looking for a new washer & dryer. ultimate in reliability: speed queen? miele?

[meiwakudept]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum (and can I take a minute to say how cool it is that there's a very active forum dedicated to this specific niche..) and I'm looking to buy a washer and a dryer for my workshop.

For both the washer and dryer, I want a beast of a machine that will work for years and years with minimal maintenance.

-I have access to 220v outlets
-I want something that will be gentle on my washables
-Using a lot of water or power is OK

From my research so far, it seems like Miele and Speed Queen are the names that come up a lot for extreme reliability. However in Consumer Reports tests, Speed Queen doesn't seem to do very well in terms of actually getting clothes clean.

Should I just go with something modern? Is there some other brand I'm missing? Any particular models I should look out for?

Thanks very much for any and all advice!!

 

[panthera]

Two separate questions, I think

I loved Miele in Europe, have not been that impressed with their North American branch. If you chose a Miele washer, be sure the dealer is good at post-warranty service.

Miele dryers are fine, but, to be honest, a good Whirlpool or GE will give equally long service.

I can't speak to modern Speed Queens, but I find it hard to believe they don't clean well. CR has some very biased testing when it comes to brands and formats they don't favor.

 

[qualin]

meiwakudept,

The Speed Queen front loaders are unique in that they use the same design in their heavy duty light commercial washers as they do in their residential washers.

I have a front loading Huebsch (Same as Speed Queen, just for Canadians) and it does an absolutely fantastic job cleaning our clothing. I can't recommend them enough.

Miele makes great products, but I found that with Speed Queen, you just get a better bang for your buck and a considerably better warranty.

 

[mrb627]

Questions

1) What is your budget?
2) What are you needing for capacity?
3) Do you have a footprint limitation?

Malcolm

 

[henene4]

I guess, value wise SQ (Speed Queen) is the better option.

However, if you really don't care about money (and I mean you really don't care), Miele has overhauled its professional OctoPlus series. These are huge, actual laundromat machines verry common here in Germany. They were not avaible for home consumers until sometime last year here in Germany, maybe the same is true for the US.
They have a ~4ft³ capacity for washing, can do boilwashes in under 1 hour and are designed for 30k operational hours. That is 30k cycles, or about 10 years in an laundromat. Further, they use the Navitronic control system which is really flexibel and easy to use.
However, the pair would ring in at 8-10k$. Compared to the SQ, about 3 times as much.

 

[suburbanmd]

The 20 lb. Miele Octoplus, with drum volume a bit under 3 ft³, is the only Octoplus model that'll work with residential plumbing (larger ones aren't available with drain pump). But Miele won't sell it for home use in the US, and says they won't service it if you somehow manage to acquire one. I bought the 15 lb. Miele Little Giant, which to tell the truth has programs better suited for home use. Drum volume is a little over 2 ft³. It has the same 5000W (at 240V) heater as the Octoplus.

 

Edit: 5000W at 240V, not 230V

[this post was last edited: 3/22/2016-08:41]

 

[askolover]

Jay

how is that new Miele holding up?  Did you get your money back for the Asko? 

 

[combo52]

Best Washer Dryer For Minimal Repairs and Long Life

The Miele washer is not too bad till you have any signifant repair which will cost you 1/2 of what the washer cost originally and take a month or more to get done.

 

But when you consider the WASHER and the DRYER the Speed Queen set wins hands down, The Miele dryers are SLOW, SMALL and unreliable, unless you are content to never wash large loads or are not in a hurry I would never have a 24" dryer.

 

Does Miele even sell a vented dryer in the US? and of course with the SQ you could get a Gas Dryer if gas is available in your Work Shop.

 

The SQ Electric dryers are all 240 volts, but if you live in a 208 volt area SQ is one of the few companies that still offers a 208V element so you can have full drying speed even in a 208V area, { there is actually no such thing as 220 volts in the US ]

 

John L.

 

[suburbanmd]

Greg, I got a full refund back from SubZero Wolf for the Asko. Very happy about that. The Little Giant is holding up fine. In two months I probably haven't done the laundry it would do in two days in commercial use. My wife still uses our big Miele which is more conveniently located on the first floor next to the dryer. The Little Giant is at the far end of the basement. By the way, have you looked at the online manuals for the North American Asko washers recently? Their wash temps are now in words not numbers. The small washer has Cold, Warm, Hot, Extra Hot. Pro Series may be the same but I can't be sure from the manual. I guess they figure American consumers will be more comfortable this way. But now Miele is the only choice for numerical temperature washers in North America.

 

John, I can't argue with you on potential ownership costs with Miele, though I did get a free 5-year warranty from a promotion. The Little Giant is definitely a luxury item. If one can afford it, it's great to have such a wide and fine-grained range of temperatures, and a super powerful heater. Water use is generous too, and can be increased with settings documented in the user manual.

 

The Miele dryer doesn't tempt me at all. What does interest me is the Whirlpool full-size heat pump dryer. Have you sold any of those, and what's your experience with them?

 

[askolover]

Jay, no I haven't looked at any of the new Asko's in person in a few years.  Don't know what I will do when mine dies permanently (well, I do have a Miele w1986 on standby for just such an emergency) but I got it used so who knows how long it will run.

 

[Chetlaham]

Speed Queen

No brainier. I agree with everything Combo52 says, Speed Queen will be cheaper and easier in the long run.

 

[jp10558]

I can't speak to the Speed Queen dryer, as my old Kenmore dryer didn't die when the washer did, so I just got a Speed Queen washer TL. That said, the TL cleans really well. Maybe better than the Kenmore I got rid of. It's also fast. I can't figure out how you'd get better cleaning, but then I've always gotten about the same cleaning out of any washer I've used, so maybe there's some amazing style / brand I've never tried.

 

[tomturbomatic]

A colleague just bought a new pair of Mieles and the only dryer available is the condensing model. I don't think I would want one in the warmer months of the year in this area.

I would go with the SQ FL. I believe that for day in day out ruggedness, the SQ would be the better bargain. I love my W1918 and W1986, but I do not have any gripes with my SQ FL. I bought it mainly to wash throw rugs, but use it for lots of laundry now.