This washer does a very good job of getting clothes clean, and it seems to be mostly trouble-free. Energy Efficiency Does not use an excessive amount of electricity, and with the water-savings - you do not use as much to heat the water. Cleaning Time This washer is amazingly quick, even with a full cycle and an extra rinse. Performance Very good cleaning of all laundry, with reduced water usage. Most amazing of all is that clothing actually comes out amazingly dry due to the extra-fast spin cycle. Ease of Use There is a bit of a learning-curve in using this washer, particularly for those use to the old knob-style washer control. What you lose in ease-of-use, you gain many options that would be rare in traditional-control machines. Design Not a bad-looking machine. Everything seems pretty well thought-out in design. This machine will handle a load larger than the matching dryer can handle! Durability The only issue we have had has been a bit of water on the floor that we never really figured out the origin of (assumed it was from the machine). Otherwise, the machine has worked well.

TheBattman

North Little Rock, AR

We bought our Fisher & Paykel washing machine in the fall of 2000 and it is still going strong. In that time we have only had a couple of minor repairs in that time. It does a good job cleaning while using less energy and water. It is a little loud during the spin cycle, but I consider that minor. It has few moving parts and is actually pretty easy to take apart. We have been able to find some minor problems all by ourselves and fix them. Just simple things like paper clips that went through the laundry and ended up clogging the drain, but it is nice to be able to take care of some small things ourselves instead of paying for a service call every time. Cleaning Time It has a time saver mode that still cleans well in about half the time of a full cycle. Ease of Use Intuitive interface, I don't think we even read the directions. Durability This was the first washing machine that my wife and I bought and after 14 years and moving twice it is still going strong.

RogerAlderman

USA

This is the best washing machine I have ever owned. It is a very efficient machine, but contrary to most other energy efficient washer, you can control the water level if you desire. I really love the variety of settings and how large a load it can handle. I cloth diapered both of my children, and I believe this was by far the best washer for the job. The washer cleans wonderfully, the ability to add extra water, and adding an extra rinse at the press of a button, is a necessity when it comes to cloth diapering. The water gets plenty hot enough on the hot cycle options, and I love that hot wash, cold rinse is an option, definitely saving energy there! My major (and only) complaint however, is that it broke down a few times and did not last as long as the other machines I have owned. We had it for 6 years total, purchased brand new. It was serviced twice, and the repairman informed us that the parts were incredibly expensive and not worth the cost of the repairs. So, we opted to trash it and purchase another machine. I really miss this one though!

krista94

Jacksonville, FL

After spending a few months in Europe, I had a brief love affair with the washing machine at the home I stayed at. It was quiet, it was efficient, and on a hot summer day I could dry my clothes outside in a few hours. When our washing machine broke in the US, I eagerly looked for one that would perform as well as the one in Europe. This is the one! It looks a little small, and the lid is made of a thin plastic material, but really it's what's inside that counts. You can really stick a lot more in the machine than you'd think, and it's energy and water efficient. It's REALLY water efficient, but if you have super dirty clothes, I'd recommend you set the water level instead of letting it automatically decide. Your clothes also come out almost dry, we can get away with hanging out clothes out in the summer or we only use 1/4 of our dryers recommended time! There are some things to get used to though. It makes a whirling noise that I wasn't expecting, it's not loud it just sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, and it won't let me peek at the washing part, the door locks as soon as it starts running- so if you need to stick an extra sock or shirt in during the wash you have to stop the machine and wait for the door to unlock. Sometimes, the machine gets angry when it's VERY unbalanced and will stop and beep and wait until you reset it, but most times it does try to rebalance itself. We've been together for 2 years now, and I'm still in love as ever.

rainyjean

Champaign, IL

We got this Fisher and Paykel EcoSmart Top Load Washer a few years ago and fell in love with it. This machine is very energy efficient and it gets the job done! We found the display/control panel easy to use from the get go. It was nice that we did not have to read the user's manuel to figure out how the use the machine. Secondly, the machine is nice and big. We can fit a lot of stuff in it and that is awesome because we go through a lot of laundry in a day. Another feature that is really nice is that it REALLY spins out the clothes to the point where they are almost dry. This is my favorite thing about having this washing machine because it makes it a lot faster to air-dry clothes that are wet, but that don't need to get washed. One of the bad things that we have encountered is that on occasion a few items will come out of the washer with streaks of fresh grease on them. We know that the grease comes from the washer, but we still have not figured out where it is coming from otherwise. Thankfully this only happens once in a while and the benefits outweigh this little negative aspect. A great machine for a large family that is for sure! Cleaning Time I love than you can adjust how long the load washes and rinses! That is really nice.

Schuljo

Pardeeville, WI

The Fisher/Paykel Washing Machine is unique. It runs with advanced battery technology instead of a transmission. It sounds like a small jet engine and frequently people will look at me funny if they are visiting and it starts a spin cycle. But it spins much faster and the clothes that come out are so dry they don't have to stay in the dryer very long at all. I had four teenagers when I got this. It has a huge capacity and does a great job. Clothes are very clean. It is simple to use. It is extremely energy efficient. I have never regretted getting this machine three years ago.  My husband grossly overloaded it once and knocked the basket out of position and it started bumping and grinding and knocking against the outside walls. Oh, my! I pulled the basket back into position, and just ran normal smaller loads for a few days. It has been fine and that was a year ago. The only problem we ever had and it definitely was abuse.

debbiebf

Weyers Cave, VA

In 2002, we purchased a Fisher & Paykel "EcoSmart" top-loading washer. It was a revolutionary product for the time, and nobody had anything like it. ("HE" was not a familiar term either). We wash a lot of towels, bedding, little boy clothes, jeans, and my husband's grungy work clothes, as well as my nice (well, kind of nice) work clothes. We had ZERO problems with it until late-2010, when the control board started acting up, and there was a small drip inside as well. We decided to get a new washer, so we could start fresh with a new warranty, etc. (The electronic replacement parts for this machine were not the cheapest. I checked into it. However, many machines are controlled by some sort of computer/board these days anyways, even the ones that look like they only have knobs, and I don't imagine any of them are cheap). I did a lot of research in stores, over the phone, and on the internet through official reports and informal reviews. I decided a front-loader was not a fit for our family. I also was uncomfortable with certain features of the HE models in our price range, for various reasons I'd read. However I did not want to get a traditional top-loader, because it uses so much more water. I finally found a store in town which carried Fisher & Paykel, and realized that what I've been looking for was a duplicate of the washer I'd known & loved for years! Lucky for me they still make the EcoSmart. I've only had my new EcoSmart a short while but I'm so pleased with it. I'm so glad I did my research and realized the best choice for our family was under my nose. It gets the clothes very clean, and fresh smelling, without balling/twisting them up. You don't have to dry them very long, since they've been spun so fast. The wash time is very short (25 minutes or so). I don't think it's too noisy. You are supposed to only use 1/2 the amount of (regular) detergent, and no liquid fabric softener is recommended (use dryer sheets, I think they're cheaper anyways). It's Energy Star rated, and uses only the amount of water needed to get clothes nice and clean. I'm really hoping this one will be as dependable as the first. If any of my friends ever ask what brand I'd recommend, I'd certainly say Fisher & Paykel. Not that this is a deciding factor, but it also plays music at the touch of a button- not kidding! It plays the U.S. anthem, as well as a couple other countries'. I think maybe some technicians had a little time on their hands on a Friday afternoon! It's fun to show my friends and say "Yeah, this is why I chose this machine. The good tunes."

SK2

Eau Claire, WI

Ok, I am trying to be fair about this. I had never heard of Fisher and Paykel, Consumer Reports said it was a good deal (and they've never really steered me wrong), the repair people I spoke to had never had issues with the brand. I did my homework. But just to be safe, I also bought the extra 3 year warranty. And I have used it, 6 TIMES. The pros: washes and spins my clothes perfectly, uses A LOT less water than my old Whirlpool, uses half to 1/3 less detergent, makes some noise, but it spins so quickly that the sound is gone right away, the settings are very precise, I love the timer/hold setting. Also, even though it's high efficiency, there are none of the issues that many people have with front loaders (mold/mildew, leaks, etc.). It's like the best of both types of washers. The cons: the pump, motherboard and display panel are worthless, forget about getting parts FROM AUSTRALIA during December (yes, I have been running to my mom's house to use her washer, in freezing temperatures, with young children, every other day). The pump has been fixed twice, it finally died two weeks ago, but then while digging around, the repair guy figured out that the display, motherboard, and control panel weren't working, so even if the pump worked, there wouldn't be power to the machine. So now I'm waiting for all the parts - fingers crossed. And the parts have been continually on backorder, too. My other issue is that if you even slightly over-fill the machine, the water runs over. I asked a repair person about why it always seemed to leak, and he said that because when it spins so fast, water will leak over the side if the load is too high. That was easy to solve, thank goodness. All in all, if there wasn't a pump issue (which they seem to think contributed to the motherboard/control panel failure), I would give this washer 5 stars, because it saved me money, time, and effort. I cannot say that I would buy this brand again, and I will be shopping for another washer soon, believe me.  

momincolorado

Parker, CO

We bought the GWL15 Ecosmart washing machine 2 3/4 years ago.  The control board has been replaced 2 times, the pump just went out the second time and the spring that holds the tub in place has snapped off twice.  Instead of fixing the pump for a third time, we're going to choose another brand.  The repair guy told us that the pumps are very touchy.  Buyer beware!

ufltmc

Abilene, TX

The Fisher and Paykel Eco Smart Washer is a high quality washing machine that doesn't disappoint. The big draw of this washing machine for me was the lack of belts and other components of traditional motors. The motor in this washing machine is electromagnetic, which means it works by passing electrical currents through a coil of wire to make the agitator move. Very cool! And also, that means that it's unlikely that it will break down, at least not before it's put in a long hard-working life! It does a great job cleaning clothes, and another cool feature is the spin dry mode. It really revs up quickly, getting clothes pretty dry before you even get them into the dryer! That means the dryer doesn't have to run as long, and in the end you end up saving more money. The washing machine also automaticlaly selects the water level, making sure you use the minimum amount possible, again, a money saver! Lastly, the controls are intuitive and give you many options (more than I ever use) for washing clothes. A nice feature is the "Favorite" button, which you can program for your preferred combination of options. All in all, this is a high quality washing machine that I plan on using for a long time to come!

Tiger519

Fletcher, NC