Any observations on the new ones? Good, bad, front load ,top load.Brands to avoid? Lurnme plz.
Any observations on the new ones? Good, bad, front load ,top load.Brands to avoid? Lurnme plz.
SpeedQueen washer is worth every penny. I have topload. No bells, no whistles, none of the overcomplicated computer E36 M3, and supposedly parts will be easy to find.
I'm running an Amana dryer right now, front load, and it's pretty great. Was a bit cheaper than the speedqueen if I remember, but again, simple and "dumb".
Anything "smart" or full of computers is going to be expensive garbage for the most part.
I have Whirlpool front load. Mechanically fine, but if you or someone in your home is not ok with leaving the door open on the washer when not in use, DO NOT buy a front load. They get mildew-ey when they don't get to dry out.
2nd speed queen
Not Samsung. Mine have been a constant flow of sensors and whatnot for 7 years.
I think I read that recent Speed Queens have also gone away from mechanical controls and have started down the circuit board road. If true, they may be no more reliable than any other option. They do guzzle tons of water too if that's a concern.
I delivered appliances in college and through time, formed the opinion that extra money you spend gets you more bells and whistles, but not necessarily more quality or reliability. Front load washers are much heavier than top loaders, and they're usually deeper too which may or may not make a difference. If space is limited, take measurements and remember to account for a few inches on the back of the units for hoses, power cord and drain.
In reply to TRoglodyte :
I used to be a loyal fan of Maytag, yet once they stopped making them in Iowa their reliability deteriorated dramatically.. My new wife loves her LG brand washer/ drier and it has been 100% trouble free the past 6 years. 10 year warranty is standard Her sister is on her 7th trouble free year with LG
My wife is obsessive about doing wash and there are few days when there isn’t wash loads running.
It’s a big stacker set so we have more room in the utility room. Big enough to do all the bedding in a king big size bed. Including the down comforter.
SpeedQueen. We got the 3rd from the bottom of the line. The bottom of the line doesn't have the stainless tub. The next one up does and is full commercial spec. The local place we bought ours from didn't have that one in stock (could order, but, you know, broken washer...) but did have the 3rd up, the only difference being one extra switch for an extra rinse cycle. Very happy with it.
Also SpeedQueen, been good. 6 years in.
STM317 said:I think I read that recent Speed Queens have also gone away from mechanical controls and have started down the circuit board road. If true, they may be no more reliable than any other option. They do guzzle tons of water too if that's a concern.
I was told the same thing recently when I bought the second new stove. I was telling the salesguy how happy I was with the SpeedQueen and he said that they'd decided to make some changes in the two years since I bought mine that have made people unhappy. Still, a used one should be easy to service, I see them locally on Craiglist for $200-300.
I got ride of my slightly used high efficiency top loader for a Samsung front loader scratch and dent at a great price.
Cleaning was better than the top loader, and there are vids that show how to fix the auto water level, which made it clean almost as good as a 70s top loader.
I have only had it for 6 months so I can't comment on reliability.
I caught this video last year when I was c seeonsidering a Speed Queen. This long time dealer says the changes are bad.
See the good he has to say about new Maytag Commercial (and only Commercial, no other Maytag)
More videos. This guy is surprisingly thorough and seems genuine.
Streetwiseguy said:I have Whirlpool front load. Mechanically fine, but if you or someone in your home is not ok with leaving the door open on the washer when not in use, DO NOT buy a front load. They get mildew-ey when they don't get to dry out.
I second this, front load sucks. We had one for a few years and I replaced it with an older top loader model with only a few settings. We had to run twice as many loads in the front load washer to equal one load in the old school top loader. It got moldy and started leaving weird marks on our clothes that wouldn't wash off. I sold the front loader for $50 and we are still using the ancient top loader.
I told my wife I want our next washer to be borderline coin operated. I want something that holds a ton of clothes, and has only water level and temp settings. Simple.
Streetwiseguy said:I have Whirlpool front load. Mechanically fine, but if you or someone in your home is not ok with leaving the door open on the washer when not in use, DO NOT buy a front load. They get mildew-ey when they don't get to dry out.
We have front load LG and never had an issue with mold or smell. I used to have a frontload Maytag that did until I found out there is a package of stuff you’re supposed to toss in about once a month.
But the LG we own doesn’t need it for some reason or other.
LG is the current top of the heap. Consumer Reports has them in their top 8 slots for washers.
On the front vs top load, the front load does so much better of a job and uses so much less water it’s no contest. I wouldn’t go back to a top loader ever.
We’ve had our Bosch set for 15 years or so. The washers starting to make noise but it gets about 8-10 loads run through it a week. It’s earned it. We’re probably going to replace with an LG given changes since we bought these.
Our LG front load washer and dryer have been trouble free until just recently, and are approx 7 years old
I have a new fill valve on order to fix one that’s dripping, but this is the first issue we’ve had. I’m not surprised since the house doesn’t have a water pressure regulator, so the fill valve has been seeing 80-90 psi since we got the washer.
They haven’t had an easy life. With two boys and a dog they get a lot of work. The boys will fill the washer up until they can’t fit anything more in it, and they are many times where I’ve cleaned the lint filter in the dryer and found it completely covered in lint and dog hair.
Here’s a view with the top removed:
We had Samsung front loads but the washer tried to shake itself to Oklahoma. Apparently it was an issue with the drum. Dryer has been great. Replaced the washer with a top load model from GE and it's been great so far.
My wife and I have Maytags, top loader high efficiency washer and conventional dryer, electric. Both run great, no issues at all. Huge improvement vs our old front loader that died. Get them (and the dishwasher) from the local scratch and dent place for pennies on the dollar. Drier was brand new last years model, washer had a dent in the back I was able to pull a cover and pop out, and the dishwasher had a scuff that came out with some rubbing compound. Plus they are cash n carry and what you see on the floor is what you get.
I too researched Speed Queen last year when I bought a new Maytag thru Costco. Most reviewers cited issues, and said they are not what they used to be. Scared me off.
I've been pretty happy with Maytag, but it too is not what it used to be.
I have stacked front loaders from Maytag. They came with the house. Two years in and no issues. Great cleaning. The dryer is electric and I would say it's a bit on the slow side. A full load of "normal" stuff is about 1:30 to dry. Lots of jeans or towels more like 1:45-2:00
Streetwiseguy said:I have Whirlpool front load. Mechanically fine, but if you or someone in your home is not ok with leaving the door open on the washer when not in use, DO NOT buy a front load. They get mildew-ey when they don't get to dry out.
This. We bought a GE front loader for the last place and my other half requires the door to be closed, no matter if it needed drying out or not. As a result I had to run washing machine cleaner through this thing regularly.
New place doesn't really have space for a front loader, so I'm guess we'll get another top loader when these croak.
The big difference is that front-load washers clean clothes, top-loaders swirl them around in muddy water for a little while.
Whirlpool makes most of the name-brands - Maytag, Kenmore, Roper, etc.
For a dryer, I can't see why you wouldn't buy the $360 Roper gas dryer. There's less on it to break than anything else.
I bought a set of very basic Kenmore-branded Whirlpools (top loading washer, electric drier) nearly 20 years ago. The washer lasted about 15 years before being replaced with an identical one with Roper branding; the drier got an overhaul last year using a $20 rebuild kit and is still running.
Not sure what you have now, but we went from a regular el-cheapo set that came with the house to a high-capacity, high-efficiency set. That change alone is life-changing and worth a little extra coin. We bought ours from a used appliance place, and other than replacing a bearing, they have been slugging along for almost 10 years now. Funny thing is that my washer was rated as one of the worst ever, but apparently, when the store refurbished it, they fixed whatever was wrong.
I think the main thing is to buy a "dumb" machine , like a coin op machine needs to be ,
The smart machines cost so much to fix and are not something most people can figure out except changing expensive computer boards etc and hope it works.
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