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Speed Queen FL!

There is no better washer EVER made for the domestic market. If you need a washer that can process quickly and thoroughly large amounts of laundry in a domestic setting on a continuous basis there is no better choice.

Also if you are looking for something dependable to avoid service calls as you can not fix the machine yourself nothing other than a SQ FL will be nearly as reliable.

There is a reason that the Coin-Op version (mechanically identical) of this machine is so popular in Laundromats, Dorms, Apt. houses.
WK78
 
If you're still having trouble on deciding what new front load washer would be best suited for you, I would suggest to call up your nearest appliance or laundry technician and see what they would recommend for your needs. That's what we did when we had both our old washer and dryer replaced. Our technician recommended LG because that was one of their least repaired brands that they've fixed as of last year and they were also ranked one of the better performing front load washers out in the market. From what I recalled when we asked about other brands to them, Samsung was another brand that they've liked. Whirlpool's front loaders and their other brands they own were okay. And GE not so much. I did used a Electrolux front loader last year and I thought it was trash. So that's how we ended up with the LG WM8100. Overall we've been really pleased with it. Now again if I were to buy another new front load washer today, only this time it's going to be the Speed Queen. Personally I'd rather have something that would last the longest, I think they're arguably the most reliable front loader out in the market today. I mean I do trust that the LG would last for quite a while but I would bet that the Speed Queen would outlast it, I wouldn't be surprised when the LG starts to break after it's 10 year warranty is up. So far my only criticism with LG overall was we had trouble with the company on fixing our stove shortly after buying it around the same time as when we bought the laundry set, that's another reason why I would be leaning towards on getting the Speed Queen as our next set. Another tip is to watch some of these review videos on YouTube from a technician who's also a member on here. So overall if I were to recommend a new large front load washer to anyone, this is what I would personally suggest. If you care about features mostly, then I would suggest to look into LG. But if you care about reliability mostly, then I would suggest to look into Speed Queen. Either way, both of these machines would be excellent at getting laundry clean.

With these two videos down below, both of these I believe still apply to it's newer models today. You can still buy the Speed Queen, they're not discontinued anymore. And the LG is pretty much the same machine as their newer ones including mine.


 
Heaters

Like Bob said, an internal heater is essential.

It’s what makes European machines superior to the rest of the world.

It’s very clear standards differ in each country but it’s safe to say that our heated machines are the best for performance. What passes for clean in America from the likes of the SQ front loaders and Toploaders from all manufacturers is what we expect as results from a cycle designed for refreshing lightly soiled or unsoiled items.

It’s just the standards that you’ve all been programmed to think are good but we realised over 60 years ago that machines need heaters to actually clean.

LG with heaters are definitely the way to go.
 
Well also there were, and apparently still are, a larger portion of homes that don't have a hot water heater compared to the U.S. So it became necessary to install heaters in washer and diswashers in order to get sanitary results.

If the EU countries had learned to be energy gobbling pigs like us here in the U.S. where we burn through 25% of the worlds energy resources a year even though we only have 4% of the worlds population, perhaps you wouldn't need a water heater in your washers.
 
It's got nothing to do with whether there is a hot water service or not. That is a misunderstanding.

 

Efficient front loaders use so little water that, even if connected to hot water, by the time they have bled through the cold water sitting in the hot water pipes, the drum is more or less full. So the water in the drum will be too cold, even if hot fill is selected.

 

I have a Miele front loader with hot fill and a heater, it usually still has to operate the heater for a few minutes even with a hot fill. Having a heater gives much more precise control over the temperature of the wash water, too.

 

Long term members of this forum will be saying that I have changed my tune, and that is true. When we had a smaller solar power system I used to modify washers to disconnect the heating element. But we now have 3kw of solar panels on the roof so operating a washing machine with heater is fine, though I still prefer it to have hot fill. Heat phase takes only a few minutes but it makes a difference to cleaning. We have a manual recirc pump to get hot water in the pipes right to the tap, so we don't have the usual cold water bleed through issue.
 
Well I was thinking about getting a Miele but I was made aware that if the time ever came that I would need service for it, I would need to know how far I am from a Miele factory servicer or a Miele partner with an MDU laptop (MDU=Miele Diagnostic Unit). And apparently there's only one in my state very far away from me. That sort of convinced me to not get a Miele.
 
I can understand the reluctance of buying a Miele in the USA. From all the things I have read about Miele, customer service is not op to par with the customer service you may expect from a company that sells such expensive machines. Miele's are way cheaper here and the service is excellent. That makes a difference. I guess it makes sense to buy a machine that is widely available and that is easy to get service for. It's like buying a Speed Queen in Europe, more expensive and customer service is more difficult to get.

There are work arounds for not having a water heater in a machine, but it's just not the same. A heating element not only heats the water but also maintains it for a certain amount of time. My Siemens keeps the temperature at 140F for an hour when the Allergy cycle is used to make sure that dustmites are killed.

Not every machine here has it, but mine has a stain option that heats the water first to 105F or there about and maintaining it there for a while and then heats it up to a higher temperature when selected. In that way the enzymes can do there work best and later in the wash cycle the oxygen bleach can do it's work better when the higher temperature is achieved.
 
Reply #37

The Miele is a very good washer, But way too small for washing king sized comforters etc, I though one of your stated needs was to be able to wash large items and loads.

 

The SQ FL washer does a MUCH larger load than their TL washer, When you compare capacity of a FL to TL washer you can actually wash twice as much laundry properly in the same size tub in a FL machine.

 

John L.
 
Samsung horror story;

Son and fiance' bought a new house, and Samsung top load laundry pair from Best buy. Upon delivery, the dryer had a smashed corner. It was replaced. The washer had an error code and wouldn't spin at all. Took a month for service. A new nother board was ordered. No response for 10 days, upon which they were told no part available, so an authorization for machine replacement was sent. Another 2 weeks go by, and nothong. After calling Samsung, they were told "no inventory".
So they had an option of a full refund, but then the washer would not be picked up, and they had to dispose of it. The other was Samsung credit, or Best buy store credit, which they chose.
They selected an LG high end top load washer, and an LG dryer with a two way door that opens sideways, or swings down. The Shizzsung dryer was picked up with the washer.
 
While I know the comment about water heaters / hot water supplies was only from
An attention seeking troll id just like to point out to the better members of this forum that this is not the case at least here in the UK

Running hot water supplies in both kitchens and bathrooms is the absolute norm here.

Only in certain applications are individual above sink water heaters used. Usually when a cold supply is easily accessible but there’s no need for a proper boiler or it’s more awkward to route a hot supply from the main hot supply.

It is actually a legal requirement for rental residential homes and hotels/ accommodation/ care homes / businesses of all kinds to provide hot water in its bathrooms, and hand washing facilities no matter what kind of business it is.

Privately owned homes these days almost always have a hot water supply in some form however that home owner finds it convenient for them to install or use.

In fact when buying a house the methods of hot water provision will be pointed out by the estate agent and confirmed on a survey prior to house sale.

Sure you don’t need a private home to have hot water provisions but most people are not sadistic enough to relish cold water to bathe in, or wash dishes by hand or whatever. It is the norm in households and it’s safe to say that over 99% of UK homes will have hot water provisions at all the points of use required.
 
darn-it those washerland trolls AGAIN

....but there was a time.  With less than 50% having baths in 1950 that number didn't change overnight.

 

Automatic washers and dishwashers were in full production in the U.S. and other countries were not ready to use ones without a heater.

From what I've seen, only in the last 10 years have UK fallen in love with dishwashers the way the U.S. did in the 1970s.

 

Now if only UK could grasp the concept of WINDOW SCREENs, something the U.S. has had since oh-h-h..... The Civil War of the 1800s.

 

Oh those darn trolls. Those darn energy wasting trolls.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/21/british-homes-without-bathroom-archive-1950
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1992

A quick look at 1992 UK before we get back to the subject at hand.

 

This story was written of 1992 UK and not of 1962 U.S. 

I love it.

I actually weirdly like UK, once considered moving to this tiny island country. 

 

Only in 1992 were Brits beginning to accept the concept of taking showers.

And there were other concerns I hadn't heard of that being unreliable and weak water pressure.

 

I still remember watching several UK shows from the 70s and 80s that reference the tank in the attic.  Specifically 1980s "To the Manor Born" where they had to deal with the finding of a bird that died in their water tank and Penelope's character says something like "....I have to bath in that water"   eww.  An OPEN tank.   

Unheard of.

 

-----

 

Now back to the washing machine search show.

https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/23/garden/english-bathrooms-out-of-the-closet.html
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bradfordwhite-2021031511065902916_3.png
 

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