omg who is next!!!

[toploader1984]

i just read on another thread that frigidaire quit making top loaders, i am so mad!!!! i hope speed queen does not stop making them!!! i plan on buying one in the next year. i do NOT like front loaders, or anything HE for that matter!!! and i WILL NOT be caught dead with a shredmore!!! i HATE the us government!! all this to save a few gallons of water!??? we r being forced to buy plastic JUNK!!! front loaders that cost a fortune and ONLY last 5 years!!!!! what is this world coming to!????

 

[qsd-dan]

My advice is to find and use a vintage top loader. Unfortunately, I see top loaders quickly disappearing out of existence in the VERY near future due to strict government regulations. This is the reason why I have 6 vintage Maytags in my living room, one on the side yard, and one in the laundry room as a daily driver coupled with 5 bins of parts that I have buying and hoarding for the past 3 years. Lots of machines/parts to swap around when parts become NLA.

 

[launderess]

There is a reason top loading washing machines with central beaters are so rare in Europe, with energy and water costs it just isn't possible to have such a thing that would do the job properly.

Without ample water, top loading washers with central beaters are doing just that to laundry, beating it to death. With USA federal and in some cases local energy and water restrictions forcing less and less water use for washing machines, there really isn't anyway to left to go.

L.

 

[toploader1984]

my point is... the average person cant afford to pay 900 dollars or MORE JUST for a washer and another 800 for a dryer EVERY 5 YEARS!! LG GE frigidaire and whirlpool front loaders all last 5 years or less on average.

 

[toploader1984]

the fact is, I AM THE ONE THAT PAYS MY UTILITY BILL, therfore I should be the one to worry about how much and if i want to save water and energy or not, plus, by the time u add up the savings you end up paying MORE with a front loader b cuz they r soo expensive and there average life span is ONLY 5 years. they do NOT use less energy to run, the only savings is in hot water, they base the energy usage by usage of hot water, NOT how much power it takes to turn the drum and or agitator. i bought a brand new LG front load washer and dryer, 2 years later it is sitting in my basement unhooked, i couldnt stand waiting 2 hours for a load to get done, and every time i went down there it wa in the middle of the floor, not to mention half the time AFTER IT RAN FOR 2 HOURS i would find the load still soaking wet b cuz the balance sensor malfunctioned b cuz i put a sweatshirt in with jeans. so i bought a 1980s GE filter flo, which i absolutely ADORE!!!! i love that machine, best machine ever made!!!! compared to 90 percent of front loaders today that are made over seas, (ha) like we dont have enough jobs in here in the united states!!!

 

[qsd-dan]

"my point is... the average person cant afford to pay 900 dollars or MORE JUST for a washer and another 800 for a dryer EVERY 5 YEARS!! LG GE frigidaire and whirlpool front loaders all last 5 years or less on average."

Hell, even most top loaders aren't getting 5 years without a major repair or replacement. Here's a response from a Maytag video on youtube:

"Our 9 month old high-dollar Maytag washer (Whirltag) started leaking all over! Even into the electronics!! Very dangerous!!!! We called them E-mailed them and they honestly could have cared less!!!! No kidding!!! Even said,,, WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR SERVICE CALL!! DO NOT BUY ANY MAYTAG OR WHIRLPOOL products They have gone way down hill since 2006!!!! We sold a new $700 washer at our yard sale as-is for $25!!! That sucked!!!!!!!!"

 

[toploader1984]

speed queen is the ONLY company that is all about customer satisfaction and putting out a quality product, 3 year parts AND labor warranty, and one of the only company still making a top loader, which i am getting within the next year.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Yeah. Too bad SQ doesn't make other appliances

 

[mayguy]

Will be hard to say who's next.

I have the GE front loader, and that was only $400, and it paid for itself already.

In a year, we've save 12,000 gallons of water, $30 a month on gas, and $15 in electric.

True, nothing is built like they used to be, but what can we do? People want's "cheap"!

 

[arrrooohhh]

Fridigaire top loaders, from what I understand, are not quality long lasting appliances either.

I just wish more people would understand about how important water conservation is. If you lived in Australia where now we face almost permanent water restrictions, you would not be complaining. I would rather have a minute more in the shower than run a top load washing machine everyday just for the fun of watching it slosh around.

At least in the states, the manufacturers have gone to some effort to make the front loader machines to US tastes. In Australia we are buying machines that are made and programmed for the European market and consumers have to change their washing habits to suit.

For what it is worth, the Electrolux group have High Efficiency top loaders for the Australian market, though from what I hear about their performance, one is better with a front loader anyway.

 

[toploader1984]

maybe in other countries water is restricted but c mon folks, our planet is made up of 95 percent water?? i think, we should NOT be worried about it, why dont we just clean our clothes with air??? there is alwas dry clean, pumping them full of chemichles.

 

[vintagesearch]

well in that case we kinda win think about it....most if us HATE the modern crap we hold onto our more vintage older wise washers and such and can still fix them for relatively cheap prices as well so now we have and excuse to go on craigslist or 2nd hand appliance stores and get vintage machines!!! recently we glanced at a more "budget" friendly frontloader at sears while stove shopping and at 449.99 and 3.1cu ft not that bad, a fair option as oppose to the 1200.00 or so for a sexy washer and 1 or more hours to wash!!! we will spend 1200 on another tv not a washer! and since lately frigidaire from what i gather now make mediocre half fill toploaders anyways so yea Bye bye.....maybe the fisher and paykell styled toploaders will come into affect HE toploaders with agitators!!! woo hoo? or woo nooooooo!!!????

 

[redcarpetdrew]

The handwriting's on the wall...

Whirlpool's soaking a lot of money into perfecting the Cabrio ( AKA the Maytag Bravos) as the current info says 2012 is the year the standard direct drive, water using top loader spins into the sunset. After that, The Cabrio will BE Whirlpools' only 'top load' washer.

RCD

 

[mark_wpduet]

Yes, the public wants "cheap", but those who want to pay the extra money for high end appliances and longevity and not getting longevity! Even the most expensive appliances don't seem to last. I can understand something low end or cheaper not lasting as long, but the high end appliances have JUST as many problems as the low end. My 1200 dollar Duet has a lot of plastic in it, like the detergent dispenser is all plastic. I'm sure if it were dropped it would be ruined.

 

[laundromat]

5 years????

I had my LG combination 24 inch unit for 7 years before I sold it to my neighbor friend who is still using it.My LG set was 2 years old when I got it at a flea market and was sold to a church lady I know who still loves it and has had no issues.I had my Frigidaires for 6 years and the GE's, made by FRIGIDAIRE,for 3 before selling/trading up to a K'aid f/l set.The k'aids are still being used by another neighbor who gave me $1499 for the set.She has 6 children and uses them daily. So,where does this 5 year life span originate????

 

[laundromat]

If you go to Sears,Lowes,Home Depot,Best Buy or any local dealers and stay back watching the salespeople and customers who are in the market for a new washer,the sales people are actualy promoting the front loading units 10 to 1 over all top loaders including the GE Harmonies and Whirlpool's Cabrio. i am surprised to see that LG hasn't introduced their top loaders here.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Once the novelty wears off (in this country) and EVERYONE has changed over to front-loaders, the prices will fall-- as they do for all products that have peaked and reached their maturity.

 

[mielabor]

Netherlands...

We never had automatic top loaders with agitator here. Water usage had nothing to do with this. We always had plenty of water, so much in fact that we have to pump it to the sea as not to drown Until a few years ago domestic water consumption was unmetered in Amsterdam. We are now in a conversion process and within a couple more years all homes have water meters. I have a water meter now (my mother still hasn't one) and have to pay about 50 euro per year.

My guess is that automatic front loaders were much cheaper to construct. It always strikes me how complicated the mechanics of HA top loaders are. My mothers first automatic washer was a very simple affair, it didn't even have a detergent dispenser. Automatic VA top loaders were way too expensive to be a commercial success.

Built quality has nothing to do with the machine type, top loader or front loader. People are just not willing to spend a lot of money on a durable machine and the manufacturers respond to this. All those vintage machines were very expensive when new compared to current standards.

 

[ryanm]

According to some recent statistics I read, American households still buy 75% top loaders. While demand is there, i don't think any American company will stop making them in my opinion. Americans always like 'choice', and don't take kindly to any company who does not offer a choice. I have 2 friends who either own or work in appliance sales in my area, and both say top loaders still outsell fron loaders by a large margin in my area. Almost every appliance store here privately owned also have Speed Queen top load washers on the display floor, along with the many made by Whirlpool corporation.

 

[DADoES]

Vintage machines aren't necessarily any more reliable than "modern" units. The 1962 Whirly I grew up with had many repairs in its 15 years -- pump, belt, water valve, wig wag, lid switch, bearings replaced, even the bakelite agitator broke. Others have mentioned the same in regards to machines in their families. The 1976 Whirly that replaced it ran for 18 years (yes, with some repairs along the way) until the bearings wore out. The KA my parents have now that came along in 1994 will soon be 15 years.

The difference "then" vs. "now" is that people then were more apt to have an appliance repaired instead of tossing it out. Nowadays, a 5-year-old Whirly suffers a broken drive coupler, it'll be tossed out and the homeowner complains that the machine is junk ... over a $20 part. I have a 10-year-old Kenmore in my garage that a friend was going to trash. They washed a large rug, the coupler broke. They thought it was bearings gone bad due to the noise involved when the broken coupler runs.

There's more to water and energy conservation than just one's personal bills. With the world's population continually growing, more utility infrastructure is needed. More water treatment and sewer facilities, more power generation. That costs *everyone* in taxes and utility bills for municipal watersewer and power plants.

 

[ronhic]

Try living here...

....where the first hour of labour is nearly $200 by the time you include the 'call out' fee. Plus parts.

You can buy an Electrolux group European style 16lb front load machine here for about USD$500 odd.

Given the price of repairs, I don't know if I would be bothered to get something repaired even once....

As for the water issue....Well most Australians have a different opinion to most Americans in that while we would like to use more, we accept that we should not. Our government has not legislated (yet) that we can't buy water guzzling appliances, but has rather made it cheaper with rebates to buy water saving appliances. That and constant advertising about being 'water wise' seems to have worked.

To give you another idea, on the main 'highway' from where I live to where I work there is a flashing sign that tells everyone how much water the city has used in the last 24hrs compared to our daily target and our current storage level....

It effectively guilts you into wanting to use less.

...and the carrot (financially and being able to say to people 'we care') is much better than the stick.

 

[appnut]

Keith, we are all entitled to our opinions, however yo9u are still a relatively young man and there is some validity to your statements, but some are also knee-jerk reactions flying off the cuff. I've been around over double your years and I have observed in many parts of the country, MOST who do laundry really don't care all that much. I've seen MANY over load their machines and even more, simply use their top load washers without ever adjusting water level switches for various size loads whether it be one piece of a larger load. I know several ladies who habityually underloaded their machines and use full waterr level regardless. THAT is wasteful. I am sure those here who work for appliance companies and have observed laundry habbits could also chime in. Not all parts of the country have abundant water supplies to meet future population growth needs. The SW part of the U.S. and much of California and they are not "crying wolf". Climate patterns have changed and will continue to change. Just two years ago, parts of Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee were reaching the point where their local "water ponds" were almost completely dry and had only a few months of supply left. It is scarey.

 

[toploader1984]

first of all, this has NOTHING to do with my age or anything, its great that people want to save the world and water and energy, BUT all i am saying is that i as a consumer should have a CHOICE of what i can buy, it is what americans are all about my friend! and as far as other parts of the country, well, we dont live there do we!?

 

[toploader1984]

u cant compare the way other counties do laundry, i am sure in africa they do laundry in a stream on a big rock and pound clothes by hand, does that mean we r supposed to do the same?

 

[re563]

It's not just other countries toploader

Here in florida it has been so dry over the past two years that we are on water restrictions year around now. I do have a HE3 from kenmore--6yrs old this year. Not one problem yet (knock on wood). I have a Bosch dishwasher, 4 yrs old--no problems. The dishwasher uses 5 gals of water in the normal wash. My washer (god knows what it uses)uses much less than any toploader, yet, beacause of the housing market and foreclosures, the city keeps rasing water rates to meet demand and because of houses going vacant. So, with water rates rising, I can't afford to have a topload washer, not to mention that most will not do a spray rinse now in order to conserve water.

 

[maytagbear]

"I am sure in africa (sic) they do laundry..."

That is so wrong on so many levels, child.

The urban centres of most countries on the continent of Africa have electricity, running water, and washing machines.

Secondly, energy has been artificially cheap here in the United States for far too long a time.

Thirdly, water usage and mis-usage is a consideration for the future. We are both fortunate to be in Great Lakes states where water is abundant and relatively cheap, but it uses energy, and lots of it, to get water to the faucet. Also takes energy to deal with the waste water.

I may not have children, but I do have 2 nieces and a nephew-in-law, and maybe one day (please, God), great-nieces or great-nephews, and I want their planet to be habitable and pleasant.

Decisions made today have wide-ranging consequences.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[peterh770]

Watch GE drop toploaders next... WP/Maytag and SQ will be around for a while due to the commercial demand for those machines.

 

[animasinsulinpu]

2 hour wash cycle???

OMG!!!! My WP Duet's normal cycle is only 40 min. And the Whitest White cycle is 1 hr. But with the WW cycle, I get 5 rinses. When I bought the washer I got a $100 rebate and $75 for the Bosch DW.....Bill in Az.....

 

[twinniefan]

Cost of repairs

I agree with you Ronhic about the prohibitive costs of getting various items repaired in fact this is what happened to me just recently my brother has a small colour televison in his room it was damaged recently during a severe electrical storm, now the unit only cost $169.00 to start with, now I rang a couple of service places, thinking it might just be a 10- 20 dollar component burnt out.
Well he we go,
1.callout fee-$120.00
2could not detect problem with first visit,needed to be taken to workshop, another $120.00,plus whatever cost replacement part is.
You see $220.00 just to find the problem before actually doing anything to repair it,admittedly I took a chance and called the guy out hoping that it may indeed just be a small burnt out part, but it wasn't so I have to wear it.
I since replaced it with a similar tv similar price, however I could have saved myself $120.00, just by tossing it out in the first place and just getting a new one straight away.
I could have claimed it under my contents insurance,however my policy has a $500.00 excess,meaning I wear the first $500.00 of any claim anyway.

 

[sudsman]

Keith

On the close of May 25 I will have worked 50 years in a laundry. Started when I was 6. I have been a Certified Laundry Manager for over 38 years now. I can ASSURE you there is a very dangerous situation regarding water supplies in the US>. maybe not where you live but in most of the US water is in VERY short supply. It is only getting worse. Yes there was a time when we did not have to care but that day is gone with the wind, AND if we want future generations to survive WE MUST conserve as much as possible. Also I can assure you that a washer taken care of will last at lot longer than 5 years.. True there are some poor models for sale. Just like cars, vacuums, and any other appliance . There are good and there are bad. AS far as hate for our goverment perhaps you need to do some internet surfing and check out some others I really think you will be in for a rude awaking in which I personaly think you so dearly need.