If Speed Queen sold through Kenmore

[panasonicvac]

Also not related to the topic but...

Actually I have a Sears Kenmore hand vac which was made by Douglas, a division of Scott & Fetzer which also owned Kirby at the time. So it is technically a Kirby sold through Sears along with the Sears Craftsman version as well.

 

[maytag85]

Reply #19

I believe hose hand vacs were the Kirby Vacuette or something.

 

[panasonicvac]

Yes they're rebranded Kirby Vacuettes. I posted a thread on vacuumland.org if you wanted to take a closer look at it. https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?42098_3

Anyways, I really like that Speed Queen is mainly sold through independent retailers. That's one of the reasons why I think SQ is so special and why I would buy them to use for myself personally. I'd rather buy a SQ through a dealer and help a dealer save up to buy a present for someone they're close to for Christmas than buy a SQ through a department store and help a CEO save up to buy another vacation home. However, I do agree with Glen that not alot of areas have SQ dealers. You'd have to drive tens or hundreds of miles to go over to a laundry dealer store than rather drive less over to a discount store. And I would hate to have a dealer come drive out far away to have my SQ fixed or serviced versus having a Sears Parts & Service Center nearby. That would be my only exception of buying a SQ through Sears or have it repaired by them instead.

 

[Chetlaham]

You make a good point about small dealers, however the way I view it is that I want a real washer accessible to every family. There are plenty who will pay a little more for a no gimmicks washer, especially those with heavily soiled clothes.

 

[rp2813]

Melvin, I can attest to Sears selling Amana badged SQ washers in the late '90s.  That's where we got our '97 Amana pair.  I remember checking out the Maytag Atlantis first and seeing that it didn't bear any resemblance to a real Newton machine.  The WP/Kemore machines were flimsy DD types.  I wanted no part of either of them.  The Amanas were on sale, they had shiny stainless tubs and were quite sturdy in comparison, so that was that.

 

Little did I know that the tinny lightweight DD machines would be less trouble, but I'm a sucker for build quality and long stroke agitation.  There was no AW site back then.  I subscribed to CR and used their ratings as my guide.  At that time the Amanas were top rated (live and learn).  I know I would have been really pissed as soon as a new WP/KM/MT began agitation if we had bought one of those, and certainly would have returned it.