New washer....NGC

[ken farr]

Hey all:

  So the appliance repair guy just left, telling me the Maytag Bravos toploader washer ( 6 years old +/- ) isn't worth fixing.  He told me about components that have failed and will fail again, only sooner.
  I checked on line and I don't have any reason to doubt him.  He recommended Speed Queen.  Related it is a basic machine, still made in the U.S. with time proven components.  Not fancy, won't make a latte, while I wait, but should last as long as the old Maytags used to.

 So, what do you have, how has it lasted?

 Any input is welcomed.

 Guzzi content is it will wash clothes I wear when I ride.....

kjf

[segesta]

From what I understand, SQ products are old school, no frills and made very well. (Like my Bertazzoni range, which is like a throwback to the 1950s)

Just make sure you can find someone to service it! Good luck and enjoy the springtime freshness of your laundry.

[Nic in Western NYS]

Thanks for turning me to Speed Queen - looks like a good rig.  We have a stacked Korean made set up now, about to blow after 5 years.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Maytag set from '86 still going strong...

[Asylum]

I have the same washer, with the auto sense water leveling. Had it for 4 years now without any major failure, but it may have been if I wasn't home. The water check valve in the rear jammed in the open position almost over flowing the whole machine with water. Another thing, I find it doesn't clean and rinse like my old one did. Dryer works great though.

My next purchase will definitely not be a Maytag.  P:) <---- kinda reminds me of the maytag repair man from the old commercials.

[Gliderjohn]

Do not think that Maytags are what they once were in quality. Sounds like the Maytag repairman is much busier these days.
GliderJohn

[drlapo]

16 year + with Sears

[rodekyll]

Mid 90s Maytag Neptune stackers here.  I replaced something in the drain side of the washer some years back that was keeping the water from leaving the machine.  I forget what it was but it was minor.  Last year I had a failure of the machine to run a full cycle.  I pulled the control panel, cleaned all the contacts, and it has been good since.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Before you buy one, check out the Fisher & Paykell Gentle Annie, no gearbox. only one moving part.

Like the Convert of washers

[Two Checks]

Maytags have been rebranded Whirlpools since 2006 and were going downhill before then due to cost cutting. Maytag bought Amana before that and did the same to them. Rebranded Amanas became known as Amanatags.
Kenmore (Sears) is just a brand owned by Sears. They contract with Whirlpool, Electrolux, Sanyo, Panasonic and others to build their appliances.

[twhitaker]

I have a Roper set (GE affiliated) (no chickens were harmed) that I bought in '96 for about $500 that's still going strong.

[Two Checks]

GE sold their appliance bidness to Electrolux (Sweden) last year.

[charlie b]

Just don't get any without an agitator.  Those are usually labeled 'water savers'.  They don't clean worth beans.  And unless you do multiple rinse cycles they don't get much of the soap out either.

[nikwax]

Wish I hadn't bought an LG toploader.

[keuka4884]

I sold major appliances in our hardware store for 26 years. Here's my take.

If you can afford one, get the Whirlpool front loader. That, and the Fisher Paykel are the best quality washers built today. Speed Queen is independent but has no front loader. As stated above, make sure a service tech is close to you for Speed Queen. You can always call the A&E truck but they are expensive.
Appliances haven't been built well since around 2005. For example, GE and other brands will decide to put a certain part in their washers. There are 5 levels of quality available. The majors, with few exceptions, will choose the cheapest part. The exceptions are the Whirlpool front loaders and Fisher Paykel (we're talking washers here). The Whirlpool front loader technology comes from Europe where it has been sold for decades. So proven, excellent technology there. The Fisher Paykel started in Australia, is totally modular and has the fewest moving parts. Both clean clothes on the principle that if you spin the basket at close to 1000 rpms the dirt and detergent will be forced through the material. Like a centrifuge. It works very well. Top loaders with an agitator like Speed Queen do not clean as good as the Whirlpool and Fisher Paykel mentioned. The Fisher Paykel is a top loader that functions as a front loader. No agitator and high rpms. If you cannot afford either of these two, a Speed Queen top loader is the best quality with an agitator. We have had a Whirlpool front loader since 2006. No problems at all. And if you live in an area with water shortages, the Whirlpool or Fisher Paykel uses much less water.     

[injundave]

Excuse me but the Fisher & Paykel is, and always has been, a New Zealand design, not Australian. I once knew a man in Auckland who was an engineer who worked on the development of their top loader. He told me how they made their electric motors from plastic, which everybody else said could not be done. When they did it and proved that it worked reliably, they had all sorts of people wanting to but their motors, NASA included.

In their top loaders there is an agitator but, as Roy said, no gearbox. Instead the motor is electronically controlled and simply reverses so that the agitator agitates. I am on my second one and would have nothing else. It is so light that I can lift and move it by myself and it is very quiet in operation.

If you remove the motor and drive it by an external source eg windmill, water wheel, it will generate electricity. Great if you are off the grid.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Get a front loader.. you'll be glad you did.  Just because your 30 year old Maytag is still going doesn't mean that a new one will do the same. There has been a lot of "building to a price" over the last decade or so.
I bought an Asko washer/drier combo several years ago now. Simple, well engineered, keeps on truckin.

[Frulk]

After 9 years of almost DAILY usage our Whirlpool front loaders were replaced yesterday with another set (Duet model). Wife couldn't say enough good things about the old ones and my comment is that they were exceptionally quiet compared to anything we had before. Replaced them because dryer was making a God awful noise on the last three cycles it ran so spouse said she wanted them both replaced. Washer ran fine. Gave it to the delivery truck driver as payment to get it and the dryer out of the garage.

[PeteS]

Good info here. Our Maytags were bought new in 1972. Both going strong with only a few repairs I made myself. Don't think I have spent over 200 bucks in parts in those years. I hear nothing good about the new stuff Maytag or otherwise. Good to know there are still a few quality choices out there should the time come.

Pete

[charlie b]

We really don't like our front loader.  The water saver feature sucks.

Next one will be a top loader with agitator.

[nc43bsa]

KitchenAid washer/dryer set, about 25 years old, that a family friend gave me several years ago.  IIRC, they were "trading up" to a modern, "energy efficient" set after the dryer quit heating.

After replacing the dryer timer for ~$35 and the washer door switch for ~15, they've both worked like champs.

I've wondered if the donors wished they had them back.   ;D

[Monza-jockey]

ain't nothing wrong Maytag just use unleaded primo

http://youtu.be/CvJmHMz-mnA

 ~;

[Penderic]

Wow! That Maytag gas powered washer/wringer is the bees knees! Cool!

[Triple Jim]

We've had a fancy, large, top loading Sears, made by Panasonic, for several years.  It's been flawless so far.  I doesn't have an agitator, other than a patterned stainless steel disk in the bottom, but it agitates like a madman.  I made the mistake of putting an old style mop head in it, and it ripped the strings to shreds.  No, it doesn't rip up clothes.   :)  It's a direct drive unit without the usual transmission.  The motor runs the agitator disk and drum directly, apparently driven by a variable frequency AC drive.  It's extremely quiet, and the spin cycle can be set to be so high-rpm that the clothes are half dry when they come out, compared to our old machine. It also has the ability to be diagnosed remotely.  You hold the phone up to the front of the unit and it transmits data to the repair guy, who can tell what's wrong.  Allegedly, that is, since we haven't had to do that.  If I wanted to buy a washing machine, I'd be likely to get another no-agitator, direct drive Panasonic.

[Irn]

In the land of "no rain, no snow, no water" California, water conservation is important.  We bought a Whirlpool Duet when they first came out about 15 years ago.  Back then they were made in Germany!  They have been flawless.  Now like most VW's sold in the USA, the Duet front loaders are hecho in Mexico, and as other commenters have pointed out the parts are most likely sourced at the cheapest price point possible.  The top loading Maytags until the mid 80's were legendary.  Too many were scrapped because the Avocado color scheme became a bit of any eyesore.  Remember when you could date appliances by color scheme.  Front loaders are amazing, so little water use, but more expensive.  Good luck hope you have no agitation in your buying experience. 

[Lannis]

KitchenAid washer/dryer set, about 25 years old, that a family friend gave me several years ago.  IIRC, they were "trading up" to a modern, "energy efficient" set after the dryer quit heating.

After replacing the dryer timer for ~$35 and the washer door switch for ~15, they've both worked like champs.

I've wondered if the donors wished they had them back.   ;D

Old KitchenAids were a good deal.   However, they appear to have gone the way of John Deere and Black&Decker - some of their stuff (all in the case of B&D) is just rebranded Chinese junk now.   

My KitchenAid dishwasher is getting its third service call today in the 5 years since I bought it.   Basic stuff just breaking and falling apart.   Same happened to our Maytag dryer - 5 years and out.

Whirlpool from me from now on ...

Lannis

[Bill Havins]

We chose to buy some rather simple Whirlpool "Cabrios" at Lowe's about three years ago.  They live in the garage, about fifteen feet from where I park my '98 EV (Guzzi content!  Who-ya!)

Judy insisted she was not going to spend  more than $1000 for a laundry pair.  And, being a tree-hugger (  ;) ) she said she wanted a pair that saved on both water and electricity.  We bought top loaders, and the washer has no agitator.  (I had read many reviews and about half of them said "Don't buy these!")

Lowe's installed them...wrong.  The inlets on the washer immediately plugged (they didn't flush the water lines coming out of the wall - we were temporarily in a rent house and the city had done water line repairs nearby a couple of weeks before we moved in).  To shorten the story, I cleaned everything up and leveled the machines which fixed their initial problems.  I also installed a surge protector in the electrical supply to the washer - it's a computer, after all.

Judy then read all of the instructions, including the paragraph that talks about using HE detergent, and the paragraph that describes how to load the washer.

Fast forward to today.  We love these machines!  Their water usage is very thrifty.  And their energy costs are very reasonable.  Don't have any idea how long they'll last, though.  But for now we're very pleased with them.

Good luck!

Bill

[Triple Jim]

I also installed a surge protector in the electrical supply to the washer - it's a computer, after all.

Good point, Bill.  I forgot that I did the same thing.  Too many computerized electronic devices bit the dust before I caught on.

[Bill Owens]

Wirlpool looks pretty rugged.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq6T5BojXc8

[Orange Guzzi]

As a owner of a coin operated laundry, I would recommend a bucket of water and a rock for dependability.  Can't beat it, long lasting, durable, very little water usage, low energy consumption and easy to repair.

The next choice would be a front loader.  Least amount of features, Maytag, Speed Queen.  The government has stepped into the clothes washing machine industry and has mandated water usage standards.   Old top loaders use 50 gallons of water per cycle, front loaders 13 gallons or less.  Less laundry detergent also.   The older top loader washers are hard to find due to the high water usage.  They also have many more moving parts to brake.  The new washers have motors that sense load and control energy usage.  They have triple windings for forward, reverse and high speeds.  A separate electric water pump is used to drain the unit.  With the Speed Queen units, the tub will shake and rub a hole in the rubber seal at the top. This allows water to leak out onto the floor and to the door inner lock. They also have shocks that blow out. The Maytag Neptune's had mold issues and control board issues when they first came out.  The new models are much better.  When I replace washers, I will go with the Neptune's .I have one unit that I has never worked correctly.  I have replaced the motor, motor control, control panel and by passed sensors. It will spin sometime and other times it will not. 
Look to see how easy it is to remove the soap tray for cleaning.  Powder soap is mostly salt.  It gets hard and is not easy to clean after it dries.  Liquid turns to thick slime and is hard to clean.  Fabric softener turns to black slime that you cannot seen back inside the machine.  You will want to be able to remove the soap tray and clean it.  Always leave the door on the washer cracked open to allow air movement when not in use.  Mold will grow in any machine when they set for a day or two.

Use your Veterans discount, senior citizen, loyalty program, new credit card application and any other discount you can when buying. 

The only difference between a commercial unit and a home unit is the coin box and the control panel layout.  The guts are the same.

I would recommend the placing a washer pan under the machine and also the lift kit/drawer unit for better access.