Where Commutators Are Used in Modern Home Appliances

Most of the commutators left in a modern home hide inside a shrinking group of loud, hard-working, low-cost motors: corded vacuums, many blenders and mixers, some washing machines, hair dryers, and a few niche pumps and grinders. Almost everything else has moved on to induction or brushless designs with electronic switching instead of copper segments and brushes.

The short reality check

If you grew up thinking “electric motor” meant “brushes on a copper drum,” that picture is now mostly historical. Today, a commutator is less a default and more a very specific choice: accept brush wear, commutation noise and EMI, in exchange for high power density and a brutally cheap drive stage.

Industry data lines up with what you see in stores. The global brushless DC motor market is in the tens of billions of dollars and growing steadily, driven heavily by appliances and HVAC. At the same time, suppliers still publish dedicated catalogs for “household appliance commutators” targeting vacuum cleaners, mixers, washing machines and hair dryers, which tells you the old architecture is not gone yet, just pushed to the edges.

So the useful question is not “are commutators obsolete?” but “where do they still make sense in a 2026 home, and why?”

The rule of thumb: no commutator without a brushed or universal motor

You already know the basic structure: mechanical commutation only appears in brushed DC and universal motors. No commutator, no brushes. If you see an induction motor or BLDC rotor, the commutation is either handled by the grid frequency or by a power-electronic inverter.

That gives a simple diagnostic rule for appliances.

If the motor is:

A mains-powered universal motor, often series-wound, running at very high speed, with simple triac or tapped-coil “speed control,” you can almost assume there is a commutator on the shaft. Universal motors like this remain common exactly where their traits are useful: high starting torque, very high speed, compact size, moderate efficiency, and acceptable lifetime when used intermittently.

If the motor is:

A BLDC or induction design with an inverter board, you know the commutation has been pushed into silicon. No copper segments. Just firmware, PWM and MOSFETs.

Everything else is detail. But the detail is where product decisions live.

Kitchen counter: the strongest commutator stronghold

Walk across the kitchen. You are standing in the densest cluster of commutators left in the house.

Most low-to-mid-priced blenders, stand mixers, hand mixers, food processors, juicers and coffee grinders still use commutated universal motors. Major component suppliers explicitly list these appliances as standard use cases for their riser-type and hook-type commutators. Universal motors give them a mix that is hard to beat: they start with high torque, can spin to tens of thousands of RPM, tolerate crude speed control, and stay relatively compact.

For these tools, efficiency is important but not decisive. A blender might run for a couple of minutes at a time, a grinder for seconds. Brush losses and commutator heating are acceptable trade-offs when the user mainly cares that “high” really is high, and that the appliance costs less than a small smartphone accessory. Long-term wear is buffered by the fact that typical duty cycles are short.

There is movement at the high end. BLDC-driven “smart” mixers, BLDC range hoods, and even BLDC blenders now exist, but they are still the exception in most markets. They show up where premium pricing, low noise, and very tight speed control matter more than rock-bottom BOM cost.

Cleaning gear: vacuums and power brushes

Cleaning is the second large pocket of commutators at home, but it is fractured.

Classic corded upright and canister vacuum cleaners often still rely on a universal motor with a commutator, spinning the fan well above mains frequency to achieve the required pressure and airflow. Component makers and motor OEMs explicitly call out vacuum cleaner motors and vacuum cleaner power brushes as core targets for commutated DC motors.

The picture shifts once you add batteries. Cordless stick vacuums, handheld vacs and robot vacuums almost universally use BLDC motors now. They need the efficiency, high power density and long life that come from electronic commutation, especially at the high speeds required for compact blower stages. Vacuum manufacturers and BLDC vendors both position brushless motors as the standard choice for “smart” and cordless cleaning products.

So you end up with an interesting divide inside the same category. The budget corded vacuum in a supermarket aisle is very likely to contain a commutator. The premium cordless model next to it almost never does.

Laundry: washing machines in transition

Washing machines are in the middle of a long, messy migration.

Historically, universal motors with commutators were attractive in washing machines because they could be driven slowly back and forth for agitation, then ramped to very high speed for spin, all from the same machine. Variable speed is easy; reversing is a simple wiring trick; and torque is respectable.

Suppliers still sell motor commutator components explicitly for washing machine drives, and market research on “household appliance commutators” continues to treat washers as a major segment alongside vacuums and hair dryers.

At the same time, variable-frequency induction and BLDC drives are taking over in mid-range and premium machines. Direct-drive BLDC drum motors remove pulleys, belts and brushes, cut acoustic noise, and make it easier to hit aggressive energy-efficiency labels. Appliance-focused BLDC suppliers highlight washing machines as a headline application, not a future curiosity.

The result is a split market.

Older or budget machines: often still commutated universal drives. Modern “inverter,” “DD,” or “Eco-whatever” machines: almost always brushless, usually with a large, low-speed torque-rich motor on the drum.

From a designer’s point of view, you only keep a commutator in a new washer if your business model depends heavily on low BOM cost and you are comfortable trading away efficiency, noise and long service life.

Grooming and small airflow devices

Hair dryers are textbook commutator territory and remain so in the volume market. Major commutator vendors still mention hair dryers directly in their application lists, alongside vacuum cleaners and washing machines.

The logic is simple. You need a compact, cheap motor that spins a small fan hard. The product is used intermittently. A noisy series-wound universal motor with a commutator fits.

At the high end, though, BLDC hair dryers have become a thing: cool branding, compact motors in the handle, long life, low electrical noise. Architecturally, those devices have more in common with a miniature BLDC blower from an HVAC system than with a classic series motor. The commutator exits; a multi-phase inverter and a rotor position sensor enter.

Clipper motors, small massage guns, desk fans and desk air purifiers form a mixed group. Some low-cost units still rely on brushed designs, especially when powered directly from a small wall supply. Battery-centric and “smart” models lean heavily towards BLDC, in line with the broader smart appliance trend.

Where commutators have quietly disappeared

Now walk into the spaces where machines run for hours without you thinking about them: the refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner, air purifier, dehumidifier. These are mostly commutator-free zones now.

Refrigerator compressors and internal fans are either induction machines or BLDC designs with electronic commutation. Continuous operation, strict energy regulations, and tight acoustic targets leave little room for brush wear and sparking surfaces. Industry articles on BLDC applications in appliances treat fridges and freezers as established BLDC domains.

Room air conditioners and split systems follow a similar pattern. Indoor and outdoor fans plus inverter compressors are driven by BLDC motors whose speed is carefully controlled to hit seasonal efficiency requirements and noise limits. Again, any mechanical commutator here would be a liability.

Dishwashers, modern tumble dryers, ceiling fans marketed as “super-efficient,” and a growing set of range hoods have also shifted strongly towards BLDC or carefully optimized induction drives. High duty cycles and regulatory pressure give commutated designs little space.

In these categories, if you still see a commutator, it is either in an auxiliary feature (for example, a low-priced drain pump module in an older design) or in a legacy model that is being phased out.

Why these appliances still tolerate commutators

If the official documentation gives you torque-speed curves and loss breakdowns, the real-world filter is more mundane: economics and expectations.

Commutated universal motors remain attractive when four conditions line up.

First, the appliance is used intermittently. Short duty cycles mean brush wear, acoustic noise, and relatively low efficiency are not deal-breakers. This fits the typical use of a blender, grinder or hair dryer.

Second, the product needs very high shaft speed or high peak torque from a small frame at low upfront cost. Universal motors shine here; they can spin far above mains synchronous speed, with high power density, using modest materials and simple control.

Third, BOM cost is under heavy pressure. A commutated motor plus a simple triac controller is cheap. A BLDC motor requires an inverter, usually a controller, EMC filtering, and some firmware effort. Component prices are coming down, but for cost-sensitive categories the delta still matters.

Fourth, the regulatory and marketing environment does not demand best-in-class efficiency or noise. Entry-level appliances can live with “good enough” labels, especially in markets where electricity is subsidized or energy ratings are not the primary sales driver.

When any of those conditions break, the business case for a commutator erodes quickly.

Summary table: where commutators live in a typical 2026 home

The table below compresses the discussion into a quick reference. It is approximate by design, but it reflects how suppliers, standards, and current product lines look today.

This table is not meant as a catalog. It is a way to think: which products still pay the “commutator tax,” and which have decided that electronics are cheaper than carbon dust and copper wear.

Design notes for engineers and product managers

From a design perspective, choosing a commutator in 2026 is less an engineering reflex and more a deliberate compromise.

You keep a commutated universal motor when: you need high speed and torque from a compact frame, duty cycles are short, BOM cost is brutal, and energy labels are not your primary differentiator. Entry-level blenders, grinders, some corded vacuums and budget washers fall here. The control stack is simple, the supply chain is mature, and serviceability is well understood.

You move to BLDC or well-controlled induction when: efficiency regulations are tightening in your target markets, acoustic noise has become a selling point, lifetime expectations stretch into tens of thousands of hours, and integration with digital control or connectivity matters. This is why BLDC motors now anchor product families in fridges, air conditioners, smart fans, inverter washers and many cordless tools.

There is also a subtle EMC and safety layer. Commutators generate sparking and broadband electrical noise; modern standards for conducted and radiated emissions are not always friendly to that. BLDC and induction drives move the problem into the inverter’s switching edges, which can be filtered and modeled more predictably. For high-volume appliances targeting multiple regions, this predictability is valuable.

So the competitive question is rarely “can we still use a commutator?” It is closer to “where does a commutator remain the cheapest acceptable solution given our efficiency, noise, and lifetime promises?”

How to think about commutators in your next appliance

If you are refreshing a legacy product line that currently uses commutated motors, you effectively have three paths.

One, keep the architecture and squeeze incremental gains. Better brush materials, improved commutator geometry, slightly smarter speed control. This is the low-risk route, but it does not protect you much against future regulation shifts or competitors who jump to BLDC and market quiet, efficient operation as standard.

Two, migrate to a BLDC or induction platform and accept the up-front complexity. Mechanically, your motor envelope changes. Electrically, you add a power stage and a control board. Organizationally, you need firmware competence and a more involved EMC story. The upside is a large step change in efficiency, lifetime, and feature headroom.

Three, split the line. Keep commutators in the lowest-priced SKUs, where plug-and-play motors and simple controls still win, and reserve brushless or induction designs for “inverter,” “smart,” or “silent” tiers. This is what many brands have quietly done with vacuums, fans and washing machines.

In practice, all three appear in the market at once, which is why your home still contains commutators and yet feels increasingly brushless.

Closing thought

Commutators are no longer the default motor accessory; they are a niche optimization that survives where economics, physics and product positioning align just right. When you see one in a modern home appliance, it usually signals a deliberate cost-performance trade, not an engineering habit. Knowing exactly where that line sits in your category is the difference between a product that merely works and a product that can compete against the next wave of quiet, efficient, electronically commutated machines.