Product review (3 stars): A good laundry alternative but still a "beta" product
I've had this washer for about a year now.  I got this instead of the higher priced portable washers (Haier, Danby) simply because this one fit perfectly in my bathroom, and the others would have been hard to store and then drag into the kitchen or bathroom to use.  I was under no illusion that this cheap piece of machinery would equal the high quality washer/dryer that I would have preferred to buy if I were not living in a tiny NYC apartment with no hookup - BUT, it gets the job done surprisingly well.  You have to be aware though, that this is a manual type of washer that for the most part hasn't been seen since the 1940's.  I like having the control over the washing process that this gives me, but on the other hand you won't be just pushing a button and expecting clean laundry half an hour later.  And definitely be aware this is not a clothes dryer - a "spin dryer" only gets out excess water so you can hang dry your clothes.  The machine has several quirks that will probably make you very unhappy unless you know how to deal with them.

Specifics:
- The plastic smell was overwhelming when I first got it, and it's clearly not BPA free.  Leave it open to air for a few days before you use it, preferably when you can manage to be away for a couple of days.
- The intake hose was pretty useless.  I finally got rid of mine and I just use a bucket to fill it up, or if I'm feeling strong I put the washer into the bathtub and use the shower head to fill it.
- The machine is short enough that many people will find it uncomfortable to use if it's placed directly on the floor.  I bought an IKEA Best top add-on shelf to put under it and give me some extra bathroom storage, and this worked perfectly!  IKEA now has a nice teak bench that would probably work even better.
- The agitator is very strong.  Putting all your laundry into mesh bags still gets it well cleaned, and completely solves the clothes tangling and lint collection problem (you just have to pull the lint off the bags).
- Another consequence of the strong agitator is that you want to use only a very small amount of HE soap, like a tablespoon or less.  Otherwise you'll have to rinse 20 times to get the suds out.  I think this is a GOOD thing - yay for having a single bottle of laundry soap last forever!

A couple of negatives...
- The drain mechanism does not come close to emptying the machine.  There are a good couple quarts of water left in the sump below the washer tub.  This is the one problem that made me knock a couple stars off the rating and consider upgrading to a portable Haier or Danby.  I would expect mold & mildew to ensue, and even though I can't smell anything there's no way to look to be sure.  Leaving it open between uses probably helps, as does the fact that I use Oxyclean in the wash and distilled white vinegar in the rinse water.  Using the washer in the tub and then turning it upside down to finish draining is worth doing for this reason alone.  I would also recommend pouring in some Clorox at least every few months, running the wash cycle for a minute or so then letting it sit for about half an hour, then draining upside down.
- The spinner is less effective than it was initially.  It still does an ok job getting excess water out of clothes, but towels now have that "crunchy" texture after hang drying because the spinner didn't get enough water out.

So bottom line...if Panda manages to fix these issues without changing the form factor of the machine, I'd consider upgrading.  If not, I'll probably upgrade to the Haier or Danby - the latter now has a twin tub version that is only 3 inches wider than the Panda, and doesn't seem to have the drain problem.