AudioCircle
Community => Non-audio hobbies and interests => Home Improvements and Renovations => Topic started by: FullRangeMan on 8 Jan 2017, 08:42 pm
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Front loading price are near 3 times the top loading, but motor has 10 years warranty.
Front: 8kg washes and dry.
Top: 11kg wash only.
Any advice?
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They ain't gonna win a beauty contest but built like a tank
(in the USA) with commercial in their blood- Speed Queen.
Front loaders are pricey and the last GE I had would rattle
the house but Speed Queen does the job.
Don
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We bought a new Speed Queen a few years ago. What a workhorse. I hear so often from aquaintances that their computer operated model has broken for the nth time. The owner of the little appliance shop where we bought it mentioned that many laundromats use them because of reliabilty.
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I'm breaking from the pack here and advocating for a Euro front loader. Americans came up with washing machines first, and top loading is obviously much easier to implement. But Euro or Euro-style machines wash clothes dramatically better. They use the power of soaking. Why? Well, initially because water, electricity and soap were that much more expensive in Europe. And the machines use a lot less of all 3. But they take WAY longer to do a load. If you're like me and do it overnight or before you leave for work, you don't really care.
I'm from Canada and grew up with American machines. My wife is from France and constantly complained about the washing machines. I agree with here now. The traditional American top loaders just swirls clothes around in enough detergent to make them not smell so bad anymore. Things that you thought were stains, the Euro front loaders actually remove.
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I asked the tech after nine visits to repair my Maytag Maxima front loader what he would recommend and he said the base level Speed Queen with no bells and whistles. My washer is working better than new with a new wiring harness, main control board, motor control board, and a dispenser motor. A SQ is twice the money and does not have the capacity of other top loaders but maybe the lack of aggravation is worth it.
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Another vote for Speed Queen (SQ). They are commercial machines (better built, perform better, rated for 10,000 loads, over 100 years of experience, and founded/made in America.
Bought basic SQ washer and dryer (that cost the same as other basic washers and dryers) after our fancy Maytags died. Out here in the Michigan countryside we use well water, so water conservation is not an issue. And we don't miss the fancy Maytag controls or the expensive service calls (replacement logic/relay boards, when the factory would build more, would have cost $700 plus installation for the dryer, seal on the top loader high efficiency washer tore within a year - a design flaw).
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Thanks boys for your reports, it was very useful.
To my surprise I have located all these US brands (seems) here:
Speed Queen, UniMac, Huebsch, IPSO, D'Hooge
but all them are commercial or industrial washers, large and considerably expensive, they dont sell domestics machines.
Iam again limited to an reliable local brand or LG and SamSung.
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Don't buy Maytag, unless you find an older, rebuilt model. I used Maytag for years, but after this newer version, never again.
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The only Speed Queen machines sold in the U.S. that I'm aware of are white residential sized (roughly 60 cm x 60 cm x 90 cm) top or front loading models that are found in laundromats (retail places that you pay per load to use). In these settings washers and dryers experience a lot of use, so the machines are designed for heavy/frequent use (thus called commercial grade). Commercial machines are also used in institutions (I've seen such Speed Queen machines used to serve 15 senior citizens each). Larger commercial machines are used in larger institutions. The biggest I've seen are 20 meter long tunnel washers (designed with multiple compartments in a huge auger) that serve 500+ inpatients.
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Thanks boys for your reports, it was very useful.
To my surprise I have located all these US brands (seems) here:
Speed Queen, UniMac, Huebsch, IPSO, D'Hooge
but all them are commercial or industrial washers, large and considerably expensive, they dont sell domestics machines.
Iam again limited to an reliable local brand or LG and SamSung.
Samsung top loaders are getting hammered over the machines tearing themselves to pieces. Their dryers have a VERY common flaw when a weld in the drum breaks; sound like a pair of tennis shoes banging around inside. Happened to me and Lowes, under a service contract, gave me a full refund after four years of use. I'm guessing they don't want to see it again.
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I bought a Speed Queen after a friend who bought one recommended it. We love it. No plastic gears that break and it has mechanical knobs.
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I bought an LG washer and dryer one year ago. The washer has been fine, but the dryer has been "fixed" five times now, and still doesn't work right.
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I bought a Speed Queen top loader 10 years ago for my rental house. No problems at all so far, and all of the tenants have liked it. I bought one for myself about 2 years ago and it might be the last washing machine purchase. The home machines are a bit hard to find, though there is a dealer locator search on their website: https://speedqueen.com/products/where-to-buy.aspx. They are also available mail order through https://www.ajmadison.com/.
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Bought this from Edgestar. Washer/dryer combo. I just love it.
https://www.compactappliance.com/edgestar-2-cu-ft-ventless-washer-dryer-combo-white/CWD1550W.html#belowFoldContentRow