Of the two dozen agitator top-loaders Consumer Reports has tested only one meets the latest Energy Star standards. The GE GTW485ASJWS used less water than the other agitator top-loaders in our tests and was very good at extracting it, cutting dryer time, and saving energy. At $600 the price is right, but here's what you'll want to know before you decide.
The GE GTW485ASJWS was impressive at cleaning while using little water, about 14 gallons with our typical 8-pound test load. You do have the option of increasing the water up to a deep fill—about 28 gallons in our test—and the extra rinse cycle is handy if you're sensitive to detergent residue or need to wash away stubborn pet hair from garments and blankets. At this price, it's nice to see there's a pretreat option for tomato, dirt, wine, and grass stains. We tried the wine pretreat and it delivered a notable improvement in cleaning.
The tub is stainless and capacity is large. The manufacturer claims 4.2 cubic feet. Wash time is 50 minutes using the normal wash heavy-soil setting; you can save about 15 minutes using the normal-soil setting. Agitator washers aren't the gentlest on fabrics and the GE frayed our fabric swatches more than the other agitator machines in our tests. The washer is more gentle on the normal-soil setting. Agitator top-loaders are also typically noisy, and the GE was among the noisiest. Check out the video below for a sound check.
More choices
We've tested dozens of agitator top-loaders, high-efficiency top-loaders, and front-loaders. See our washing machine Ratings to compare washers by price and brand. Click on the Features & Specs tab so that you can find out the claimed capacity in cubic feet and each washer's dimensions. Send any questions to kjaneway@consumer.org.
Noisy vs. Quiet Washer
