Laundry Set Advice SQ vs. Bosch

[dsimonl]

Big difference, I know! It's just the wife and I and our dogs. For the life of me can't decide between a new Bosch 800 compact set, or a SQ FL set. Price is similar. These are going in my cabin, so visits from the repair man would not be easy.

My thoughts:
Bosch: seems more advanced with profile wash, intimidatingly small - but Europeans get by with them, condenser drying - takes longer, made in Germany, lots of useful cycles, heavy-built, stackable, quiet

SQ FL: reputation for reliability, no profile wash, useful cycles, bigger, made in USA

I'd consider the E-lux, but bad rate of repair. Same for LG.

 

[mieleforever]

If it was me I would go with the Bosch setup. Very reliable machines, My sister has the washer and so far no complaints, by the way she has been using the washing machine for more than 6 years now, and they are a family of 4 plus a cat. According to her the machine has performed flawless over its life with them.

When I was visiting resently I note however that it has a very slow spin speed in comparrison with our Miele and it just did not feel as durable, but I might be biased.

Hope whatever you decide it works best for you.

Regards

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Speed Queen hands down:

Much larger capacity and true commercial build quality. Also much faster cycle times and a vented dryer. Plus when they do need to be fixed it will be easier to find parts and do the repairs on a SQ. The only advantage I could see with a Bosch set would be if there was not much hot water available or venting a dryer was an issue.
WK78

 

[dsimonl]

I went down to the large independent dealer yesterday and looked at each carefully.

I don't know if it was just the 2 examples on the floor, but the SQ looked 'rough' compared to the Bosch. I mean.....fit and finish was poor, many scratches in the finish, a dent in the side from inside out (salesman said it happened in manufacturing). Not super impressed. I know it is only superficial, so would still consider the SQ.

Impressions of the Bosch were much more positive, but it sure looks small in person

 

[eemac]

Dents and scratches are NOT normal for Speed Queens. A side dent from the inside out is a huge warning sign of rough handling and probably mechanical damage. One from the factory should be basically flawless. Mine was, as were two floor models at my local appliance store.

You'll find a lot of Speed Queen fans on these boards. They ARE good, after all. But that doesn't take anything away from the Bosch.

Some questions you might consider:
Is water usage a concern?
Is cabin time rough-and-tumble outdoors stuff that will get your clothes exceptionally dirty? Speed Queens are noted for getting severely dirty clothes clean. They're popular on farms and in rural areas. However, if it's just hiking in the woods, a modern washer might serve just as well.
If it were me, I'd ask, "why NOT get the Speed Queen?"

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[combo52]

Bosch vs SQ Washer and dryer

Just the Bosch dryer is enough reason to get the SQ pair, the Bosch dryer is 1/2 the size, 1/2 half the wattage and condenser dryers use 25% more electricity and take about 50% longer to dry 1/2 as much clothing. They are far more complicated and the useful life of a European condenser dryer I would estimate to be about 1/4 to 1/10 of the life span of the SQ commercial dryer.

 

Now the Bosch washer will at least wash a decent amount of clothing and do a good job BUT they are far less rugged and Bosch starts to discontinue parts for their appliances in just over ten years, you should also consider if there is any good independent repair service company who actually will work on a Bosch appliance in your area.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
I have a SQ FL washer/dryer pair.
The dryer has been fine, AOK...just a little too rudimentary for what you pay.

And I will say the fit and finish of my machines was spot on.

The washer is AOK fine too...when it works. And that's the rub.
I have many posts here on AW...you can search above for the whole tale. Long story short i think they had issues with the computers on these FL machines...at least the early models with knobs like i have.
Many others here have had no problems, i wish i could say the same {cough} 3 motor boards and two pumps later. But, as i write this, i do have a working machine going on 2 or 3 months now.

All in i'd say you narrowed it down to two rather different choices.
I might buy a whirlpool/Maytag dryer rather than the SQ, and get the stainless SQ FL washer, i think it looks the best. The matching stainless SQ dryer is ridiculously over priced imo, and scores very low from the testing outfits.
You will have a five year warranty on the SQ ...just don't EVER EXPECT a replacement machine under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES and you'll be ok...cause they do keep FIXING (and fixing and fixing) the machine if required.

I agree with Combo above, it seems the Bosch dryer design is best when you have no choice, otherwise what's the point?

[this post was last edited: 5/17/2017-01:54]

 

[stricklybojack]

.
I should say, 'early examples of the current 3.4 FL washer/knobs model', to describe what I have.
SQ redesigned their FL machines a couple of years ago, and I got one of the first off the line...
Much to my chagrin as it turned out.

 

[foraloysius]

As for condenser dryers, they use around 10% more energy than similar vented dryers according to test reports here. My Miele condenser dryer from 1997 still runs like a champ.

The negative thing about condenser dryers is that they heat up the house rather badly, which is a big minus when you put it in an airconditioned space. Heatpump dryers don't have that problem, but there are not that many on the American market yet. The compact Whirlpool heatpump dryers are most likely not the most reliable ones.

Shop around, there are more options, probably cheaper too.

 

[mrb627]

If your ...

method of thinking is to wake up the morning you plan to leave the cabin, wash and dry the sheets and towels then be on your way, get the SQ. The Bosch dryer will take forever.

Malcolm

 

[dsimonl]

I appreciate all the advice, and took all into consideration. I stacked a bunch of coupons and discounts and got the Bosch 800 set for less than $2k out the door.

We have a 2x2 closet they will fit perfectly in. The closet is in the basement, so steady flow of cold dry air for the dryer condenser....should work okay, and if not...no big deal - we usually air dry.

There is an authorized Bosch service dealer in town if something does go wrong.

Once again, thanks for the thoughtful discussion.

 

[eemac]

Congratulations! Enjoy the new machines!

 

[dsimonl]

Thanks. These will be replacing an old Danby twin tub. It still works well, but uses a lot of water and requires constant intervention.