Best Value in modern washer/dryer?

[dalangdon]

Through a series of coincidences, it appears as if we might want to buy a new washer/dryer, so I am wondering what brand is best?

John is much more into the laundry than I am, and he wants something reliable. I, of course, want something glamourous and energy star compliant (as the water company will give us $75, which would probably at least cover the sales tax)

I'd also like to have a window on the both the washer and dryer, as I sometimes miss the 60's ;-)

So, ladies and gents, what should it be? There's big sales this weekend at Lowes and Sears, and they are closest to the house.

 

[exploder3211]

Frigidaire Affinity 7000 set.. the best they make in my book.. Have played with most of the newer stuff and once i get my town house, i will have a frigidaire frontloader in my laundryroom right next to the ge top loader...

 

[laundromat]

If you want a top loading washer,GE's Harmony set is the way to go.It does a better job at getting a huge load as clean as a small.Some of the competitive ones i.e Oasis/Cabrio/Bravo(Sears Kenmore/Whirlpool/Maytag)do o.k.but only on smaller loads.The larger loads DO NOT recirculate the laundry as well due to the lack of enough water to give space for the clothes to rotate.The GE does its rotation a lot better and instead of a plastic impeller,the Harmony's have a stainless steel one.Instead of a thin metal painted finish dryer drum that can rust,the Harmony dryers have a thick stainless steel drum.They're called Harmony because the washer plugs into the dryer and once the wash is ready to dry,all you do is load the dryer and turn it on.The washer tells the dryer what to do.Both have see through doors and the dryer can go on the washers left or right.The washer is direct drive using a similar method as the Oasis/Cabrio/Bravo lines.

 

[oxydolfan1]

In that case, pay special attention to the Frigidaire front loaders. They are very reasonably priced compared to the competition. I've been using one at a friend's house, and it really works well and is quiet.

If Lowes carries Fisher and Paykel, I'd check them out if your heart is set on a top loader, and it must be Energy Star related.
The Oasis/Cabrio machines would not be for me, because shirts tend to come out a bit twisted and wrinkly for my taste; on the other hand, some here seen to have had very positive experiences with them.

 

[frigilux]

Make that three: I'd also steer you toward a Frigidaire FLer. Both of mine (and I have the original 3 cu. ft. model) have been very reliable. Not as glammy as an LG or even a high-end Duet, but they get the job done. Use the hundreds of dollars you'll save at the cash register to do something fun!

 

[~sudsshane]

Hey Dan~

I agree with Oxy. Fisher&Paykel makes a great top load machine. They are also energy star rated and reasonably priced. You can find them at Sears Outlet at a great price. If you want to splurge, I would certainly recommend LG Tromm for a front load machine. I have had mine since January and have been very pleased with the performance. Very quiet operation as well.Cosmetically, they are just gorgeous with all the bells and whistles!!
As for Frigidaire Affinity FL, my friend has the W/D set. I am not quite sure why I never warmed to this set. To me they seem rather plain and cosmetically unappealling. But,they seem to work well.

Good Luck and be sure to let us know what you decide on..

 

[panthera]

All FLs from Electrolux

Are a good idea, plain, simple, don't break often, easy to repair when they do, parts available everywhere.
Ideally, an American dryer to go with, although the largest Frigidaire dryer from that series is big enough not to wrinkle.
I think F&P have great ideas...but their quality sucks the big one according to all the things I've read.
You might look at Staber, US built, so not the best quality, but an interesting and proven design. Save tons on water and energy and when they do break, easy to fix.
At this point, the only TLs worth buying are vintage machines. All the new stuff on the market is just junk compared to a Maytag from the early to mid-90's...in all seriousness, if it has to be a traditional TL, then compare a "real" Maytag to the junk out there now. You'll take the vintage machine.

 

[cny4]

Frigidaire 2140, 2940 or Affinity. I love my Affinity 6000. They all are pretty much the same machine with different features, buy whatever you can get cheapest.

 

[dalangdon]

Who makes Kenmore these days? Is it Frigidaire? Is there anything weird about them that I should know.

I really think we'll go with a front loader. What's the point of windows in the doors if you can't sit there and zone out in front of them? ;-)

 

[appnut]

The onnly Kenmore that's made by Frigidaire is the 3.1 cu. ft. front loader. The 3.5, 3.6, and 3.8 are all made by Whirlpool. The only Frigidaire brand model they carry is the cousin to the above-mentioned 3.1 cu. ft. They don't carry the Affinity 6000 or 7000 mentioned higher up in this thread.

 

[dalangdon]

What do you guys think about the Kenmore Elite HE3t? Who makes it? Is it any good?

 

[panthera]

Whirlpool makes them

The only major complaint I found against them was that you can get the same thing for hundreds less if you buy the "Whirlpool" branded version and not from Sears. Sears sells them at a premium price.
I looked at them a few months ago and thought, ok, not bad. If this is the quality Whirlpool is going to be turning out from now on, then obviously somebody in the engineering department has grown a set of balls or marketing and the bean counters were off shaving 1/64 cent of parts somewhere and this one slipped through.
But after Peter's experiences, I think we all need to focus on one thing: If the Sears near you has a good service department and the Whirlpool folks all have in-duh-vi-duh-als working for them, then go with Sears. The service is what makes or breaks things for me.

 

[rp2813]

Kenmore vs Duet

Dan, I fell into the process of buying a new laundry pair by seeing what seemed like a good deal on a Kenmore HE3t in a Sears ad. I went to look at it and I wasn't entirely thrilled, and was more impressed by the larger HE's in the Kenmore lineup but they were ridiculously expensive. I did some checking online and found on various opinion sites a huge number of complaints about the HE3t washer in particular. I decided it was best not to make a hasty decision, and a couple of weeks later Lowe's had a clearance on the biggest Duet, which had larger capacity than the HE3 and was the same price. Similar online research on the Duet produced very few negatives. I thought this was strange, since the Duets and HE's are basically the same machines, and most people chalked up the problems with the Kenmores to the control panels, as they apparently have more bells and whistles than the Duets and seem to be problematic. So, since I've wanted a Duet ever since they came on the market and I could now get one cheap, I went with Lowes. I got a 4-year extended warranty from Lowes that covers both washer and dryer for like $129. And both machines have plenty of cycle options for my needs.

If you like the size of the HE3t and don't want to go larger, I suspect you'll find a better price on a Duet Sport. The big Duets take up more room than your average TL pair. They are both wider and deeper, so be sure you have enough space for whatever FL machine you're looking at.

Lots of people here on AW are raving about the big Frigidaires. They're worth a look and I would have considered that pair except the dryer is way smaller than its Duet/Kenmore counterparts.

Let us know what you end up with. Front loader is the way to go for sure.

 

[passatdoc]

just a thought.....GE version of 2140 is on sale at Home Dep

Home Depot sells a GE-branded version of the Frigidaire 2140. It has GE markings but otherwise is an exact duplicate of the 2140, and only Home Depot seems to carry this model....it may be an exclusive for them, just as Lowes has special Frigidaire model numbers that only they sell (their version of the 2940, for example, had a blue trim ring instead of a dark one).

The GE washer is on sale thru 7/7/07 for I believe $539. I think this may be an internet-only special, not sure if you can pay the same price in the store (however, they may allow internet sales and then you pick it up at the store, if you don't want to pay delivery charges). They also sell the corresponding dryer, which stacks on top of the washer if you prefer (stacking kit is like $20). It isn't a "matching" dryer because it has a solid door, but the control panels and overall styling do match.

I have had a 2140 for 16 months and so far am delighted with the machine. Also, they seem to have fixed the one complaint I had: no drain holes at the six o'clock position, with accumulation of water in the boot gasket crevice. The current floor models have drain holes at six o'clock, but whether this actually solves the problem in real life use, I do not know. I solve the problem by wiping the gasket dry with a clean hand towel and then drying the handtowel with the last dryer load of the washday. I also leave the door ajar to air out the machine, and I leave the dispenser door open between washes to dry out residual water in the dispenser (it dispenses by flushing water through the compartments at various times during the cycle).

In large metro areas like Southern California, where competition is intense, you can routinely find the 2140 for sale at this price, but what is special about the Home Depot offer is that it is presumably a nationwide sale price. I did not key in my zip code when I went on their website, so I assume the price I saw was not dependent on me being closest to store location XYZ.

 

[passatdoc]

here is the link

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100529099&N=10000003+90401+502611+780&marketID=401&locStoreNum=8125

 

[passatdoc]

matching dryer is $449

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100529096&N=10000003+90401+501175+780&marketID=401&locStoreNum=8125

Pretty amazing to have this set for under $1000. For people who live in areas where water and gas rebates are offered, the final price before tax/delivery may be as low as $850 for THE SET.

 

[dnastrau]

FriGE FL at Lowe's too

The front loader GE built by Frigidaire (same as the Frig. 2140) is available at Lowe's too. Since the model number is the same as the one at Home Depot, you might be able to get a price match plus 10% at Lowe's... Just a thought.

Andrew S.

 

[dalangdon]

But there's no windows!

gotta have me some windows!

What about the Maytag Neptune? I haven't forgiven Maytag for what they did to Newton, but they look sorta cool.

 

[passatdoc]

2940 has matching dryer with window

The Frig 2940's matching dryer has a window. Sold at Best Buy and Lowe's. The 2940 has a few extra features not found on the 2140: a silver window trim ring, clear rather than dark lens in front of window, automatic temperature control, and variable (4-12 hours) delay timing (2140 has fixed, 8 hour delay feature).