Description
What the GE GTW500ASNWS Is
The GTW500ASNWS is a conventional 27 inch top load washer with a dual action agitator, push button controls and a stainless steel basket. It is a mainstream machine rather than a high end one, and it is aimed at households who want a large tub, simple operation and no front loader maintenance routine.
Capacity is where the listing first contradicts itself. The product title and the specification table say 4.6 cubic feet. The description says 4.5 cubic feet. The difference is trivial in practice, but it is a reminder to check the figure against GE’s own specification sheet if capacity is the deciding factor between this and another machine.
Deep Fill Is The Feature That Matters
High efficiency top loaders sense the load and add only as much water as they judge necessary. That saves water, and it is also the single most common complaint about the category, because a low water fill can leave heavily soiled or bulky items disappointing.
Deep Fill addresses that with a button. It lets the user add extra water, or fill the tub properly, for the loads that need it. Having it as an option rather than a default is the right arrangement: the machine stays efficient for ordinary laundry and becomes capable when something needs a proper soak.
The dual action agitator is the other half of the mechanical story. GE describes it as a reversing wash action, and agitator machines are generally more effective on ground in dirt than the impeller designs used in many modern top loaders. The trade is that agitators are harder on fabric, so households washing delicates regularly may prefer a front loader such as the GE GFW550SSNWW.
The Spin Speed Disagreement
The description states 750 revolutions per minute. The specification table states a maximum spin speed of 800 revolutions per minute. Both figures are in the normal range for an agitator top loader and neither is alarming, but they do not agree, and the listing offers no way to settle it.
Either way, this is a substantially slower final spin than a front loader, which typically reaches 1200 to 1400 revolutions per minute. That difference is not academic. Clothes come out of a top loader wetter, so every drying cycle that follows takes longer and uses more energy. Anyone weighing the lower purchase price of a top loader against running costs should factor that in, because the extra minutes appear on every load for as long as the machine is owned, and they appear on the dryer’s meter rather than the washer’s. The options in the dryers category vary widely in how quickly they cope with a wetter load.
Electrical And Installation
The listing publishes no voltage, no amperage and no plug type. A domestic washer is normally a plug in appliance on a standard household circuit in North America, but the requirement should still be taken from GE’s specification sheet and the rating plate rather than assumed.
Installation needs hot and cold supply valves and a drain standpipe or laundry tub within the height range GE specifies. Unlike a front loader there is no door swing to plan for, since the lid opens upward, but that lid does need clearance above the machine, which rules out a low shelf or wall cabinet directly overhead. At 147 pounds it is also one of the lighter full size washers here, which makes delivery and positioning easier.
Levelling still matters. A top loader that is not sitting square will thump on the spin cycle, and an unbalanced load in an agitator machine can shut the cycle down partway through. The adjustable feet are there to be set at installation rather than adjusted later once the machine has started moving across the floor. The effect is more noticeable on a suspended timber floor than on a concrete slab, which is worth knowing before installing any washer on an upper storey.
Highlights
- Large top load tub, listed at 4.6 cubic feet.
- Deep Fill button for adding water on demand.
- Dual action agitator with a reversing wash action.
- Stainless steel tub that will not chip, rust or snag clothing.
- Optional second rinse for clearing detergent and bleach.
- Thirteen cycles including a speed wash, with push button controls.
- 147 pounds, no door swing clearance required.
Things To Consider
The description on this listing contains a claim that is cut off mid sentence, asserting 67 percent more cleaning power than the most commonly, and then simply stopping. An incomplete comparison is not a claim at all, because there is no stated baseline to compare against, and it should be disregarded entirely rather than read charitably. The same description also uses promotional language that this review will not repeat, since none of it is measurable.
Two specification fields are wrong. The special features field says Portable, which a 147 pound plumbed washer is not, and the finish type says stainless steel where the color field correctly says white, since the stainless refers to the tub rather than the cabinet.
Capacity and spin speed are each stated two different ways. No efficiency figure, no energy certification and no water consumption number is published, so running costs cannot be compared from this page.
The agitator also occupies part of the tub, so usable capacity is less than the headline figure suggests, and large comforters wash poorly around a center post. Households needing that should look at a large front loader such as the LG WM4200HWA, whose 5 cubic foot drum has no center post at all, or work through the washers category for other options. Buyers wanting a simpler and cheaper agitator machine should compare the Amana NTW4519JW.
Who Should Buy It, And Who Should Not
It suits a household that wants a big simple washer, prefers loading from the top, and values the Deep Fill option for genuinely dirty laundry. It also avoids the gasket and odor maintenance that front loaders demand.
It is the wrong purchase for anyone who wants the fastest possible drying afterward, anyone washing delicate fabrics constantly, and anyone who needs published efficiency data before buying.
