Whirlpool is one of the leading companies on the home appliance market, with over one hundred years of experience and history within the industry. Whirlpool shows no signs of stopping, either, as they’re always looking for new ways to grow their portfolio of appliances through innovation and creativity.
One of Whirlpool’s most well-received washing machines is the 4.3 cu.ft Top Load Washer, with over 20,000 people reviewing the appliance. This washing machine comes with 12 different cycles to choose from, with the Quick Wash option lasting for only 28 minutes.
This popular washing machine cleans clothes thoroughly while remaining gentle enough to take care of all of your clothes. The exterior is pristine with no seams around the sides of the appliance. The simplistic design fits into any house without a hitch.
Buyers Guide
Below we’ll be taking a deeper look into the 4.3 cu.ft Top Load Washer and trying to find out what makes it such a highly regarded washing machine.
Specification
- Type of washer: Top loading
- Material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 4-3/10
- Dimensions: 42 x 28 x 28 inches
- Weight: 140 pounds
- Water level: Automatic
- Detergent: Required
- Warranty: One Year
- Temperature Control: Yes
- Number of Cycles: 12
- Number of Spin Speeds: 2
Presoak
Who wants to spend extra time presoaking your clothes before being able to put it in the washer? Nowadays, our schedules are much too busy for this extra step, which can sometimes leave our clothes suffering from the lack of presoaking benefits.
Luckily, the 4.3 cu.ft Top Load Washer offers you a presoak option that can be turned on or off. This adds a few extra minutes to the wash cycle and incorporates the presoak into the cycle schedule.
This means that you won’t have to come back to the washer to start the cycle after the prewash is finished. Simply set the washer once and leave it to do the rest. We like this for busy people who don’t have enough time to be waiting near the washer all day.
Advanced Controls
The control panel is where the 4.3 cu.ft Top Load Washer really shines, in our opinion. There is an adjustable knob to choose the main cycle, and four other controls to tweak smaller settings as well.
The main 12 cycles include casual, bulky items/sheets, and heavy-duty washes, ensuring that there is a cycle for anything you need washing. You can then choose the soil level, between extra light, light, medium, and heavy.
Next up choose the temperature of the wash from five different options, from tap cold all the way to hot. There are four rinse options: one rinse, two rinses, one rinse with softener, and two rinses with softener.
As we mentioned before, you can also choose whether you want your clothes to be prewashed or not. There are also small lights underneath the main control that shows you which stage of the cycle your clothes are currently on so that you can estimate when it’ll be finished by.
Clean Washer Cycle
Speaking of cycles, there is an option to clean the inside of the washer itself. Top opening washers tend to build up dirt at the top of the basket where the water does not often reach, which can affect the effectiveness of the washer in general.
No one wants to wash their clothes in a dirty machine, which is why the clean cycle is a big benefit in our eyes. You can use an affresh washer tablet for the optimal results.
Other Cycles
With 12 different impressive cycles to choose from, it’s difficult not to talk about them all in great detail. For the sake of time, we’ll only discuss two more and leave the rest for you to explore.
The deep water wash cycle tackles difficult stains by using more water within the basket. This breaks the stains down so that they’re more likely to come out within one wash. Say goodbye to multiple washes to tackle tricky stains.
Another cycle that we think is very beneficial is the quick wash cycle. You can wash clothes in under half an hour with this setting, which is great for on-the-go people. What’s more is that this cycle spins more water out of the clothes so that they take longer to dry in the dryer.
One thing that we will mention about the quick wash cycle is that the clothes may not get as clean as if you were to conduct a deep water wash. That being said, the former will take up less energy, money, and time, so both extremes have their pros and cons.
Stainless Steel Wash Basket
The high-quality wash basket is made from durable stainless steel and has very minimal places where clothes can get stuck on. All of the edges are smooth and suitable for even the most delicate of fabrics.
Whirlpool has got you covered when you need to wash your favorite pieces but don’t want them to snag or fray while in the washer. This is one of the best features in our opinion, as it protects your clothes thoroughly.
What We Love
Now that we’ve gone over the details and main features of the 4.3 cu.ft Top Load Washer from Whirlpool, it’s clear to see that there are a lot of things to love about it. But to keep it short and sweet, we’ve narrowed it down to the top three things we like about the 4.3 cu.ft Top Load Washer.
Number of Cycles and Controls
There is a cycle for everything! You don’t need to waste time and money on using a long wash when you only need a short burst, and you don’t need to rewash things because of a too-short cycle length.
Not only can you change the type of cycle that you want to use, but you can also alter different settings such as the heat of the water and how many rinses are conducted.
We like the versatility of this washer, as it can be used for whole families and even passed down through generations with different needs.
Sleek and Simple Design
The design of this washer is no bells and whistles, and it can fit in perfectly with any design features of your house. There are no seams around the base of the washer, giving it a clean look.
The control panel is laid out nicely and gives the machine a modern look. There is little to draw your attention to on the washer which is often what people want from their washing machines.
Self-Cleaning Ability
Imagine how nice it’ll be on the dreaded cleaning day when you have one less thing to worry about? We really like the fact that you just press a button and the machine does all the interior cleaning for you. Simply wipe down the outside every now and then and you’re done!
You’ll also be able to relax with the peace of mind that your clothes have not been washed in a dirty washer. You can do this as often as you like, so whenever you get the urge to clean inside your washer, all you have to do is press a button.
What We Don’t Like
While we like many aspects of the 4.3 cu.ft Top Load Washer overall, nothing is perfect and we do have a few qualms about the machine.
For starters, some reviewers have claimed that it’s rather noisy during some cycles that they’ve tried. While this isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, some might take issue with this more than others. For example, if you live in apartments or have a young child in the household, you might not appreciate waking the baby or neighbors up with a noisy washer.
While the thought of a deep water wash cycle is great for those hard to remove stains, the cycle actually takes one hour 40 minutes to finish. This is a long time for a noisy washer to be on, and the energy consumption will be much greater than one of the shorter cycles.
That being said, you can always use one of the shorter cycles with a higher water temperature to mimic the same stain-removing effects, however, this might alter the shape and size of some fabrics, so do your research first.
One reviewer also stated that he was disappointed with the quality of the customer service he’d received when he got in touch with them about his washer rusting. They thought that the customer service should be better considering the overall price of the washer.
Finally, if you compare the energy consumption of the 4.3 cu.ft Top Load Washer to other leading products, you’ll more often than not find that the latter costs less to run. This is because of the time taken for each cycle and the amount of water used.
There is no eco cycle, suggesting that this washer is not the most environmentally friendly machine out there on the market.