> "Are any machines being manufactured today that are built with the quality of construction and will have the durability of the old Maytags?"
That's a very good question.
One of the things that those old Maytags had going for them is that they were rather simplistic machines in comparison to modern washers.
In other words, they didn't really have any electronic components in them. They consisted of relays, solenoids, switches and point to point wiring. They didn't contain any printed circuit boards and didn't have microprocessors. (At least, not until the 1980's anyway.)
Most people don't think to use a surge protector on their modern washer, even though it really does have a real computer in it. (Actually, a Microcontroller probably, but that still counts.)
Household power is actually quite "Dirty". Eventually, over time, there will be voltage spikes and surges. There may be voltage sags too. All of these can shorten the life of electronic components inside of a machine.
I believe that Speed Queen / Huebsch are one of the last manufacturers left that don't use any electronics in their top loading machines. In the link I'm posting below, you can see the inside of the control panel lacks any kind of printed circuit board, they still use a electromechanical timer to control the machine. This is getting to be rarer and rarer in this modern age, considering that it's cheaper in some ways use a microcontroller.
It's a whole other thread as to electromechanical vs electronic. I'm going to apologize if I cause a flamewar by mentioning that.
Now, in saying this.. it think would take a LOT to destroy an electromechanical machine when it's not running. Even when running, the worst that could happen is that switches could fuse or the motor(s) could burn out. Both of which would be relatively inexpensive to replace.
Here's the thing though, when a manufacturer like Alliance (Who makes Speed Queen) says that they use all metal gears in their transmission, all metal tub construction and triple coated porcelain treated cabinets, (Not painted) like the "Old school" way of doing things, then yes, I would expect the kind of longevity from these machines as the old Maytags.
So, In my humble opinion, there is a very good reason why going "Old School" is sometimes the best and that implementing advances in technology isn't always a good thing.
As a side note, I should mention that I did see Frigidaire front loaders with electromechanical controls, but I'm not sure how much in the way of electronics they actually have.
Now, this post may seem like an anti-electronics rant, but it's not. I think electronics do have a valid place in washing machines. In fact, it seems to me that front loading machines NEED them to be able to wash effectively while also preserving the machine from unbalance problems.
I believe it was one member who mentioned that there is no such thing as a "Commercial Grade" top loading washer, that anything with a commercial label is actually just a consumer machine, but with less cycles and a few modifications to make it friendly for an on premise or coin-op environment. (ie. No fabric softener dispenser, different console, etc.)
I think the best place to start is when a company engineers and builds a machine in such a way where this is what it's primary use would be, in a heavy duty, heavy usage environment, then they "Add a nice panel and a few extra cycles" to make it consumer friendly, this is the right approach.
So far, the forum members who have Speed Queen machines are very happy with them. (At least, to the best of my knowledge.)
That's the problem, it takes time for a machine to really prove itself.
I agree with the other forum members that Miele makes a great machine, by taking the approach of high quality from the start, while still using a lot of technology. With that though, comes a high cost. They're not cheap machines.
There are a lot of other topics I could get into which are unrelated to your first one, but I'll summarize my thinking..
Sometimes the older designs which have been around for a long time are usually also the longest lived and are the most durable, but only because all of the bugs have been worked out by the engineers and they've only had time to polish them.
I ended up making some additional water level adjustments to my Speed Queen yesterday as I was fixing my dryer vent. I had the camera handy, so I snapped a few pics for those interested. The washer was disconnected from electrical power, of course. :) Enjoy.
www.automaticwasher.org
, shows a sign that the US still believes in US mechanical labour. Most in the UK, aren't made in the UK, in-fact no brand makes them here any more.
