Description
What the COSTWAY Blue Twin Tub Portable Washer Is
This is a blue twin tub portable washing machine, part number 10021US-BL-CYPF, with a wash tub and a separate spin tub side by side under a clear lid. COSTWAY lists 26 pounds of total capacity, split as 18 pounds for washing and 8 pounds for spinning, in a cabinet 16.5 inches deep by 26.5 inches wide by 31.5 inches high, weighing 34 pounds.
It is aimed at homes without a laundry hookup: apartments, dorms, RVs, camping and anywhere a plumbed machine is impossible. Everything is knob driven. There is no program board, no water level sensor and no heater, and clothes are moved from the wash tub to the spin tub by hand between stages.
The Drain Pump Is The Reason To Pick This One
COSTWAY sells several near identical twin tub machines under the same generic model name, and the differences are easy to miss. This one has a built in drain pump, which is the most practically useful difference in the range. A pump means dirty water can be pushed out to a sink or a tub above the level of the machine, rather than relying on gravity through a hose. On a machine that lives in a bathroom or a kitchen corner, that removes the single most common installation headache.
The box also includes an inlet hose as well as a drain hose, so the machine can be filled from a tap rather than by bucket. The grey and white twin tub version lists a drain hose only and no pump, which is a meaningful step down in convenience for a very similar looking appliance. Check the part number before ordering.
Washing And Spinning Are Not Washing And Drying
The listing repeatedly describes the machine as able to wash and dry clothes at the same time. That wording is misleading and it needs correcting. The second tub is a centrifugal spinner. It throws water out of fabric mechanically. There is no heating element, no airflow and no drying cycle anywhere in this machine.
Clothes come out of the spin tub damp, not dry, and they need hanging or a separate dryer to finish. COSTWAY is explicit about this on a sibling listing, stating that clothes come out around 90 percent dry and need to be hung. Anyone who needs wearable clothes at the end of a cycle needs a real dryer, such as the COSTWAY portable dryer, or a machine that genuinely does both like the ventless combination units in the all in one washers and dryers category.
The 1300 RPM Figure
Maximum spin speed is listed as 1300 revolutions per minute. That is a high number, comparable with full size front loaders, and on a small diameter spin basket it will extract water effectively. It also means the machine needs to be on a firm level surface with the load reasonably balanced, because an unbalanced basket at that speed will walk across a floor. There is no automatic unbalance detection listed on this model.
Controls And Cycle Times
Three modes are listed on the specification sheet as gentle, normal and drain, with spin available separately. Timing is by knob, and here the listing contradicts itself: the feature bullets describe 5 minutes of washing time and 5 minutes of spinning time on the control panel, while the closely related grey model describes a wash timer adjustable from 0 to 15 minutes. Whether the wash timer on this unit runs to 5 or 15 minutes is not resolvable from the listing, and the printed manual is the authority.
The wash and spin functions can be run independently, which is the main efficiency claim: the next wash load can agitate while the previous one spins. That works, but it requires someone standing at the machine to move laundry across.
Highlights
- 26 pounds total capacity, 18 pounds wash and 8 pounds spin.
- Built in drain pump for draining upward into a sink.
- Inlet hose, drain hose and manual included in the box.
- 120 volt plug in operation, 280 watts wash and 140 watts spin.
- Listed maximum spin speed of 1300 revolutions per minute.
- Gentle, normal and drain modes with independent wash and spin operation.
- Clear lid over both tubs, plastic body that resists rust, 34 pounds.
Things To Consider
The drying claim in the listing is wrong and should be discounted. The spinner extracts water, it does not dry.
Cycle timing is stated inconsistently across COSTWAY’s own listings for what appear to be the same machines. There is no heater, so wash temperature is whatever the tap gives, and there is no water level sensor, so filling is the operator’s judgment.
The model number is recorded as Portable Washing Machine, which is not a model number, and the finish type field says ABS and PP, which is a material rather than a finish. The listing does not publish an amperage, a cord length or a noise figure, and it does not say whether a ground fault protected outlet is required, which is worth checking in the manual given that this is a water filled appliance often used in bathrooms.
Capacity is also a two tub sum rather than a single load. Households with a genuine laundry space will get better results with less effort from a plumbed machine, and the washers category covers those alternatives, from compact front loaders up to full size top loaders like the GE GTW500ASNWS.
Who Should Buy It, And Who Should Not
It suits a dorm, an apartment, an RV or a small home with no hookup, particularly where the drain point is a sink above the machine, since the built in pump solves that. At 34 pounds it stores away between uses.
It is the wrong purchase for anyone who wants dry clothes, anyone who wants to set a program and leave, or anyone who cannot supervise the transfer between tubs. Those buyers should look at a fully automatic portable machine or a plumbed washer instead.
