Customer Reviews

Danby DWM99W Millennium Portable Washing Machine

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have had this machine for over six months and absolutely love it. In an apt. setting it is just great. It washes beautifully; I think it often does a better job than larger permanent washers when you use the long cycle. However, I always wash in cold water and air dry everything now on gull wing racks -= thus it is wonderful for saving energy. I do manually add softener for the last rinse, which is very easy to do if you set a digital kitchen timer as the cycles are consistent. It is usually quiet -- and the only time it isn't is if you overload it with too many heavy towels, which then makes spinning louder.

My suggested improvements would be to make the casters taller, the leveller lever more easily workable, and do something (or offer advice)on how to lessen occasional lint; Also, the faucet connector could be just a little tighter as I do get some drips.

I would DEFINITELY buy another if something happens to it. It is SO NICE not to go to the apt. laundry and fight the crowds... And it is SO NICE to have clean, nice-smelling, well-washed clothes.

In short, it's a flexible but tough little work horse. I live frugally in a smaller apt. so this is a real treat that has saved me so much time, stress and money. So glad I did it. If your model works as well as mine, I dont' think you'll regret it. I researched so many alternatives online and this sounded the best. I also had to order online and have it shipped but it was well-worth the effort.

I bought this washer 2 years ago and it is still working great. I had no problems installing it at all despite of the fact that I am a woman:-) It is big enough for 2 people and I had even washed blankets in it. It is easy to wheel it all over the place as long as you don't have carpets in the bathroom or the kitchen:-) I thought that it will be noisy but is actually quiet and it is easy to connect to the sink. The only problem I had (which is more of a problem with my sink faucet than with the machine) is that sometimes it leaks from the faucet but once I replaced the rubber circle inside of the connector it was great. Before the replacement I just stopped the water flow once the machine was full and washing. And I have a portable dishwasher which connects to the same sink using the same adapter so there is no need to change it if you have more than one appliance.

When I received this washer one of the rods holding up the tub was detached. I fixed this and it worked like a dream. However, a couple of weeks later another rod gave way. This one was much more difficult to fix because it was toward the front of the machine rather than toward the back where I could get a good look at it. The basic problem with this washer is that the supports that hold the rods in place are made of cheap plastic and apparently break fairly easily. The first one broke without the washer ever being used and the second broke while I was washing a bed sheet. I would not recommend this washer to any one else.

If you hate going to the laundramat, like me, you will love this portable washer. It is quiet, does a full load of washing, and is extremely easy to use. Jason at Today's Concepts was very cool, assuring me that if my machine arrived DOA, I would be reimbursed for all I had paid, including shipping (and I live in Hawaii!). This was the best Christmas present I ever gave myself. I highly recommend it. By the way, I have seen the Haier machine, and it is far less sturdy, only washes very small loads, and is more difficult to work with than the Danby; yes, it is cheaper, but you get what you pay for. I live on a limited income, but am so glad I paid the little bit extra for my lovely, hardy Danby.

I think I would love this unit. It has a huge tub and many options, however I can't be certain if I would love it as it has arrived broken!! I, like other owners, had the unit arrive with a broken rod. The item arrived late Monday and I inspected the outside of the item and down in the tub on Tuesday. There were a couple of dings/dents and scratches, but I was so excited about the size and look of the unit, I thought I could definitely live with these cosmetic blemishes.

There was a terrible storm that week and I needed my father to help me hook it up, so we didn't get around to hooking it up until Friday after work. The unit shipped in a box that lifts off the unit and the machine itself sits on a styrofoam base. As he lifted it off of the styrofoam, we noticed a rather large piece of metal fall from the bottom of the unit. That could have been the reason there was a dent that was pointing outward on the front (one of the blemishes I mentioned earlier).

I called several times and never received an answer Customer Service (they operate Monday-Friday Pacific Standard Time). On Monday, I emailed them. They said that they would exchange the item, but that since I didn't report the damage within 24 hours, I would be responsible for shipping fees. I already paid nearly $50 to have it shipped to my house broken, so I do not feel I should have to pay shipping on this item or a new replacement item. There is no where in their policy that states that YOU ONLY HAVE 24 HOURS. If I understand filing damage claims correctly, Fedex gives you 21 days, USPS gives you 60 days and Amazon and UPS give you 30 days... so if The Factory Depot is an Amazon reseller and ship through any of the above methods, then how do they get to make up (and not post) their own policy of 24 hours.

If you are like me and you are a single person or person with any physical disability, then do not buy from The Factory Depot unless you want to pay for shipping 2 or 3 times. So, unless you know that you will be able to open and install the unit within 24 hours of delivery, I highly recommend that you DO NOT USE THE FACTORY DEPOT. This is the first review I have ever written on Amazon and I'm quite certain that I've spent over a $1,000 on Amazon in the last 4-6 months, so I am only writing because I want to make people aware so others may protect themselves.

I've been emailing The Factory Depot (this started 6 days ago) and I still don't have a return mailing label. I've contacted Amazon to make them aware of the issue and asked that they help me get the item returned (at no cost to me). I'm hoping that they value me as a loyal Amazon Prime customer and make attempts to resolve this issue with The Factory Depot.

though this washer looks quite sturdy and may well function well, i didn't get the chance to try it out, because it was broken when it arrived. there are four vertical metal rods that support the inner tub. one fell out as i took the washer out of the box, leaving the tub very much unaligned and impossible to use. the rod had glue on one end (imagine using glue to hold a metal part) and the glue was still wet! the machine was also dented in a few places. i called the ohio and the canadian factories three times, hoping that they could advise me on how to fix it myself, but never received a response. i had chosen this washer after much research, had a LOT of friendly but slow back and forth with amazon re reimbursement (with a fruitful end finally), and still find myself basically washerless. this looks like a decent machine, but consider the weight and the possibility of damage during delivery (u.p.s. damaged the replacement for this machine, so i had to send it back, too). as an aside, i bought the "other brand" of portable washing machine as the third machine i got, and am considering very seriously sending it back, because it leaks out of at least two different unfixable places.

This is another Danby purchase I would do again.
Something I should point out that I forgot to in my review of the Danby countertop dishwasher is the kitchen/bathroom sink adapter Is The Same as the washer. So one adapter for both on the sink side!

I was able to buy one of these in Mexico, unlike the dishwasher. Good thing, because it weighs more than the dishwasher. I had it delivered. I started out using it with the sink adapter. Then I moved out of an apartment and into a house, and hooked it up with regular washer hose. (Got hot water by attaching the hose to the bottom of the water heater).

Unlike the dishwasher, the unit is very quiet. I had no "walking" while in the spin cycle when I had it on casters. I just bought a rolling plant stand instead of the Danby casters.

Sure the stainless tub (dishwasher has a stainless tub too) is smaller than today's "normal" washer. Reminds me of the amount of clothing a washer from 60 years ago could do.

Like the dishwasher, all mechanical controls, no electronics. Again, very light on resources like water and power needs. Really does what they say it will. Make sure you don't let the drain hose come out of the sink. The fresh water will keep filling, and going right out the drain hose on to the floor.

I dropped using a laundry service after my co-author Gudrun showed me the miracle of micro-fiber. Great fabric choice for any road warrior, and I was afraid the local service wouldn't know to say, not use fabric softener on my clothing.

This unit is GREAT on my micro-fiber fabrics using the economy cycle with the gentle button turned on. Yet it can do my heavy cotton robe or quilt cover in regular mode.

A fantastic buy.

I don't normally write reviews, but I had to for this washer.

I live in an apartment, and as a first time apt dweller I learned that you have to go to the laundromat way too often when you don't have access to a washing machine. Each week I was spending at least $10 to wash clothes in a nasty laundromat while I sat around and waited forever and protected my clothes. It was both miserable and a huge waste of my time. So I decided that something must be done. I originally planned to get a regular washer and hook up to my kitchen sink somehow (it can be done), but then realized that might be a little trickier than it had to be.

After some research, I found the Danby portable. I was attracted to it immediately, but needed to make sure that it was going to be a good machine.

I had to drive a 6 hr round trip to get it; it wouldn't fit in my car, so I had them unpack it and jam it in. Then once I got back late at night, I carried it up to the 2nd floor MYSELF and set it up. I triumphantly washed a load and almost cried from happiness.

The set up is straight forward, you just have to fiddle with the aerator and make sure you get the hoses in the right place etc. If you don't have 2 facuets you'll have to switch temps in the middle of a load, so I just wash everything on hot.

It has made my life much happier and easier. I have clean clothes and can fit quite a bit in a load. I don't over do it though because I really don't want it to break.

My only complaint is that the hose leaks in the back on occasion, but I've tightened it several times and it doesn't leak anymore.

My advice? Buy it, use it, love it. But make sure you're home when you run it so that you don't potentially come back to a Noah's ark situation.

Well, I must have gotten a LEMON, because this washer leaks everytime, if you want flooded floors each time you launder, this ones for you! Leaks around the cord coming out of the mcahine, leaks underneathe constantly during washing cycle. I have towels around it and a mop to keep wiping up, so neighbor below doesn't get their ceiling wet. Knob to raise and lower wheels fell off and won't go back on, so now I can't even move it to the sink to use it at all. The agitator knotted the clothes and towels, sheets up around it as it moves and shoves them up out of the water, so they are not even getting washed. The only good thing about it is the size and it looks cute, sitting there, but I do not need a usless piece of crap to just sit there to stack things on, for that is all this washer is good for. I was so excited to buy this and it was a hassel to get it up 5 flights, I was estatic to start using it, and the first time, water leaking all under it, clothes out of water climbing up the agitator, knob falls off to roll it and will not go back on. I only attempted to use it 4 times. A horibble, nightmare of a machine. Now it just sits there with kitchen stuff stacked on it, can't deal with paying someone to take it back down my 5 flights to junk it, no room with this in here to buy another brand. The cost of having a repair man out to fix it, was almost just as much as buying another different brand. DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE. I don't know how the other reviewers GOT LUCKY, but this is the same exact machine I bought and it is not worth one dollar.

I was so happy to find a washer that fit in my tiny house when my 21 year old Sanyo died. The Danby spins faster than the Sanyo did, so it is easier on my dryer. I like it!