Customer Reviews

Whirlpool Duet Sport : WFW8300SW 27 Front-Load Washer - white

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(39)

 

 

I love my Whirlpool Duet Sport WFW8300SW (3.4 capacity) Front Loading washer and I'd recommend it to everyone I know. After several major brands turned into duds, Whirlpool and Kenmore are the only brands I trust for major appliances.

Features I love:

I don't have to guess the amount of water to use for the size of my load. This machine has an auto water level that adjusts to the size of the load. Since there is no agitator, my washer has increased in capacity. I can put more clothes in ...... up to 10 pairs of jeans! This model will let me add a garment during the 1st 7 minutes of a cycle before the door remains locked. I can choose from 3 spin speeds, 3 water temps, and I can add an extra rinse. The 7 preset cycles seem good enough to me but I'm happy I can make adjustments if needed. I love the quietness of this washer. I actually enjoy the sound of the gentle tumbling in and out of the water. My laundry feels softer and smells better despite that I'm using just 1/3 the recommended amount of fabric softener. An added bonus is that I will get a $100 rebate from my water company for buying this water-saving machine. I wish I could justify buying the matching dryer but my old dryer runs perfectly. Maybe in the future............

Some things to consider if you're torn between top loading and front loading washers:

Top Load Washer Advantages:

They're cheaper.

Wash cycles are shorter.

You don't have to bend down to get your clothes out of the washer.

You can add an article of clothing at any time.

Top Load Disadvantages:

They use a lot of water, more energy to operate, and are hard on your clothes. The agitator is a brutal device that basically "beats" your clothes while drowning them. This is very hard on fabrics, particularly dark clothes, delicates and sweaters (I did see one top loader without an agitator but read that these machines do not achieve the greatest wash results).

They are LOUD and can become unbalanced fairly easily.

No ENERGY STAR models.

They house a lot more machinery, which can mean more repairs.

Front Load washer advantages:

Much less water used - 14 to 20 gallons vs. up to 44 gallons in top load machines. Front loading machine drums are on a horizontal axis. They only use enough water to cover approximately the lower third of the tub while your clothes are tumbled up and around, in and out of the water.

They use 67% less electricity and gas. They have less mechanical gear so they don't have to work as hard.

Gentler on your clothes. The drum has no agitator so your clothes will not get whipped around and stretched.

Cleans better. The clothes are drawn through the water, not the water through the clothes.

The spin cycle is twice as fast as top loaders, which leads to less time in the dryer. So far I've noticed this results in 10-15 minutes less dryer time which equals more savings in energy. Also, there is now considerably less lint in the lint trap after each load.

Less water = less detergent, less softener, less bleach.

Not having an agitator gives 25-30% more space for larger loads.

Disadvantages:

Longer wash cycles.

Excessive soap suds can create problems for the machine. I am supposed to buy a special soap labeled HE - High efficiency. Apparently many major brands sell this detergent but I haven't purchased it yet. I have tons of regular detergent and simply use 2/3 less.

I have to bend down to put in and remove laundry. (Whirlpool makes a matching pedestal with a drawer. Pricey, but it's an option.)

I can't soak laundry overnight since the water doesn't cover the clothes. I suppose I could soak in a bucket if needed.

I have to run the "clean" cycle with chlorine bleach once a month. It is important to do because mildew can occur due to the air-tight seal on the front door. I should leave the door ajar after each load but this could be dangerous with cats around.

Now it's up to you to decide.

I purchased my matching washer and dryer at sears and have this exact model. First I have to say this was not my first choice as I tend to want to purchase the "cadillac" of every home appliance. However financially I had to be slightly more modest with my selection. I am amazed with this machine and pleasantly suprised!!
-It is EXTREMELY QUIET and the loudest part is at the end when it is spinning out the water, it kind of sounds like a quietly-muffled jet engine..lol
-On the very first wash I did my CLOTHES CAME OUT 3 TIMES BRIGHTER than my last regular top loader.
-Oh!! And it BARELY USES WATER....It turns to the right then the left coating the clothes with the detergent water until it saturates them completely. Then it begins the washing process where it turns several times to the right and then to the left all the while it basically beats the clothes against the drum as it turns..Kind of reminds me of the old times when people would wash their clothes in the creek and beat them against the rocks. :) It is such a simple concept and yet it tooks so long to get here!
-The other thing I like is the detergent compartment...it has 3 places to put your detergent, bleach and softener and then you walk away, no going back to add the softener.
-Another thing I noticed is that when the spinning process is complete the drum turns a few more times to the right and left to loosen the clothes from the sides...they come out of the washer fluffed and easy to keep wrinkle-free.
I haven't found anything yet that I don't like about this washer....I am a hard person to please and I am tickled pink with this! :)

I need to qualify my comments by indicating that we purchased the unit from Lowe's (Model # WFW8300SW) JUST a couple weeks ago... but so far, so good. Got 10% off so it was around $720 before tax and extended warranty. Unexpectedly had to replace my 12-year old top-loading Maytag. But maybe for the best considering its capacity. Previously clothes would pile up in a hurry with our 6-person household; resulting in mildewed/moldy clothes (read RUINED) and an overwhelmed stay-at-home wife/mom. Now we (OK, my wife) can pound out 2-3 loads a day and stay up to speed with the dirty laundry we produce daily.

PROS:
--Anticipated Durability (Consumer Reports indicates Whirlpool has lowest repair-rate for front-loaders.
--Quiet.
--Super clean (and pretty dry) clothes.
--SGreen: supposedly consumes way less water and electricity than top-loaders (too little experience to say for sure).

CONS:
--Hecho en Mexico. Is anything made in the States anymore?? (at least it's closer than China). A lot of Americans out of work/make less money so that Whirlpool can make more $$$. Such is life I guess. Jumping off my soapbox now.
--Out-of-the-box warranty is short-lived... but that's common now among washers (refer to Consumer Reports for more on this).

Don't buy a Duet Sport washing machine ... We bought the washer (and dryer) two years ago. The washer has performed ok (haven't had the mold problems) but that may be because we've had to replace the gasket three times now. The front load door seals with the washer via a rubber gasket mounted on the washing machine itself. This gasket has now torn three times in the two year period. When it tears, the door can no longer seal and water RUNS out the front (about a gallon per load-fun stuff). We thought it was tearing when pulling clothes after a cycle as clothes will almost always touch it when you pull them out (unless you reach way in, lift and pull the clothes our perfectly--similar to the childhood board game Operation). Today it tore during a cycle ... each time it tears, we've had to spend about $130 to get it repaired (parts + labor) so we're now almost up to the original cost of the unit.

Save your money on this one and look for a unit without a rubber gasket between the door and the machine. I've seen some that use a wire mesh type seal which would seem to be indestructible.

We've had our Whirlpool front loader for about three years. During that time, a design flaw has been the source of an ongoing battle with mildew smell both in the machine and the clothes it washed.

To add insult to injury, after only three years (the electrical warranty is two) the machine went dark. Unresponsive. Fixed and dialated. After $50 service call, the prognosis was that the machine needed a new brain/switch device for a mere $350 (part only). This machine will become landfill and Whirlpool doesn't give a darn. I will never again buy another Whirlpool product . Of any kind. At any price... unless it's free and even then I would consider repair costs for what appears to be shoddy manufacture.

There are better machines and far better and more resonsible makers. Find them and buy them. Leave this one on the shelf.

I took delivery of this washer on 9/1/07, in late November it stopped working. The motor refused to spin the basket at high speed and the wash cycle wouldn't complete. Despite the fact that the machine was clearly not performing normally, it did not display an error code.

A&E Factory Service has made three service calls so far with no resolution. While the service tech is courteous and seemingly competent, the rest of the organization is staffed by clowns. We have received incorrect replacement parts, duplicate shipments and a total runaround from the Whirlpool Customer Experience team. Right now, my Whirlpool Experience has been pretty bad.

While Whirlpool has honored their warranty to the letter, they have completely ignored its spirit and left me without a working washer for 6 weeks. They refuse to replace this lemon until the tech declares it unrepairable, which he won't do until he can no longer install new parts. In theory, this could be until the end of the warranty period. Good times!

The eco-friendly benefits of this washer were a draw, but its utter lack of dependability makes a strong case for a traditional (low-tech) top-loader.

Read other reviews before making your decision. You might also want to look into the Whirlpool Calypso settlement. Whirlpool has a history of pushing shoddy products.

Wow...I thought this machine had a great look and would save me on water usage. I've lost all my savings and then some with the number of repair calls for this machine. Every week or two a new error comes up on the screen. Sometimes the machine digitally locks and can't be unlocked...with my clothes inside! The front face plate also broke, which is very odd. One repair man told me that the manufacturers really still have not perfected the front loaders. I'm replacing mine with a top loading GE cheapo. Always had those in the past, and never had these kinds of problems.

We purchased the Duet Sport set on December 15, 2008. We have been unhappy with it ever since. I imagine that it gets clothes clean and does other things well but it failed to meet our minimum requirements and failed to perform adequately. #1: It is loud. From my research, it was supposed to be one of the quietest but you really don't know what it's going to be like until you get it in your home. Plus, getting a front loader for the first time, we didn't know what to expect. What we got was a machine that at various times in its cycles will interfere with normal conversation or viewing (we have a first level laundry room). If it were just washing machine noises (whatever that means) maybe we could live with that. But it squeaks, rattles and humms unacceptably. #2: It is violent. It shakes in a frightening manner. Now, we did level it, put pads under it, and had a service tech do the same and tried a variety of loads and spins. So far, no real improvement. This leads to... #3: It walks or slides. After the service tech was here and did some leveling and ran a test, it seemed fine. We later found out that running a full load through a complete cycle brought about a sliding problem. Here's a cautionary note: The Tech mentioned that smooth floors, such as wood laminates (ours) can help the machine slide. Who doesn't have smooth floors? With #'s 2 and 3, I'm worried about the hoses loosening up.

* As I'm writing this, the machine is going through a spin cycle, getting ready for takeoff!

All three of these points create a machine that is taking up too much of our time. We can't trust it to just wash clothes meaning we have to be aware of it and watch it. I hate to admit it, but this was a mistake.
BTW, I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because I'm giving it more time for us to adjust to it. If these problems still exist a month from now, and I have no reason to believe they won't, this machine gets 0 stars.

Update: After a month of ownership and two service tech visits, we pressured our dealer into taking this machine back (at a hefty 30% re-stocking fee). We then took our store credit and purchased a Whirlpool Cabrio. At present, we are very, VERY happy with the purchase. All of the old complaints have vanished with this machine. It does use more water, and we have to see about its durability over the long haul, but right now it's worked out great. With only a slight exaggeration, you could put a house of cards on the machine at the start of a cycle, and it might just still be standing at the end... and it's quiet. Plus, we took the pedestal off the old washer and put it on the dryer raising it to a point that it's very easy to empty. We ended up spending a bit more than anticipated but worth every penny.

washer malfunctioned three times within the first year of ownership - the first time immediately and control panel had to be replaced. whirlpool very difficult to contact and refused to take machine back - would only repair it.

I love this set! I've had mine for 3 years now. Washing time may be longer but I can really do much more laundry in 1 load so in all reality, I'm doing 2 loads at one time. The spin cycle really gets A LOT of the moisture out so that drying time is significantly less (have the dryer that has a "moisture" sensing feature, so it cuts down on drying time if the items in the dryer are dry before the timed cycle, then it shuts off instead of continuing to run). When I first bought it, I was concerned about it not getting my clothes clean enough. This washer exceeded my expectations and gets everything superclean. I use less water, less detergent (definitely get HE, I made the beginner's mistake of using regular Tide...waaay too sudsy, had to do a second rinse!), and savings on both water bill and electric bill. My unit is very quiet, I kept checking on it when I first got it because I thought it stopped. My only complaint is that I didn't get the version with a soak feature, which I like to use with whites. I've found that I really don't need to soak as long as I use the Whitest Whites cycle with a little bleach or Mule Team.

As far as the complaints of mold....that's because those people didn't read their instruction manual which specifically states to leave the door open so that the inside can dry out to PREVENT the moldy smell since the drum is absolutely sealed with the door closed. The manual also states that you should run a Clean Washer cycle once a month which keeps it clean and mold/germ free. The manuals aren't just fluff...they're actually there for a reason, people!

I wish I could have gotten the bigger set but my laundry room is small and this fit perfectly into the space. I also recommend getting the pedestals. At $100 a piece you may think to skip them but you really should get them. Saves the back plus you get nice little compartments to keep the detergent and other things handy.