Anyone bought a Speed Queen lately?

[suziboyer]

I am looking for a good top loading washer and am leaning towards a Speed Queen AWN542. Has anyone bought only lately? ARe they still having a grease/rust problem or is that fixed?
Just checking as this is a lot of money for me to spend and I need a good washer.
If you have other recommendations, please let me know. Our local appliance dealer sells these for $899.

Thanks!

 

[washman]

Yes I have one and so does my father. I got mine 8/29/2013 and have had nothing but positive results from it. My laundry comes clean in the Speed Queen.

I cannot comment on the grease issue; perhaps I was lucky. Not so sure about the rust issue if there ever was one.

This machine is the last of the old school top loaders that actually use a fair amount of water to get the job done. You get tap hot for hot wash; warm is dumbed down quite a bit however.

If you get one now, the warranty on the transmission is increased to 15 years vs 10.

I have put a link to my machine in action. This particular load was quite heavy as it was all cotton towels but as you can see, the Speed Queen really carried the freight.

One caveat is the water level. It will NOT fill to the top row of holes. You can either hold down the fill knob to "reset" and it will fill that way OR you can search youtube for how to adjust the water level so large is truly large.

Others on this forum have discovered the joys of owning an old school machine. Check Amazon.com for reviews and other sites. You will find them to be overwhelmingly positive.

I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have.

 

[alineber]

Agree with washman 100%

I bought my set in 2012. Before I washed clothes in it, I did an empty wash with hot water, 2 cups of Tide detergent and 2 cups of STPP. After the washer was through, there was no greasy film on the tub. It is the best washer out there. My 64 year old Mother was so impressed with mine, that she bought one last year. She has fallen in love with it and plans to buy the matching dryer this year.

STPP can be bought at Home Depot or Lowes. Make sure it is the true phosphate kind. The box color will be white and red.

I have never heard of any rust problems, nor does mine or my mothers have any rust.

Good Luck!

 

[mtn1584]

Buy it.................

My AWN542 is going on five years strong, my mother has one and so does my brother.
My brother within the last few months..no grease issues.
Mike

 

[imperial70]

I bought one (AWN542) in the summer of 2013.
It has become my daily driver but here are some caveats.

- The warm water setting is a joke if you live in a cold climate during the winter. The water comes out cool at best.

- I did have to wipe out the polishing compound that was left behind.

- The timer is very cheap. Not like the positive feeling that Whirlpool/Kenmore offered.

- It is a huge water hog. If you don't have any worries about that then this is a non-issue.

- I can tell it's going to eat belts. I don't do any heavy loads and there is belt dust all over the bottom of the unit. I really should order a spare belt.

- The hole design in the tub does not suck water through them during the spin cycle. When the machine completes there is visible moisture on the walls and floor of the tub.

Good points:

- Cleans really well.
- Rinses excellent.
- Extremely quiet.
- I have never experienced an out of balance issue.

 

[whirlcool]

Are you sure that you can buy STPP at Home Depot or Lowes? All I have ever seen there is TSP and that's not the same. Usually to get STPP you have to mail order it.

 

[alineber]

whirlcool

You are correct it's TSP that Home Depot and Lowes sells. The STPP, I have, was ordered from soapgoods.com.

Thanks for catching that mistake.

Allen

 

[suziboyer]

Thank you all so much! I prefer the old school washers and am disgusted with the Maytag Performa that came with this house and keeps breaking. Today I'm going to my local appliance store and order the Speed Queen.

Hey Washman, thanks for the Youtube video.

I have researched how to defeat the lid lock and how to fix the water level issue. I might also drill out the hot water line to make my warm wash actually warm. I use warm washes quite a bit.

 

[mrb627]

It is a huge water hog.

Compared to other top loaders that this machine is fashioned after, the Speed Queen is quite water efficient in my opinion.

Malcolm

 

[alineber]

Huge water hog?????

Considering that the machine has a water level control knob, that allows you to choose any amount of water you want, I would not go so far as to call it a "Huge Water Hog". I might of said "Larger Water Volume Per Clothing". In my opinion, the words "Huge" and "Hog" are reserved for those few extreme or over the top cases.

I have to agree with Malcolm's statement aslo.

Allen

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Go safely for a good topload washer ie real washer and of course Speed Queen , you already opted yourself for the top available today, it surely is the only modern brand able to give real clean result and reliability!
And it is MADE IN USA!
otherwise there is always vintage market....but if you want a brand new one, go speed queen for sure!
here is my suggestion.[this post was last edited: 3/10/2014-09:53]

 

[washman]

Believe me when I tell you suziboyer

You will not regret your purchase of a Speed Queen.

 

[DigAPony]

Here is a matched set, only $100 more over the dealer's price for the washer alone, not to mention sales tax and perhaps a delivery fee.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Speed-Queen...71470?pt=Washing_Machines&hash=item35d31a204e

 

[mrb627]

Hmmm...

Wonder what purchased by mistake means?

Malcolm

 

[mtn1584]

WOW

GOOD DEAL, NOT FAR FROM ME EITHER! WTH??? HOW DO YOU MAKE A $1700 MISTAKE??
MIKE

 

[angus]

I have had my Speed Queen toploader since 2006 and am quite happy with it. Only issues I had were replacing a belt (which the repairman tells me is something you will have to do every 5 years or so). No big deal. And my timer went but more likely was due to a bad outlet which was evidenced from the fried plug that the repairman showed me when he came to replace the timer. (the plug was behind the dryer and not readily visible).

My unit AWS75N was one of the last with a warm rinse option and fills to the top row of holes. Hope to keep it for a long time...

 

[gardenmom]

I love mine!

I got a speedqueen about two years ago after going thru two Maytag transmissions in a six-month period right after the factory warranty expired - and only after paying for two new transmissions did Maytag finally fix the design of the faulty transmission. I love my speedqueen - I have no idea what problems anyone refers to in a speedqueen - as there are three of us in a very very small town that purchased them recently with no problems - which is good, because living 30 miles from the nearest appliance store or repairmen makes for very expensive repair bills. My daughter did laundry at my house on occasion and when her older machine failed about 6 months ago - she bought one too. She lives in the country and has rural water and hasn't noticed any increase in the water bill and neither did I. I think I'm helping the local mom/pop appliance store in the area who sell Speedqueens, as I always recommend them if I hear someone needs a reliable washer. My co-worker had been waiting for two weeks for a washer delivery from a major department/appliance store and she finally called them up and asked for her money back - went to the mom/pop shop bought a speedqueen and he delivered it and hooked it up for her the very next day - on a Saturday even! You can't go wrong with a Speedqueen.

 

[Chetlaham]

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think you will to. I bought on a few months ago and so far it has out performed my expectations of a modern top loader. Its very smooth running and everything comes out exceptionally clean. For the power they have the agitator is surprisingly delicate. I notice far less linting in the dryer, comparable actually to that of a Maytag helical washer. Nothing gets torn or snagged like with the Dual action agitator in the Direct drive.

 

I did not notice any grease or rough spots when the machine was delivered. There is a weld seam in the tub, but was smooth in mine. Being honest the machine on the sales floor was a different story, the weld in the tub was very rough, but it was an earlier made machine since it has been sitting on the sales floor for 2 years now.

 

I do agree that some water gets trapped in the upper lip of the spin basket that comes down when the spinning stops, but IMO its a small amount. I haven't had issues in mine with it. The spin drain pushes the clothes gently and evenly up against the tub, so they come out better than all scrunched up in the DD. Im glad I gave away the DD, DD never have been top performers in my mind. Not awful, but they just don't come close to a Speed Queen.

 

The timer as a whole is not cheap in my opinion. The know does have a rickety feel to it, however, behind it is a very good quality mechanical timer with a really good terminal connector block. The timer is no joke I will say that, its very similar in design to what the washers had 15 years ago before they went with those infamous plastic case timers. The timer itself also turns and has sharp clean electrical contact clicks while advancing, no lazy or slow switching. No sputtering of the motor coming on or shutting down like with some plastic case timer machines Ive used.

 

The belt does leave a lot of shavings in the cabinet, a lot in my machine. However, I noticed mine had a Goodyear belt, which I would think is a quality belt over the no name Chinese belts. Even if the belt does burn up or become weak, its easy to change. Id rather the belt be the weak link then the transmission.

 

So far Im in love with what I using, and this comes from a harsh washer critic LOL. Buy now before its to late.  Im glad I did.     

 

[imperial70]

Those of you that picked up on my water hog statement: I noticed you didn't have anything to comment on about my other caveats. Interesting.

Like I said, I am using it which means I like it. I was just pointing out it's not going to use 12 gallons of water per cycle.

Turn down the water level? Are you kidding. With a full load of clothes you can't reduce the water level. It needs to use the 30+ gallons of water. It is what it is, uses generous amounts of water to get done what a front loader does with much less water.

 

[DigAPony]

Here is another CL Speed Queen washer, very reasonable price and this model shouldn't need the water level adjustment.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/app/4365904248.html

I'll place this in the Shopper Square section as well.

 

[washman]

You're correct imperial70 so I will comment on some of

"The warm water setting is a joke if you live in a cold climate during the winter. The water comes out cool at best."----I agree. In fact, I am researching a workaround on this so I don't have to start hot fill then move to warm to get an actual warm wash.

"I did have to wipe out the polishing compound that was left behind"---I did not have this problem nor did my dad.

"The timer is very cheap. Not like the positive feeling that Whirlpool/Kenmore offered"-----I can't compare to a WK machine but I don't see any less cheapness than compared to the GE Profile I used to own.

"It is a huge water hog. If you don't have any worries about that then this is a non-issue"----No more so than the GE it replaced (a 1999 unit from Monkey Wards). But it cleans well so if it. I want my laundry clean, not done in a way that fits a bureaucrat's agenda.

" I can tell it's going to eat belts. I don't do any heavy loads and there is belt dust all over the bottom of the unit. I really should order a spare belt. " -----Can't say, I have yet to pull the front off to have a look. But if what you say is true, then I will get a spare belt too.

"The hole design in the tub does not suck water through them during the spin cycle. When the machine completes there is visible moisture on the walls and floor of the tub"----Agreed. And guess what, same thing with the GE. Even worse in the GE if it had to deal with a moderately unbalanced load and it was a neutral drain machine too. I notice no more wetness in the clothes than I did with the GE.

 

[alineber]

Just wanted to clarify my statements

"Turn down the water level? Are you kidding. With a full load of clothes you can't reduce the water level. It needs to use the 30+ gallons of water. It is what it is, uses generous amounts of water to get done what a front loader does with much less water."

Considering that many people are having to rewash clothes two or three times in these front loaders, I would not say that front loaders do the same job as the Speed Queen top loader can with less water.

If you are the type that sits in a climate controlled office all day and live in a big city apartment, then your clothes might get cleaned with these new front loaders. If you work outside a lot or have kids who play in the dirt or you like to work on cars etc., then front loaders have a harder time removing stains and body oils from sweating in your clothes.

The statement, I made about turning down the water level, has to do with the amount of clothes I see being washed in many of these HE top loaders and front loaders. My friends, who have these new front loaders and HE top loaders, can only wash half of the full loads my Speed Queen top loader can handle or the clothes will not get completely cleaned. So, I wouldn't call the clothes in front loaders or HE top loaders a real "FULL LOAD". These type of washers reminds me of the early low flush toilets, where you were ok if it's number 1 but heaven help you if it's number 2.

 

[suziboyer]

So I got the Speed Queen - And I love it!!!

I am happy with everything about this machine. Thank you all for the excellent advice! I like that is uses plenty of water. My husband is a mechanic. I need something that will CLEAN and for that kind of cleaning I need plenty of water. I have a well with a 40gpm flow at the well itself-- no water issues here.
Thank you all for the great advice. This thing cleans really, really well even with my homemade laundry detergent!

 

[washman]

The more you use your Speed Queen

the more you will like it.

The sturdy construction not built to a BIG BOX price point along with an industry leading warranty should give you years of dependable service and peace of mind.

Welcome to a growing fraternity of Speed Queen owners/operators.

 

[washer111]

FL's Cannot Clean:

They can clean, but the electricity network in the U.S. limits this greatly. In order to get a true profile wash (Starts cold and progresses to a selected temperature), you need 240v of electricity to achieve this in reasonable amount of time, or just lots of patience. Something that people don't seem to have these days... 

WITH a profiled washing cycle, you can get perfectly clean clothes - as each type of soil are worked away with detergent and gentle mechanical action (on Miele's, at least) over a wide range of temperatures. 

Even so, some members here have been happy with their FL machines - notably Frigilux: And I think we've ALL seen the performance testing of kitchen whites he repeatedly does!

 

If FL machines were so hopeless in their ability, please explain why those in Europe/UK don't have issues with them?

~ We have different detergents (More enzymes, and better formulations)

~ "Better" electricity supply (240v. No special wiring required)

~ Government mandates to ensure our washers are chasing results, not time savings (At least in Australia), but still highly efficient in their energy consumption

 

In the U.S., your machines take in 120°F water, temper it to 104° or less then wash for 20 minutes or so without a heater, and complete the cycle. (I base this on relatively recent discussion occurring here where machines take about an hour to wash).

There is NO way that will get clothes clean... If you have an FL machine that takes in PROPER hot water or heats it up and washes for long enough, your clothes will get clean. You also need some water to achieve this. But not copious amounts that some people *think* they need. 

 

Of course, there are some people who still think that Cold water can achieve all of this. Well, the fact of the matter is that U.S. machines are practically washing in cold water 100% of the time (Cold is the new Warm, Warm/Hot and HOT) and not delivering results, even with longer cycles. What does that tell you? 

 

[washer111]

Back on Topic:

Whilst I think the SQ machines are great quality, at least in Australia, I no longer believe they are a worthwhile purchase, for the following reasons:

 

~ You can purchase a High-End Miele or other fancy machine for the same price as an SQ FL or TL machine. They include heaters and more "choice" in their cycles. They (Well, Miele) are built to high standards for domestic machines. SERIOUSLY you don't need an over-built machine for home use, unless you are careless with your washer. 

~ SQ TL machine no longer feature conventional timers that can be set for your choice of washing time, agitation speed etc. Instead, everything is controlled by someone who thinks they "understand" what a Normal cycle constitutes

~ No options for "in-between" water temperatures (ala Fisher and Paykel) or Warm rinses (as redundant as they are)

~ FL machines lack a heater, given the longer cycle times they feature on Australian machines

 

[washman]

back on topic part 2

Here's what I understand
*it takes water, plenty of it, to properly clean clothes
*HE machines with their plethora of electronic attachments, are notoriously unreliable
*I'm ok with a PC restart when it locks up or MS updates need to be installed. I'm NOT ok having to "reboot" an effing washing machine for god's sake!
*Living alone and working split shifts doing IT support and working part of the weekend, sometimes the WHOLE weekend, I simply don't have the time to waste doing laundry in an eco-sanctioned pile of junk that takes 1-2 hours.
*I don't want to invest in "washing machine cleaner" and again, waste time along with money running a cleaning cycle.
*value for me is how long will the thing last and how much use can I get out of it?

 

[alineber]

Washer 111

I have a SQ TL machine that can wash a "Full Load" of laundry, with two rinses, in 37 minutes.  My water heater is set at 130*F.  My clothes are washed in true warm water.  Yes, my clothes are truly clean and this was accomplished in less time.  I have people at work who constantly ask me what kind of detergent I use, because my clothes look so clean and smell so good.  When I tell them that I use original Tide powder, they look surprised because they are using the same.  I start telling them about my SQ TL, and how my water heater is set higher to give me a true warm wash.  They start telling me about their FL machines and how they hate them.  I just smile at them, while inside I thinking how lucky I am to have my SQ TL.

 

[brisnat81]

Hi alineber

The Miele's we have in AU wash a normally soiled load clean in 40 minutes at 50deg C (120F) with two rinses and a >1200 RPM Spin. This is starting from 10-15degC cold tapwater.

No pretreating and all in 55L (14Gal) of water.

I switched from a BD Whirlpool to a FL nearly 10 years ago and have never looked back.

Can I just make the suggestion that you need to be respectful of other views, You're opinion isn't wrong and you're entitled to it, but neither is mine wrong and I'm entitled to mine.

Taking over every thread with a Speed Queen good, everything else bad is getting a bit a tiresome.

We all get that you and Washman love Speed Queen, It'd be nice if it didn't appear in every single post.

Regards

Nathan

 

[washman]

hi brisnat81

Remember that we too are entitled to our opinions same as you. Please remember that.

Miele makes a fine machine, no doubt and it was on my list unfortunately the 4080 was discontinued here in the states and the replacement lacked the tub capacity that I wanted. Also I had to take into consideration the ability to get the thing serviced when it breaks.

Beyond that, I also looked at competing brands found at Sears, my local BIG BOX, and 2 independent appliance dealers. I also used google to get links to reviews.

When all is said and done, I still stand by my often cited position. The new HE machines just aren't up to snuff reliability wise. In fact, there was a link on here with a pic of a FL LG that had a massively corroded spider assembly..........are you ready..........after a whopping two years of use!

Another posted a utube link of an LG HE TL machine that literally blew itself to pieces and punched a hole in the wall. Yet another shows a GE HE TL machine with a slightly bent frame piece that allowed the motor assembly to sag and drag against the bottom frame assembly.

Then there's the wonky circuit boards that seem to be very sensitive to any surges. Then you have the error codes that often come up because a pair of jeans refused to balance or something.

Throw in a 1 year factory warranty and sorry, that does not give me any warm and fuzzies regarding these new machines.

Perhaps down under you are sent better machines. I don't rightly know. I'm also realistic enough to know that the SQ is not the same build quality as machines of yesteryear. The dryer, perhaps, but the washer probably not. Still, I feel it is better built than any top loader out there today. And it is well worth the price IMHO.