVOID!!

Buy an Aurora 9 instead.  It is three to five times the radio and commonly sells for less.


Update Feb 20 2017. LESS THAN ONE MONTH LATER...

The manifold tube (that inserts to the back wall water feed) that attaches to the sprayer arm was too short by a couple of millimeters and caused a slight tapping at first.  I thought no big deal, it will eventually settle into place and because it was moving freely for the most part, it would be fine.  (I did think about filing it down a little, but it would compromise the seal in the seams. So I didn't). Well after a few weeks of sanitary heated cycles - the sprayer arm gets stuck right at that spot.  No longer feeely moving and not washing the items in the top rack.  I've checked the pump, the drain, etc.  everything is working fine.  But the sprayer arm is not moving beyond that spot where it catches on the manifold.  Frustrating was not the colloquial word that I used while trying to understand why this is happening.  The cheap plastic and the heat do not mix and what was a "little off" that only caused a little tapping is now completely stopping the movement.  Ugh. Returning it now.

Just got it today.  At first I was happy to see that the piece was sealed around its edges along the spray arm.  That is where there was separation on the old arm and I finally figured out that it was the culprit for the leaking.  So that was good.
Here are my "buts"... the new spray arm was full of jagged plastic molding.  I looked and thought it was old caulking-but it wasn't.  It was the poor removal from the mold.
Then I replaced the old spray arm and its feeder tube.  My whirlpool is the old quiet partner II (about 8yrs old) So it had the insert attachment at the end that goes into the back wall water feed.  What I had to do AND NO WHERE ON HERE WAS IT MENTIONED SO I AM DOING IT NOW FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS TO BE AWARE...  you'll need to keep that insert and put it into the new tube in order to get the water directly into that arm.  Otherwise the new arm WILL NOT WORK AT ALL.  So somewhere in the description there should have been a mention of that.
The other big but was the feeder tube harness was a joke.  When the spray arm rotated, it would slightly tap the harness-over time and high temps, this will most certainly cause a separation in the sprayer arm.  I tried everything short of filing down that mold, for it not to tap/scrape.  And the length of the tube is exactly the same, but the new harness had to be placed on the very edge of the rack-not very secured into the rack- so I have to be very cautious when loading it into the rear water feeder.  So there are my gripes-if I had known about these things, I would've been better prepared or even splurged for another kit.
The good news is that the leak has completely stopped.  I still have to wait and see if it cleans well. Now off to file that harness down just a bit and keep my fingers crossed that this will last a while.


While replacing the drive shaft and bearings, a major undertaking, I bought this as well as it had to be removed to get the basket out of the washer. Compared to the cost of the drive shaft, bearings and the special "tool" needed for proper removal and installation of the bearings and seal, it was inexpensive and one may as well replace it at the same time. The old one, worn a tiny bit and obviously aged but still serviceable, is stashed with washer accessories. Doesn't take up much space. Not much to say beyond it fits perfectly and works properly. Does what it needs to do. Comes with two upper spline portions as which one is needed depends on specific machine model. My washer is a Sears Kenmore Oasis, which were the Cabrio made by Whirlpool for Sears with the Kenmore name on it. Be aware that the Cabrio and consequently the Kenmore Oasis evolved some over time. Ensure that this specific hub kit is for your specific model Oasis or Cabrio.

I've seen reviews stating this is breaking frequently. It shouldn't. It should last nearly forever if the rest of the machine is functioning correctly. Frequent breakage is indicative of a worn out drive shaft and bearings. Beyond breaking this part frequently, the washer will not agitate properly and your clothes won't end up as clean as they should. They are one of the design weaknesses of the model line although I believe that improved over time as the model line evolved and the new replacement parts are better than the original. If the drive shaft and bearings are shot they should be replaced! If they aren't, the washing machine will eventually start to sound like a coffee grinder run amok even in the agitate cycle, and water will begin leaking some around the drive shaft onto the floor under the washer. The grinding sound during spin becomes horrendous. At that point, replacing the drive shaft requires considerable effort to get the old one out. I had to use a bottle jack and specially cut 2x4 to jack the basket off the drive shaft and it simply did not want to budge even a hair, even after dousing the shaft with 50/50 ATF and Acetone in a metal oiler (world's best penetrating oil; gotta shake it up every time you use it). PB B'laster and Kroil are the best commercially available penetrating oils for parts that have rusted together. WD-40 is the least effective of all penetrating oils for breaking loose nuts, bolts and shafts/bearings that have rusted together. WD = Water Displacing. It's a water displacing light lubricant to prevent rust and water corrosion, not loosen it. My hub spline assembly wasn't damaged, but knowing now how the machine agitates and spins, and shifts between the two modes using this, it's not hard to understand how it could break if the main driveshaft and bearings are worn out as it will be subjected to much more mechanical stress than it was ever designed to tolerate.


We purchased this vent hood during a kitchen remodel project in December 2013.  We researched for some time before deciding on the ZLine ZLKB36.  We could not have made a better choice.  The vent has a classic and modern look, without any quirky or weird looking design features.  It looks absolutely beautiful, and works like a champ!  It is solidly built, and has the look and feel of quality.  It looks like it cost far more than we spent.  I see that the price has gone up $20 since we bought ours, but I would say that at $100 more it is still worth it.  This unit compares favorably or better than some very expensive range hoods.
We have our vent installed over a 36" cooktop, and it really sucks--the steam/odors right out of the room.  It is reasonably quiet, even on the highest setting.  Installation was easy, but we had to have a HVAC guy reroute our exhaust because our old one was too close to the kitchen window (our code says at least 3' away from the nearest window).  We ended up running our exhaust line through the roof, which worked out great.
We like everything about our range hood--the look, the price, the beautiful lighting, it works amazingly well, and it is easy to clean.  I especially like the 3 minute timer shut-off feature.  When you are done cooking and your cooktop/pots/pans are still hot, you hit the timer button while you sit down to dinner.  3 minutes later, the vent and lights shut off automatically.

UPDATE 11/2016:  We use our range hood daily, and it continues to work perfectly and look beautiful.  We finally had one of the halogen bulbs burn out.  I noticed that the new models come with LED bulbs, so I ordered an LED replacement.  Here is the link: Bonlux 2W MR11 GU4.0 LED Bulbs 10-30V AC/DC 120 Degree Beam Angle LED G4/GU4 Bi-pin Base 20W Halogen Bulbs Equivalent MR11 Spotlight Warm White for Landscape Accent Recessed Track Lighting (Pack of 2)

Also, a tip I learned for cleaning the hood is to use a little vegetable oil on a rag.  This gets all the sticky dust off, and does not leave any streaks like glass or stainless steel cleaners.


The only thing I can say good about this range hood is its look. It looks pretty neat for the money. I really could not find anything that looks better than this for the money.

I purchased this range hood to replace my current range hood (which is rated at 500CFM) mostly because Z-Line says the range hood is 760CFM in its product description. If that was true, it would be a good deal for the price (I paid $300). But the amount of air this range hood actually pushes out at exhausted vent when running at it max speed is much smaller than my old range hood does. I don't have an air flow meter to get an accurate number, but looking at how much the flap on the vent opens and feeling the air stream blown out when running this range hood at is max v.s. when running my old range hood, I would estimate this range hood is 300CFM max.

Other than that misleading description, this range hood has several other flaws:

- The exhausted pipe come with the range hood is plastic. This is not good. All exhausted pipe for range hood should be rigid steel pipe. It's not a big deal for me as I simply not used it, and used a metal pipe instead.

- The pipe adapter between the hood canopy and the round pipe is also plastic. This caused an headache for me. I couldn't find an steel adapter that fits the range hood from any store. So I had to spend many hours to build an adapter using a piece of 8-in diameter round metal pipe to replace the plastic one on this range hood.

- The design  and build of this range hood makes it's very hard and dangerous to do regular cleaning for the inside:

  + Inside this range hood's canopy, metal edges are not smoothed out. They are extremely sharp. That makes cleaning inside this range hood is a dangerous. I got several cuts on my hands when trying to do that.

  + The edges of baffle filters have the same issue, they are sharp. I plan to give them some sanding job to fix this issue.

  + There are many small chambers inside the range hood canopy. It's practically impossible to have a good cleaning for those chambers. In my experience with range hoods, if not cleaned properly, after using for sometime (years), the cheesy will accumulate enough and start dripping out on things being cooked on the stoves below! I tried to mitigate this with aluminum duct tape (the thing used for heating pipes). Using aluminum duct tape, I could seal/cover most of those chambers so that the cheesy stuff won't get inside them.

  + Many parts, wires inside the range hood canopy are exposed to the air stream the hood tries to suck out. It takes much more time to clean those. They should have been covered, not exposed to the air stream, so that we don't have to clean them.

I'm still using this range hood, not returning it even with all those issues because I damaged my old range hood canopy when taking it out. I need something to fill that old range hood's place! I'm planning to salvage the old blower and throw away this range hood weak blower to 'fix' the capacity issue.


We could not be more pleased with how quickly the hood arrived and how well packaged it was.  We are in the middle of kitchen remodeling and we had to wait a while until the cabinets were in place in order to install it.

I won't talk about the process of installation because everyone has different needs, for instance, venting issues, re-routing of air pipes, holes in ceiling or wall, etc.

The Hood looks amazing but the most important thing is that it works as intended. It does.

The picture shown on the description is not the same one we got. Ours is all stainless steel with steel baffles. 760 CFM's.  We were able to install it at 32" from the top of the high power gas stove and it works beautifully without getting in the way. (for those with high BTU gas stoves, do the research for your stove since high BTUs and high CFMs may need extra distance)

We specially enjoy the fact that the hood can be set up to shut itself off after 3 minutes.

It is a bit loud, but not as loud as the piece of junk it replaced with less than 300 CFMs. We have kitchen/family room combo and there is enough noise with TV and kids to make no difference. The main thing is that it contains cooking odors and there is no grease on the side cabinets.

After cooking a dish with cabbage as one of the ingredients, we could all tell how much better this hood was than the one we had before. It did not smell in the bedrooms or hallway.

In short, we love the hood. It looks great. The stainless steel is beautifully polished and is eye candy as well as a great performer.

One thing to remind myself of and leaving it here for those who will find it useful: When cleaning the baffles, remember to remove and wash the capture plastic container.

Okay, how is the service with this company?

If you have to deal with anyone there, you may be pleasantly surprised with the fact that your call is not routed out of the country.  My contact person was Laureen in Ohio and she could not have been more friendly and professional.

The fast responses received from Laureen is reminiscent of times gone by. If you are old enough, you will remember when customer service, professionalism, courtesy, and problem solving, were the golden standard upon which businesses were built. This is most definitely the case here.

Our reason for the contacts is the fact that our ceilings are 10' feet tall. If that is the case for you, ensure that you order the right extensions to fit your needs at the time of placing the order.

We could not be more pleased with the product or the company. We highly recommend them.

In response to someone complaining about the screws: We used our own to install the hood based on the location of our studs and size of holes that had to be drilled. It is not a big problem or a reason to downgrade the quality of the product.

(As soon as I know how to insert a picture of the installed hood, I will)


In full disclosure, I actually purchased this unit directly from Beverage Factory and not through Amazon because I wanted certain upgrades.

I spent a ton of time researching kegerators and just couldn't justify spending up to $1400 or more on a commercial unit.  I bought this one and upgraded to the SS Tower with Perlick faucets and purchased a tower cooler.

The highlights for this unit over others is as follows:
1. the size is able to easily fit oversized kegs.  I have also succeeded in putting two 1/4 kegs in mine.  I know the official description says that you can't but I have succeeded and the door is shut completely.
2. Circulating fan inside.  Yeah, you can buy a cheaper kegerator and make this mod yourself but this one is done for you and worth the money.
3. Quiet operation.  This thing is actually in my living room and the noise is not an issue at all.  It is quieter and cycles less than my kitchen fridge.
4. Digital temperature adjustment.  You don't need to open the door to adjust temperature.  This isn't a huge deal but trust me, if you want to change temps in a cheaper kegerator and you've already got the kegs inside and tapped, it's a pain to adjust.  I personally found it worth the money to upgrade to this unit for that feature.
5. Deep chill function.  This is great for getting a big keg down to temperature quickly and shows me that they must trust the compressor to handle that load.
6. The Beverage Factory did an excellent job of getting this unit shipped to me and there were absolutely no issues.  Their customer service is top notch.  I had an issue with the original tower cooler that was sent but they took care of it immediately.  I am very happy that I purchased from this company and I'm not a paid shrill.

Recommendations are to upgrade to the SS Tower with Perlick faucets and purchase a tower cooler.  The tower cooler will cut down on foamy beers.  One of the downfalls of this style of kegerator is the lack of cooling to the tower.  I don't necessarily recommend the tower cooler sold by Beverage Factory but I did purchase it and it is working fine.  The perlick faucets are classy and don't gum up, trust me on this one, they are worth the money.  You might also invest in a lo-boy perlick coupler to allow a little more room if you're going to try to sandwich two 1/4 barrels into this bad boy, but it isn't necessary.

Overall, this is the best kegerator for the money.  Yeah, a commercial unit would be nicer but again, you're going to start around $1400 and by the time you outfit it with couplers, regulators, lines, faucets, etc...  You'll probably be closer to 1600 and you can get this thing upgraded and shipped for probably closer to $800.


Update! 12/19/14
I have dried a couple of different things in this dryer. I used a big fluffy pillow that was spin dried and it fluffed up the pillow wonderfully. I used a hot setting instead of air dry like usual and it didn't mess up the pillow. I have used my homemade dryer ball in this dryer and it worked nicely as well. Some water got into the drum when I was washing some stuff, but it took it like a champ and I dried the inside of the drum with a towel and let it run on hot for a few minutes and it still is running smooth as butter. I have bought a twin tub washer to complete my set and I'm excited about trying out a twin sized blanket in here. It takes about 2 hours on the hot setting to finish and the air dry is really nice. It can get stuffed pretty full of clothes and isn't finicky. I love this dryer.

I have a koblenz agitator washer from a 2nd hand store and I wanted a dryer for small spaces to go along with it. The price is great and I can't find this little beauty 2nd hand. I might upgrade to a panda model that has the two tubs in the future. Agitator Models wash things great, but I really want a spin dryer to balance things out.

I just got this little dryer and I love it. It runs very quietly, I almost forgot it was running! It does take a little while, but it gets the clothes nice and fluffy and dry. It plugs directly into any three pronged socket. The only thing that made me annoyed was that it came with venter stuck on the metal attachment that I cannot get off. It still vents, but it is a bit of a problem for the future if I want to get the lint catchers I've seen recommended with this model. I haven't used it at full capacity yet, but I don't need this for anything other than getting my daily clothes nice and dry. Even with Twin bed blankets I don't think this dryer will work for those, so I will be more than happy to air dry those on nice dry days. I'm pretty sure it will dry sheets though. I want to try out different combinations this week to see how it works with things, especially if I can get a pillow in there to fluff up on air dry. The venting is nice and cool-you can put your hand right over the vent!

This model is very very small, smaller than I had thought! If you have problems bending down, you might want to mount it somewhere or put it on a dedicated table. It doesn't shake or agitate too much, but I think securing it any place that's not on a floor is the best plan. I will be mounting it somewhere because it's better not to have to bend down to get all the clothes sorted out.

All and all I'm really satisfied by the price and how it works.


Own a prewar co-op with a way cramped kitchen.  My unit was most likely the coal scoopers unit at one point in time.  Looks great, fits everywhere, cleans thoroughly and easy to use.  The top can also function as additional prep space.  I keep those flat plastic cutting mats on it to keep it looking decent.  Runs quiet.

Out of the box, the unit comes with a metal tap adaptor that locks onto a plastic faucet adaptor on the unit. There are two hoses; one to bring water to the washer and the other to drain. The instructions say to use cold water which I do because I lack experience, this is my first dishwasher and I am frugal about my hot water use. Normal setting runs about two hours. Speed setting runs an hour and two minutes. I do not know if the water is heated.

I always use cold water from the tap, the speed setting, rinse aid and an all in one tablet with good results. I space and place efficiently most of the time. The dishwasher is plenty hot at the end of the cycle. The guide states to crack open the door for a few minutes after washing to allow for a more complete dry. There is a dryer heat element lining the bottom of the washer. You can get a pretty good facial putting your face by the door after a load. For what its worth there is a rinse cycle and that for sure does not heat the water nor do I think engages the drying element.

Unless there is some really caked and baked stuff on there my wash, often including at any given time an combination of coffee maker elements, goblets (mugs, glasses and wine glasses), the pitcher I use to feed as well as my Zero Water 23 cup dispenser itself, pots and pans, the occasional hefty flimsy leftover plastic thingies, Modell sports water bottles, my go-to utility plastic strainer and of course dishes and flatware come out spotless and dry.  Not a thing has melted in there yet.  Every now and again I need to put the water bottles on a drying rack because like life, those things are complicated and who wants to wash a water bottle only to have the sitting water harbor biologics?

Be cognizant to empty the outlet hoses after use.  In the last five months, I had to run a load with Finish machine cleaner once after a heavy use period when the unit get a tinge of funk scent.  Worked like a charm and I still have my two emergency bottles sitting on tap.  Pretty sure experiences may vary though.  I am big on the sanitary thing.  My pre-war brass pipes and budget faucet (literally less that like thirty bucks and I have to admit that thing looks good but kind of feels rickety)  have held up so far.  God willing and knock on wood.  Keep the fittings on the adaptor snug but please do not be a rookie and over tighten.  No need.

Obviously, I recommend this dishwasher.


I had an unusual situation to overcome.  I have a sink from the 1920s built into a kitchen wall with no wiring.  I cant disassemble or move anything in the kitchen, and I have no dishwasher.  My wife and I were getting extremely tired of washing dishes every night.  So The search for a portable dishwasher began.

Neither our local Home Depot or Lowes carried anything in the portable variety.  We had no choice but to buy an appliance, unseen, online.  For the record, this is a scary proposal, I do not recommend trying this.

After searching and reading reviews and more searching, I decided portable dishwashers were a joke.  More hassle than they are worth Imagine the headache of rolling a dishwasher out to your sink, hooking it up to a faucet, plugging it in, running the discharge hose into the sink really??? People do this  And then they have to load, unload, and undo all of those connections.  Not for me.

Fast forward a couple of years, we are now up to two kids We neeed a dishwasher!!  I went back to search mode and reluctantly bought this SPT getup.

Heres the deal.  This dishwasher is identical to a mounted model.  The only differences are the additional attachments, wheels on the bottom, counter space on top, cement weight in the rear (to counter balance the weight of dishes on an extended rack), and a power plug.  Im not hooking this up every night, Im installing it right beside my sink!

Im 100% sure I voided any warranty doing this, however it has exceeded all expectations.  I now have a dishwasher that functions just like a builtin, no moving, no hose to the sink.

The process was fairly simple.  I got rid of all attachments that were unnecessary, placed caster coasters under the wheels, plugged it into a well hidden extension cord and installed lines just like a regular dishwasher.  Allow me to list the advantages:

1.  No connecting, disconnecting etc just to wash dishes.
2.  Physics: The discharge pump does not have to fight gravity to make it up to the sink.  It is now basically a lateral connection.  This should increase the life of the pump.
3.  I can use my sink while the dishwasher is running Like regular people :)
4.  Additional counter space.  nice
5.  If ever I do remodel the kitchen, and no longer have a need for the SPT, it has wheels :) hello craigslist.
6.  Happy wife...

Specifically regarding this particular model:

We are a family of four.  We cook every day.  We use this dishwasher everyday.  Pots, pans, ladles, tongs, forks, knives, plates, glasses stuck on food, dried mac and cheese, greasy pans ALL CLEAN.  Seriously, ALL CLEAN.  Not just Oh, thats good enough, but really spotless.  I am so impressed with this thing.

We really could not be happier heres the kicker.

I waited 3 years to write this review.


I just loved the design and decided to purchase it in consideration of all great reviews. Less than a week after using it I wish I would have kept my old stove.
#1. I received a unit with front panel without the actual outlined buttons as pictured. Instead it is just underlined description of the buttons. It is nothing like the great looking display in the picture and I wish I would have returned the unit right then.
#2. I knew that only the bottom oven was conventional, but didn't realize how uncomfortable it is to use it. Essentially cooking on your kitchen floor, bending down or squatting with heavy pans with the door in the way. In my case it would make more sense to make the top one conventional since that is the one that most people may be using majority of the time. Top one is comfortable to use, uses less energy and should have had the convention option. If that was the case I wouldn't mind bending down now and then when it was necessary to use both or the bigger oven.
#3. The overhanging glass on the sides looked amazing until I pushed the stove into place and realized that there is metal flashing under the glass on the sides. This makes the glass sit up higher than the counter and not flush. Although it is probably less than an eighth of an inch I find the gap unacceptable and to me the extended sides defy their assumed purpose.
#4. This one really did it for me! To this point I was at relative peace with my huge mistake and just took it as an expensive lesson, but.... Today I've spilled some coffee over the control panel. There was quite a bit of it and therefore I was surprised that none of it got to the floor. Just wiped the control panel and it would have been a good day if it stopped there.... Just in case I decided to check for spill under the stove and that's when I discovered where all my coffee went. Both oven doors are double wall glass with heat vents on top of the doors and all my coffee leaked from the top down through the vents inside both doors. Streaks everywhere on the inside of the glass, impossible to clean unless you take both doors completely apart. Haven't even looked if it will be possible and ran over to share my experience in case any of this may help others in their decision. I believe it is only reasonable to assume that at some point you will have a spill over your stove. This makes the design unacceptable to me and it just feels like there is more to come... Wish there was a realistic review on this product before I wasted my money.

So to my experience the pictured product is a great looking stove, but at this point I wish I would have chosen proper design and functionality over looks. Stay tuned, I'm sure there is more to come...

UPDATE: Both front selectable size burners default to the largest size every time you turn them on. It would only make sense to default to the smallest one in order to save energy or the life of the elements, or at least it could remember the last setting. Makes no sense, it is frustrating not to be able to do anything about it. Horrible design. Also only the oven buttons (description of the buttons in my case) light up when pushed and you can hardly see that during the day. Stove buttons do not light up.


so far so good. Took 10 minutes to install. I was VERY hesitant to pay 400 bucks on something I've never heard of.

I've had this for about 3 months now, we hooked up our top of the line LG front load washer... we even hooked up the hot water line to the wash it as directed. so, our machine runs entirely off of cold water now. It's just me and my husband, and he's a plumber so he gets into some messes. What I like about it, is that if its something very bad you can always just add detergent to the cycle. but, I havn't had to do this yet. the clothing comes out and it has no smell at all- no fragrance smell from detergent.. etc. I do still run a tide cleaning solution through the washer once a month- but it's sanitized daily with the wash-it anyway. oh, and I was concerned when I bought it that it had to be made specifically for energy efficient machines... but it has a switch on it that allows it to be used on a traditional machine, or an energy efficient.

...and I have no idea what people are talking about regarding the "fill" time... nothing changed at all regarding the time of my wash cycles. but, my machine is an energy efficient- front loader. I would definitely recommend this product to EVERYONE- its what hotels and hospitals use to clean their bedding. its perfect for those with allergies and those without. No chemicals rubbed on your body and you save sooo much on detergent. The only reason a large amount of public doesn't know about this is because it would put the detergent companies out of business. also HIGHLY recommend for a baby because its NO CHEMICALS. its also better for the environment because NO CHEMICALS...

if you like this product, I encourage you to also look into a OZONE MACHINE for household use. I have a "ODOR FREE Villa 1000" you can find this through a google search. I had never heard of this until my aunt showed me hers and apparently its not a secret to the commercial world. its about 350 bucks for a good one, but it cleans the air. its wonderful, its how companies get smoke smells out. Its how hazmat gets rid of a dead body smell... you can leave it on when you're not home, they come with timers, and come home to a fresh home. or just plug it in for 15 minutes a week if you want. or put in your car for a while... I have 2 cats- I LOVE MY OZONE MACHINE! hotels also have these and use them regularly...so do bars... and veterinary clinics...home cleaning companies... and there is nothing you ever have to buy for it, its magic. infact, it was my experience with the ozone machine that made me finally go for it and  try out the "wash-it". DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TRY NEW THINGS!!!


We are very pleased with the Maxima XL duo. I have been looking for front loading washer and dryer combo, read lots of reviews and researched on Consumerreports.org  These came very highly recommended, and after using it for 2 weeks now, I can certainly see why.
But before I get to the actual performance, I'd like to mention a few things that we found a bit frustrating. Set up process took us almost all day, for a couple of reasons - both Washer and Dryer are missing a few key items necessary for setup (those are simply not part of the shipment). I gathered from reviews that we would need to order separately the power cord for the dryer as well as the connection for the dryer vent. However, it would have been helpful if the product description would have stated that a 4 point cord needed instead of a 3 point (those are very different). Also, the split attachment for the water (steam dryer requires a cold water line in) was not right, it had 3 male ends (female in with 2 male outs is needed). Of course we also didn't count of the steamer needing it's own water line connection (a total of 3 lines needed for the duo). With all that said, I am going to write to the seller and strongly advise them to post the list of parts needed, in order to help their clients avoid spending all day running to the hardware store and trying to match up the parts needed. Here's the list:
1 - Dryer connector vent, with 2 fastening clips
1 - 4 point connecting power cord for the dryer (this specific model only)
1 - female in 2 male out water connection splitter (we found that the garden hose splitter worked best, as it has shut off valves on each line)
3 - water line hoses

Now on to the greatness of the machines - both are very attractive to look at, very easy to operate. Numerous settings for both the wash and the drying allow user to make little adjustments (water temperature, soil time, spin intensity). The dryer has built in sensors to detect when the load is of desired dryness and will shut off the machine to save on energy. Audible alerts sound when the load is done. Another feature I enjoy is the light inside of the washer (I'm a novice to this, I've had dryers with light in, not washers) I find it very helpful. Both machines are very quiet when running.

One more thing I'd like to point out - for as many laundry room set ups as I have seen, I always notice washer on the right, and dryer on the left - with this set up this duo needs to have a door reversal kit ordered (we're placing the order today) as right now the doors open up and meet in the middle making transfer of the clothing very uncomfortable.
Having said all that, please note that my feedback for the duo is great, my complaints are non performance related. I am a believer in working smarter not harder, and this washer and dryer could use a bit of improvement and earning an even higher customer satisfaction!!!


Let me start by saying that I would not personally install just an 18 inch dishwasher if I had the choice.  But when we bought our house it already had one installed.  The cabinets are nice and I really don't want to rip them out.  Anyways, we had an 18 inch Frigidaire dishwasher installed that never really cleaned too well.  It finally sprung a leak and we needed a new dishwasher quickly.  No stores stock 18 inch dishwashers, it was at least a month to special order one.  We really like having a dishwasher and this was the only one we could get quickly.  Using Amazon Prime, the dishwasher was at our doorstep in 3 days.  I opened it up to check for damage and we were all good.  It took me about 30 minutes to install this dishwasher.  It is a pretty basic... no frills dishwasher.  It has 3 buttons on the front.  On/off, program(to select the cleaning program), and Start/Stop.  Basically turn the unit ON and select your cleaning program then hit START.  After this it does its thing.  It actually cleans really well.  No leftover food particles stuck to our dishes!  The top rack has its own cleaning jets which is nice.  Our old one did not have this feature.  The tub is stainless steel which cleans easy.  I really like the removable filter.  Easy to remove in about 2 seconds, empty and large food particles and your good to go for the next cleaning.  Again our old one did not have this and the food just got grinded up and deposited on our dishes.  The dishwasher holds a good amount even though it is small.  We have 3 kids and we can "squeeze" all our dishes in---minus and large pots.  Since the top has its own spray, you can pack the bottom and top pretty full.  When the clean cycle is done it will beep to let you know this.  It does have a heated dry which works "ok", not great...just "ok".  I usually let it dry for a bit then turn the unit off.  Yes, you have to push the button to turn the unit off.  It will not run when it's done but in order to shut the lights off on the front you have to manually shut it off.  Yes, the front is very thin but I do not have any dents yet.  I even smacked it with a cabinet door handle on install.  It cleans very easily.  The dishwasher has a "basic" look.  It is not fancy looking.  If that is was your are looking for, continue looking!  If you are looking for a basic 18 inch dishwasher that is priced at the low end of the spectrum....then this dishwasher is for you.  I would purchase this one again because it cleans pretty well.  Not sure how long it will last because of the brand but it's working great now!


This drain pump is an excellent replacement in every respect. I had an issue where my Samsung washer did not empty out the water after a load was run and an error code halted the process. In my situation, the water level was slightly below the door, but it would not unlock due to the water sensor. Here are the steps I followed to drain the water and replace the pump:

1) Unplug the washer. Removed two screws and removed the top of the washer. Removed a small tube from the water level sensor (check YouTube for videos) and then plugged the washer back in. Press stop to open the washer door, removed the wet clothes (placed them in the bath tub) and removed the water using my shop vac. Unplug the washer again. Reattach the water level sensor hose and make sure the clamp is secure. Replace the top of the washer and secure with screws. NOTE: If your tub has water that is ABOVE the bottom of the door, do not open it using this process or the water will stream out! Instead, you may want to use containers to catch the water when removing the pump hoses, but it will be the FULL amount of water in the tub and can be equally or more messy - just carefully weigh your options!

2) Turn off the water supply, remove the drain pipe, pull out the washer and remove the back of the washer with two screws. The pump is attached to the frame using three screws and located below the washer drum. Although I used a shop vac to drain the drum, there was still water in the hoses to and from the pump. So I used a 6" x 9" tupperware pan to catch water from each hose as I removed them. The hoses have pressure clamps you can release by hand or using pliers. There were also metal clamps that kept the power connection from coming loose with vibration, I removed these carefully.

3) After removing both hoses and the power cable assembly, I removed the three screws securing the pump to the frame and they were extremely tight. I used a socket wrench to remove them after breaking them free with a couple hammer taps - if you use a screwdriver, be careful not to strip the top. My old pump was not clogged and still turned freely, but no longer was pumping out water. I emptied out the tupperware containers and cleaned up any splashed water in the bottom of the washer.

4) I installed the new pump and reattached the hoses and power, following the reverse process to the old pump removal. After firmly attaching the hoses all the way down on each connection, make sure the hose clamps are positioned in the middle of the hoses.

5) I placed several paper towels under the pump and hose connections and (with the back still open) I reconnected the drain, turned on the water supply, plugged in the power and ran two empty loads (rinse only) to test the new pump. The pump drained out the water perfectly and I could not find any water on the paper towels or either hose connection. I removed the paper towels, reattached the back with two screws and re-positioned the washer. Done!

I hope this helps anyone needing to replace the same pump, this will save you 75% of the cost of a service call.


My husband and I just bought a house with a Samsung front-loading washer with SilverCare and VRT (no idea what model number it is), and this drain pump worked perfectly!  I tried to run a cleaning cycle on the washer, but the cycle got stuck when it was time to drain, and the display flashed "nd" - a quick search revealed that "nd" on the display means that the washer is not draining.  I could hear the drain pump making noise, but it clearly wasn't working properly.

Thanks to a couple of youtube videos and the fantastic review on here by RDLMV, I was able to get the old drain pump out.  A couple of additional tips/suggestions - WEAR GLOVES!  I saw that note on RDLMV's review but thought "that can't be necessary, I'll just be careful..." and while I was careful, I did manage to cut my wrist in a couple places.  Also, I didn't have a pump or anything to drain the washer, so I bailed it out as best I could with a gallon size ziploc bag (really the best thing for bailing because it doesn't scratch the inside of the drum and also is flexible enough get most of the water out, unlike a plastic cup).  Then, once I got the back panel off and could access the drain pump, I disconnected the black hose (the one connecting the drum and the drain pump) first, and immediately stuck the end of the black hose in my ziploc bag.  I still ended up with some water on the floor, but managed to catch about 3/4 of a gallon in my ziploc bag.  If you disconnect the gray hose first (the one that goes from the drain pump to the wall) you'll have to catch water coming out of the drain pump, and it's harder to get a bag in there to catch water at that angle.

My existing drain pump was totally messed up - I think the prior owners of the house must have been tossing handfuls of rocks and gravel in their washing machine because the impellers (little propeller-looking pieces on the inside that spin around and push water out) were COMPLETELY worn down.  There was also a lot of sediment in both the hose going into and leading out of the drain pump, and in the drain pump itself.  Replacement of the drain pump was super easy - once you get the hoses disconnected, there are three hex shaped bolts you'll need to remove (I'd recommend a small socket wrench, because there isn't a ton of space to work inside the washer), and then you need to disconnect the power.  You don't need to disconnect the wires or anything - the entire white socket piece with the wires and the little red cover disconnects from the drain pump pretty easily and in one piece.  Reconnecting everything is also easy, and the power supply only fits into the receptacle on the drain pump in one direction, so you don't have to remember whether the blue or black wire was on the right/left. :)


I didn't buy this pump through Amazon, but wanted to leave some tips for others who had the same problem as me.

Samsung WF328AAW /XAA,  SAMSUNG DC96-01414A Drain Pump
First, yes, this is a stupid design for a washer where a loose clasp can get stuck in the drain pump rendering it completely useless.  I tried calling Samsung and they were zero help.  I called a couple of local repair shops and they all said it'd take weeks to get a replacement pump, oh and the repair cost would be ~$250.  $100 for the part and ~$150 for the repair.  I also asked them how difficult it'd be and they said it's very complicated and you have to take the whole top of the washer off, etc etc.  Not sure if he was confusing my model with another, but this certainly wasn't the case.

1)  First, turn pull the plug on the machine and get access to the back panel.  There are 2 screws holding a large access panel in place.  Once the panel comes off you can see the drain pump in plain site and very accessible.

2)  Make sure you have a bunch of towels.  What I did was I took the drain pipe and pulled it down as flat as possible so it drains out as much water (even without pumping).  If you have something that can pump the water out, even better.  Short of either, you'll need to have a bunch of towels ready.

3)  The drain pump has an inlet, an outlet (water, not power), a power connector and 3 large screws.  I first took off the outlet hose and took off the clamp (squeeze with your hand).  Water will leak if you didn't pump it out.  I then took off the inlet hose (again, water will leak, even more then before).  I then took off the power.  The three screws are very tight.  You'll need either a big handle phillips screw driver or you can use a socket wrench.

4) Once you take everything off, the pump comes right out.  Look inside and see if anything was stuck.  In my case, an undergarment clasp jammed it.  I removed it and put the pump back in and plugged everything back.

Here's a word a warning, when you clasp the hoses back, make sure the hose is all the way in and the clasps are in the right spot.  Screw it back in and plug the power in.  There's a flap that makes the power connector access a bit easier.  You just took the flap off.  You should also test the washer before closing up the back and moving the washer back into place.  Because in my case, my clasps weren't on right and it started leaking.

Pro tip...wear gloves and put a towel over the exposed metal running across the bottom of the access panel.  It's sharp.  I speak from experience.

Total time, 90 mins.  But if I had to do it again, probably less than 30...and if I didn't have to clean up the blood from my wrist, probably 20.

Good luck and hope this saves someone $800!


I've never owned an ice maker before, so I didn't have any expectations going into this. That said, I'm pretty pleased with it overall. There was virtually no setup, but it was kind of tricky to find a place for it with 6 inches of girth all the way around the unit. It has a cool, futuristic look to it, making it appear that it does something much more exciting than making ice. It would look even cooler if I didn't have to stick it in the middle of my counter! It does tend to get warm on the outside during use. Not warm enough to burn, but pretty warm. The manual instructs that you keep it away from heated appliances, like your stove, radiators, etc. That was easy enough to do.

Getting started was as simple as turning it on and filling it with water. Just a tip, don't fill it to the "max" fill line. It won't overflow or anything, but when the water is switching between the chambers, the ice tray will fill with water, causing some of the ice to melt a bit (or a lot). Even after I scooped out some of the water to keep this from happening, the small size ice "bullets" were melting a fair bit just sitting in there until there was enough on top to insulate them. Once the tray is half full, the melting wasn't an issue at all.

The machine makes 8 bullet-shaped ice about every 5 minutes when it's been running for a while. It seems to take longer when first starting up, I assume because it needs to get to the optimal temperature. The manual warns that high temperatures will slow the machine down. I'm curious to know how it will perform in the summer. After 2 hours, I had 1/4 gallon freezer bag worth of ice. That's an almost full ice tray, meaning every 2 hours you're going to have to empty it or the sensor will kick in and stop producing ice. That's not a big deal, but if you were hoping you could let this run for days and stockpile your ice, that won't really work.

Overall, I'm pleased with it's performance. It makes uniform, bullet-shaped ice with hollow centers and domed tops. It makes them fairly quickly. I wish the unit wasn't so big though. Only about 1/5 of the machine actually holds the ice it makes, and this is a very large unit, much bigger than my Keurig K60 coffee machine to give you an idea. If you're going to have it on the counter, be prepared that it's over a foot deep and even taller from base to top. It would probably be more practical on a table. I recommend that if you're planning to let it run at night, not to put it anywhere near your bedroom as it's quite loud when the ice dumps into the tray. It drove my son nuts so I had to turn it off before bed, even though our rooms are a good 60 feet from the kitchen.


I've had my Panda for a little over a month now, and have washed with it about every other day. I live in a small apartment in an ancient house, so putting in a washer and dryer would cost thousands. I researched a lot before choosing this washer, so here is what I've learned that you need to know:
1. The washer is incredibly easy to install and move around, it's very lightweight.
2. I don't have a place set up for it yet, so I just put it in my bathtub when I'm washing and fill it up with my shower head---I have one of those massaging shower heads that has a setting that is pretty much like a hose pipe stream.
3. Fill it up halfway with water and Soap before adding clothes. The full mark is right below the filter which is blue on mine.
4. Expect to wash about 1/4 of a " normal" load.
5. You set it on wash with the dail, turn the timer to how long you'd like it to agitate, and go! The washer will spin and stop, then spin and stop until the timer goes off.
6. Don't put too many clothes in, you'll know if it won't spin while washing.
7. If something is really dirty or heavily soiled wash those things alone and on longest setting.
8. If a garment is fuzzy like a sweater, wash it alone, or all your clothes will wear that fuzzy thing.
9. This washer is awesome, but, you do have to have some patience. You have to fill it up, wash, drain it, fill it up again, rinse it, and then spin the load, possibly having to split your load in half according to its size to spin, then you hang them up to dry. But, you're not going to the creepy laundromat, and it saves loads of money.
10. Be careful spinning, too little and the machine will bounce around, same with too much clothing. The spinner should be mostly full with much of the water squeezed out already. When it spins it should be almost silent.
11. The spinner takes out more water than a conventional washer, and it also can wrinkle, already wrinkle prone clothes, and again, if you spin something fuzzy with the rest, everything will come out needing a lint brush.
12. Since the spinner is so efficient, most clothes do not take very long to dry by hang dry standards. Overnight at most.
13. I take mine out of the tub and put it on the floor in my bathroom when I'm done.
14. There is only myself and my partner, and washing every other day seems to keep everything clean.
15. It gets clothes really clean if you don't overload.
16. It does have an almost fuel-type smell when it is working. It reminds me of my Dad's old lawnmower repair shop. I like the smell personally, but don't worry, your clothes will not smell like that and it only smells a little while washing.
17. It's very satisfying!

Overall I give it 4 stars since it does take more manual labor than a regular washer, but is still amazing since you are at home and your clothes are clean and you don't have to brave snow to make it so.


I bought this somewhere else but I LOVE this machine. if you take it with a grain of salt that it is portable and not perfect.... you will love it. Things I learned and adjust to mentally before attempting to wash anything...... It does small loads so i deal with it. Maybe like 5 pieces of light weight clothing and a few socks or underwear thrown it. When you switch a full washer load to the spinner it take 2 separate spin load to do the one wash load in spinner. If you do long jeans its only gonna take like 2 pairs of adult size. Forget even attempting towels unless your desperate and have small towels. in tat case you can do maybe 2 lightweight bath towels tops. They just get to darn heavy loaded with water. Use a TEASPOON of LOW sudsing HE detergent TOPS , no more. Anymore and you will do like 3 rinses and possibly more depending on how much soap. Seems crazy but its true. Even one teaspoon of regular detergent will suds you up like crazy if all you have is regular I would do like half a teaspoon. Things like bras  or delicates need to go in a mesh bag first or you will have a twisted ripped mess .  DON't trust the hoses on your sink faucet end. Yeah yeah yeah they might hold one time and not the next... just hold it at the faucet end while filling , it only takes like 2 minutes. If you can use this IN the bathtub all will be golden. No worry about spills or mishaps or hoses slipping. have a hand held shower head and your REALLY golden for easy filling. DON't forget to get something like a rubbermaid tote lid to elevated bottom a bit from bottom of tub to avoid over soaking base too much. HUGE TIP..... if you use soap correctly and don't over soap... you can EASILY just do your rinse in the spinner. Just switch your water hose to the spinner side and run water in the first part of your spin cycle then drain for the rest of your spin cycle. This saves the whole step of having to do the whole rinse do-over after washing in the washing side. This step only works for mostly  NON HEAVY items and not over suds stuff. Last but not least...Are you short on SPACE or storage? Keep this thing on a porch or patio or balcony. Just keep covered in a large tote or  something  to keep elements out. You can even RUN IT outside if you use a bucket to fill the wash side and use a big bucket for the drain when draining. I found a big Rubbermaid cooler works great if you have one of those anyway. So all that said... YES its somewhat a pain but YES does the job if you need it and figure out your best plan of attack with trial and error. GREAT for doing even your lightweight stuff at home to save moneyf and then saving your heavy stuff for the  laundromat. IT REALLY DOES WASH AND SPIN WELL...if used correctly.


It works extremely well. The only caveat is that since this model drains by gravity, you absolutely HAVE to use it on top of a counter next to your kitchen or bathroom sink. The more expensive Panda unit may have a pump so it can be used on the floor, but this one must be put on the counter. Don't try to lift it when filled--it's about 28 pounds empty, and probably 40-50 when filled.

Process:
1. Place unit on top of counter next to sink and plug it into an outlet. Make sure the drain tube is hooked to its hanger in an upward position.
2. Turn middle dial to "wash" (keeps drain closed).
3. Put a couple tablespoons of soap and 3-4 items in the left side basin. It will hold 2 pairs of pants and a sweater plus undies and socks, or two towels and a bunch of washcloths, etc.
4. Hook plastic tubing to your faucet and the input on the top left. Hold tubing in place while filling the machine (it's plastic, not rubber, so it doesn't create tight suction). Keep the lid open and only fill it halfway or less with water; otherwise it may leak because the agitation is quite strong.
5. Turn off water and disconnect the tubing when basin is one-third-to-half full. Turn left dial (wash timer) to about 5 minutes, unless your clothes are very soiled. Machine will alternate agitation in both directions. You can leave the lid up and watch if you'd like, although it may splash you a bit, like sitting too close to Shamu at SeaWorld.
6. Drape the drain tube into the sink and turn middle dial to "drain."
7. Turn middle dial to "wash" again and re-fill the tub as in step 4 to rinse. Turn wash timer to about 2-3 minutes as rinsing is quicker.
8. Repeat step 6 to drain.
9. Items will be very wet. Leave drain pipe open in sink. Move 1-2 items to the right side tub, which is a spinner chamber. Place the plastic disk on top of the items, close lid and turn right dial (spin timer) to 2-3 minutes. You'll see water coming out the drain as it spins.
10. Clothes will be slightly moist/damp, but not wet anymore. Hang dry. Repeat step 9-10 for additional items.

It takes about 15-20 minutes to complete each load at first, although I'm sure I'll get quicker with practice. And my clothes smell fresh and seem to be perfectly clean.

I use this gullwing drying rack, although I only paid $33 for it in 2012. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00383O2UU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I would definitely recommend this product to other apartment dwellers, especially if your alternative is to pay $2.50 or more a load to the sharks running your complex laundromat. At approximately $200, this machine will pay for itself in 3-4 months of use, and the only things I won't be able to wash in it are big blankets and large, heavy coats.