Washing the clothes can be a real pain in the butt. Especially with the new “H.E.” machines that, try as we might, don’t get clothes really clean anymore. They might save some water per cycle, but having to repeatedly wash the same stuff to get clothes clean negates any savings. So it was with “Xtreme” delight that I found myself picked to review XtremePowerUS’s Mini Washing machine, mostly because finally, I had an agitator again.
Unfortunately, while it’s compact, lightweight and seems perfect for small loads or delicates, the underpowered motor and anemic pump render the machine almost useless for all but the lightest and most delicate of clothes, the ones that don’t get too dirty to begin with. For starters, the instructions leave much to be desired. Thankfully Hubby and I are pretty good about figuring out how stuff works. The controls are very straightfoward, and easy to use. I started off with a simple outfit: Pants, a shirt, and undies, which barely filled the wash tub 1/3 of the way. The water inlet hose doesn’t truly connect to any faucets or spigot in the house, so we used the pull-down kitchen faucet. When the machine started making a humming noise but nothing happened, I lifted the lid and picked up the clothes and the agitator went nuts and spun like crazy. Once the clothes were put back down, the agitator refused to spin again. Imagine this repeating itself for the 9 minutes I set the timer for. Not how I want to do wash, because after all, it’s usually a passive endeavor. So okay, time to spin the clothes mostly dry so that you hang them out to dry the rest of the way. But the “pump” failed miserably, and hubby had to lift the machine higher than the counter to get the “pump” to work. Lesson learned there, the “pump” only works with a ground-level drain, such as in the tub or shower. Sadly, the distance to our outlets on the walls preclude this being a feasible place to use it. Even at that, there’s still a considerable amount of soapy water in the machine that the pump just doesn’t have the power to remove.
I wanted to like this machine, and for $100, if you want access to a washing machine that doesn’t need to run on a steady diet of quarters, or wait for the communal apartment machine, this might be for you, so long as you understand you may be limited to washing one thing at a time, and constantly have to assist the machine with every step in the process. The irony of the company name isn’t lost on me here. If XtremePowerUS would put pumps and motors with a little more power, these machines would be selling like hotcakes. Even with my full-sized machines, I would have one for delicates and for Hubby’s yardwork clothes, but as the machine stands now, it has more limitations and drawbacks than positives. It’s almost there, and with better internals, I’d recommend the machine highly.
Connect with XtremePowerUS:
I received the above product(s) free of charge from XtremePowerUS. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
WOM-derful 