Another convert to the Alliance Laundry Camp

[Mack]

I have also been lurking here for nearly a year. Started studying washers mostly due to the fact that my BOL 2010 Admiral top loader and dryer were doing a fine job of cleaning my clothes, but had some serious drawbacks:

1. The water usage of the top loader was an issue here in the Desert Southwest.
2. Clothing wear was noticeable with the BOL pair. I own a first generation WP Duet "elsewhere" and was okay with it and managed to kill the mold smell with bleach once a week.

Really, the Admiral set was a temporary pair bought on the cheap for a temporary situation. With a more permanent presence here, I decided it was time to take the plunge.

I also searched long and hard for the proper washing machinery for my home. I'm not an engineer, but I do know a lot about turning wrenches and screw drivers. I was familiar with both the benefits and drawbacks of the consumer grade front loaders vs tops. Long story short, I ended up with a non-matching set that I love, and I must thank the regular contributors around here for their insight.

I leveraged a friendly connection with a Unimac dealer. I bought a FTUA1AWN1102 and a "base" (they don't call it a pedestal even if it does the same thing) for dealer cost.

I wanted a dryer with a moisture sensor, having experience with these in the past, so I went with a Maytag MGDB850YG from Whirlpool Outlet. I thought it was a good deal at $637 delivered.

The review...

The washer is simple. WAY simple. My old 2003 vintage Duet would sense and play around, maybe decide take an hour. On the other hand, this Unimac washes quick and doesn't fool around. Thanks to an error by the dealer's delivery guys, the washer wasn't properly attached to the base. (If any of you are considering this setup and get involved with the commercial "bases" keep in mind the legs of the washer stay on when you put it on a base.) Found this out the hard way, the machine decided to really shake and rock, also took a walk... No problem though, the dealer fixed it without even a hint of complaint. Now it's rock solid and it does a fine job of washing clothes without tearing them apart. Hardly any lint ends up in the dryer, which is a testament to how gently it treats things. I also appreciate the ease in which I can get to the pump motor and the debris trap by simply removing two screws. The clothes for the most part come out clean, better than the old tops where despite all the water used most grease stains would slip right through unless heavily pretreated. For white, sometimes I will wash and then do a manual soak by moving the dial to off. This might be my only complaint about the whole appliance -- I would be interested in adjusting the wash agitation longer for a whites load without manual interference. I do laundry the old fashioned way, I sort, I pretreat what is obvious, I wash.

This washer does have one interesting feature I haven't used yet: connections and ports for supply injection. Anyone have ideas on utilizing this feature?

The dryer is a Bravos XL series closeout. It is a steam model. This feature I have hooked up and used a total of once. I don't think I really care for the steam cycle and might not use it again. Everything else is cool about it, and I appreciate that this thing doesn't dry my clothes to a crispy, shrunken end. Other than that, it's a simple and solid seeming dryer. Aside from the controls and cabinet, the drum itself seems very familiar -- like the one on the 2003 era Duet. The electronic controls are a contrast to the industrial Unimac, but for what I paid for this thing, I think I did okay.

Based upon my experience with the Alliance product, I placed an order for 8 (!!!) ATE50 s for rental units. That wasn't cheap, but you should hear how happy the tenants are that the old Kenmore badged Frigidaire/Electrolux stacked top loaders are gone. I'm thinking long term here, mostly that when something would go bad with the Frigidaires, we would be scrambling to find parts and when we could, they were expensive and a pain to fix. Yes, this decision was made after I opened up the bottom cabinet on the Unimac.

As for me, I'm hooked. This front loader, regardless of the capacity numbers everyone throws around, handles darn near double the amount of laundry the old top loader did, because the top would really get nasty about wringing clothes and tearing things up if you actually filled it.

 

[dnastrau]

Unimac vs. Speed Queen

Looks like a nice mixed set Mack. I wonder why Alliance makes machines that appear to be the same under the Unimac and Speed Queen names? Perhaps it is the distribution/dealer network, etc.

Best wishes for many years of good performance with them.

Andrew S.

 

[Mack]

Andrew,

I did find it curious when shopping around for the washer that there are so many variations on essentially the same chassis. I downloaded the parts manual and there are somewhere north of 35 model numbers listed for Alliance "homestyle frontload washers." This doesn't even account for the coin-operated ones that share some of the same components.

It appears the 'industrial-look" control units are available with a Speed Queen, Unimac, Ipso, or Huebsch decal. ("Industrial look" vs. the bigger knob set sold for home use by SQ and Huebsch in Canada.) I imagine the dealer network is the only reason to do this. This way a Unimac distributor is selling Unimac product and not crossing over into Speed Queen, etc.

Thanks for the sentiment though. So far so good.

 

[Mack]

How about some pics?

I thought folks might like some imagery...

 

[rp2813]

Excellent report.

 

It's interesting that the Unimac's door is hinged on the right.  All FL washers I've seen/owned have had the hinge on the left.

 

Any reason why you didn't go for a white dryer, or was the charcoal one a single close-out item?

 

[combo52]

Speed Queen Front Load Washers

Great Report, we are big believers in this machine and we have found no machine anywhere in the world that has the durability of this machine at such a reasonable price, every serious washer collector should have at least one.

I especially like the ATE-G 50s, I am installing one today at St Johns church in Georgetown this afternoon. On Friday I looked at a Frigidaire built 27" TL KM stack that bit the dust in a big way [ lower transmission bearing ] the machine put out such a loud noise when it started to spin we couldn't turn it off fast enough.

I told the folks in charge that the SQ ATE50 was the only machine to consider for replacement.

 

[Mack]

The dryer was a closeout, available only in that charcoal color. I used outlet.whirlpool.com and it came new in box with factory warranty. It was about $650 all told with tax and delivery but not install. It's gas fueled. Around late August, that price was lower than what I could find for similar models in the scratch and dent section of the box stores. My dryer shows manufactured week 31 of 2013. It sat around in their warehouse until I bought it in August of 2014.

The Speed Queen (and the rest of Alliance for that matter) front loaders are all hinged on the right. Perhaps that's their thing.

The ATE50 is a cool machine. The small appliance dealer I bought those from pointed out that the upper and lower cabinets are easily disconnected for delivery and moving. The mid-level controls are easier to use than stacking separate machines, and at their price point they aren't that far of a reach from most other stackable front load setups. (These are also available in a more industrial flavor as LTSA7AWN, or swap S for U or Z for different decals... swap 7 for 9 for a gas dryer...)

I was able to negotiate a price break on multiple units -- something to consider if you're have a need for a lot of these. I think most of the savings I realized was from shipping them as one group, as per-unit freight goes down until you fill an entire truck.

 

[repair-man]

The vended (coin) model will see a complete change in January. I imagine the home model will follow at the same time or shortly after. It's a complete redesign. Larger capacity - I forget the number but just a little over 3 cu ft. They say this will bring it to a"real" 20# capacity. The current model is actually 18. Spin will increase to 1200 rpm. The control part of the panel will be at a slight angle. No more old style pressure switch. Laundry owners will be able to set water levels through the electronic control. Factory engineers say the new model will have the same 10k life cycle as the current model. They last about 7 to 8 years in a laundromat.