New! Speed Queen v. LG: nagging questions

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Honestly I am not surprised by the ones that hold the SQ flag up high and how dare anyone criticize it. Its always the same ones that clutch the pearls and gasp in shock. I have to say that I do love to beat the hornets nest from time to time, its just too much fun! That said, its my opinion, my experience with my one speed wonder of a washer that happens to be a SQ top loader. And for your info, the Delicates cycle on the SQ washer is much like the Maytag Fabric Matic, where it will agitate briefly, then soak, the agitate again. One doesn't need 2 speeds with that set up. Plus I don't have "delicate" things in my wardrobe.
So, sure my LG washer won't last 10 to 20 years like maybe an SQ washer. That issue doesn't bother me at all. When it dies, I will get another and recycle the old washer. I am enjoying the lower water/sewage bills, lower electric bill and gas bill. When my water bill dropped by close to $100 a quarter and the power bill dropped from $60 a month down to $28, that makes me happy. Not everyone wants to have frottage with their SQ washer, I know I don't.
 
Wow, this thread has attracted a lot of posts in just one day! So many passionate responses.
This may have been said already and may not have seen it as I was skimming across posts, but if OP can pay a little more, why not get the best of both worlds and get a SQ FL? I thought it was mentioned that the price for those has been coming down. I have a TL SQ now, but if I had to do it again and had the extra money I would go with the SQ FL machine. In a pinch I might consider the LG, but for me reliability is higher up on the priority list.

I find it interesting how many have the opinion that the old school top load washers system is "primitive" indicating that it's somehow not fit for these modern times. I guess I don't understand because I've never really needed any features beyond what a TOL TL machine offers, and the FL I used to live with was probably very primitive for a front loader.
 
o come on nmassman44

heres my energy guide @ 6 loads a week,thats for my couple month old TL SQ, my electric bill has gone down since I got rid of those ENERGY STAR POS DUETS !oh & I have a well and it takes power for the pump too.

glomain-2016051919402301939_1.jpg
 
In my case I have a SQ AWN311 that we bought in 2009. So my EnergyGuide is a tad higher in cost. The new SQ top loaders may use less, but the cycle that was used to get that is the Normal Eco cycle where there is a spray rinse and quite possibly dumbed down wash water temps. My electric bill reflects the dryer usage and the fact that the LG washer extracts much more water from the load compared to the SQ washer, thus the dryer runs less and dries faster.
Nice try though.
 
I love my front loader (Duet) with the heater and the multitude of cycles & options for all sorts of fabrics and soils.  I get bored with appliances so if I have to replace in 7-10 years it won't bother me.  I cannot imagine living with a washer for 30 years or a dishwasher for 30 years.  I be bored. 
 
I agree, my washer is primitive, because it doesn't play tunes, have flashing lights, doesn't sense anything, doesn't communicate with my I-phone, doesn't give me error codes, doesn't have an on-board heater and doesn't come with umpteen dozen specialty cycles that I have no use for. It doesn't come with the indulgence of redeeming my conspicuous consumption via colorful stickers and environmental statements.

However, it does wash and rinse any kind of washable fabric well. It almost never goes out of balance. I can control every aspect of any wash cycle anytime and without wasting time. When I press a button or turn a dial I get an immediate response. I can wash one item, fill it to the brim or wash any size load in-between. It doesn't waste time 'sensing' and I know that a cycle will finish without a problem 99.999% of the time. My last SQ lasted 20 years and I've had this one for more than 10 without issues. It won't rip itself apart, burn down my house or collect data on my behalf and send it to some data collection agency. All parts are fully recyclable and if it should ever catch fire it won't produce toxic smoke that will kill any living thing by the third breath.

I have no idea how I've managed to survive with such a primitive washing machine.
 
Regarding Energy usage

Now that I've had my SQ for over a year I can finally make a safe conclusion on how it's impacted the utility usage here. Many months have been skewed due to extra people living here and or extended visits plus the entire family in town at times but everything has been back to normal since about January.

Water wise the usage has gone up a little but not as much as I had calculated when I first got the thing. I think I came up with around 1300 extra gallons a month. Instead we're looking at 800 gallons extra, and that additional usage is including one of the toilets having since been switched to a 1960s water guzzler. The price difference in the overall water bill is negligent.

Electricity wise, our utility usage for March and May have hit record lows... April was very low too. Funny thing is I've since taken a few back steps with the lighting, having changed a few frequently used fixtures back to incandescent. One of them got converted to LED's though.

Sometimes I wonder if all this concern over energy use is wrongly being blamed on the lighting and appliances we use when we really should be looking at ourselves, at our usage habits.
Everything in my grandmothers home was terribly inefficient by todays standards, but her utility bills were always reasonable. It wasn't like she never turned lights on or blasted the 60% efficient furnace all winter either. Let alone the lack of insulation in the house. When we modernized everything the utility bills actually went up quite a bit, much to my surprise, and were next to impossible to keep down to where they used to be.
 
Pretty ridiculous the way in which some "stuck in the past" folks are. It is a new day for home laundry now and front load machines with the heat boost are here to stay. They are just better machines all around for your clothing and saving energy in water and in drying costs. The proof is there to see. How long something lasts is largely due to how it is used and taken care of. To buy something simply because you perceive it to be "USA made" is kind of ridiculous too. I know for certain that Toyota and Honda vehicles are MUCH better than ANY American made vehicle. Many of the "American made" vehicles are actually made somewhere else anyway. I would NEVER buy another new American made vehicle again. LG seems to have the same good track record for front load washers too. It only makes good sense to anyone who looks at the facts. As a side note, if speed queen would step it up and make a larger capacity front loader with heat boost, I would probably have at least considered them if they were priced somewhat the same as others. The whole reason I bought a new washer/dryer was so I could wash king size comforters and not have to go to the coin laundry. Otherwise I would have kept my old Maytag top loader set that still worked perfectly.
 
Primitive and ridiculous - thank you for the compliments. Keep them coming and I, like many others here, am very grateful for your input.
 
Primitive and ridiculous - thank you for the compliments. Keep them coming and I am very grateful for your input.
 
@ nmassman

I too like to pull the tigers tail and walk away from the cage.

If you read my post, I recommended either the front load or top load SQ.

I personally do not like LG machines, again because I feel that they have quality control issues. This is based on MY personal exp. after spending 3000 dollars for a set from Home Depot back in the day.

I would buy Whirlpool or Maytag even Frigidaire/ Electrolux because they are built in the USA.

As far as the type of vehicle I drive, I have a Nissan Altima, built in the USA.

Maybe if LG opened a plant in the US, and actually employed Americans to build their products, I might view LG differently.

Meanwhile I will stick with a company that employs Americans, and keeps the American economy going.

A washing machine should do one thing, that is, wash your clothes in a reasonable amount of time.

How did we all get along for so many years with such primitive washing machines that actually used water and got our wash done quickly, I'll never know! (sarcasm intended)

PS I also like the fact that at any given day of the week, anyone can call Alliance and actually speak to a technician in the actual factory where the product is built.

I too tire of appliances easily, but that having been said, the build quality and warranty coverage of Alliance built products as well as customer service are far superior to LG.

Best of luck!
 
I like being stuck in the past

because, by and large, the old school products be it washer, dryer, anything generally lasted longer, was easier to fix, and delivered more value over the long term.

When I moved out of my condo April last year, I took stock of the fact the furnace and AC were put in when the building was built and never had service when I was there and worked perfectly.
 
Hey, nothing wrong with old school washers and dryers. I really like most of the ones I have had. They ALL washed and rinsed clothes fairly well, when loaded & used properly. My favorite was oddly enough my Kelvinator. I loved how it washed and rinsed. It put on quite a show doing it too. But top load machines just don't work the same way anymore. Even the speed queen has to be special set to even get one full rinse, nevermind about two. And the LG front loaders are MUCH larger capacity than either the speed queen top or front loader. They also do much more and will give you that all important steam treat cycle that makes the water super hot for those people who need that cycle. The whole reason I got mine was to avoid going to the laundromat to wash king size comforters. It works quite well. So for those who feel like they HAVE to get something that has "made in USA" stamped on it, knock yourself out! But in most cases you are settling for something less, sometimes a LOT less.[this post was last edited: 5/20/2016-13:16]
 
All Speed Queen top loaders on every cycle including the 2016 models will fill for a full tub rinse.
The ONLY cycle that spin sprays is the "Eco cycle" which was added to satisfy govt. mandates.

Normal
Perm Press
Delicates
Whites
Bulky
Hand wash

all fill for a full tub wash and spin. Sorry your information is incorrect.
You can add as many as three extra rinses if you so choose. As a matter of fact SQ top loader work the same as top loaders of "yesterday."
 
I'll sing the praises of new stuff

when it can work as well as the old stuff and last longer than the warranty.

I've been posting my fuel bills from my new digs with the Goodman (union made) 96% AFUE furnace. I never paid more than $60/month for gas which is far less than what I spent at the condo where I lived for 15 years. (BTW the Heil furnace and AC were originally installed when the unit was built in the late 80's)
However, this is not true apples to apples because I also had a gas water heater and about 350 more SQ ft to heat/cool at the condo. Plus older, less energy eff construction.

What is noteworthy is this and this is a cold, hard, in your face fact that cannot be denied. Speaking of the 15 years I lived there nothing, I mean nothing was replaced on either unit. Just a fall visit to clean the thermocouple and that was it. And yes, I ran the furnace like anyone else would. Same for the A/C no leaks, defroster boards to crap the bed, no communication Wi-fi failure, no error code. It withstood cold, snow, and the occasional electrical storm with nary a whimper.

Yes my Goodman runs, does the job, is efficient blah blah blah but I know for a fact, that it will NOT be as durable as the old Heil and inducer motors are not cheap nor are the pressure sensors, the flame sensors, the flame rollout sensor or the made in China control board. I guarantee you when I go to fix any one of those, it will more than eat up what I saved in natural gas costs. Go price out an ECM motor for any new furnace. Call me when you wake up after passing out once you see the cost.

And therein lies the rub. All this new crap is nice, it blinks, really jibes with the attention deficit millennial generation, is hi tech, can be controlled with your smart phone, et cetera but what about the cost to repair it? I see thermostats, wi fi going for over $300! Why in god's name would some dolt want to shell out that much for a t-stat is beyond me. That could be equivalent to 3 months gas bill! Is it really necessary? As noted earlier, we got by for years with machines that washed laundry and did it with little drama unless you had a walker machine on spin cycle. They were simple, durable machines. They worked, perhaps some better than others, but they all did the same thing.

Same thing with the Kalifornia toilets. Apparently 1.6 gallon was too greedy, now we got down to 1.28. Are we rabbits or are we human? Come visit me sometime and if you have to use the john, I will offer you the following instructions:
1. Do #1. flush once, you're ok
2. Do #2. Do your duty. Then flush
3. After #2, then wipe, flush again OOOOPS 1.28x2= 2.56 plus a "courtesy flush" using another 1.28 gallons to remove the skid marks (and stench) from the bowl.

According to my math that makes 3.84 gallons (and a session with Korky the plunger)
That is more than 3.5 gallons.

I suppose this makes sense to somebody, more than likely a brainless bureaucrat in DC that should probably submit to a random drug test. No sane person would come up with such asinine regulations based on even more juvenile "scientific" conjecture.

Washman out.
 
Every time I see a "SQ" post I roll my eyes and question why I even look through the thread at all. Nothing but stubbornness and refusal to accept that there are several manufacturers that produce great machines, and yes, that means that choosing other than Speed Queen can, in many ways, be the better option. No one is saying that someone can't have their preference with the brand, they're simply stating facts that show the pros and cons of using it. Water and energy use can't really be debated between a SQ top loader and a front loader, so I don't really understand the blatant ignorance and name calling that resides around the subject.

I myself wish the particular topic would stay over on the Imperial side in regards to its top load varieties, because the design hasn't changed in such a long time, and on top of that, it's always the anti-HE/modern washers/progress bandwagon that dominates any chance of a respectful and logical conversation about the subject. But that's just my honest opinion.
 
Threads like this scare new folks off.  The SQ crowd is all bluster and quite honestly I see little real info as to why the OP should buy a SQ. In many ways it does not fit the OPs needs considering allergies and asthma - the added heat helps with this something the SQ does not have.

 

From my experience I'd buy the LG and never look back.  Great machine that does the job and helps with allergies with the added heat.  I would never buy a machine without added heat and I keep my water HOT, the problem is maintaining the heat.
 
Hey Dreamclean, hope you have had enough input from the various members to help you make up your mind which machine you'd like to get. Some of the opinions posted on here are quite heated, but I think are honest. I hope we don't scare you off.
Just wanted to welcome you here. Let us know what you decide.

I have a 2015 TL SQ that works very well for me. I haven't had any "issues" with it at all, as mentioned in posts above. None, whatsoever. SQ does offer a warranty that is unmatched in the industry, there is something to be said for that.

(MattL you have a point in that some opinions can scare new members off. No one likes to be personally attacked, no matter what machine they use or like, regardless the energy and water usage. Murando531,I disagree with you though that TL needs to move to the Imperial thread. They're still a new machines.)

In my life I like to keep things very simple. Less is more.
 
Reply #1 by henene4

This thread probably could have ended after the first well written logical reply to dreamclean's question. Personally I'm an SQTL kinda guy but not everyone's needs or preferences are the same as mine.
 
Personally, I wish the government would stay out of such things as how much water your washing machine uses, but that isn't the case. I actually NEVER thought in my lifetime I would have a front load washing machine. I always hated the Westinghouse versions I grew up seeing. I used several throughout the years in the commercial shirt & slacks laundry industry for small dark color shirts and pants. The old one direction Westinghouse built machines were good for that. They did not promote linting or redeposition on the dark shirts and pants that were pressed damp dry. A top loader left them with noticeable lint and redeposition. So I proved that to myself long ago. They just didn't wash quite as well as the top loaders. The larger 25 & 50 lb. machines that reversed rotation washed extremely well though. I did use a few of the Frigidaire 1-18 machines to wash larger loads of white shirts in too, but they did tend to lint them up some. Once they finally built a larger size front loader that reversed rotation for home use, that was a MAJOR step in home laundry. They not only wash every bit as well as ANY top loader ever made, they do it with less water and virtually NO wear to the clothes or linting and redeposition of any kind. As I have said, I was a die hard top load washer enthusiast! Because of the need to wash a king size comforter without going to the laundromat, I bought the huge capacity LG made front load washer and dryer I have now. I has convinced me that front load machines are the way to go now. I question how long the government will allow speed queen to even manufacture machines like these. It seems that they are the ONLY company who makes a machine that will actually wash and rinse like a traditional top loader now. All the others try in vain, to do it with the same amount of water a front loader does. So I am not just someone who has no idea of what I'm talking about. I have used practically EVERY kind of washing machine made and worked on them all too, including speed queen machines. They are the ONLY machine to get, IF you MUST have a top loader. I have crossed over to the the 21st century though and know that front loaders do a much better job. I am sure that speed queen makes a decent, well built front loader too. They just aren't large capacity enough for me, nor do they have many of the features my LG has. Nothing at all against speed queen, but they are pretty pricey in comparison to other machines. Maybe that is for quality and being built well, maybe not. I am just very pleased with what I have now. And if they last 10 or maybe 15 years, I will be very happy. I think it is unrealistic to expect a machine to last 25 or 30 years and the only ones I have ever seen that did were the old Maytag washers and dryers. Still a lot of those floating around and still being used. Certainly don't see many speed queen machines like that, now do you?[this post was last edited: 5/21/2016-07:12]
 
I'm not

Anti-Modern, nor am I anti-progress.

I've never yet read a single post from any vintage machine lover denigrating the progress made on enzymes. Just the opposite.

HE TL are not 'progress' they are a failed attempt to produce a washer US consumers will 'accept' which uses very little energy and water.

And they are absolutely trash. They don't clean as well as even the least expensive reversing FL on the market.

Not even close.

They're poorly made, using logic in a failed attempt to compensate for bad engineering and take far too long to do their work.

It's not anti-modern, anti-progress to point out reality: Buy vintage or buy a modern FL.

 

Sheesh.

 

As to SQ and their pricing - well, gosh. They're the only TL manufacturer offering anything decent on the market and they do let you turn the HE shit off. Why shouldn't they sell their premium product at a profit?

 

None of this HE nonsense would be necessary if American consumers were willing to accept that other parts of the world have done an enormously better job of washing well with less water using logic controlled, well built FLs.

 

Our Thumper (and she's PANK!) is 58. Still washes perfectly. We've got two Maytag wringer washers from the early 1950's, ditto. Westy Slant Front dryer from the early fifties which, thanks to Greg, still drys with a vengance. Hell yes I expect my laundry appliances to last for decades. Anything else is poor design, bad engineering and the sort of arrogance which took Cadillac from Standard of the World to pregnant hippopotamuses on wheels.
 
I agree with you as well. I absolutely loved some of the Frigidaire sets and other ones I have had. The unimatic and the first roller matic machines were extremely well built and would last nearly forever, with proper maintenance. I love the way they washed along with Kelvinator, Apex, Philco and some of the others. There are just no parts available to repair them anymore, should you have a breakdown. That was the problem I encountered and with the fact that it isn't that easy for me to work on them anymore. Not like when I was in my twenties. So I gave it all up and bought new. As far as water usage, I think some of the old solid tub machines would come closer to matching water usage with front loaders than perforated tub machines.
 
In all the years I've had my own washing machines, I've had a Maytag TL (helical drive version); an Asko FL (the best machine I ever had, bar none)a Maytag FL (I couldn't afford another Asko, which lasted me 11 years, and was becoming too expensive to repair); and now a SQ TL which I've had for about a month. I would have loved to get a SQ FL, or a Miele, but they were way too expensive. I got the SQ TL because it was the best quality machine I could afford. I'm a single guy, and do laundry once a week (four loads, counting sheets and towels). I have yet to see any kind of damage to my clothes, towels or sheets due to the agitator, so there goes that argument. I've noticed the rinse water is virtually clear THROUGHOUT the Rinse cycle (I have to give some credit to the spray rinse during the first spin cycle). So much for the issue over how many or how well it rinses.
Everybody has, and is entitled to opinion; provided it's intelligent, they know what they're talking about, and is based on some experience.
For all the merits LG and Samsung have, their reputation for service highly troublesome. So what, if they'll replace the appliance if why can't fix it under warranty; they should have the parts, and service available, so that appliance can be repaired the first time, without added aggravation by the consumer.
It dean't matter WHERE it's made...it matters HOW (well) it's made. I'll admit I'd rather have a FL. But my new SQ TL reminds me of why I liked my old Maytag (and THAT was primarily on account of my mom having her A606 model for 20 years).
 
Wear and tear on your clothing is not something you are usually going to see right away. It happens with time to garments, sheets, towels and other things. It is only common sense that a machine that uses an agitator to wash the clothes is going to be MUCH harder on them and promote more linting than a machine that simply drops the clothes in water to clean them. Even back 20 years ago, when I bought new towels I washed them in the big commercial front load washer to get some of the lint to turn loose and flush down the drain instead of my Frigidaire, which made even more lint. I am not bashing speed queen washers. They seem to be better built than anything else out there now. But compared to washers of yesteryear, they aren't nearly as well built or as heavy duty.
 
90+% of wear and tear to clothes occurs on the body. You sit on your clothes, rub fabric against your skin, it gets snagged against rough surfaces, squeezed, pressed, pulled - it all happens whilst and depends on how often you wear them. Then there are your body excretions, oils, acids etc. - that, over time, have an effect on your clothes as well.

What happens in your washer is negligible in comparison. However, if you wash your hand-washables on the wrong cycle, put in too many chemicals and consistently overload your machine you will see excessive wear and tear, but that is a user issue and not the machine's fault. This idea that top loading washers shred clothes, by their very design, is complete rubbish.

It almost always comes down to how people treat their stuff. You can own a $3000 Miele, but if you don't pay attention to how you do your laundry and abuse you clothes, your washer won't be able to hide it. Your stuff will look exactly how you treat it. The same applies to the quality of clothes. Good quality, well-made clothes with decent dyes will last the distance. Most cheap stuff made in slave-labor sweat shops somewhere in Bangladesh or China won't. It doesn't matter if you use a top or front loader. However, a top loader may assist in exposing the poor make and quality of sweat shop clothes a little sooner.[this post was last edited: 5/21/2016-20:59]
 
I kept out of here as I felt my self getting to agitated. (Pun intended.)

But there is some basic principle why an agitator is rougher then a tumbling motion.

If the laundry is tumbling, the difference in momentum between movement inducer (the drum) and the clothing is minimal. Further, the vectors of both momenti is rarley in a 90 degree angle towards each other, thus, the forces on the laundry are smaller. Further, the surface area they are interacting on is significantly bigger.
An agitator moves in a 90 degree angle to the wanted clothing movement direction. Further, the movement inducer moves way faster the the laundry. Surface of interaction is relatively small. Strain is thus more.

Oh, and if somebody says that TLs don't shred clothing: I remember a member who had his machine have a slight timer error on his TL resulting in the washer agitating a load of jeans all night. What he described was that he was left with a pulp-like substance IIRC. That might have been 10 hours of agitation, equal to about 40 wash cycles.
 
The better choice

If it was my choice it would be a sq but that's my second choice mf fist would be a rebuilt swedish wascomat it would be the last washer for me and my grand kids would pass down to thier kids now my next one would a asko I feel the sweds know a thing or two about laundry happy washing swishswish
 

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