Whirlpool Model #WTW5200VQ Review

Whirlpool WTW5200VQ washer.

Well, I don't know exactly what to say about this washer, exact that it seems to work fine. It's pretty close to the bottom of the line, so there aren't many bells and whistles. We knew that when we bought it, but we just wanted one that had a couple specific features and  would work like it's supposed to. (These days, that's getting harder and harder to find!)

It has 3 load levels and we wish it had a smaller setting than it does, because the lowest setting fills the tub about half-way with water, and sometimes that's a lot more than you need. On the other hand it does allow you to use plain cold-out-of-the-tap water, as well as "cool" "warm" and "hot" settings, all of which require, obviously, hot water. And the second rinse is nice to be able to use sometimes when I've been working with things like fiberglass insulation, which gives me the willies and I always like to rinse a second time, just to be sure all the "cooties" are out of the clothes and the machine both.

Many people who have this washer complain that it's too loud. I will say that it's louder than our previous washer. And I think that if our laundry room were in the house (instead of the garage) we'd find it objectionable, but I don't really know. One thing we've noticed is that if a load of wash has several pairs of jeans or heavy pants, the machine is much louder than if we're washing things that are more lightweight. It seems to me that means the machine works harder with heavier objects, which would be a good thing. Anyway, this is the first new washer we've had in about 15 years, so we don't have anything new to compare it to, but I would have to agree with people who say it's "louder." (I think some people have also complained about it vibrating too much, but we haven't seen that at all.)

There is one quirk that was designed in that caught me by surprise. It's typical that washers won't spin when the lid is open, but every one I've had will agitate with the lid open. And if you wanted to watch it spin, for whatever reason, the switch was right there on top of the machine under the lid. This machine won't even agitate with the lid open, and the switch is hidden where you can't get to it to force it to work with the lid open. I'm sure that's a safety issue, but to me it's a nuisance; if I want to watch the clothes spin, by God, I want to watch the clothes spin! Gotta have something to do for entertainment on those cold rainy winter afternoons! When this machine goes out of warranty, I'll be "fixing" that switch.

One thing about this washer is that it's direct-drive (as opposed to belt driven). I've seen a couple places on-line where repairmen said that's a real plus because it makes the washer cheaper to repair. These days, appliances seem to break down right and left, and repairs are NOT cheap! So I asked a repairman why a direct-drive machine is cheaper to repair, and he said, "There are only four parts that usually break down, and I can replace any one of them in 15-20 minutes." The last time I had a repairman out, the total estimate was more than half labor, so that's a very big thing if an appliance is quick to repair.

Anyway, the last thing I want to mention is people have complained about the 5300 (This washer is the 5200.) not spinning clothes dry. I will say that this one seems to spin the clothes drier than our old washer. In fact, our only complaint about this washer is the lack of bells and whistles but, as I said, we knew that when we bought it. As far as operation, we've got no complaints at this time. REST ASSURED that if that changes, I'll be back to make an update!