I'm looking to ditch my 4-year-old LG. It hasn't malfunctioned but has never cleaned well.

Anyone purchased a new one in the last 5 years or so?

I'm looking at a top loader, probably the 5000 or 7000.

We also have an LG top loader. The 'water efficient' ones are too efficient. It uses so little water that often clothes will come out with dry spots that never even got wet. If we have much in it, we use the heavy duty or bulk bedding cycles to get enough water to get it done.

We bought one last spring I think it was? I don't remember the model number but it is a top load with the agitator which my wife really wanted. It seems to work well but I don't like it because I cannot wash the larger dog beds in it otherwise the agitator tears them.

Prior to that we had a large Maytag front loader which would wash 40" x 40" dog beds. Our speed Queen washer as well but does not meet all the needs I wish.

yep. wife likes it. ours is about 3 years old. it was about 700 bucks. got the dryer to go along with it.

I have the model they use in coin laundrys. No frills, idiot proof washing machine. They hold up well.

Just happens that my daughter's family moved and needed one. I work with a store that sells appliances and that is what they recommend for a washer that is not super high tech. The service guy much prefers Speed Queen.

Same here, I generally add about 7 gallons per load via bucket and wash nearly everything on heavy duty and often with pre-soak.

It still does a poor job of washing.

Honest question. Why does anyone want a top loader these days?

Simplicity, durability and initial cost are behind my thinking. I'm prepared to consider a front loader.

Because the front loader will stink your whole house up.

How’s that work?


I’ve got a front loader. I’m actually on my second one. We use ALL Free and Clear, but still?

Will be replacing our 10 YO machines real soon.........

Dryer will be NG.......not electric.......

yes.......good top loader washer......but has to be quiet !

We have a service man in our area that says Speed Queen is the only way to go.
About 6 months ago we got a new Matag, (this model had a glass top), and set on "Large Load" it tried to wash and rinse in approximately 4" of water.
It didn't even get all the clothes wet, much less clean. If we put it on "super size" it washed and rinsed in about 13" of water and our water bill went up $20 per month.
There just wasn't any middle ground or adjustments on it and we returned it.
Good Luck

Lol, the wife says "When I get a new washer it's gonna use 300 gallons of water per cycle, I hate this water efficient schit".

I think I gotta keep her..........She scares everyone else.

Been using front loaders for thirty years or more (on our second one), and that has not been our experience. And Mrs. FreeMe has a very sensitive nose. Outside of price - which is only a short-term consideration - I'm drawing a blank. Does the top-loader do anything better?

Buy the Speed Queen. Great machine

My wife and SIL call the Speed Queen 'Sister Wife'

We have our own well and septic. I don't care if it uses an extra 5 gal or so. I just want the stuff clean. These 'efficient' washers go along with the never-flush toilets, never-clean showers, and never-fill-the-sink kitchen faucets.

I have a speed queen in my house. I bought it because the laundromat uses them and they are made in America.
The frontloaders I have seen do not pump out completely. We had commercial ones here at work and they stunk up the whole living quarters. You could work a 12 hour shift and come in sweating and filthy, wash your clothes and they smelled like old mop water that hadn't been changed. We got rid of them after about 6 months.

On a well and septic here too. Front loaders do use less water, but that's not our main consideration. They also clean better, last longer, and are easier on clothes (making them also last longer) - in our experience.

I bought "The Warden" one of the efficient models, when her last went out.
After a little more than a year someone she knows was moving, and had an older model (non-efficient) for sale, so she bought it.
Says she couldn't get my clothes clean in the "efficient" one.
I never realized I was so "dirty"

We just bought a Whirpool set about two months ago. Wife did a ton of research. Top loading with no center agitator. Big dryer. The last set we had was a GE Profile set. Worked for twelve years. Had to replace the dryer thermostat about five years ago. Replaced the motor position sensor in the washer about four months ago. Then, the dryer just quit. Wouldn't even turn on. Figured it was either the whole dryer thermostat or the board. I had replaced the thermostat and wan't going to tear the machine down again on the off chance it was the thermostat. If we called repair folks, would have been easily $300 if the thermostat. $600 or more if the board. So, at twelve years old made sense getting a new set.

Okay, it must be a problem with some. Not been our experience here, but answers my question.

Front loader here, for the last 10 years or so. Much preferred by me, but the woman of the house informed me the other day she wants a top loader for the next one.

Sometimes logic just doesn't work. I prefer the front loader because my clothes get spun halfway dry. I prefer to dry mine in the sun (Bunches of dry sunny days here in the high desert), for free, and they smell way better than going in the dryer.

As to the smell issue. Prop the door open a bit when not in use, use a piece of clothing, dish rag, etc that is going in the next load. Easy peasy. Or have a serviceman see why it's not pumping out completely.

I'd have a Speed Queen if we do go top load, assuming we can afford it.

Geno

I've had a speed queen top load for about 5 years now.
Flawless.
No computer control to screw up.
No leaking.
GE and LG are crap.

dave

I run gray and black water on different lines.

Sure did, about 2 years ago and they're bullet proof. New washer and dryer. Made in USA.

Geno - is it the stooping down that your wife dislikes? That is my wife's only complaint, but she says it's easier on her back than working with a top loader. Our next machine will come with the pedestal/drawer to raise the door. I should get off my ass and make pedestals for our current set, but she ain't whining much about it.

We got the Speed Queen Commercial Duty model about 3 years ago. It replaced an Amana we had since 1993 and looks identical to the Amana other than the color of the control panel. The sheet metal would be interchangeable. The dealer said he puts this washer in laundromats because its so reliable and simple to operate. The thing has never been out of balance with whatever we put in it.

The salesman told us it would use more water but that it would be less expensive to maintain. It uses simple dial timers and controls, not the electronic wizardry that causes about half the service calls.

It seems to be the essence of the Keep It Simple System.

While I was talking to an appliance repair guy the other day about a malfunctioning ice maker in our fridge I mentioned how good this washing machine was working and was wishing for other appliances that would be as dependable as the Speed Queen washer, he said he got the same commercial duty unit we have for his own house.

All that being said, it might fail the next time we use it but I doubt it judging by the performance of it's twin, the Amana unit.

Good Luck!

We have had our commercial speed queen washer top loader for 10 plus years with ZERO issues.My friend is in the business that fixes this chit,he told us speed queen hands down.

Left my front loader with a house I sold a few years ago and was glad to be rid of the thing.

Got a Speed Queen "Commercial Heavy Duty" top loader.

Sales lady at the appliance store kept showing me Japanese front loaders with NASA grade electronic controls that I knew I'd never be able to learn even with a manual.

I said "Tell me about Speed Queen." She sighed and said "We can't keep them in stock."

Totally agree with WhiteFawn.

Y'know, I am do fear that the makers are in the process of ruining front loaders. Our first was really simple and lasted about 20 years. Could have just repaired it and kept using it, but figured it was time. The one we have now has more electronic controls, but nothing like what they sell now. It's been great (Maytag, BTW), but the I admit new high-tech stuff makes me nervous. OTOH - we bought a new dishwasher with all that a couple years ago and it seems fine. Kind of like cars, I guess - it's a roll of the dice, but generally a good thing?....I hope. It does seem to average out well for us so far, but I would rather keep it simple.

We have a Speed Queen washer and dryer. Nothing fancy and to look at it you would think nothing of it. I will say I could put a corpse in the SOB to wash/dry it and it would never bang.

We got a top loading LG about 5 years ago. Was supposed to be the greatest but the damn thing wouldn't stay running and would go off balance all the time. The lock assembly and shaft for the drum broke and the repair would have been around 250 bucks so I threw it out with great glee. I replaced it with a kenmore elite top loader and it cleans better and never goes off balance. A friend is a small appliance repairman and has said speed queen is the best almost bullet proof

I know you're asking about Speed Queen, but I recently bought washer/dryer myself. Been buying Whirlpool for years because we had a Good Ole Boy Whirlpool dealer for 30 years local . He pretty much has closed up shop, so we looked around. We ended up buying Maytag, American made sticker on front for what that's worth, and really does a great job washing and drying. On Normal Wash option, uses hardly no water at all, about 6" in bottom of tub. I was really skeptical of it cleaning with so little water, but it does a good job. No agitator, an "impeller" made on bottom of tub. Handles clothes a bit more gently. Very quit on spin cycle also , only noise is damn buzzer that comes on at end of drying cycle, it can be turned off but wife likes it. Very impressed so far with quality of workmanship and job it does over the Whirlpools we have been used to. Good luck on your search. We'll buy Maytag again with everything else being equal.

Throw every washing machine you have or had and go with Speed Queen. Simply no equal.

Hmmm, I bought a GE Profile set 13 years ago. Paid $300 for them. No repairs so far. Fingers crossed.

If its a Speed Queen: because they work, and keep working.

We have a Matag front loader washer and dryer. Had both about 14 years. The dryer felt seal is worn and found out the dryer is made by Samsung. Matag made by Samsung? If you overload the front loading washer it doesn't clean well as the clothes won't tumble. Holds less than a good top loader. Oh, the seal can't be replaced according to Matag, have to scrap the dryer. We found on You Tube that you can replace it by hand gluing a new one in (from another brand). Dryer is a gas dryer, otherwise both have never failed.

I had to buy a new washer this summer. We researched everything pretty well and came to the following conclusion.

Speed Queen made prior to 2018 is probably the best option out there. There are some "issues" with the 2018 models. Enough so that we were afraid to put the money into one.

Our older machine was a store brand made by Maytag that only lasted about 5 years. It was high efficiency and did not clean well. But newer high efficiency machines are supposed to be much better.

We ended up with a Maytag at about 1/2 the cost of Speed Queen. It is HE, but with a deep water setting. It doesn't fill all the way to the top like older machines, but uses enough water to get the clothes clean.

We bought a Speed Queen Commercial Heavy Duty top-loader about a year ago. Without question it's the best washer that we've ever had. Worth every penny.

The model number is AWN432SP113TW04.

RS

FreeMe,

Yeah, that's part of it, and having to prop the door open. I think there was a couple of other things too, but I basically got the point that she wants a top loader.

I'll not be as happy if I can't convince her otherwise, but I'm not overly impressed with having super clean clothes either. My life has involved washing out underwear and t shirts in streams and laying them out to dry on the rocks on layover days on hikes. Or "washing" my work shirts, all two of them, in the sink and wearing the clean one the next day. So having a washe, any washer, is a luxury of sorts.

Beats the hell out of having to beat the clothes on the rocks in the same river the town upstream is crapping in.

Geno

My wife has may tag front load..they are the efficient type ones...I have never used them but my are clothes are always clean...as a farmer I get pretty dirty...
Speed queen I think is a good brand...whoorlpool ? I think...

Skip on a front loader. More chance of leaks in my mind and other issues. I just bought a kenmore set from sears. Series 500 washer and dryer
Mind doesnt have an agitator but my next one will! I doubt i will purchase another washer without one. I think they clean better.

Whirlpool makes a dozen different brands, including some not sold in the US, but Speed Queen isn't one of them. I believe they're an independent company.

whatever you get get it with knobs and dials... No electronics no LED readouts ... all mechanical devices are always better all the time

Speed Queens have been my go to brand since I've been buying washers and dryers. They last a long time, do a good job, and are made in my home state. The only bad thing about them is a bit of a traffic jam during shift changes at their factory. It slows me up on the way to the hunting camp.

If you’re going front loader, Samsung is the way to go (I’ve had the LG front loader, no thanks).

But Speed Queens are KISS.

I have the Speed Queen. Get one.

The best reason, hold down the reset dial and it keeps filling up with water. It’s like telling the EPA to GFY every time I hold down the reset dial!

Do some research on Speed Queen, they might not be what everyone is saying.


It seems the 2018 models are completely different from the 2017.
There is an article written by a dealer that sounds real bad.
Especially how they treated him when he had the guts to publish his reviews.

You will be hard pressed to find a decent set at that price these days, or for that matter, even just one piece

ordered the Speed Queen set.......gas dryer.....$2159 delivered.......7 year warranty

includes new SS water hoses & dryer vent kit

https://www.rcwilley.com/Appliances...ad-Washer-and-Dryer---White-Gas-View.jsp

I bought the same set last summer, except electric dryer. Bought locally from Karl's. Delivered, installed and haul off my old junk. So far, so good. Good luck!

old set still runs well........dryer is 8 YO....electric

washer is 11 YO....both Kenmore.......

will sell.......$100 set.......or just give away to someone that needs it

We bought Whirlpool last time, type without a center agitator, wife swore it doesn’t do as good as job.
Ours are on their last leg, found Maytag on sale at Lowe’s, so we are giving those a try..ten year warranty on motor and drum, good customer support and service from what I hear.

I have never even seen a Speed Queen in stores around these parts.

Our 1st Whirlpool front loader lasted 5 years, board went bad[Christmas week of all times]. Bought basically the same machine. After purchase we found that the only difference is that they had changed the pedestal. So we also had to buy one of those...again. Next time we will go back to top load and most likely SQ. Our Whirlpool dryer is pushing 30 years and runs like a champ. I built a pedestal for it out of 1X10 pine to match height of washer.

Marked for future attention

Mostly I'd like to know if it cleans well. Saw some vids claiming it was about the worst washing machine ever when it came to cleaning.

The video reminded me of a political hit piece.

Fingers crossed SQ is still pumping out the good stuff.

Prepare to test your flexibility in bending over and digging the laundry out way back in the corner of the drum. I imagine long arms help. I just never got any of those. lol

My chinese Maytag dryer broke again yesterday. I took it apart and could fix it but am tired of replacing parts that are made of the cheapest materials that can possibly work. Bought a Speedqueen dryer today. Made in USA.