Is there any kind of consensus on what the most reliable FL washer is today?

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@mr_b

Actually now that you mention it, Our new whirlpool duet acts EXACTLY like that. The best example of this was when we just washed a single coat. We set it to medium spin speed. I was really concerned about it, however, when the spin started the tub what move like crazy and about 3 seconds later the tub would "center" but still pretty unbalanced. As it reached its medium speed, the tub was 100% balanced which really surprised me. There was very minimal vibration yet the computer thought it could still make it perfect...which it did to the point where there were ZERO vibrations coming from it. How did the early front loaders manage to balance WITHOUT a balancing ring?
 
I also advise that front load washers are definitely here to stay. Top loaders are a thing of the past now and I am sure they will be totally a thing of the past in the near future. I have nothing against the Speed Queen top loader, but when compared to some of the top loaders in the past, they pale in comparison. Front load washers do as well or better in most cases using less water and are extremely gentle on your clothing. They also have virtually no lint problems either. They also extract much more water from your clothing, so less drying time and energy. They are just better machines for the job they do.
 
L G Tromm

Best washing

Best rinsing

Best spinning

Highest rank for most durable,most dependable 

Reasonably priced.

Button catcher neither SQ nor any Whirlpool or Electrolux made front loaders have accessibility to. It saves the pump from failing.  Just clean it out once a month.

I now own seven of them including the WM8800 a thirty inch wide 5.0 cu ft model. They all work fine. I just got two more one is red the other is silver and has a square window. I'll pick them up next Thursday.usually, the pump is the problem or the door lock is bad making them not spin. Both come from abuse and neglect.

 
 
Hey washerdude

I remember you mentioned the Eco Sanitize cycle on another post and I thought I remembered you saying how much water it uses. Who would have thought a cycle with ECO in it would use that much water! I love how you said it sloshes them around like you would see in a FL laundromat washer. I never see that kind of action with ANY cycle on my 2005 Duet washer except for the clean washer cycle.

I think I would go for Maytag FL washer or WP FL washer.
 
@mark_wpduet

Yeah it surprised me as well LOL. Our king size comforter is *roughly* 1 1/8 inches thick. It stuffes the whole drum and you really think it wont get wet but I've experimented with it the first time we got it, the first time we washed it was on the heavy duty cycle, I'll admit i had my doubts, though on this cycle it kinda looked like they was no water, I opened the door and stuck my hand all the way to the back of the drum, the comforter was all wet evenly. On the Eco santize with Oxi however, it will have the same effect but about approx. 10-15 minutes into the wash when it addes more water and the comforter will only fill half the drum. Also the turns are faster and shorter making for a longer soak as well. We normally use this cycle for bedding, towels, comforters and whites. I also found during this "Laundromat effect" the door will refuse to unlock even though the water doesn't reach up to the point of spilling out. It doesnt even reach up to the door yet it still doesn't unlock. Im convinced now that I will never go back to a TL washer.
 
There is a massive price difference between the LG 3570 and any of the SQ front loaders, which is compounded even more if you buy matching dryers from each manufacturer. So I'm trying to get a sense of whether the reasons for the price difference mean anything for my family. From all that I can tell, the price difference comes down to the fact that the SQ FL washers are built like tanks with higher end parts, and have a longer and better warranty, and that's about it. Is there any case to be made that the SQ will wash clothes better than the LG? Seems the opposite is more likely to be true given that the LG has an internal heater.

Put another way, if we are willing to accept the somewhat greater risk in reliability in buying the LG with an extended warranty versus an SQ FL, is our decision a no-brainer?
 
I've steered a few people to similar LG models and they are very happy with them. LG's reliability has improved greatly in the past few years, so unless you're washing bowling balls there shouldn't be a problem. The 3570 is highly-rated by Consumer Reports with a rating of Excellent for cleaning, and LG front-loaders are reported as needing the fewest repairs (Speed Queen is not on the list for front-loaders, but ties with LG for reliability in top-loaders).

Speed Queen has ardent fans at this site because of the truly commercial-quality build. They clean no better than the model you're considering.

I give more thought to 'Made In America' than I used to, which is why I now suggest (and would purchase for myself) Maytag. They're made here and parent corporation Whirlpool is an American company.

Glad our suggestions were of assistance and happy laundering to you!
 
Caruso - I think you summed it up perfectly. I think you should go for the LG.
 
The thing with the LG's is that for the price and what you get for that price is good value. The LG has a water heater, the SQ does not. One might think they don't need a heater but it comes in handy in maintaining wash temps and on certain cycles like Bright Whites, it does a profile wash where when one chooses a Hot wash temp, the water starts out warm and the heater raises the temp so stains that release at a certain temp, don't get cooked into the fabrics. One can also add Steam if one chooses and that boosts the wash temp. I have used the Steam option once and it does quite well but I find that just the Bright Whites cycle with the TurboWash option does quite well without the steam.
The LG drum is bigger too at 4.3 cu ft and uses a Direct Drive motor, SQ uses the old belt and pulley method. The LG motor allows for the washer to have what they call 6 Motion instead of a constant tumble like the SQ washer does. The LG also does a final spin spray rinse in Cotton Normal and that flushes away every trace of detergent yet leaves the softener in the fabrics, it also rinses the door glass down too.
Balancing on the LG they use whats called True Balance AntiVibration system. This washer can figure out how a load is in the drum and do certain drum rotations to distribute the load evenly around the drum. Its interesting to watch.This washer was rated very well and for the price and its often on sale at Sears and other retailers for a good price.
The LG dryer is very efficient at its task of drying laundry and its fast. We had a GE Profile dryer that was electric and my electric bill for my laundry area ran about $50 a month. With the LG dryer the cost has been knocked down to $28 a month now. It has more finesse than the GE did and the loads emerge from the dryer wrinkle free. But one bit though, the dryer does match the washer load for load since I do not overload my washer, but when washing a capacity load in the washer I will split the load so it dries properly. The manual suggests that idea. At 7.4 cu ft it should do well with most everything one has in the house. Comforters are dried on Large/Bulky and that cycle does amaze.
The drying system on the LG reminds me of a Maytag Stream of Heat dryer where the heat intake is for the drum is in the upper right corner of the drum and the airflow is pulled to the front at 215 cfm. The vanes are tapered and loads like sheets rarely ball up. The clothes tumble into the rapid airflow , billowing open and riding the stream of air to the front. The lint filter is well made and sturdy. Its not a fine mesh so one can use dryer sheets if one uses them without worry of the wax plugging up the pores of the filter.
 
my two-cents worth

Although I may be slapped by the SQ enthusiasts, I chose and recommend an LG front load washer. The SQ is certainly built like a commercial grade tank, but quite honestly it is very basic and did not offer the features I wanted.

I went with the LG 3570 and feel the features it has combined with the price made for a "best buy" for me. I've been extremely pleased with its performance and if it lasts 10 years I'll be happy and feel I got my money's worth.

I figured why pay twice as much for a machine that may last twice as long but is not what I want?
 
I think you made a good choice

don't get me wrong. I know SQ's are very well made machines, but they don't have a heater and lack features. If it were me, I would have probably chosen LG, Maytag or Whirlpool in hopes that they would last 10 years. Someone mentioned earlier on another post that heaters in washers will be going away and we will all be washing in cold water! YUK! I hope not!
 
I opt for a SQ FL because..

.
I spent a lot of time figuring out the purchase and didn't want to do it again for about
20 yrs. No kiddin'..20 will be soon enough to eff with it all again for me. Now clearly many like
to put in a new machine to spice things up but not me. SQ was the only option if you
want to run 'em old school..for decades at a pop. Also I don't want a heater, huge capacity, or a
"Every which way but loose" cycle options as Laundress has already pointed out. We even opted for the knobs model which offers even fewer options than the electronic. I appreciate some need to wash dog beds and multiple
King sized comforters for some reason but IMO that's why god invented Laundromats.

I think the better question is, if you want to buy a disposable FL machine, which will
give you the most service? I say disposable in a non judgmental way. Because they are cheaper, and
according to reviewed.com at least, can wash much better. So if you got a solid 10-12 years why not?
I couldn't find many non SQ FL owners claiming such longevity, and even when they did the model was no longer
available.
 
Maybe it is just me

But see no need to subject either of my front loaders to doing large bulky items like comforters or quilts. That is what laundromats are there for.

Belts v. Direct Drive.

Maybe because am just a silly thing that doesn't know nothing about nothing, but never understood why direct drive is supposedly superior to belts when it comes to front loaders. There are such machines decades old that have never required new belts. What are persons doing to their machines out there?
 
> But see no need to subject either of my front loaders to doing large bulky items like comforters or quilts. That is what laundromats are there for.

[Lord Kenmore shudders at the thought of the coin operated laundry, and the thought of who knows just WHAT was washed in this big machine last load.]
 
Seriously, though, I can see this argument, and indeed have probably made it myself. For day to day laundry, in fact, I can see advantages of lower capacity (thinking I live alone, don't have an endless supply of clothes or linens, and think that running a washer near capacity probably works better than 1/10th capacity). Big items are just not a routine thing.
 
Launderess - I'm the same. I don't need a huge capacity machine for most things, and don't have the space for drying a full load from one either really, so duvets etc. get taken to the laundry. It's not like they need washed all that often either - I use covers on them.

Caruso - I think you've made a good choice. While the SQ may potentially be more durable, having a heater is a good thing, particularly with young kids and pets. I hope you're happy with it when it arrives :)
 
Another though about longevity

I notice that when I got my Duet which is 3.8 cu ft, it cut the # of loads I did in half! Therefore, the machine is not doing as many loads as if I had a TL washer. I can imagine the ones now are even bigger than that! It's almost overkill.
 
I bought a new Electrolux 60 series set in November. I gave my Frig FL 2140 set (still works great after 9+ years) to a neighbor whose washer broke and who was between jobs. I have them stacked. The total cost wound up being $1900 after rebates---though the rebates (manufacturer, water district, gas company) took two to four months to arrive.

Capacity is great, 4.3 cu ft, so I can wash king size comforters. I share the care of my neighbor's dog, a lab-husky mix, and he sheds a lot. He is allowed on my bed (but no other furniture) and likes to sidle up to be petted. Therefore my trousers and duvets gather the most stray hair. Both come out nice and clean, no hair on clothes/duvet/door, in the Electrolux. Not using any special cycle, just Regular with max wash time. No prewash or soak. The Electrolux also has a Sanitary/Sterilize cycle if need be for towels, bedding, baby clothes. Cycle takes 2+ hour but really gets stuff clean. Based on the durability of the old Frigidaire set, still doing great at my neighbor's, and given that Frigidaire's parent company is Electrolux, I'm hoping the new set will enjoy similar durability.

One issue that no one seems to have brought up: with a baby in the house, it is IMPERATIVE that you have a way to secure your laundry area (locked door or at least a child proof gate). FL doors must be left ajar when not in use, to air out machine, and that is a big temptation to toddlers. Most machine have lock-out button sequences, but I"ve heard of toddlers learning how to unlock the machine after watching Mommy do it a dozen times. If you cannot secure the area, consider a TL.

In SoCal where I live, due to water shortages, most new machines sold are FLs. I recently bought a WP TL for my parents, following the death of a Maytag (post-Dependable Care machine), because they did not want to learn how to use a FL in their 80s.
 
I wash two queen-size comforters regularly; mine about once a month and the cats' every two or three weeks. Each fits in the 3.9 cu. ft. drum of my 2010 Frigidaire. When I replace them it will be with a Maytag 8100, which has a 4.5 cu. ft. drum but the footprint of a regular washer, so it fits through the smallish doorway of the laundry room.

The behemoths from LG and Samsung are several inches too wide for my house.

The TOL GE (with the built-in riser "RightHeight") is only about an inch wider than the Maytag, and has a 4.8 cu. ft. drum, but I'm not buying anything GE until the dust settles on who will acquire them. Plus, the Maytag scores higher at CR for cleaning and has a better reliability rating.

[this post was last edited: 7/9/2015-13:04]
 
I came from top load and went to front load and I can tell a difference in how much can go in at once without overloading. Our new duet is listed at 4.8 Cf and our old washer had somewhere around 3.3 Cf. I can put in way more clothes and the ENTIRE load can go into the dryer without splitting and they come out dry in 30 minutes. I think this is because of the high spin speed at 1200rpm where as our old spun at 630rpm. I also notice that the dryer and washer seem to finish up seconds after one or the other finshes a load.
 
good advice on child safety

PassatDoc raises a valid point to keep your laundry area secure and off-limits to kids. A top load washer is a danger too, maybe even a bigger one. I read of a toddler who pushed a chair up to a top loader in operation, opened the lid and toppled into it and drowned.

I have first hand experience what kids can get into. As a two year old child I pushed a chair up to our washing machine (a wringer washer -- giving away my age here) and managed to turn the wringer on get my hand and arm pulled into the rollers. My screams alerted my mom who rescued me. Although I was injured and taken to a hospital, my arm remained intact and I lived to tell the tale.

So don't underestimate what your kids can get into at that age. Best wishes!
 
"It's not like they need washed all that often either - I use covers on them."

Have never understood the American fascination with laundering down filled duvets so often. The things are supposed to be encased in a cover for many reasons one of which is to keep them clean.

Guess if one is doing things on top of the bed one shouldn't such as sitting, eating, drinking or whatever there might be a case for frequent laundering as accidents are bound to happen. However was brought up as a child and reinforced via my nursing training that one does not sit on beds.

In much of northern European countries where eider-downs predate washing machines proper care long as been down to a science. One takes the thing off each morning or every other and it goes outside on the railing (best) or over a rack/chair in bedroom to air. Afterwards replaced onto bed.
 
...American fascination with laundering down filled duvets s

I couldn't agree more.

 

With one exception, all of our quilts are a goose/duck down combination. They're expensive and not designed to be constantly washed.

 

Nor, should I add, do they need to be when used properly with covers and sheet sets.

 

The sheets are in contact with our bodies so get washed weekly. The covers only get washed every 3-4 weeks or so. They're not exactly dirty as they have little that comes into contact with them. Even our dogs are only on the bed for 10 minutes a day...and they're of the non-moult variety.

 

I've never understood the desire to constantly launder items that, in the general course of use, don't actually get soiled.

 

Clothes, with the exception of underwear, towels and other linens are more than capable of being worn or used several times before requiring a run through the washing machine. Outer garments and towels in particular. Over washing tends to be something that is becoming more and more prevalent as time marches on.

 

Why does a bath towel, that's removed clean water from a clean body require washing straight away? Aired to dry it will be good for at least 4 days even in winter and more like a week in summer. If they develop an odour in that time, then it's the laundering, airing or products people use at fault.

 

My mother considers it excessive in the extreme to be using more than 2 bath towels a week and my grandmother would be spinning in her grave at the thought of washing quilts more than annually (if then).
 
We Americans...

We Americans are not fascinated with washing this stuff often. We Americans wash this stuff often for the same reason we went to the Moon. Because we can! LOL.
 
Laundress, I wash my comforters once a year at most. The duvet covers are washed every 2-3 weeks. The dog (lab-husky mix) sheds a lot and yes he is allowed on the bed at night. Not during the day and he's not allowed on any other furniture.

That said, I do enjoy being able to launder the comforters at home, on my own time schedule, rather than tote them down to the laundromat. Our local establishment has those triple load machines, but the cycle runs 30 mins at most and I'm not impressed with their cleaning ability.
 
Here is the thing

Like down/feather filled pillows laundering duvets really does not give the deep down cleaning many seem to aspire.

The things are sealed in feather or down proof ticking for a reason. To keep that stuff inside. Even when wet the dust, dust mites and their dander or whatever, broken feathers/down, dust or anything else is not coming out of the cover.

Truly proper way to clean filled pillows (which by the way receive more exposure to soils than duvets ever) is to open them up and take stuffing out. The feathers and or down are cleaned separately from the cover so each can receive proper attention. This also allows for complete and total drying of the filling easily before being put back into the shell.

Years ago one could purchase pillow ticking fabric by the yard so one could run up new shells at home. That and or ready made but empty shells could be purchased from a variety of sources including Sears catalogs. These looked like large pillow slips except open fully or a small portion of the top. You took the down and or feathers out of the old shell, cleaned if necessary then replaced in a new shell, then sewed the thing closed by hand or machine.

Today there are services which will do the same and you can still find ready made empty pillow shells.
 
Passatdoc and others

Am not picking on anyone in particular, just have never understood the American desire for washing machines large enough to launder items best done in a commercial version.

Most households in Europe know when they are best off. Large and or bulky items are usually sent out or done in a laundromat if they require attention.

 
IMHO

I now own six LG front loaders. All but one had minor issues once I got them home. I get all of them from a local used appliance dealer,Smith's.  They hate all front loaders and are staying on that Kebmore/Whirlpool/Maytag syndrome. My worst one being a WA3941CW. It has the steam feature, 1400 TPM final spin ,a recirculation spray and had to be completely overhauled. Everything replaced. The drum, the motors,the mother board,the bearings,the pump, and the drum light. I paid $350 for the labor and parts were free. The others needed door lock assembly, New pump, new boot or new front from rust due to customers pouring bleach like there's no tomorrow overselling the tray causing it to run down the front causing immediate corrosion and rust. Now they all work fine and look brand new. I have two others to pick up and check.  One is red,the other blue and has a square window. My friend, Bob, is a registered LG technician and gets me parts cheap enough to make it worth repairing. I have only one unit that broke down but, it was my own fault for attempting to wash four dinner rugs at a time. The machine went severely off balance breaking the pressure switch off the drum. I had to get a new part and replace the broken one ($34) and it now is back in service. Speed Queens are great. I won't say anything bad about them however,their capacity is too small for me, I would NEVER pay that price for ANY appliance. Even if it had diamonds lining the rear of the inner tub. I have been totally spoiled having the LG WM8000. A huge 5.0 capacity washer and the DE8000 electric dryer with a 9cu ft capacity. THEY'RE HUGE!!!! 30" wide. And they are my absolute favorite set. I found them on CL about a year ago for $999. I told the previous owner I had only $700 and got them. The previous owner delve them here from Captain Cook. About fifty nine miles one way. Great pair of beautiful laundry equipment.  Speaking of which, I just received a never used solid stainless steel Westinghouse Laundromat ink press that has the three ladies loading and unloading their laundry at the local Westinghouse Laundromat. And a turquoise porcelain on steel washing machine (front loading) with a cartoon baby in the front with a clear plastic disc that turns and has bubbles printed on it to make the character look like their getting a spin on laundry. 

 
 

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