New Speed Queen TC5

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Very interesting. I wonder if there’s some weird regulatory quirk that is resulting in the deep fill option. This essentially gives it two water levels: the lower default and the higher deep fill. It seems to me it could use less water if they had a regular water level adjuster with three or more water levels so that the water level could be set more accurately.

It looks like the wash time cannot be adjusted. I suppose the heavy soil option will increase the wash time, but you can’t use it with an extra rinse.

It looks like it has a 180° agitation stroke. Didn’t it used to be 210°?
 
Joe_in _philly Speed Queen washers had a 180 degree agitation stroke, and it was about the same as the old helical Maytag transmissions were. They say 210 degree agitation stroke, but it is a 180 degree agitation stroke
 
Two Water Levels & Question about Mode Shifter?

I posted under Kirk Rivas' premiere review for the TC5 about the two water levels, so I will not repost that here. However, I would rather have two water levels that work well for medium and large loads than to have a variable water level control that does not add enough water (thinking of those models sold in the big box stores).

Speed Queen Classic is a win for me. It took what I liked about the Maytag mvwp575gw and improved it. No automatic temperature control and no lid lock means less parts to fail and replace. Two waters levels that work will all load types. Better build quality in terms of transmission and other parts. The design in nice and stylish too. I do like that agitator style better than the one in the SQ 2017 model. It will be interesting to see how Maytag responds to this.

For the most flexibility regarding smaller loads, one may find a portable washer fills that niche well. I am not sure that I will part with the one I have in the fall when my child goes off to finish her post-graduate education and moves into an apartment.

I do wish the Speed Queen had the mechanical timers. I realize they fail too, but they are less expensive to replace and not as quirky with electrical issues. I agree with others that since they used a control board, a timer should have been included. According to others, Speed Queen has built in protectors for their control boards. Does anyone know if that is true for the TR5? If so, the TC5 may have that too.

I am looking forward to reviews from users and washer enthusiasts. Although I am happy with my Maytag, I probably will try and get one of these Speed Queens before they have to be discontinued because of the newer regulations in 2021??? I have room for two washers. It is hard to believe they plan on making washers even more non functional than they already are. It sounds like this is a limited edition though. I don't know if there will be variations of it either for that reason. Maybe it will determine whether they go forward with a transmission design or agitub one in the future or have both available. I seriously thought about getting one of the older ones, but I would have to order online. There is only a parts warranty too.

The Maytag mvwp575gw uses an shifter/actuator. This part is why the tub and agitator can move separate. It also has a splutch and simple transmission (also known as gearcase). Does anyone know how Speed Queen accomplishes this with the TC5?
 
Spray Rinse

For some reason, my Speed Queen's wash spin out on all cycles is on low speed.  When the spray rinse kicks in, there is still wash water in the outer tub.  I wonder if SQ designed it that way to ensure that more water is forced through the clothes.  I wonder too if the tub is spinning at full speed if too much water is simply deflected away.  I'm not an engineer, so I don't know.
 
This dont impress me much!

Speed Queen has always had, and always will have a 210 degree agitation stroke from their transmissions, from the Arc-Q-Matic to the EverSmooth….if you ever been to a show room where they had the transmission on display with the crank handle, clearly measuring the 210 degree stroke, even our own Jon Charles did a demonstration showing the full stroke....

this model still has the issues of the old one of poor rinsing and extraction, none of that has been corrected...as it was in the TR5

we have not seen all of the cycles and functions incorporated into this so called 'new' design....but most likely the DeepFill is for the rinse fill only....as it was in the past models, other wise you would only get a spin rinse for most cycles...

there would have to be some sort of auto temp control in order to have a 'COOL' wash....don't you think?

give them time, but I would like to see the TR5 crossed with TC3 in terms of the base unit....

ask any repairman, a water level selection is nice, but a machine will last longer if you run full loads each time....note: that's what happens in a laundromat!

I am with John on this, not a machine I would care to own or use, nothing special about this machine that I have not experienced with the others....

how many of you guys plan on buying one?...how many of the older models have you owned in order to compare?

as with anything, this is a new model of sorts...a PROTOYPE...which is going to have issues, concerns, and pros/cons at the start....lets see what happens
 
Cool Wash

My guess is that SQ attempts to add 35% hot for a Cool wash by allowing the hot water to come in for a set amount of time. There is no mention of a thermistor. This is how I manually control the temp on my Maytag since I disabled the ATC. Timed.

Nothing will be made again like it used to be, but I am of the opinion the TC5 and Maytag mvwp575 gw are the top 2 TL. I prefer TL for several reasons.
 
PinkPower4,

There's no reason from an engineering angle that SQ couldn't have included a water level control to provide a choice of load sizes.  I have four electronic toploaders (one Whirlpool, four Fisher & Paykel) that have five water level selections.  If they can do it, SQ can do it.  The F&Ps have a wide range from lowest to highest (not much difference between med-high and high, tho).

I could not work with this type of machine, either the SQ or the Maytag, that has no reasonable water level control.  I don't understand how they pass muster for being on the market against the alarmism about water conservation, such as the Maytag with no choice but a full-fill on four of the five cycles.

There are several ways to design a mechanism to allow separate movement of the agitator and spin basket on a toploader.  I imagine SQ uses the classic method of an agitator shaft (driven by the geared transmission) concentric with a spin shaft (to which the basket is anchored) that is locked from turning by a brake when the motor/drive pulley rotates in one direction ... brake releases and the entire transmission with spin shaft rotates together when the motor runs in the other direction.

Maytag MVWP575G and other WP/MT VMW machines have the transmission stationary with the splutch (splined clutch) serving to engage (or disengage) a basket drive cog onto the surface of the drive pulley.  The drive pulley rotates only the inner shaft for agitation when the splutch is disengaged (the basket free-spins), and rotates both shafts when the splutch is engaged. There is no spin brake.

There are other methods.

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This is simply a stopgap washer

SQ released this to quiet the internet crybabies, the ship has sailed on the old wash action.

After 8 months with my TR5 for me the advantages are, Quiet operation, the TR's are VERY quiet, when using Autofill it saves water, I have a septic system. My old washer that the SQ replaced was an old school agitator and the TR5 is much easier on clothing, the difference is noticable.

My dealer will list this for $1029.00 with a 3 year warranty, you can buy a TR7 for $999.00 with a 7 year warranty. That is a big difference.
 
The reason for the low speed spin after the wash is for water savings. I noticed this on machines made several years ago, it won't spin as much water out of the clothes, hence they don't need to add as much water for the rinse fill. Even commercial extractors in the laundromat no longer do a spin after the wash or first rinse, just the final spin. They can be set up for such but thats how the default cycle works so the clothes are still soaking wet after each phase.
 
I am not sure there are any new regulations but I think the energy star ratings are based off the cycle named Normal so in this case, the Normal ECO cycle is the one with the limited fill and perhaps limited temperature.

My Miele washer has the Normal cycle but it does not heat the water as much as the rest of the cycles on the machine, and other options that may increase water or electrical use are not operational on the cycle. I think it is great to see Speed Queen give consumers an option to use a deep fill if they want to.
 
DADoES,

Thank you for the explanation about how the washers work and for taking time to post the pictures. I have learned so much from all the great people here and the ones that take the time to do the reviews. I do not understand why they did not add a water level switch. Until I disabled the ATC on the Maytag, I was having to use a full tub for washes that just needed warmer water. I agree with you 110%. I just wasn't sure if technically it could still be done. Wow. That is just frustrating!

After seeing what available in the big box stores, I am just so thankful I got a Maytag mvwp575gw topload that has plenty of water and that gets the type of loads I do clean. It will be so much easier for *me* to fix too. The Maytag is not as automatic (it requires manual user intervention) as the Speed Queen, but I can pretty much do the same thing with it for less money and a better warranty. However, Speed Queen improved at least on some of the main concerns with the Maytag (ATC, half tub wash for any cycle, temp choice for any cycle, build quality, and more). I was glad to see that. Competition is good as it will now raise the bar for the Maytag to respond, which they will probably offer for around the same price as this model. My typical consumer reaction is probably Speed Queen hopes to address with the "Classic". The bottom line is it is one of the best new topload available for sale even with its shortcomings. I actually had a real Whirlpool set just over ten years ago. I do know what I am missing :-(.

I will probably get the best of whatever topload is available before the next set of restrictions go in place. But by then, I will have had more time with the Maytag to see how much durability is really an issue given that I am treating mine very carefully.

Are any of the washers you mentioned still being made and available for sale? I will have to check out the F&Ps.

thomasward00,

The TRs series was improved in 2019. I like the autofill, and agitub design seems durable. I can see why some people would really like it, but not everyone has the same needs.

It wasn't that people just voiced their concerns, but they voted with their dollars. I believe the Maytag (a company with a current poor reputation for their other products) cut into Speed Queen's (a company with a current excellent reputation for quality) sales quite a bit. If the Maytag was not as good as it, I am not sure we would have ever seen the TC5 model. It looks like Speed Queen held back on adding a water level switch and offered less of a warranty possibly to give the TR series an edge. The TC series and TR series will be good choices for consumers depending on what their needs are.
 
Internet Crybabies?

If Speed Queen introduced this machine to placate internet crybabies, that would be a very poor business decision.  From what I understand, SQ experienced a significant drop in sales after the introduction of the new models last year.  Coupled with that, the machine also received poor ratings from Consumer Reports.  Like it or not, thousands of consumers rely on CR to make purchase decisions.  It sounds like SQ may have had a corporate disaster on its hands.  Not only that, the company seems to have mysteriously pulled their FL models from the home market and now they're being reintroduced as well.  

 

As someone has already noted, it sounds a lot like the Coca Cola debacle back in the 80s when the company introduced the "New Coke" formulation.  Consumers turned on the company and Coca Cola rushed to re-introduce "Coke Classic."  New Coke just quietly went away.  I was working on an MBA in marketing at the University of Texas at the time.  We watched the situation carefully.  Coke did its taste test research and found that consumers preferred the taste of the new formula.  But the miscalculation they made was underestimating the loyalty and bond that consumers had with its classic formulation.  That may be Speed Queen's miscalculation as well.

 

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Speed Queen should really just stop making those agi-tub washers. They had to go back to the former design since the 2018 design was costing them more than the previous models, and sales went down that much to the point where they had to go back to the old design. If anything Speed Queen should consider redesigning their dryers since it’s either damp dry or extra crispy with those dryers, and if I had a Speed Queen gas dryer I would probably throttle the burner so it wouldn’t get so hot and ruin/scorch clothes
 
Internet Crybabies

There is no way a company would invest money and make lofty business decisions over what they can dismiss as internet trolls. Rather at the customer level they must see the impact- complaints from actual buyers, a drop in sales and possible returns leading them to reconsider what they thought was a good idea.

You may be happy with your TR5, as I can be Happy with a dependable care and many others were happy using D&M and GE dishwashers without filtration who rinsed dishes to start with. However, there is also real America. Working America. People who don't have time to rinse their dishes while enjoying a good london broil or potato casserole pie at 5pm. People who get their clothes dirty for a living like trades men making close to 100,000 a year. People with children who play sports or in the woods. People who like to go dirt bike or ATV riding. People taking care of elderly family or those who are sick soiling clothes often. Those people aren't a minority but a sizable chunk of the nation. They need a washer which can wash out dirt and do it fast. To them the added water and energy is not a problem rather a necessity.

Loosing them is a very bad business decision not only loosing their $$$$ but also the vocal opinion which they can conjure up steering even little old laddies away from a TR that would have made no difference to them.
 
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