Best new FL washer?

[qualin]

Hello everyone.

Before I start this post, I want to mention that my mother lives on a farm and she draws her water from a well. She has a cistern with a float. A pump activates when the water in it gets too low.

The problem is that her Kenmore toploader is from the late 1980's and she's intent on getting rid of it because it's starting to make strange noises and it drains her cistern completely whenever it does a load.

Now, I'll admit that the Kenmore is very repairable, but she's fixated on getting a new front loader. Believe me, unless you are a diehard Kenmore fan, this washer will probably be destined for the crusher.

The first thing that came to my mind was a new Huebsch top loader, the problem is that she doesn't want one because of the issues with the cistern draining.

The second thing that came to my mind was a new Huebsch front loader. The problem with that is that the laundry room is on a wooden floor and would shake the house like no tomorrow whenever it went into the spin cycle.

So, the third thing that came to mind was a "European Capacity" (ie. 1.6 cu.ft to 2.2 cu.ft) 5-8 kg front loader. Of which two machines came to mind, the Miele W3033 and the Asko W6424.

Now, my main concern is the amount of vibration which the machine will cause. The other is cost vs longevity. I want to recommend something which decent longevity, but the Huebsch is out, unfortunately.

I'm a little iffy about recommending LG or Samsung and I'm concerned with the bearing longevity issues. She's not a big "Gadget" or "Cycles" fan and just wants clean clothes.

Oh, I think that "HE" top loaders are out of the question because of spinsploding issues and poor cleaning performance.

Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[rp2813]

Speed Queen front loaders are supposedly built to last far longer than other major brands, and the controls are analog -- two knobs, one for cycle selection and the other for wash/rinse temperature.   I presume the timer is mechanical as is the case on SQ top loaders.  The tub is a bit larger than the European ones at 2.8 c.f. and per the specs average water use is 14 gallons for a full cycle, which only takes 44 minutes.

 

They offer models with controls mounted on the rear like the average top loader (AFN50R), or on the front like most front loaders (AFN50F).  The rear-control model's work surface is the same height as a standard top loader.  Speed Queen's laundry line is more expensive than other major brands, but may be competitively priced against European makes. 

All Products - Speed Queen

www.speedqueen.com

 

[washer111]

Go for Miele

Miele washers are still guaranteed for about 15 years usage it seems. They are not the best cleaners, but they are still built quite nicely, and have plenty of cycles (Plus modifiers, such as Pre-Wash, Water Plus etc) to keep everyone busy.

I would not go for LG/Samsung/Kenmore/Frigidaire/GE etc since they are all co-manufactured pieces of garbage that are cheap now, but expensive later. Those machines are like Christmas Trees - They look pretty and maybe sound pretty, but are effectively useless otherwise.

As for an SQ FL machine, the lack of booster heater concerns me greatly - especially in Canada where Cold water is likely to be icey cold! Hot would therefore only be Warm, Warm = Cool and so on.

 

[qualin]

I'm afraid that I should just clarify something here...

Due to name licensing issues, Alliance sells the "Speed Queen" brand as "Huebsch" in Canada. So, rp2813, while I do appreciate your advice, I actually own a Huebsch ZFN50R, which is exactly the same as a Speed Queen AFN50R, except that the labels on the control panel are in French and English.

I can assure you that Huebsch was one of the first brands I thought about buying.

Unfortunately, due to her wood floors and the fact that her laundry room is on the second floor of the house, Huebsch FL machines simply can't be used, even though they have better longevity than anything else on the market.

 

[foraloysius]

Miele

"They are not the best cleaners".

Could you explain to me on what that is based? Overhere in Europe Miele only get "A" ratings for cleaning.

As for frontloaders on wooden floors, IIRC Asko have little problems with wooden floors, but every frontloader will shake more on a wooden floor than most toploaders.

 

[henene4]

The problem why FL's shake more than TL's is the fact that the forces are pushing in a 90° angle to the surface instead of parallel to it.
I (personally) would get a Asko because of the 220V connection and the simpler controlls.
Or a semi-pro Miele because you can programm it to display only 12 programms which are then started by a push of a button.

 

[frigilux]

Bud-- I know you aren't a big fan of Consumer Reports, but here's what they have to say. This information may help with your decision, given the parameters you require. Unfortunately, as you noted, Speed Queen's front-loader is not a good choice for this particular application, as it rates only Fair for vibration when installed on wooden sub-flooring. That's a shame, because it is built like a tank and has very simple controls.

Reliability (front-loaders): LG is listed as the most reliable brand (and has been for quite some time) with only 6% requiring repairs. Samsung is 7%; Whirlpool and Maytag are 12%; GE is 15%.

Vibration: CR advises to choose a model with Very Good or Excellent vibration scores if installing on 1st or 2nd floor (wood subfloor). Please be aware that not all models within a brand score well for vibration.  For instance, some Samsung models rate an Excellent, others only Good.  All Maytag models in the list were rated Very Good or Excellent.  All Whirlpool models except for WFW9550W were rated Very Good.

For what it's worth, I've suggested LG front-loaders to several friends, and all are very happy with them. Two of those are installed on wooden sub-flooring with no vibration problems.

 

If you'd like me to check with Consumer Reports on any particular brand/model not listed below, I'll gladly do that. Just request it in this thread or send me a message.

1) Samsung WF455ARGSWR. Price is $1400.00 Overall score of 85. Excellent cleaning. Excellent for vibration. Internal water heater.

2) Maytag Maxima XL MHW6000. Price is $1100.00. Overall score of 84. Excellent in both cleaning and vibration. Internal water heater. (Maxima XL MHW7000 scores identically, with price of $1150.00)

3) LG WM3070H. Price is $900.00. Overall score of 82. Excellent in cleaning; Very Good for vibration. Internal water heater.

4) LG WM2250C. Price is $720. Overall score of 79. Very Good scores in both cleaning and vibration. No internal water heater.

5) GE GFWR4805FMC. Price is $1400. Overall score of 79. Very Good score for cleaning; Excellent for vibration. Internal water heater.  This model is one of the new "Right Height" machines with a built-in riser to make loading/unloading easier.

[this post was last edited: 12/24/2013-09:35]

 

[donprohel]

"Miele only get "A" ratings for cleaning"

I cannot remember any washing machine rated less than "A" for cleaning, and do you really believe that cleaning ratings have anything to do with how clean your laundry will come out of the machine?

 

[foraloysius]

Perhaps confusing, but I'm not talking about the energy labels, but about tests by several European consumer organisations. Miele come always out with very good cleaning results.

 

[launderess]

Front Loaders, Wooden Floors, etc...

Yes it is true that H-Axis washers are happiest on solid concrete or similar flooring, wooden ones can be strengthened to support the weight and forces of front loaders.

Another way to solve the problem is not to use very high final spin speeds. Nine hundred to one thousand rpms in either my Miele or AEG will vibrate but not nearly as bad when going into twelve to eighteen hundred.

The other thing is to choose a front loader with decent to excellent out of balance controls. My AEG handles unbalanced loads better than the Miele because it tries *VERY* hard to get loads evenly balanced before spinning. The Miele will make only a limited number of attempts then simply goes to it. If the load is unbalanced you get banging, clanging and lots of vibration.

Would also stick to a standard capacity FL and not one of the huge behemoths.

 

[washer111]

My Previous Statement

I don't mean BAD cleaning, but it is not perfect either, and there is no washer that IS perfect in its cleaning ability.

Although, I have noted some saying that they are not the best cleaning machines, so it was just a cautious note.

 

[hoover1100]

Not the best cleaning machines

Well the performance is comparable to most other European brands, and certainly blows Huebsch/Speed Queen front loaders out of the water, took me months to rewhiten my whites after having to use one of those things!

If she can get a machine with a 240v heater which will do a proper profile wash, that will give best performance with minimal water consumption. A decent European brand like Asko or Miele should suffice, if money is no object.

Matt

 

[laundromat]

I agree with frigilux. I sold thousands of the LG laundry appliances and had no complaints,just happy,satisfied customers.They're great in low vibration and load size verification. They use a lot less water too.

 

[henene4]

Jep, LG would be my choice after Asko and Miele. Probably one with TurboWash because of the 2 additional Jets. The recirculation system helps a lot at low water washing and rinsing...

 

[neptunebob]

Would it be possible to reinforce the floor underneath? I have heard that placing a sheet of 3/4 inch plywood with a lot of screws to the joists underneath the washer can help with the vibration. Also, would it be possible to place a jack post under where the washer is or build a stud wall there?

 

[mrb627]

Tl to fl

Going from a ken more tl to a small European fly machine can be quite an adjustment Make sure your Mom is up for that challenge.

Malcolm

 

[qualin]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll certainly take all of your suggestions to heart.

 

[frigilux]

I see you're up late, too, Bud. I'm determined to catch Santa in the act this year, LOL. Merry Christmas!

 

[ronhic]

ASKO

Would be my choice I think.

They use 4 suspension legs to start with and the drum is in a cradle rather than having the suspension attached to it which may allow more even distribution of forces and stresses through to the feet.

ASKO also use stainless inner and outer drums and have the option of significantly increasing the number of rinses without having to do anything other than touch one button.

However, they also tend to use more water for a given cycle than Miele, which also rinse well, at least in our market.

Bud, it may well come down to which has the best back-up service and warranty deal you can score.