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What is super capacity EXACTLY mean? (plus other questions)

15 years ago

I am looking around for a new top loader and I have noticed a couple varieties that are listed as Super Capacity, King Sized etc etc but it will then list it as a 3.2 cubic foot.

Am I missing something? Isn't the 3.2 the basin size? Or is it something else.

So honestly what is considered a good basin size? I looked at my current machine and I can't see where it is listed what the size is but I am looking for a bigger size as we are a family of 6 and this one is just too small for us. So what size should I be looking for? 3.8? 4.0?

Thanks so much!

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Comments (4)

suburbanmd
15 years ago
The names mean whatever the manufacturer wants them to mean. The numbers mean something, but not exactly what you might expect. Particularly for FL's, you'll probably see an "IEC" cubic foot figure. A 4.0 cu ft IEC FL washer should handle the same size load as an agitator TL with a 4.0 cu ft tub. Since the agitator takes up space, this means that a 4.0 cu ft IEC FL's drum volume is smaller than 4.0 cu ft.
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haley_comet
Original Author
15 years ago
That is so odd to me as I would think that a 3.2 is super small but its ok for the manufactuer to call a 3.2 "Super Capacity" or King size? I think that is soo misleading.

I am actually looking for a top loader.
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dadoes
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The largest-capacity toploaders on the market are the HE models with a wash plate or impeller instead of traditional agitator: Whirlpool Cabrio, Kenmore Oasis, Maytag Bravos, and GE Harmony. There are also Cabrio, Oasis, and Bravos models *with* agitators, which are larger than the 3.2 cu ft machines you've been seeing. The Cabrio, Oasis, and Bravos models have a different motor and mechanism than the "traditional" agitator models.

Whirlpool and Kenmore also have a couple models rated at 4.0 cu ft that are the traditional motor-and-transmission design. These new machines are EnergyStar qualified, and have automatic water level sensing.

Description labels such as Large Capacity, Super Capacity, Super Plus, etc. are marketing terms only, perhaps useful for comparing machines *within* a particular manufacturer's line.
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cynic
15 years ago
Think of it this way, is a "large" fries the same at McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's or Fred's Red Shed? Not likely. It's another marketing term, just like "double roll", "triple roll" or whatever on toilet paper.

Do not use "large" "king" or other terms for comparing machines. Use cubic foot sizes and know whether it's adapted for the lack of an agitator.

Also do not go by "hot" "warm" and "cold" to compare water temperatures. Go by degrees.

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