You might have noticed there’s been a bit of a fuss in the media about water filled weights being used on washing machines instead of the traditional concrete or in a few cases, iron weights wet, here’s our thoughts on it.
Apart from that the failed Reason washing machine was set to use them and, it failed!
Here’s the problem. Space.
Concrete or iron has a higher weight density so, especially large capacity machines that everyone seems to want to buy these days where space is at a real premium internally, the notion of taking up yet more space for weights just ain’t gonna happen.
Then look into the costs.
If it costs more in a market where cost is at an even greater premium than space do you really think that manufacturers will spend more to please the media or whatever?
But I hear some cry, what of all the environmental benefits touted in the media then with lower fuel costs for lorries and whatever?
Well, you need to think logically about the whole thing, not just focus on the bit that suits your premise.
From what we can gather the idea is that it’s a plastic box (in effect) injection moulded we assume that has a silicon injected layer coating the internals to prevent leakages (ha ha) and apart from thinking, “good luck with that on skinny front weights that break when you look at them wrong”. Our thoughts were, well that’s nice so instead of some natural rocks and stuff we’re going to use oil based synthetics that use a boatload of energy and water to make to replace what is a pretty efficient, tried and proven manufacturing process.
But more, manufacturers would need to retool to do all that as well at a huge cost.
Then if you want the same capacities you need bigger cabinets… etc, etc.
Bigger cabinets = less on the truck in a container = (probably) zero net gain or even a reversal.
If you can as market forces might demonstrate you can’t as the things won’t fit in a standard slot or, you get more capacity with a machine using conventional weights so the market will just gravitate to that anyway.
All in all, we can’t see this idea flying and we’re really sorry to seem a bit negative but we’re afraid that the realities of the market will prevail over idealistic notions.
Nice idea but, not new and probably not practical in the real world so we doubt the concrete weight is dead yet.
