Help me decide between a Maytag A885 or 2017 Speed Queen AWN as a daily driver.

[wa9alqth]

I only have room for one. I like that the Maytag has a lint filter since we primarily line dry. I also like how gently the long stroke is. The Speed Queen is a beast that will outlive me.

Maytag is at the rental and the SQ is at home. The rental house is vacant at the moment but I’ll eventually have to move the Maytag out of there when when I find tenants since there’s already a washer.

 

[rp2813]

I'm a long stroke guy too, and while I don't feel the SQ is as good at rinsing, the tub is bigger, which could make the difference between washing a comforter at home or having to take it to a laundromat.   It's a tough decision, though, since Maytags were built like tanks and the orbital transmission is certainly reliable.

 

What dryer will the washer be paired with?  The Maytag?  If so, its capacity is geared for Maytag's somewhat smaller washer tub and full loads from the SQ could take longer to dry on those days when line drying isn't an option.

 

[wa9alqth]

What dryer will the washer be paired with?

Paired with the GE DDE7108PMLAD I already have at home. Original owner. This dryer won’t quit. The heating element and drum belt were replace once before. Sadly the matching washer was let go several years ago because I thought it was time for an upgrade.

 

[lowefficiency]

Another vote for the Maytag. The Maytag has features and characteristics you like, and the only point you listed in favor of the SQ is longevity, which the Maytag also has, soooo... easy choice!

Doesn't hurt that your Maytag looks pristine.

 

[rp2813]

I can't speak to the GE dryer's capacity, as I'm not familiar with just how large the larger GE washer tubs were back then, but will hazard a guess that they weren't as big as your SQ's tub. 

 

For that reason, your Maytag seems to me like a safer bet for load sizes that are compatible with the GE dryer.  Additionally, there is no contest when comparing the Maytag's console and cabinet materials and finishes -- porcelain enameled top in particular -- to those of the SQ, so it will hold up and look good for a lot longer.  Actually, it already has, considering the age difference between the two machines.  Dave's daughter put a dent in our '97 "Commercial Quality" Amana washer's console in short order, and I doubt SQ consoles have become any more durable over the subsequent 23 years.

 

You can get used to the Maytag's short stroke.  It's still far more pleasant to listen to than a WP-based direct drive machine IMO, and you won't be changing belts every couple of years like you would with the SQ.  Ironic that the machine that rarely needs its belt changed has a much easier way to do it than the one that chews them up as a routine aspect of its operation.

 

 

[panthera]

Maytag, hands down is right

I admit my feelings are a bit coloured by having worked on both and the Speed Queen just seemed determined to hurt me.

 

[yogitunes]

just so you are clear on your information....

Lint Filters....

Maytag, manual lint filter that you have to clean...

Speed Queen, Self Cleaning lint filter....

Lint Filters are, and have always been a gimmick, just to show you that there IS lint in your wash water, they wont filter out ALL of the lint from the load...

with proper temps and washing techniques, lint filters are not required..... of my collection that has them, I never leave any of mine in place when using machines...

if I was to line dry, I usually toss the load in the dryer for about 15 minutes, it removes any particles of lint, and warms the clothing like a warm rinse, making line dry clothing softer

 

[combo52]

Best Choise Of Two Convental TL Washers

The SQ Hands down, it is newer and has a much longer life expediency.

 

It is larger in capacty

 

It rinses MUCH better than the MT, the 100 RPM faster spin wrings out more soapy wash water and leaves clothes drier for the dryer.

 

The SQ does not have a silly out-Of -Balance switch, the SQ will always finish the load without the possibility of TWO additional trips back to the washer to rearrange a load and restart it.

 

The SQ has self-leveling legs you will never have problems with it walking like the MT [ one of the most frequent service calls we still do on DC MTs is a complete re-leveling because they are driving their owners crazy walking all over the place ]

 

 

[good-shepherd]

SQ it is newer and has a much longer life expediency

Performance issues aside I bet that Maytag outlives the Speed Queen by many years.

 

[maytag85]

The Speed Queen washers (built before 2015) are some of the best newer washers you can buy. Reason I say before 2015 is they put those crappy normal eco cycles on after 2015 that don’t really rinse thoroughly and the first spin on the last of the true Speed Queen washers built in 2017 with the transmission only had a slow first spin which doesn’t spin out enough of the soapy water from the clothes.

 

[combo52]

Replay #8

Hi Douglas, I will take up your bet any day, even an 80s WP DD washer will not outlast a 80s MT DC machine.

 

[ by the mid 1980s WP DD washers were having fewer problems than MT DC washers ]

 

The SQ washer in question will easily last another 20 years with probably no more than a new belt and maybe an inlet valve, There is no likely hood that a 25 YO MT DC will go to age 45 Years without an inlet valve, transmission, center seal kit, damper pads, internal hoses, possible rust-out of the outer-tub, yes the MT could make it to 45 years but with a lot of work and money.

 

As far as the best of these washers regarding linting there is not much difference, neither is considered a great choice if low listing is important, all spin drain top load washers can leave lint streaks if clothing is not sorted properly.

 

The lint filter in the MT washer does not catch 10% of the lint generated when you wash a load of clothing so the advantage of having it will not be discernible.

 

[ You can prove this by putting a nylon stocking over the drain hose and comparing the amount of lint particles trapped compared to what you find in the lint filter ]

 

 Please Have A Safe Thanksgiving Everyone

 

John L.

 

[panthera]

I wonder if two things are playing a role, here

First - Speed Queens may be easy to work on for somebody of John's extraordinary skill, for the average lady around here, they're toothy pit-bulls in a bad mood. Maytag, say what one will about the decline in quality toward the end (and it was real) are easier to work on - and they seem to have been put together for people with sausage size fingers.

 

Second - it's unfair, but I find it hard to think of Speed Queen anything without the emotional impact of their appalling treatment of everyone who pointed out the enormous failings of their absolutely awful washers a few years back.

 

 

 

[yogitunes]

whenever making a choice for a machine, car, toaster, DVD player, TV, etc....

not wise to run to Youtube, Consumer Reports or average person on the street....you cannot rely on their credibility....

any given device can have a bad one in the bunch, one person can have a bad experience, and suddenly every thing made from there on is a machine to avoid....thats when you separate opinion from fact...

who you want to speak with is a repairman, tech, mechanic......those are the guys who see these units on a daily basis, have the expertise, and have nothing to lose by offering what they have seen in the past....

thats who I go to, and the person I seek when needing repair work or help....

there are hundreds of repair vids on YT....but which one do you choose to give you the simplest information, not to mention the correct one.....you may have to search through several until you find the one you need...

 

[rp2813]

John has made some good points about why a the subject SQ would last longer than the older Maytag, but unless they've improved the problem with SQ machines eating up belts (a recent thread about a bad belt on a church lady machine seems to indicate otherwise), that remains a concern.  Even the tech that came out to fix our '97 Amana washer (because we wisely kept renewing our extended warranty on it) remarked about how involved it was to change the belt, the one component that reliably failed three times in nine years, and it was not the result of chronic overloading.

 

I see this as a trade-off.  Potential longevity with the SQ if you're willing to put up with annoying belt failures over the next 20 years, or the reliability of the Maytag but holding your breath that nothing major finally needs to be replaced.  I still vote for the Maytag.  If it has a catastrophic failure that you don't want to take on, then there will be plenty of pre-owned SQ machines out there to replace it with.  And again, I think the Maytag's capacity is more compatible with the GE dryer you want to use.

 

[48bencix]

Orbital

I had the Maytag Orbital from 2000 to 2017 when I got the new Speed Queen set. Here is what happened to my Orbital. Shaft came out of the transmission. Since the seal had failed a few years earlier, I decided to trade it in.

Maytag Agitator Shaft O Ring

My Maytag LAT 2500 Washer purchased in 2000 stopped agitating. I replaced the belts and cleaned the pulleys and it seemed to work well. It stopped agitating again and I noticed the Agitator was high in the tub by about 1". I pulled it up and along came the Agitator Shaft. The two O Rings...

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[robbinsandmyers]

Back in the 80's when I was helping an old appliance repair guy I remember a machine with rocking levers on the trans and solenoids?? Was that the Speed Queens of the 1970's? One thing I hated was replacing the belt on them, a real bitch and one tub bracket had to come off I think. Them and the Gibsons I hated working on. Only thing we changed on Maytags back then was belts, water valves, and hinge balls. Plus the very rare timer.

 

[DADoES]

 
^ Sounds like Whirlpool/Kenmore transmission.

 

[good-shepherd]

When the Speed Queen gives up the ghost it will be nothing but scrap metal, while his well cared for Maytag could be rebuilt and put back into service.

BTW in my experience SQ washers can easily chew up more than one belt over 20 years and are a PIA to replace.

A friend had Alliance built SQ that wore out a new belt in the four years she owned it, then it died at 13 years old (some kind of slow spin issue)

Most DC Maytag's are just getting broken in at 13 years old.

 

[yogitunes]

until you change any one of the three belts on a Speed Queen solid tub machine....

the new Speed Queen is a breeze!...especially with the pump hold down clips versus the original torx head screws...

I have worked on both....

heck, Eugene changes the belt and tensioner for around 10 minutes, and that includes his detailed instruction....