Whirlpool WFW9600TA (Aspen)
4.0 Cu. Ft Front Load Duet Washer
335154760
Raising The Bar...Again
Many people consider the Whirlpool Duet® the best, most reliable washing machine on the market today. But Whirlpool couldn't let it rest at just that. They raised the bar on themselves when they revamped the Duet. When they redesigned this popular washer, they kept all the best industry-leading features, but tweaked or added others to make it even better. Some of the features they added include: a 4.0 cubic foot capacity, a new steam sanitize cycle, and a beautiful new Aspen color. From a company with this kind of innovation, it's no wonder the original Duets were one of the best-selling front-loads available. With the changes for the new Duet, it's tough to find a better buy out there.
Steam Power...In The 21st Century
One of the most noticable changes on the renovated Duet is the addition of the steam sanitize cycle. This new feature is convenient in more ways than one. One use for the new steam cycle is in freshening clothes that were only lightly soiled, or worn for a short time. If you have someone in the house who wears an outfit for a short while, and changes several times a day, this makes it easy to keep his or her clothes clean without running a full load of laundry every day. Or, if you wear a set of clothes just for a few hours, such as at a party, the steam cycle is an easy way to freshen up your suit without a separate load of laundry or a trip to the dry cleaners. Simply toss your clothes in the washing machine and select the steam sanitize cycle, and in roughly an hour, your lightly used clothes will be refreshed and clean without wasting extra power, water, or detergent to run a load. The other great use for the steam sanitize cycle is as an alternative to prewashing. The gentle steam cleaning power removes even tough stains by gently lifting them out of the fabric. This means less work for you. So, whether your clothes have just been worn for an hour gathering, or have deep-set grass and grease stains, the new steam cycle will make caring for your laundry that much easier.
Subtly Striking
So, you want your washer to stand out in looks as well as performance. A typical black or white laundry pair looks boring. But, most other colors out there clash with the decor of your home. Even if they match now, within a few years, when styles change, an Arctic Blue or Bright Red washer will stand out like a pink sheep. Whirlpool has found a happy medium. The new Duet laundry components come in a metallic mint color dubbed "Aspen". This color is a very neutral hue, and blends in well with many different home decors, while still standing out from the mundane. So this washer will look good now, or five years from now, or even 50, and is sure to make your neighbors green with envy (no pun intended).
As Green As It Is Green
A quick look at the exterior of the new Duet, and scenes of nature come to mind. Aptly called "Aspen", the new color is a very natural green color, and seems like it would be just as at-home among a stand of Spruce as in your home's washroom. Aside from color, though, the Duet picked up something else from Mother Earth: conservation. The new washer is Energy Star qualified, and boasts some of the best energy figures in the industry, harmonizing with the world around us. Using the normal cycle, the Duet uses up to 73% less water and 77% less power than pre-2004 top-loads. This can lead to savings on monthly bills, increased satisfaction of knowing you helped conserve natural resources, and even Energy Star rebates in some areas (contact local power supplier for details). So, the new Whirlpool Duet is justified to wear its Aspen color, because it has maximized the art of efficiency, washing clothes as well as possible while using as little as possible to do it. See, being green isn't so bad, no matter what Kermit says, and neither is having some extra green. That's what you'd call a win-win.
"Hello? It's Kind Of Dark In Here..."
The stainless-steel drum on the new Whirlpool Duet is big. Really big. Big enough that you could charge for guided cavern tours. OK, maybe not quite that big, but if you put your head inside the drum and talk, you'll hear an echo (not recommended). So, exactly how big is the Duet's drum? Well, it's equipped with Whirlpool's Super Capacity Plus, and the total capacity is four cubic feet, the largest available on a front-load. That means that this industry-leading washer can wash king-size bedding problem-free. Or, for more every-day use, it can hold up to 16 pairs of jeans. That's one way to get rid of a mountain of laundry fast. So, while we neither anticipate, nor accept responsibility for any trapped miners in your washing machine, we do expect it to handle even the largest loads of laundry with ease.
Flexible Living Arrangements
When choosing a washer, two of the most important things to consider are how and where it will fit in your home, and whether you need a top-load or a front-load. The latter is somewhat of a choice between the lesser of two evils. Top-loads use too much energy and water. Front-loads are harder to access. When putting a washer in your house, sometimes your laundry room is a little less than spacious. Maybe you need to stack your washer and dryer so they'll fit. Well, Whirlpool didn't think any of these should mean you'd have to settle on a lower-quality washer. That's why they angled the tub on the Duet washer and made the door opening very large. They then built optional storage pedestals for both the washer and the dryer. These pedestals raise the laundry pieces about 15 inches, so you don't have to strain your back to move jeans from the washer to the dryer. They also provide room to keep practically all your laundry essentials like detergent, bleach, and dryer sheets. For additional storage and/or work space, two-drawer laundry towers or a work surface which spans the washer and dryer are sold seperately in matching Aspen. This is a great way to keep your laundry room organized, especially if it is lacking space. Whirlpool chose a front-load design to make the Duet as energy efficient as possible. This design also allows you to vertically integrate your laundry room if horizontal space is limited. Designed, to stack, the Whirlpool Duet laundry set gives you the freedom to adjust your washer and dryer to fit your washroom without having to compromise the quality of your set.
Team Duet...With You As Crew Chief
With spin speeds reaching 1,200 RPM, your load of laundry is spun around faster than a NASCAR driver with jet fuel in his tank. Which sounds really cool, but also has the added benefit of leaving your clothes almost dry at the end of the cycle. This means they'll spend less time in your dryer, so you'll use less energy, and you won't have a pile of sopping clothes waiting to be thrown in the dryer. The new Duet laundry set has the fastest overall wash/dry time for an average load of laundry out of any combo on the market today. With all that centrifugal force, you'd expect to see your washer lurching across the floor of the laundry room like a bad imitation of Frankenstein. But, with one of, if not the single best suspension sysem on the market, the 6-Point Self-Leveling System along with quality construction keep it firmly in place. "Here's the checkered flag, and the Whirlpool Duet comes in ahead of the pack again."
Vegas-Style Laundry
It might be time to invest in a new set of dice or magic 8-ball. Fourteen cycles, five water temperature options, five spin speed options, extra rinse, drain and spin, and rinse and spin--the possibilities leave you breathless! Well, at least they cover almost every fabric washing requirement you might find in your closets. You determine what your laundry needs are and use the washer's various settings to meet those needs (or you can leave it to chance). Delicates, hand washables, silks, white clothes, and wools each have their own special cycle. Bulky items will take care of bedding. Quick wash adds a new level of convenience. The sanitary cycle eliminates 99.999% of harmful bacteria without the use of bleach or chemicals. You can even clean the wash drum with the clean washer cycle. Want to set it, but not run it until later? No problem, just use the delay wash option. Your washer, your rules. So, with all those choices, how will you decide? Lay out papers with each option written on one, and pick one blindfolded? Draw from a hat? Phone a friend? Worried that this is all a little too complicated, and thinking about taking your nickels back to your room? Don't even think about it, because the controls on this Duet washer are as simple as "the one armed bandit".
Artificially Intelligent
In washer school, the Aspen Duet probably would have graduated as valedictorian. The WFW9600TA (as it has been formally labeled) is an incredibly "smart" appliance, and thankfully uses its intellect for your good, and not evil. With 6th Sense Technology (I see dirty laundry!), this washer senses how much water and energy to use in each load. The Care Control Temperature Management system uses built-in sensors to monitor water temperatures and ensure they're reaching optimal levels. Water reaches temperatures warm enough to dissolve detergents but is kept from overheating to help prevent shrinking or color bleeding. Built-in sensors also regulate the amount of water used to match the size of the load so that only the absolute minimum water needed is used. With this efficient feature, the Duet washer can save up to 23 gallons of water per load. So, while the Duet hasn't won any Nobel Peace Prizes yet, it is definitely top of its field, and ready to maximize your laundry efficiency.
Shhhh!
There might be nothing more annoying than trying to have a conversation with someone while your washing machine drones in the background. Whirlpool thought so, too, which is why they added Quiet Wash Plus Noise Reduction to the Aspen Duet. This added sound insulation all around the washer ensures one of the quietest loads of laundry available, even at 1200 RPM. Thanks to this, gone are the days when laundry waited until you were going to be rooms away from the washer.
Review
Whirlpool Duet Steam Washer and Dryer (January 13, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
|
(5/5.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Value |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
|
(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Angela M Gordon - El Paso, TX
We purchased both the washer and dryer with matching pedestals in 2009 and love, love, love them!! The aspen green is a beautiful color and fits nicely in our home decor. The efficency of the washer is incredible with minimal water usage. I absolutely love the steam feature on the dryer for quick freshening of my delicates. This was by-far the best washerdryer purchases we have ever made.
Review
Whirlpool Quality control and customer support (January 11, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
|
(5/5.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Value |
|
(1/5.0) |
| Performance |
|
(1/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
|
(1/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Stephen W. - Bayou Vista, TX
WPW9500 I would have given it a 5 star rating until the 2 service calls on a unit that is less than 2 years old has cost me 4 days of work waiting on a service tech and $850 worth of repair bills. First thing that went out was the pressure switch which controls the water level. This part plus cost of replacement was $129 for the service call and $125 dollars for the part. Second service call was $129 for the estimate $450 for the part and $60 for the second call to replace the part. Drum support bearing has gone bad. To replace the bearing the whole drum has to be replaced. It is just my wife and I very light washing. The machine was purchased in 1208 and installed 0809 after rebuilding our home after IKE the hurricane. My son whom by just luck has the same machine and his drum support bearing are also gone out. His machine is newer than ours but does have more use because he still has 2 kids at home. There is problem with this bearing and the way it is designed and Whirlpool will not accept reasonability for a defective product. If the machine is out of warranty you are out of luck. The odds of 2 machines in the same family with the same problem have to be a poor product design and support. So after paying for the same machine twice nothing has been saved in energy or soap. So I will give it a ½ star at best. I think Whirlpool is also pulling a fast one due to the negative reviews. The model number for this machine has changed to a replacement model. I am betting it is the same cow by another color. No more Whirlpool products for this family because if they do not admit to a mistake once who says they will not do it a million more times.
Comparison Specifications
- Ultra Capacity Plus 4.0 Cubic Foot Stainless Steel Drum
- 1,200 RPM Max Spin Speed
- Horizontal Tumble Motion With Direct Inject Wash System
- 5 Wash/Spin Speeds
- Automatic Water Level Control
- Care Control Temperature Management, 5 Temperature Selections
- Rinse Options: On/Off Extra Rinse Option, Rinse and Spin Option
- New Steam Clean Removes Need To Pretreat And Refreshes Gently Soiled Clothes
- Number of Cycles: 14 Factory Pre-Set Cycles And Options
Additional Specifications
- Cycles: Auto Soak, Prewash, Bulky Items, Delicate, Hand Washables, Heavy Duty, Normal/Casual, Quick Wash, Silk, Whitest Whites, Wool
- 6th Sense Technology, Smart Dispenser With Timed Oxy-Release
- Built-In Water Heater
- Add-A-Garment Feature
- Adjustable End-of-Cycle Signal
- Delay Wash Feature
- Drain/Spin Option
- 4-Tray Prewash, Detergent, Bleach, Fabric Softener Dispenser
- 6-Point Self-Leveling System
Manufacturer Specifications
- Variable-Speed Motor
- Easy View Door Window
- Child Lockout And Door Lock
- Sanitary Cycle And Clean Washer Cycle
- Audio Feedback And Instructional Controls
- Gorgeous New Aspen Color
- Optional Purchases Allow You To Customize Your Laundry Area
- Lint Filter
- Quiet Wash Plus Sound Package
- ENERGY STAR Qualified
Dimensional Specifications
- Dimensions: 27.0" W x 38.0" H x 31.5" D
- Weight: Approx. 235 lbs
Whirlpool WFW9600TA Warranty Details
One Year Limited Warranty
