combination washer dryer

[William Brown]

I was attracted to the idea of a front-load washer, and now I find that there are a number of combination front-load washers and dryers. Brands I have found include Amtech, LG, and quietline (which seems to be under the names of Thor, Bendix, and Philco).

I realize that they take a smaller load, but our kids are gone now and I like the water and soap and energy savings features, and have read that as they have no agitator they are easier on your clothes.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of device?

[Ben Coleman]

[Chuck Yerkes]

I lived in an London flat for 4 months and found these devices. I'd never seen such a thing.

Small loads and not really fast. Which was entirely moot. I'd toss a load of wash in and go do something for the afternoon.

It was great.

As much as I love washers than can handle 16 pairs of jeans at once, I don't OWN 16 pairs of jeans. I'm happy to see smaller appliances coming along.

I'd ponde a smaller dishwasher as my -current one is run about once every 5 days and we end up rinsing pretty thoroughly as a result; it's become the "dish sanitizer" and I doubt we're saving any water as a result of the prewash we do as it goes in.

[jeff]

Hi,

I don't own one but some consumer opinions can be found below.....

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

[Curly Sue]

I saw one when I visited a friend in Germany and what impressed me was the wrinkles! Even if I left my clothes in my dryer after it stopped, there is no way that they would turn out as wrinkled as those were. It was like they were heated to dry without tumbling. Maybe that machine was a poor one (don't know the brand, sorry) or my friend didn't know it needed service (entirely possible :>).

If you have the room for a separate washer/dryer you might want to keep it that way. I just wash for myself right now, but I bought a large machine because I wash my blankets, comforters, and so forth in it. One could go to the laundromat with large items, but after years of going to the laundromat, I shudder at the thought :> Keep in mind that even large machines have "small load" cycles, although I rarely use it. Also, I separate whites and colors. With separate machines I can dry one load while another is washing. It's true that you can work around that by doing different loads on different evenings if needed, but I like to get all the laundry done in the same evening or afternoon. The main advantages to the combined units are that it saves you one visit to the machine to transfer to the dryer and you only need one service contract ;> And, of course, it would be invaluable in a tight space situation.

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

[Bob Wennersrom]

I've never seen one so this is just my opinion from working on appliances. A washing machine has to be water tight to do it's job. A dryer needs to be able to flow massive amounts of hot air through the clothes as they tumble. It is very difficult to make an appliance water tight and simultaneously allow lots of air through it. From what I have read of these, both the washing and the dying aspects suffer from the compromises neccesary to constuct such a unit.

[Curly Sue]

Bit of trivia... I'm watching a show called "Hey Remember" and there is a segment on washing machines. They show a 1953 "Duo-matic" (apparently by Bendix) that was a front-loading combination washer/dryer (with a cadillac steering wheel door).

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

[maxkalehoff]

Beware of Thor Appliances - Washer/Dryers!!!

I bought a Thor washer/dryer combo. I was a fan the first six months, and recommended it to everyone I knew -- I mean everyone. I live in New York City, where most people don't have personal washer/dryers because of a lack of space and proper plumbing/venting. So the arrival of this machine was BIG!! It was small, but it worked. I was Thor's biggest enthusiast. I loved it, but the good times didn't last!!!

I had to have the repairman fix the Thor machine twice within the first year. Sure, it was covered under the one-year warranty, but that didn't stop it breaking down twice a year in the following two years. I paid on average $150 per visit from the repairman. The repairman felt so sorry for me that he even fixed it twice for free at his own expense, not Thor's. This was Thor's very own "certified technician"...the only one in the New York region. He now has nothing to do with them, and perhaps never will again.

The pain didn't stop there. I repeatedly called John Lee at the company's headquarters, and he was unresponsive to say the least, and basically said it's my problem that the machine is breaking repeatedly

-- "sorry, the one-year warranty is up, I can't do anything. you're on you're own now." I predict that this company will go out of business. They don't care about customers at all.

Current status? I still have the lemon in my apartment, and it stopped drying properly since the repairman's last visit three months ago. Moreover, it sounds like the bearings on the drum went bad, because it makes a loud grinding sound. It also rattles like crazy during the spin cycle, and prompted my next door neighbor to complain to me and my building management. Forget about running it while trying to talk on the phone or sleep -- it's so loud, because it's falling apart! I'm making arrangements to have it picked up and delivered to the dumpster, even though I haven't had it a little more than three years. It sucks, but I can't continue to throw good money after bad. I can't deal with the frustration! I just wish I could get my money back -- roughly $1,100. For that amount over the past four years, I could've paid a cleaning service to pick up, wash, dry, fold and deliver my laundry to my door!

Anyone who considers a Thor, please contact me at [e-mail]. I would like to share my experience in more detail, and reduce the number of victims of this company. For the record, I'm not out to get Thor -- the executives will have to live themselves and their reputation, and that will be hard enough. However, I do care about others that they try to rip off.

Good luck with your washer/dryer search. If you know of any single-unit washer/dryers that do work, please let me know.