in the market for a new washer & dishwaser

[historyman]

I think I'll be in the market for a new washer and dishwasher in the near future.

I'd like to get the top of the line Speed Queen, but am a bit taken back by the price (though I know it's worth it). So, my question is: among toploaders, other than the SQ, what do you recommend?

Also, I'm probably also going to have to buy a new dishwasher. I'd probably have to get a portable model. (read moving into a new apt) So, what do yinz (Pittsburgh's version of ya'll) recommend?

Thanks!

 

[maytagbear]

I am also in an apartment...

and I have had excellent results from my GE Nautilus portable dishwasher. It cleans well, and is the quietest portable dishwasher I have ever had/used. Out of the 6 dishwashers (house moves) I have had, three of them have been portables.

I've had it since 2005. The exact model has been discontinued, but a very similar one is at GEappliances.com .

Good luck with it all.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[historyman]

So, what do you recommend?

Other than the SQ...

Washers that are beneath the SQ's price range in particular. I realize this probably disqualifies most if not all front loaders, but I'm not totally dedicated to toploaders. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[revvinkevin]

What IS the SQ price range??

I assume the SQ line is available here on the West Coast, however I have yet to see one, or even an ad for one.

So what is the price range of the Speed Queen line or the TOL model you are looking for?

 

[iheartmaytag]

If you go to the Speed Queen website below, you can enter your zip code and it will located a dealer in your area; even give driving directions.

Speed Queen Home - Speed Queen

www.speedqueen.com

 

[iheartmaytag]

Actually--Opps

this page of the website.

http://www.speedqueen.com/home/locator/frm_deal_locator.asp

 

[historyman]

So...

Outside of the price range of the Speed Queen's, which I'd get if I could, and excluding front loaders, what 'regular' top loaders do you guys/gals recommend? What won't destroy my clothing but also get it clean without falling apart in 3 years.

Thanks!

 

[appnut]

What won't destroy my clothing but also get it clea

Since you can't spring for a Speed Queen toploader, the only other option that fits this description is a Frigidaire toploader. Basically everything else (GE & Whirlpool-produced products) have the 90 degree arc short fast stroke which I find to be harsh on fabrics. Not sure how much you are willing to spend, but another consideration would be a Fisher & Paykel toploader

 

[frigilux]

If you're looking for a machine with a slower agitator stroke, you might consider one of the new GE top-loaders with Hydrowave action. They have a slow stroke and would appear to be gentler to clothing than Whirlpool-based (Maytag, Whirlpool, Kenmore, etc.) washers.

You might also consider checking out Frigidaire front-loaders. They are ranked well by Consumer Reports and are very competitive in pricing. The washer models that have a square door (2940, maybe?) are particularly good.

I have a Frigidaire front-loader. It cleans very well and has been reliable. I also have a Frigidaire top-loader, which has slow-stroke agitation and an indexing tub, but they chose to simply lower the maximum water level in order to meet energy-use mandates, which severely limits its capacity. The tub only fills about 2/3 full with water.

Given the choice, I'd get a reasonably-priced front-loader. I think they're better washers, overall, than today's top-loaders.

Let us know what you wind up purchasing. We love follow-ups.

 

[golittlesport]

I would steer clear of the direct drive Whirlpool/Kenmores. I had one for about five years when they first came out...awful machine. Noisy, harsh on clothing, and the tub only filled 2/3 way, like it was mentioned the new Frigidaire top loaders do. (maybe that is why so many people complain "Kenpools" shred clothes...the large tub does not fill with enough water to circulate the clothes well and the frantic agitation operates more like a food processor.)

It gave out after five years....what a lemon. I got a used Maytag pair afterwards. Maybe those machines have improved or I just had a dud, but I don't recommend them to friends. I've heard that newer models shift into slow agitator speed after a few minutes to sav the clothes.

I agree, the new GE hydrowave may be worth looking into. You can see the agitation on youtube.

Good luck.

 

[jeffg]

Chris, make sure you shop around for Speed Queen. When we bought our AWS76NW last year, the best online price we could find was $680 + shipping. We also called local appliance stores in our area, and one of them had it for $549. We picked it up and saved the shipping charge as well.

The bottom line with top loaders these days: unless you're willing to buy a used set, there's Speed Queen, and then everything else. SQ is the only manufacturer still making TL's that are built to last.

 

[rapunzel]

The Fisher & Paykel is an excellent choice and should not be discounted on the basis that it is a top loader. In terms of efficiency and performance it rates as well as most front loaders on the market. What more, apart from using the pre-set and auto-sense options, it also allows the user to override and control every aspect of its wash functions right down to setting the water temperature inflow to the degree of choice. BTW, I am talking about the Intuitive Eco model in particular - a very well designed machine that is not too expensive.

My 2 cents worth.

Rapunzel

 

[rapunzel]

And the F&P doesn't shred clothes.

 

[rapunzel]

My current dishwasher is the F&P dishdrawer, which I find to be a very good performer. The best thing about it is its simple-to-remove filter, which requires almost no maintenance even though it doesn't have an inbuilt grinder. The only drawback relates to washing tall items. As the drawers are two separate compartments there is no way to vary their hight, as is possible with the baskets in front-opening machines. I don't find this much of an impediment, but you may. It washes very well and is ergonomically better. It also contains unanticipated spills during the loading of dirty dishes and moves quite a bit of water. Even though the heavy cycle takes between 135 and 125 minutes, the wash and rinse portion is usually done in just over an hour. For about 45 minutes it blows the hot air over the dishes to aid drying. I find it a very good choice for a dishwasher.

You may also want to know that I do have a Speed Queen top loader, which I purchased last year, that replace another one which was 20 years old. I am very satisfied with the new washer and can not think of one thing to query about it. It is a wonderfully easy machine to use. Whilst there was relatively little wear on clothes noted with my previous SQ washer, this one is extremely gentle on clothes due to the use of flexi-vanes. I entrust anything that needs laundering to its care and have not had any bad experiences yet.

 

[ryanm]

I recently bought a new Speed Queen Top loader model AWS76NW, and I have to say in my opinion probably the BEST top load on the market. It has a very good agitation that DOES NOT hurt the clothes, but gets them really clean. I previously had a Whirlpool built Kenmore which could be very harsh on clothing, this new Speed Queen in nothing like that. The clothes are not all tangled up after the wash cycle either. The spin extraction is very good, and the machine is relatively much more quiet than my previous machine. I am so very impressed with the performance of this machine, that I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to buy a new machine. No other out there on the market can compare to this one. It was worth every penny of the cost.

 

[gmmcnair]

Whirlpool

"It gave out after five years....what a lemon. I got a used Maytag pair afterwards. Maybe those machines have improved or I just had a dud, but I don't recommend them to friends. I've heard that newer models shift into slow agitator speed after a few minutes to sav the clothes. "

I have a direct drive Whirlpool....it's one of the last before the dumbed down water temperatures. It has the three speed motor, so it's actually not that hard on clothes, and it fills more than two thirds of the way. I'm pretty happy with it, but then again, it cost about as much as a Speed Queen new.