Bonus Package Panda Small Mini Portable Compact Washer Washing Machine 5.5lbs Capacity

I have done about ten small loads in this machine and am happy with it so far. I previously owned and reviewed the Wonder Wash manual washer and although I was very happy with it for a year, the hand cranking was getting a little difficult for me as was awkwardly having to drain into a bucket due to the side it drained on.In fact, the Wonder Wash is faster - you only have to crank for a few minutes to get an effective level of cleaning of a much longer cycle on this machine. Wonder Wash uses less water and would appear to be gentler on clothes. It is similar to comparing a front loading machine's action (Wonder Wash) to a top loading machine (Panda Washer).But again. Panda does the work so you don't have to.It arrived with no damage. Having to remove the plastic protective film from the top required having to unclip the top handle to get it all out rather than leave pieces of film. Then I saw the drain hose set up that many have written about. Remembering the review where they said the fastening loop was too close to the end of the drain tube I noticed that and moved the fastening loop lower on the tube to keep slack out of it and raise its end higher so water would not slosh out during the wash. And there is the rub - this tube is a rather rigid plastic, a type of plastic I have often had crack on me on other appliances (vacuum, carpet cleaner) at the bend. I would not want to put such stress on the bend tightly all the time so during storage I used a twist tie to have the tube more relaxed but still hanging up. This is really something their design people should take into account and use a more flexible type of plastic or even rubber. Something that can be easily replaced too. I would think if I disassembled I would find it attached to some fitting in a manner that it can be removed, hopefully it is not cemented. I would not want to junk a machine of this cost for a 25 cent plastic hose cracking.The other issue would be the odd smell. One reviewer had mentioned something smoking with heavy/frequent loads and I don't think mine is anything like that. There is a rather pronounced plasticy smell when it is working, even with cold water so it is not coming from the tub. I initially thought maybe just excess oil around the motor burning off (but it really isn't smoky). Could be motor sits on something that stinks when it gets warm. I don't know, I think it is getting a little better with time. The odor starts almost as soon as the machine does so I really doubt it has anything at all to do with overworking it. If it persists I might try contacting customer service.So far I have washed almost everything I did in my Wonder Wash except for sheets. I could do one queen fitted or flat in that - summer weight. I would think I could do the same in this. That is really the limit for my countertop spinner too so is fine with me. I have done a pair of jeans without issue with a t-shirt or two in there too. I do 6-9 minute washes because I don't really want to beat up my clothes and they are generally not heavily soiled. I do 2-3 min rinses (two of them) and spray water in as well as it drains with my shower massager. I also fill it with the shower massage, I have not tried the little fill hose so cannot comment on it though I am eying it as an extension for my countertop spinner's drain hose.I give the Panda Washer a thumbs-up but I have not relegated my Wonder Wash to the garage. And may very well use that for washing my long lace window panels as I think it has a superior gentler washer action. I may use it for some sweaters as well that I don't want agitated. Otherwise I will be using the Panda washer for everything but heavy blankets and flannel sheets so will be seeing very little of the dreaded laundromat!UPDATE - my original review was rather prophetic and after 22 months of pretty heavy use I encountered leaking at bottom. Upon draining and close inspection and some testing, it appears to be a small slit at the drain hose bend at bottom. Unlike some others may I have not kept the hose pulled up tightly to get a better water level but rather started to use the useless fill hose as an extension. I don't see any way to make a sturdy repair without replacing the hose owing to where the split is located and being subjected to flexing, hot water, detergents, etc. In order to get to the connection of the hose it appears I need to tear apart the machine almost completely, the tub needs to be removed from the base and that involves pulling out/off the shaft for agitator. I decided to use some waterproof tape temporarily and have ordered a different miniwasher.I got my money's worth out of this I believe. I just don't think the current price and shipping is worth purchasing again. If they replaced that awful hose with a rubber one or maybe even used a nylon or pvc elbow to make repair easier would be a great improvement.

Watch the video review for this product. It's really quite helpful and will give you ideas on how you can get a system going that works for you. If you buy this, get a system you can live with. As much as I encourage looking at someone else's review, here's my 2 cents.Key points:*The hoses are short, particularly the drain hose. Where you use this has to be within several feet of an outlet, a couple feet of a water source and pretty much right next to where you want to drain it. You can get around the hose length by using a bucket to add water (fill the bucket in a sink or tub and pour water in - the machine is indifferent to how the water is added, since that's a manual process anyway - the hose is a suggestion, not a requirement) or drain into a bucket or tub. Using buckets involves lifting a couple gallons of water a few times during the process, so sinks and drains are far more convenient. If you have the included hose too taut, it's more likely to pull off of the faucet, and that means water all over the place. I end up putting it in front of my bathroom sink and drain it into the toilet, as the tub is just too far away from the sink to make it convenient otherwise.*You need to put it on something. It uses gravity to drain and the drain hose is at the bottom. I use a side table purchased for $12. It's rated for 30 pounds, which technically this is going to exceed when in use, but the weight is evenly distributed and shouldn't cause even a cheap little table to collapse. Elevating this by too much might make it harder to use for shorter folks (might be hard to reach in to get things if it's on an actual counter), but leaving it really low could cause some back strain. Find a cost effective and comfortable height that fits YOU, and remember that you'll have to interact with it a few times per load.*You may find it stretches some of your clothes out or causes some items to pill. Use laundry delicates bags. They sell them in various sizes, and you want to use one big enough to let the garment move around, or put a few articles in the same bag. If you use a spin dryer, you can put them in the dryer still in the bags or take them out.*There's no magic rinse cycle or spin cycle like on full sized washing machines. You drain and refill or rinse separately (you can do a few loads of wash in the same water if you'd like to - I don't pay for water where I live and we're not in anything close to a drought, so I'm okay with using a little bit more detergent to use fresh water every time). I typically run with detergent for the full 15 minutes, drain completely, refill completely to rinse (I may let it sit in the rinse water for a few minutes or even run the machine for 5 minutes or so if I think the clothes are more likely to retain detergent), drain again, and then have a second rinse with fabric softener if I choose to use it, during which I run the machine for 3-5 minutes to make sure it's distributed evenly. After the final drain, I wring each item out and then finish off in a spin dryer then hang to dry for a few hours. I keep a cheap colander with the laundry stuff to use to hold items between rinsing and putting them in the spin dryer, and have also used it for rinsing items that I pulled out before I put the fabric softener in. It lets things drip dry a little bit, which helps prevent unbalanced loads in the spin dryer.*Capacity is several small items, or one larger item with really small items. I've washed full sized sheets (flat in one load, fitted in another). Adult pants can be washed with other things, depending on size (I'm a ladies 12 and I can get some shirts in the same load). A bath towel is a large item. Socks and other things like that can always go in with a large item. You can fill as much as can move decently well in the water, with the water level about 2/3 up. If you fill it more, it might splash out the drain hose.Laundry is more involved than tossing in the washer and then in the dryer, but it's more convenient for those of us who can't have full sized machines. It's not too loud, but it's not silent. The timer ticks, the motor isn't super loud, but you can certainly hear it, and the water sloshes around when it spins. It's probably comparable to the dishwasher in my apartment, maybe slightly less noisy (my dishwasher is loud, though). This may be TMI, but I use reusable menstrual pads and it got one of those completely clean (after a pre-rinse under running water), so it certainly cleans sufficiently. I'm not running to the bank to get several rolls of quarters and can do laundry when I feel like it, not when my neighbors don't feel like doing their laundry (or just leaving their laundry in the machines...).

Great action,works well.

Pues para ser una lavadora de emergencia, está super bien. Fue un regalo para mi abuelita y hasta ahora -seis meses después- ningún problema.