talltideman,
I had to keep hitting stop and start until the machine decided it wanted to act properly. LOL! My new machine is supposed to be coming some time this week. The salesman was very helpful in getting this problem resolved. When I get my new machine, I will do a prewash and let you know the results. I really want to keep my set. I like them other than I got a defective washer. Why do I keep having these issues with washing machines :)

Washerman8, when selecting the 2nd rinse--the first rinse being a spray rinse and then the 2nd being a deep rinse is verey "Fisher & Paykel"ish. The F&Ps call the 1st rinse what is actually a series of spray rinses; the "2nd rinse" being a deep rinse. IN all truthfullness, this doesn't surprise me. I am willing to bet you, as time goes on and we uncover all the Oasis' nuances, I will see more F&P similarities.

I haven't seen any pics of the Oasis with the agitator. I'm curious, besides the water efficiency, is there any other advantage to the impeller type? Most ppl seem to be concerned about turnover and I'm thinking the agitator would resolve that issue. If the spin speed is just as fast, drying time would still be decreased, wouldn't it?

Spin speed is 1000 on the agitator model. I'll take a pic with my camera phone today.

Is turnover really the right thing to be concerned about?

A washer should only have as much turnover as is necessary for good cleaning. Any more than that is going to increase wear and tear on clothes.

From I read here, it looks like the Oasis has pretty good cleaning performance so by definition, it should have enough turnover.

washer man,

I understand what you're saying but I would think the "turnover" is pretty important as far as TL's go. It's the prime purpose of a FL's tumbling action and, while the agitator is more harsh, the now common auger is ther just to create turnover.
Personally, when my 4yo Kenmore TL goes out, I'm shooting for the He3 or Duet FL.

I love this forum!!

washer man,
Turnover is very important in washing clothes. I put my jeans at the bottom of the tub with my other stuff on top of them. They rolled over ONCE in that whole wash cycle. I stood there and watched. The lighter items rolled over maybe a few more times, but 2 particular pair of my jeans rolled over only one time just moved back and forth with the tub.

My jeans are not particulary dirty, but my workout clothes, towels, etc. are sweaty and they need more vigorous action to get clean. The washcloth I used still smell a bit of the soap I use daily where when using a toploader, they never had a hint of anything but the fabric softener I was using.

I've been washing clothes since I was 8 years old and that's 30 years of experience. I know what kind of action it takes to get clothes really clean and the Oasis does not have that kind of action. I have not had any of my sons clothes in it yet, but I am, almost, certain that the Oasis with the kind of action it uses would get his clothes clean. Just my opinion.

Just curious if anyone who has a f/l had any problems with washing their jeans? I had the HE4 and the first load of jeans came out creased and with lots of white lines/streak/creases (whatever you would call them) permanently set in them. I don't know about anyone else but if I wanted those "designs" on my jeans I would have bought them that way.

washerman8 = you need to post here that you went with a f/l and gave up on the oasis all together.

I decided to do a large load just to see if the Oasis would clean as advertised. In the load were 9 large thick bath towels, 3 smaller bath towels, 3 hand towels, 3-4 washcloths and since I wanted a bigger load I threw in 2 pairs of flannel pajamas.

Now I thought this load would 1) not be clean 2) not rinse properly 3) become unbalanced. I used Sears Ultra Plus, 1 tsp STTP and OxyPlus and the Whitest White Cycle with extra rinse. I was so surprised when the load completed with no balancing problems, rinse water was clear and the clothes were clean and fresh. I honestly thought I would be disappointed. I stand corrected, the Oasis does perform to the advertising.

msafirstein,I'm pleased with how my Oasis cleans too. Even my oldest ds sweaty shirts smell clean.Is the Sears Ultra plus powder? I couldn't find the Ultra plus,all the detergents at my Sears had softener,oxy or stainfighters in them.

Of I can do {{!gwi}} in my F&P IWL12, I imagine an Oasis should be able to handle it, or more.

Here's the Oasis agitator pic. I have never shown it to a customer, I go directly to the top end Oasis. We have sold around 20 pairs now, and not one has been returned. No negative feedback, all positive. Mine are being delivered next Friday.

Here is a link that might be useful:

dadoes; My lord, my load was not quite that big! But I truely was amazed that my load washed as nicely as it did. I watched the agitation for a while and I actually think the agitation was better with the large load! Could this be right? I checked the rinse water for detergent and it was clear with no evidence of detergent. I am still surprised that this HUGE load washed so well!

And dadoes are you the one with all the information on the F&Ps on a website? If so I do want to thank you for all the info, it was very helpful. I could not view the pictures but the descriptions were so good I had no problem at all. I was going to get the F&P until I "discovered" the Oasis and thought I would try it out instead.

craftmomnancy; I know and I was so surprised at my first load! Who would have though a machine with no agitator and a TL to boot could wash so well! And with every load I like my machine more and more. The only problem I've had is with Tide HE and rinsing. I am very careful with rinsing and for some reason the Tide HE just does not totally rinse out like I like. I don't like Tide that much any how so no big deal and I think my whole house softener might have something to do with it. The other detergents I've tried, Method, 3 Sears brands and Arm/Hammer have had no problem with rinsing at all. I only use a TBL or less of detergent per load so I know I am not over dosing my machine. I called Tide to report the rinsing problem and Tide is now sending me coupons for more Tide HE...DUH!

yzfmik; I am in the Chicago area where the Oasis was test marketed and it is huge success here. Please post your experiences with your first few loads.

craftmomnancy; Sorry forgot to answer your question on the Sear's detergents. Unfortunately, perfume free Ultra Plus only comes in liquid. There is another thread on Sears Brand detergents you might want to read it for more information.

I was finally able to find the Sears Ultra Plus perfume and dye free in powder, so it is available (or was as of a month or so ago).

Sears discontinued the Powder Ultra Plus Perfume/dye free abt 6 mos ago. I am sure it is still available in some stores but this would be the last of it.

I'm thinking that paradigms about things like turnover, load size, etc.. probably have to change with the Oasis because it's not a deep fill machine like your typical top loader.

With a deep fill top loader the clothes are suspended in a large tub of water, so for all intents and purposes, individual garments don't have much interaction with each other. (at least in a relative sense)

Whereas in the Oasis, the clothes aren't submerged, they're saturated, which means that they press much more closely together, and all that rubbing and scrubbing between garments has got to significantly increase the mechanical energy getting into them.

So, maybe the absolute number of turnovers isn't as important in the Oasis as it is with a deep fill washer, because the clothes are scrubbing against each other instead. Probably what's needed is that items just get turned over one time so that soils, and fibres (pet hair) get flushed out.

Then if you combine this scrub board type of action with the higher detergent concentrations you get with low water HE washers, you end up with a pretty effective washing system.

Cool!
yzfmik, thanks for the pic! Can I assume that it still uses the 60 and 90 strokes/min the former Elite series did? I noticed the dark colored "fins" were more shallow than the usual Total Care agitator.

washer man: I guess you're right about the need to change our way of thinking when it comes to impeller type TLs. They've been around for a while but, to me, one of the most interesting things about the machines is the agitator design. I think I'm going to miss those old capacity hogs (snif) Maybe I just need some...... time to adjust. ;>)

washer_man; Interesting concept and something I had not thought of. And what you are describing with the saturated compressed loads is exactly what happens in the Oasis and this makes perfect sense.

I actually think cleaning begins with the detergent spray when the clothes are saturated with diluted detergent and then the spin forces the detergent into the fibers. This cycle is almost like a short pre-soak.

The problem that some have expressed with items balling up in the center does happen when you wash a lone large item like a blanket. But I've found that the Oasis likes large loads and if you wash say 2-3 blankets there is no problem at all.

Not sure about the strokes/min. I really don't pay much attention to it, lol. Those fins are very flexible.

I will be sure to report my impressions on the Oasis. They are coming on my Birthday next Friday, woo hoo.

Msafirstein, you're absolutely right.

What you're describing is the classic Catalyst action that Kenmore introduced a couple of years ago.

They had it on their Catalyst washer, and I think the Calypso has it too.

The agitator-equipped Oasis likely has action more akin to a Fisher & Paykel toploader (being as it's their motor design) than a typical direct-drive/tranny Kenmore. F&P's aren't rated directly in strokes/min. The stroke speed and arc varies somewhat per the sensed load resistance.

The detergent saturation and spin mentioned by msafirstein is comparable to the Kenmore/Whirlpool Catalyst toploader. F&P EcoSmart and Intuitive Eco have a similar "prewash" action (they call it EcoActive wash), but no higher-speed spin is involved as on the Catalyst, it's more a shower/recirculation spray like the Calypso while the basket rotates slowly.

I must comment on the agitator of the Oasis.
I've seen the machine this past Sunday and the fins are very flexible so much more than the older Maytag with the power fins,
and the auger is still part of the triple action DA family.
Just wanted to give a better description!

washer_man and dadoes; You have really helped me understand how the Oasis works. When you first see the machine in action, your first impression is that this machine can not possibly be cleaning these clothes. But then the clothes are clean so it is a bit confusing.

And washer_man you really must consider the Oasis in a different light just as you suggested and the commonly used terms just don't apply in this case.

Washed 12 pair of jeans. No noise issues, cleaning problems or rinsing issues. Only problem I had was some creasing in the legs due to ME not using a long enough dry cycle and not cking them as I usually do! I was impressed otherwise!
Just added 2 new additions to our family yesterday! 2 beautiful puppies! Will be doing lots of extra laundry while they are in the "puppy stage"!

So far the washer is GREAT!! I have been washing since about 11AM and everything is coming out cleaner looking and softer. It did a great job on the bathroom scatter rugs.

My problem is with the dryer. It was working great at first but now when the DAMP SIgnal goes off and I open the door to take out the dry stuff it will not restart. It gives me an F on the display. No other numbers like F7 just an F. If the damp signal does not go off and I open the door it restarts without any problem.

I just got delivery today and I sure don't feel like messing with this. Especially since we had an issue getting it in the laundry room to start with.

Has anyone else had the F message like this?

Ok here is my take, I originally bought the HE4. Hated it from day 1. Tried like heck to send it back, to make a long (6 months fighting with sears) story short, I finally got them to trade it in on the Oasis. I'm very happy with it.
I too had the AF code on the dryer, but that was the installerÂs fault! Thank goodness my hubby happen to be in port and was able to fix the dryer hose. (They had hooked it up and pushed it all the way back) But as soon as that was fixed I havenÂt had any problems!!!! :)

Good for you chelehoney!!! Glad it worked out for you finally! I'm thinking in the Oasis direction now for sure, sounds like a pretty nice set! Do you have the glass doors on yours? If so, do you like them and are they worth the extra money? Thanks again for the review!!!

The last time I was in Sears "kicking the tires" on an Oasis, the thing I noted most about the glass door was how stiff it was, at least compared to other washers there that didn't have a glass door.

The thing was stiff as a board. It also felt very substantial because of the obvious weight of the glass, but it was very easy to lift because of the counterbalance springs.

I had a set delivered last Saturday. I had a maytag atlantis dryer that never worked right and the washer could only be used on hand wash or it would rip the towels. Under extended warranty and maytag would never fix it correctly. The last warranty repair guy who came ended up leaving, with my dryer unassembled and I put it back together - after watching them do it 6 times I think I knew it better than the repairman.
Anyway onto the Oasis.
I love the units.
The dryer is fast and works really well even given I have about a long 60 plus foot vent run. I actually found out about this dryer the cabrio and the harmony here on this site.

The washer is quiet and the dryer can be quiet - except see below.

Both the dryer and washer were defective upon delivery. The dryer sounds intermittenly sort of like the wheel in a hamster cage - squeaky and vibrating. The washer from the time it was plugged in intermittenly locks the top and displays the error code for being locked - about 8 times so far I've had to "reboot / unplug" the washer.
I like these units - and clothes seem to get clean decently and dry fast - but the delivery guy from Sears was class one stupid.
I asked him how many he was delivering today - he said all he was delivering was the exact same model and I was the first stop. So I asked him was there any other sets that were white - he said he had 7 more exact pairs on the truck all but one set was white. He wouldn't exchange it for another set on the truck, wouldn't put the old ones back in place - so I am stuck until this weekend. Also the dryer door was supposed to be reversed - he said he couldn't do it - I had asked before I knew the dryer was defective.
I also think the dryer and washer were not adjusted level -the dryer door wings out hard and bangs into the washer. I asked if he had a level but he said he did not.

Anyway this seems kinda silly - I like the units generally and think they'll work well once I get a non defective set. - but for a $2600 dollar purchase this is probably the last thing I'll ever buy from Sears ever. - Basically because of the really poor service experience.

Your deliveryman may not been able to swap units off the truck because they may be assigned to specific customers by serial number for warranty purposes.

I did not want to get even longer in my first post - but the delivery folks reshceduled me for the following day. They mistakenly only set up for for a dryer and not a washer. This was a mistake on thier part and by the time I found out later in the day it took 6 phonecalls to straighten it out with the delivery folks. this has left me with a defective set for one week. I ma really hoping this resolves today. Since I was the very first delivey call of the day this was not a hard request to fulfill and easily could have been fulfilled. In my not so humble opinion :-) :-) there's no excuse for leaving someone with a defective set for a week.

I too am a new Oasis owner. I am very happy with the machine. It washes well, it's quiet (imporatant because my laundry room is right off the kitchen), and it tells me if my load is unbalanced. I spent a little more than I originally planned because I was going to get a basic top loader. But I think that I made the right decision. Doing laundry is a treat now. I will be looking into the dryer in a few weeks too.

Dryer - 2 service calls: .. Rattling front panel, and cracked drum, drum replaced.

Washer - Died, no power, in the middle of a Delicate cycle on 11-23-06.
Lid locked, clothes sitting in water, DH had to pop open the top.

A&E service - totally frustating the 3 times, 35 min to make an appointment on phone,
Website to make appointments is worthless, one get stuck of screen 1 of 5, got thru only for the 2nd repair, but local serviceman did not show up, they were not notified of appointment.

A&E data base data is unreliable, my records wered totally messed up, first they show 2 washer and 2 dryers, then nothing, all wiped out.

This time I tried to call the A&E phone number on their truck, surprise a person answered! Unfortunately, she told me that A&E does NOT service Kenmore and I have to call Sears.
What about the A&E serviceman and truck that was at my house 3 times?
"Oh, in some cities, Sears "borrow" our trucks"

New A&E service window: 8 am to 5 pm, no more 4 hours, totally unacceptable.

In conclusion - I am terribly upset, may not have a washer for 2-3 weeks, serviceman can only come Monday to diagnose. No way would I buy an extended warranty, cannot deal with A&E, when my 1 year warranty is over, I will pay an independent.

I am blaming myself for not getting a Miele from the small independent dealer, was worried about having to reinforce floor, and instead I wasted $1,800 on JUNK.

Lisa

"I am blaming myself for not getting a Miele from the small independent dealer, was worried about having to reinforce floor, and instead I wasted $1,800 on JUNK."

And you don't think you would be waiting 3 weeks for parts for the Miele. Think again, virtually none of Mieles parts are stocked and only available through there dealer network. What about a Maytag, Kitchen Aid, Duet, or Kenmore? At least there servicable and parts are available quickly. Secondly you obviously had enough faith in the Kenmore/Sears name to purchase the product, why not let Sears service it? Sounds like your beef is with the independent service your using, and not the appliance.

Lisa, I'm confused - you had problems with a Oasis, and din't just use Sears for service? Who is A&E? - DR

I agree with Dross. Any Oasis that's in the hands of customers right now would still be under warranty. There is absolutly no reason to go anywhere alse but Sears for service. In fact, doing so risks voiding the manufacturer's warranty.

It sounds like Katabalu's Oasis problem was a dead electronic controller. This is a known problem with some early Oasis washers, which the manufactuer has a fix for. A call to Sears service would have brought a tech out with a new controller.

My apologies to Lisa, I finally did my homework, A&E Service is apparently a service company jointly owned by Sears and Whirlpool, and in some regions they are the official provider of Sears appliance service. (Incidentally Whirlpool is about to shut down Maytag all-brand service, and shift their techs into A&E.)
This means that her course of action (and complaints!) are completely justified.- DR

Apologies to all for the poor explanations, I was born in France, English is my 2nd language and apologies for being so upset; 35 min on the phone to get an appointment, and the thought of having to use the dirty laundromat was too much, lol!

Dross, yes, here, St Louis suburb, all Sears service work is handled by A&E, I thought it was the same everywhere.

There are six Mieles in my family in France, my mom's is on her 2nd one, 20+ years, I have been around Miele since the '50's.

I trusted Kenmore because we had one w/d set 18 years old, DH replaced water pump and dryer belt; another set 14-16 years old, one repair only.

Would have bought a Duet, but the water level was too low to soak my cats' dome beds, tested at one of my friends.
I have 2 small old dogs, 4 cats and donuts beds all over the house.

Thank you washerman for the info on the controller.

My apologies to you katabula. I didn't know A&E was affliated with Sears. You have every right to be upset for sub-standard service management. I would file a complaint with Sears corporate.

I had 2 customers come into my laundromat this weekend to wash blankets and comforters. One had the Cabrio and one had the Oasis, both machines were the wash plate versions, not the agitator versions.

Both women HATED their machines. Both complained of fading, linting and knotting. Both used HE detergent. One said her clothes now look worn and old. She brought in her blankes because she just didn't trust them in the machine. The other said she brought her comforters in because she wanted them washed in water, which the machine does not use enough of and she didn't think the comforters (queen and double sizes) fitted in the machine well. I suggested that they use the extra rinse option, and they both said they always use it. Both are watching the holiday/year end sales and are looking at the HE3t and Duets as replacements.

Oh my!

It's fortunate that in the interim they can come and use your laundromat.

Washer_man you were absolutely right, it is the controller, thanks again.

Sears A&E service man did check the Oasis washer yesterday.
He replaced it with one he didn't even know was in his truck, (an open box!), it did power on so he left.
Minutes later, the replacement controller started to throw F1/F51 error codes. Must have been another customer bad controller, at least it did permit me to clean and drain the washer, we'll keep this one as a backup, it is very easy to install.

Anyway, controller is on order, so is a new user interface board to cover all bases. Hopefully, the newer versions will be bug-free. Lisa

****"The other said she brought her comforters in because she wanted them washed in water, which the machine does not use enough of and she didn't think the comforters (queen and double sizes) fitted in the machine well."****

I wonder if they're using the bulky cycle? It uses much more water than the normal cycle. I've washed my queen comforter in my Oasis several times and it's always gotten clean.

Bought a Kenmore Oasis washer from their Outlet Store (scratch and dent model) in Atlanta last week for half price, and have a problem. I keep getting an error code "LF" on every Final Rinse cycle. It works great until it gets to the final rinse, and then it just trickles the tiniest amount of water into the drum from the top/back edge of the machine with no agitation of the drum what-so-ever... I just hear a slight humming sound like maybe the sollenoid isn't opening fully for the rinse cycle...This slow fill lasts for about 25 minutes then the machine stops and flashes up a "LF" (which stands for Long Fill) message. I have managed to work around it by pressing stop when I get the error message and opening the lid and filling the tub with water from my laundry sink hose to cover the clothes. I then close the lid and it finally senses the water level has been reached, and it resumes the final rinse and spin. Resulting in a wonderfully clean laundry wash. I have checked the water hoses, and there is NO blockage. However, this machine did NOT come with fill hoses and I purchased two new hoses from Lowes that were anti burst/restrictor hoses, so maybe these hoses are not allowing enough water to get through, though like I said, it only happens on the final rinse cycle. Water flows in normally at the beginning of the wash cycle so I feel it isn't the hoses. Does anyone have any experience with this problem? Any info would be appreciate before I get my hubby to load the washer back up in his truck and return it to the Sears Outlet Store.

Yes, try regular hoses (braided jacket is OK, but not with the integral anti-burst/anti-flood/flow-restrictor device). I know a collector who used those hoses on several machines in his laundry studio. They were continually causing trouble, he got rid of them, no more flow-rate troubles.

dadoes....THANKS so much for your advice, and the info regarding the collector's machine problems with the anti-burst hoses....(I think I am becoming one of those collectors myself as I have the Bosch NEXXT Front loaders in my laundry room and the Kenmore Oasis in my Show Yorkie Kennel solely for laundering grooming towels and puppy blankies only.

Well...to cut a long story short, I took the anti-burst hoses off last night and put on two regular ones, and WoooHooo!!! Machine runs perfectly. I just really like this Kenmore...Believe me, I have to wash some pretty smelly towels and puppy blankets every day, and I have NEVER had them washed so clean and fresh smelling in my Bosch Nexxt set like this Kenmore Oasis washer does....(I have only had the Bosch set two years, but for some reason it leaves a funky smell in all my clothes that kinda smells like slight mildew or something unless I use bleach.)

Well, thanks again for the tips here on this site. I can now cancel taking the machine back and consider getting a matching dryer (currently have a 10 month old Kenmore series 80 sitting next to the Pacific Blue Oasis, and it just don't look right!!)

I have had my Oasis washer for about a month now. After We removing the anti- burst hoses, it works great. I initially thought that I was going to have to return the washer because of the error message. I returned the hoses to Home depot and they told me that for every 2 they sell, one gets returned. I purchased the white without the glass top from the Sears scratch & dent store for $600 including tax, which I think was a great deal.It had 1 small scratch on the side, which I didn't mind because who sees the side anyway?
So far I LOVE this washer. It cleans my kid's clothes without me having to re-wash spotted clothes like in my old washer. I have washed comforters with beautiful results. I also washed a "Dry Clean Only" down coat and it came out better than when I sent it to the Dry cleaner.
The capacity on this washer is unbelievable! The big loads really do get clean, which always seemed to be a problem in my old machine. I also like that it has cold, cool, warm & hot selections. Certain cycles do tend to wrinkle a little more than my old top load, but I just fluff in my dryer, and all is well. I would definetely recommend this machine & I am pretty fussy about my laundry.

If anyone here has the oasis/cabrio washer with the full length agitator,...would you be as so kind as to give a little description of the wash action.

How well does this machine roll over the clothes? I would like to look into the Agitator version of these machines as i like the idea of a washer with a more traditional longer/slower stroke, plus the fact that i can set my own water level if i so choose. Thanks.

LF error code: If your drain hose is too long and stuck all the way down the drain it will cause a siphon effect and the washer will not fill. Cut the hose so only a few inches stick down the drain.