New Speed Queens

[westyslantfront]

I was at Tucson Appliance yesterday and finally saw the new Speed Queen top loader. I opened the lid and was amazed to see a stainless steel tub and agitator that looks just like the Amana before they were taken over by Maytag. I wonder if there is any connection between Speed Queen and the old Amana. To me, the one plus is that it is the old single action agitator. I prefer those over the dual action agitators of today.

 

[peterh770]

When Raytheon sold their appliance division to Goodman, a new company, Alliance Laundry Systems, took complete control of the Speed Queen name for coin-op machines. As time went on, Goodman started cutting corners on the Amana line, while ALS kept the original design and made it slightly more durable for commercial use. When Goodman sold Amana to Maytag, the Amana machine continued its evolution and is now more Norgetag than Amana/SQ.

 

[jimmyb]

Speed Queen/Amana Connection

When I went to the local retailer for Speed Queen they had a chart comparing the Speed Queen top load to the Amana. What it came down to was Speed Queen is made much better than Amana. Examples were Speed Queen's 210 degree agitation stroke and I believe having no plastic parts in the transmission.

It was quite funny to see the chart as many people believe the Amana is the same machine as the Speed Queen. It seems as though Alliance wants to get the record staight and educate people on the durability of their machines.