Kenmore 4.5 Cu. Ft. Top Load Washer with Triple Action Impeller Review

The numbers below decide whether the washer fits your laundry space and how it will run day to day.

The 4.5 cu. ft. drum takes large loads. The 30-inch depth is the figure to check against your laundry space. The 710 RPM spin pulls more water out of the load, which shortens drying time. The stainless basket resists chipping and stays fresh longer than a coated drum. A 4.5 cu. ft. stainless drum, a 710 RPM spin and the impeller wash system are the features that justify this machine's place in its class.

The washer has no center post. A low-profile wash plate at the bottom of the drum drives the load through three motions: a spraying action that hits dirt with a concentrated detergent mix, a wash basket action that rocks the basket back and forth, and an impeller action that moves clothes in a circular pattern.

Without an agitator, the whole drum is usable space, and the wash action is gentler on fabric than a center post that beats clothes against the wall. The trade-off is that rollover depends on careful loading.

The marketing numbers come with conditions, and reading them correctly tells you what to expect from a real wash day.

• Accela-Wash washes full-size loads up to 51% faster, measured against a standard 8-lb load on Normal, warm, extra-heavy soil. It works by optimizing the wash, rinse and spin and gently raising the wash temperature.
• Express Wash finishes in as little as 30 minutes, based on a 3-lb load. That is a small load of lightly soiled clothes, not a family wash.
• Cold Clean uses up to 90% less energy, and that figure is about heating the water, which is roughly 90% of a washer's energy use, not about the whole machine.
• The washer uses 154 kWh/year and is not ENERGY STAR certified.

Buyers on Amazon most often praise how the washer performs, and the summary of their reviews highlights a low-profile wash system that cleans well, quiet operation and a tub big enough for large bedding. Value for money, cleanliness and wash capacity come up positively again and again, and the large majority of ratings are four or five stars. Buyers are divided on durability: some describe a machine that holds up, while others report it falling apart within a year.

A recurring gripe is tangling and twisting when the washer is overloaded, which is the classic impeller complaint. Like other high-efficiency top-loaders, it runs on low, automatic water levels, so clothes at the top of a full load may not get fully soaked. The Deep Fill option adds water for those loads.

Each of these comes straight from the machine's own specifications, and each is a trade-off of the design rather than a defect.

• No ENERGY STAR certification, at 154 kWh/year.
• No steam cycle and no sanitize cycle, which matters in a household with allergies, pets or a baby.
• No Wi-Fi or app control.
• A 1-year warranty, shorter than what some buyers want for a major appliance.
• An impeller wash action that rewards sensible loading and punishes an overload.
• High-efficiency operation with automatic water levels and a requirement for HE detergent, so anyone used to a deep-fill agitator will notice the difference until they learn the Deep Fill setting.

1. Sort and load in a ring around the impeller.