hello to all aw members

[rosie]

pierreandreply4

Thanks for that but I live down the road in Niagara, about 6 hours from Montreal. I'll keep the DD for a while yet, but our water rates are going up 50% over the next 3 years. Ironic when you consider I live 15km. from Lake Erie and 15km. from Lake Ontario. No water shortage here just a bunch of really overpaid "public servants".

 

[pierreandreply4]

no problem but feel free to keep the link for the day you will needed it cost nothing to bookmark a link

 

[pinkpower4]

Speed Queen

When I was considering purchasing a Speed Queen TC5, I inquired about the Speed Queen to one of my nearest local dealers. The sales person's experience was they see just as many of these models in for repair as the others. Since I assumed they made more profit including a personal commission on the $1000 washers than the other models sold, I thought that was odd the person would say that. With that said, I do believe Speed Queen will have fewer minor repairs and can be kept running longer without major repairs versus any other top load. The better build quality and consumer friendly features in today's market give it an overall edge. However, these new models are NOT your Grandma's Speed Queen.

I thought it was interesting in the article referenced below, "Well, Yale Appliance says that it sold 243 of these machines in 2018 and performed 65 service calls—a service rate of about 27 percent, which makes Speed Queen the most repair-prone brand that Yale Appliance has sold in any significant volume."

In fact, I could have gotten one of these returned models from a local dealer, but it came without any warranty from SQ.

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/speed-queen-review/

I personally do not think today's Speed Queens are a better value than yesteryear's Maytags. They have model-specific control boards that will not be available probably 15 years from now either (or at least to the average consumer). For that ONE reason alone, you will not keep many of them going as long as the older mechanical-style machines. Also, this generalization does not take into account that most consumers do not have access to these parts at cost and would have to pay someone else to change out the bearings/seals and replace the transmission. For the average FAMILY, these washers will be good for about 15 years. I had one of the good ol' Whirlpools that I think was better than this SQ, and it only lasted 15 years before the transmission gave out. Before that, I only replaced a set of dogs.
Today's Speed Queen will realistically last the average consumer twice the life of the average washer sold in the big box stores. The Maytag Commercial will probably fall somewhere in between that.

The vertical modular design of the REAL Maytag Commercial mvwp575gw in my opinion is not the best design for a washer especially when used in a commercial capacity. The critical parts have been upgraded, and I think the consumer will see that difference when compared to the other models sold at the big box stores. This design will not hold up to the abuse at vet clinics, multi-housing, and laundry mats. However, from what I understand the parts that may fail are the splutch and actuator. Those are inexpensive and easily replaceable by most consumers or someone in their family. I believe I could even replace the gearbox on this one. THIS is the reason this washer is not an agitub and a tradeoff I'll gladly make. On this particular model, I have not seen any issues that would cause me any real concern yet. However, it is the ONLY Maytag/Whirlpool top load I would buy . It is unfortunate it is often lumped in with the low-quality top loads Maytag/Whirlpool sell. Only time will tell if the life of each of these appliances gap is as wide as many have said. However, the MT575 sure does clean well!

Many of the regular posters are either single adults or adult-only households, have access to more than one washer, trade washers on a regular basis (like most people upgrade phones), and sell/repair washers for a living. The advantage from having information from all angles is helpful, but left undisclosed may not be as helpful to the typical consumer with a family that hires someone to repair their washer.

 

[rosie]

Pink Power

The Maytag you have retails for $1399.99 cdn. Add 13% H.S.T. a combined Federal/Provincial sales tax and you are paying $1582.00 for essentially a slightly beefed up cheap Amana or Whirlpool top load which I can buy for $450 + tax. Maytag is marketing this machine as a commercial washer yet they are sold in every big box and cut rate furniture/appliance store around. I can find a speed queen/huebsch, but not near by. I can get a Maytag from any one of 14 stores within 20 minutes of my door. The guy I have bought appliances from summed it up best. You cannot place delicate electronic circuit boards in a machine full of water, that shakes, spins and sometimes jumps around and expect things to work for long. The problem with all modern washers is the same. Electronics. It fails, it's expensive to replace and it's here to stay. So get the cheapest, most efficient machine you can find. LG and Samsung machines have both glowing reviews and dire warnings to stay away on pain of floods, fire, and loud noises. G.E. is now Chinese and we all know about the crap China sells. Miele is the best, until you go to British or European sites where hundreds of unhappy purchasers say otherwise. Let's face it. It's all crap. There are no rules. We have no protections from the agencies that could enforce better quality or a least better warranties. After exhaustive research this is the conclusion I have made. Stick with a Whirlpool brand washer. Plenty of parts and service is available. Buy cheap and simple and as efficient as you can. Might as well save some water and hydro. Avoid big box and appliance/furniture stores. They have no service. Costco offers an extra year of warranty. The guy down the street who sells and fixes is probably your best bet if they're honest. Start saving for a new washer immediately after purchase.

 

[pinkpower4]

Maytag/Whirlpool Washers

"Stick with a Whirlpool brand washer. Plenty of parts and service is available. " Parts availability later is a factor in my decision. The service technicians favor Maytag/Whirlpool and Speed Queen here. One only charges $50 if to take a look if I cannot figure it out myself.

Where I live, the Maytag mvwp575gw can only be found in locally owned and operated appliance stores. The big box stores like Home Depot, Lowes, and Best Buy do not carry them.

The low-end of this model is the Roper sold by Lowes. https://tinyurl.com/Roper-RTW4516FW. Great option for those on a tight budget! It has a dual agitator! Someone on this board has this model or one like it, and really likes it. I believe he bought it after a similar low-end Maytag Centennial? gave out after only a few years.

The difference in cost is the higher quality parts (the thick/sturdy metal panels, wider 7-rib versus 5-rib belt, actuator, 1/2 hp motor, 60 watt vs 45 or 50 watt capacitor, premium bearings, and commercial-grade quality fill hoses included). These are things you can see. It probably has a better quality parts that are not easily seen like the control board. After all, this is the top of the line [inferior when compared to the old models] washer for residential use. Also, I like the knob design better. The five year in-home parts and labor warranty is hidden in there too. This model is built to be easy to repair. The top two screws remove from the metal console panel and allow access to parts there. The front easily removes to allow access to parts that way or can be tipped toward the wall (placed on back) to allow access to parts underneath.

Based on this, I think one is more likely to have fewer repairs to the Maytag model and it will last longer without major repairs than the Roper. You pay for the convenience. For me, that cost $350.

I agree something needs to be done. These appliances should not be built to be disposable. The electronics were only added to the base models, so the washes could be "controlled" to conserve energy and water. I just add my own buckets of water or run a load twice LOL. Puts me back to the old days. Soon we'll be hauling water up from the creek too. Bring back the old mechanical models.

I have second guessed my decision many times on whether or not to get the Speed Queen TC5 while it is still available, and it boils down to what I said in the above post. Bring back the mechanical version awn432, and there is no second guessing for me. For now, I chose somewhere in the middle, and I think the Maytag will probably last about ten years. I really feel it is more likely I can keep this model going if I want to versus the time-limited TC5. Also, if you want the best performing cleaning washer, you cannot beat the dual agitator--even Speed Queen does not have that. For those with pets, kids, who work technical trade jobs, do their own repairs around the house, etc., best cleaning performance is a factor.

 

[rosie]

Pink Power

I looked at the washer reliability numbers from Yale Appliances. According to them the Samsung top and front load washers are the most reliable for 2019 so far. These numbers are based on a very small sample. The Maytag and Speed Queen top load washers are poor performers. After all the majority of the components in the Maytag are from China, including the motor. Speed Queen sources a lot of parts from Mexico. On a side note. A couple of years ago I was in the market for a new toaster to replace toaster number 10 or 11, I forget which. I went into a Sears store, before they disappeared, to have a look. They they were, a long row of toasters ranging from $30 up to $300. I had a good long look at the element boards in each one. I got out my wifes magnifying glass she carries in her purse. The element boards on all but one toaster had the exact same number code on the side of the board. They were all the same. I think the same is true for electronics and other components in all appliances. They all come out of the same factories in China, contracted by the various old name brands and marketed as old name quality. That's globalization in a nut shell. The toaster with the different number was a discontinued one. Older board I guess. The Whirlpool top and front load machines score fairly well although the 2019 numbers are trending towards poorer performance. Ask anyone who has ever owned a Samsung appliance if they would buy another and I think we all know the answer. No. No parts, poor service, long turn around on repairs, inaccurate diagnosis of repair etc. So, what to do? If I could find any info about this Amana front load I would happily buy it. It's very cheap with the energy rebate, it's a whirlpool so it's guts are probably identical to most of their other brands, but alas, it's not Korean, so CR doesn't like it. It's not expensive so the big box store reviews are sparse and average. It has minimal bells and whistles, so the trendy review sites ignore it. Any input on this particular machine would be appreciated.

https://www.canadianappliance.ca/product/Amana_NFW5800HW_Washers_Amana_NFW5800HW.html

 

[lowefficiency]

Sometimes too there is an inverse relationship between the reliability of an original part and the availability of spare parts. If a machine is UNreliable, the OEM or aftermarket might churn out tons of repair parts for quite a long time to satisfy repair demand. But if a part “almost never fails”, and it does for you (or simply wears out), you might have quite a difficult time finding a replacement. Parts supply companies and local repair shops wouldn’t have any reason to stock those parts, and far fewer spares would be produced overall.