Doesn't get clothes wet (at all), thus detergent stains clothes, or sometimes completely soaks clothes and won't spin dry. This is a horrible piece of junk I would never recommend to anyone. Zero pluses.

VeronicaH15

Malibu

What all the other reviewers said, is what I have experienced, too. Dry spots on clothing after cycle (so, obviously, weren't getting very clean). Black stains on white clothes that won't come out! White gooey stuff all over dark clothes, and second rinsing won't help. Washing the gooey dark clothes over and over with no additional detergent, won't get rid of the problem either! Frequently becomes unbalanced, and you literally have to lift the heavy tub and move it around until you get it back on track. Smells like mildew. Have run bleach through an empty cycle to see if that helped, it didn't. Have wiped down the tub and all the rubber that I can see. Didn't help. Knocked the cap off the bottom of the drum, and it had a load of scum stuck there! Cleaned it off, but crap still getting all over my clothes! Have checked that area again, and no stored up scum, but scum still all over clothes. Who designed and built this thing? What an idiot! Worst washing machine I have ever owned, bar none! Energy Efficiency NOT! When you have to wash the same load of clothes numerous times because of the black stains or the white scum left on clothes, that's not very energy efficient at all! Cleaning Time Cycles are really long -- even longer when you consider you have to rewash everything multiple times in an attempt to get the scum off your clothes! Performance Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! What a joke! Ease of Use Total crap. No matter which buttons you push, you're going to get black streaks on light colored clothes, and white scum all over your dark clothes. Design Looks high tech, but it's NO tech. Poor design, poor reliability, poor performance - two thumbs down. Durability Not durable at all. Big pain in the keister!

StacieC14

USA

I am not the first to own my Kenmore elite calypso washer. A family friend got a new washer and dryer and gave me theirs. I love that the agitator doesn't come 3/4 of the way up to the top. I always had the hardest time getting my huge comforter to wrap around the agitator in my old washer. This washer is great for bulky item. I washed a shag runner rug yester day and was worried about it pulling the twills out but did not find a single one in the washer or any loose on the rug after washing it. I have never before been able to get my boyfriend's hevily soiled socks or his work shirts so clean. This washer is amazing It automatically determines the amount of water needed for the load. The dispensers are convenient. The couple before me swear by this washer they had it for several years with no problems and I swear by it. The only problem, durring the wash load do not open the lid unless you push stop first because it says LS (lid switch error) and it is a pain to clear it out you have to unplug it plug it back in and start over. This is a great safety feature if you have small children though.

IRSyrup

Winter Park, FL

I love this washer. We have had this washer for 10 years and have never had a problem with it. I love that you can wash large loads and it is extremely quiet. It gets clothes, towels, sheets and even comforters clean. We bought the washer and dryer 10 years ago and both are still working like the day we got them. I would definitely purchase again.

aortega

Albuquerque, NM

In practice it's good at one thing: Saving water. Kind of. Unless you want clean clothes, then you'll have to wash them several times. I bet this thing looked great on an engineer's drawing board. If you want something to get dirty clothes actually clean, get something else. This washing machine works by re-circulating a small amount of water on top of an agitated load. The problem with this is two fold: 1. It doesn't actually get the clothes clean; 2. All that lint, dirt, hair, etc is forced to continually go through the water pump and back on to the load. The water pump and motor are both undersized for the job (to save energy). When the pump clogs up (as is inevitable) you have the option of carefully cutting the pump in half with a hacksaw to clean it out (you can glue it back together with clamps and epoxy) or pay 3x more than a normal washing machine pump for a new one. Do not expect this machine to get comforters and the like, clean. Because the load never gets fully submerged, all of the lint and dirt will stay trapped in folds and wrinkles of the comforter. Not to worry though, there is something you can do! Half way through both the wash and rinse cycles, open up the lid, pull out the comforter, shake, and return to washing. Do this and you will have a chance of getting most of the dirt out. If that fails, you can always take it outside and spray it down with a garden hose. The Calypso also takes about 2x longer than a conventional machine to wash a load. Further, the extended spin option is a must to get clothes to efficently dry in the dryer. As the dryer uses far more electricty, I find it appaling that to save a little electricity on the washing cycle to get their energy star rating, they offload much greater effort to the dryer. In short, this washing machine strives to save water by using more electricity in it's place, and is poor at actually getting clothes clean. If you live in places like NV, CA and AZ, it might be worth it environmentally, as long as you don't get your clothes dirty and don't mind paying 3x extra for repairs. IMHO, The only people who can give this machine a positive review either hasn't paid any attention to the clothes coming out of it, or are paid for by kenmore. PS, to those with a ( LS ) lid switch error: a cheap fix! Unplug the machine between loads for 30 seconds. If you get tired of doing that you can always install a 12v switch on the lid circut. Make sure you flip it off for safety when you open the lid to pull out your comforter! Also don't let kids play around it unsupervised. It's kind of dangerous like that.

Burtons

Harrisonburg, VA

I hate this washer, it leaves stains on clothes, it doesn't rinse the soap out well even with he detergent.  I always had to rewash a lot of things and socks that were dirty did not get clean.  You cannot soak items because it doesn't use very much water. It says large capacity but I don't see that you can wash any more items than with a traditional washer. I absolutely hate it.  Do Not Buy!!!

madjo

Waxahachie, TX

I have been using my Kenmore Calypso for approximately three months, and, though I had read many skeptical reviews, I have not serious issues with any of the potential problems that were mentioned.  In fact, this has been the best washing machine I have used, by far. The Calypso motion agitator makes loading the machine quite simple.  There is no need to work around a gigantic central agitator that takes the entire center of the machine.  It also improves the capacity for large items, and laundering bulky items, such as towels, blankets, and comforters is a breeze. The digital display provides many options for wash cycles and allows easy programming to meet your custom needs.  It has been beneficial for me to be able to view the remaining time for my loads.  This washing machine is very quiet on every cycle. I have noticed a slight mildew odor on occasion; generally when I have maximized the capacity.  It has not been a consistent problem. Unlike many reviewers, we did not purchase our washing machine new and pay a steep price for it.  Rather, we purchased a refurbished model for much less than the price of a new entry-level machine.  The awesome deal may contribute to my love for the machine.  Though I greatly enjoy using my machine, I would not pay the price for a new one, and I would recommend a used unit with a warranty.  

zachnmasmom

Creedmoor, NC

At a first glance, the Kenmore Calypso washing machine looks great!  It has so many different buttons and settings that offer many options for washing.  The washing machine has a very large tub, which makes it possible to wash all of the things that are normally difficult to wash, such as a large bed comforter.  I received my Kenmore Calypso washing machine lightly used, so when the problems started happening, I was under the impression that it was my fault.  Upon reading reviews online, I learned that that was definitely not the case.  This washing machine is in fact a lemon.  From what I understand, the pump is not up to par with the machine, which causes the machine's drains to get clogged up, which in turn makes it impossible to wash your clothes.  It also leaves black stains on my white clothes.  The washing machine has been fixed several times and now has a new problem.  I have never seen a washing machine with more problems than this one.  I would never recommend buying it to anyone.

wrightlr

Hickory, NC

I have had my calypso pair since 2001 and it has givin me very good service. The bulk of the complaints against it ARE user error. When I first got it I tried to use it like the old washer I had before and at the time I was a single guy with roomies.  We abused the hell out of this washer! It started giving us lint on clothes, error codes, bad smells etc. And the cabinet bottom plate was rusting out.  (washer has a completely enclosed cabinet for noise) I discarded the bottom plate, smell improved, it could breathe and I continued to abuse this washer for years it could ALWAYS be reset and soldier on...  Well I eventually settled down and it started tearing up the wife's clothes hooks/buttons etc. I cant have that, so I started reading the horror stories/class action lawsuit online about this calypso. I asked myself how this washer could be so bad and live through the abuse its seen already. Its not, as mine is still factory fresh with ZERO service. Here are some pros/cons that I have learned along the way.  Pros: does excellent job on cleaning clothes, and really does offer good water/energy savings  Cons: real finicky on how you load it and the parts are expensive and mostly plastic pumps valves etc. so we learned that electronics and wet washers dont mix as we keep ours unplugged or ghost error codes/cycles/beeps always happen so we unplug adn it electrically resets itself till next time we use it. ALWAYS mesh bag your delicates/small items or they will destroy the expensive plastic parts under the agitator!!  I dont recommend any washer with gee whiz electronics like this one, because ya cant isolate the problem as easily.  but our next will definitively have a simple dial. I think if everyone used this washer like it was designed there would be a lot less complaints. The manual had a lots good info in it go figure!  

khghia

Albuquerque, NM

Have owned this Kenmore Elite Calypso Washer for 5+ years.  It has been service twice by technicians and four times by myself.  Without question, this design is defective. Nearly twice a year invariably, clothes get lodged like a vise beneath the wash plate.  Then the wash plate, where you will always find mold/scum beneath, needs to be disassebled to remove the now ruined clothes.  If the clothes are small, like socks, they get sucked underneath the wash plate and are pulled through 1" holes into the wash water reservoir ... and when the pump runs they are sucked into the intake. To fix the problem, the washer must be emptied of wash water (take into garage, disconnect hoses, and let the water go where everywhere!) and significantly dissassembled to get the sock out of the pump intake. NEVER buy this washer -- at any price.

p2pca

Grandville, MI