I have a washer that isn’t smart, but it has some modern features. It’s very stingy with water and it has a lid lock.
It cheesed me off that I had to say may-I to a washing machine, only to be sure it was washing stuff rather than just beating it up. I removed the lock. It’s only a thingy screwed to the lid. As long as the thingy’s in its slot, the not-smart washer doesn’t know it’s unscrewed, so I can open the lid anytime.
If/when it gives me any serious problems I will buy something cheap and made in USA, but ideally it will have a paranoid-friendly transparent lid and the kind of agitator that can’t catch clothing straps and strings.
PS Yeah, I am a climate offender and I don’t deserve plentiful water. Lately the detergents aren’t great either.
I removed the lid lock from under the top taking out the two screws. I then put a zip tie through the mechanism to make it “think” it is in the locked position. I then duct taped the mechanism and wires to the inside right panel where it would not touch the drum when it is agitating or spinning.
So far, it has worked just fine for a couple months.