Reviewed.com slams SQ dryer...

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stricklybojack

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as repectfully as they could; but they basically called it an expensive turd that might last a long time.

I have one (ahem, an SQ dryer) and somewhat agree. No excuse at this price for the mediocre dryness sensor and utilitarian feel. That said I didn't pay near MSRP so I can live with myself.

This machine is a match for the TL SQ more than the FL model imo. The FL SQ puts a smile on my face, the dryer not so much.[this post was last edited: 9/29/2016-19:42]

http://laundry.reviewed.com/content/speed-queen-adee9rgs173tw01-dryer-review
 
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A removable lint screen was a non-issue for me as we keep the wastebasket next to the dryer anyway.
That said it is far smaller than the lint screen on the old Whirlpool dryer it replaced which you pulled out from the top of the machine.
 
I own a TOL gas Huebsch dryer that looks identical to this one, except that it has an electromechanical timer instead of the electronic controls.

I've always been used to Whirlpool dryers with the lint screen at the top of the dryer that you pull out. Having to manually clean out the lint trap without removing it like I would with a Whirlpool isn't really a deal breaker for me.

What irks me a bit is that the "Max Dry" setting on the automatic portion of the timer seems almost useless. It badly overdries the clothes when on this setting. I typically get the best results when I set the timer halfway between "More Dry" and "Less Dry". Only with a load full of jeans, do I set it closer to the "More Dry" setting and it seems to get them mostly dry, with a few moist patches. (But not so moist that they can't go into the dresser.)

Only other thing I've noted is that a very heavy load of clothing in a dryer like this can take up to nearly two hours to dry, even when using gas. The vent isn't obstructed either, I checked. There's lots of airflow.

Perhaps to improve on this dryer, they need to consider using a different baffle design, combined with maybe a larger drum or maybe a reversing mechanism?

I'm honestly not sure why this dryer seems to perform less than other dryers. I'd say that my GE Dryer was about as fast, but it also was more through. (Not so many moist spots.. and the automatic timer was much more accurate.)

From my electric GE dryer, I feel like I've taken a bit of a step back because at least my GE dryer had electronic controls instead of electromechanical.

Part of me is tempted to swap out my gas dryer with a new one though, but getting a mismatched dryer would make me want to climb the walls. I'm a little OCD that way. I'd have to buy the matching washer to go with it...
 
I've used every brand of Dryer thus far and the SQ dryers I've used in apartments/college dorms etc, were pretty much the worst.
VERY hot, yet left collars and socks damp.
And left clothes smelling weird, erasing the pleasant scent of my softener, possibly due to the weird smelling galvanized steel drum.

I'll take a Maytag, Whirlpool or even GE dryer any day, over a SQ dryer.

:)
 
Here we go again

i have had the matching dryer for my S.Q. washer for about a year & could not be happier,i still have my 89 whirlpool dryer(they are both gas) & its just a tad slower.The S.Q. is a little hotter,so i just use a lower setting on temp except for towels(i use normal)& it has never run past 40 mins.So slam Speed Queen as you will,but i know, because i bought them & use them,GOOD DAY !!

glomain-2016093012184706184_1.jpg
 
I'm surprised that such a small load ran for 90 minutes in their test (they say most dryers do this load in almost half the time).  Apparently it continued to tumble long after the laundry was ready.  Very surprising considering this model has electronic moisture sensors.  CR hasn't tested this model, but they have tested two other SQ electronic dryers and they do far better in CR's tests than the electro-mechanical model with only thermostatic moisture sensing.

 

I think the lint filter is a matter of personal preference.  I personally prefer the SQ filter setup.  But others don't.
 
I had to experiment with the SQ dryer. For 14 years, the GE with the sensor dry carried the freight and it was a pretty much set and forget process.

After drying several loads, I finally figured out the best setting on auto dry that dries the clothes without cooking them. It escapes me right now but it is something like 2 clicks past less dry.

As others have said, this bad boy does get hot on hot setting. The only time I use it is to wash my bleached out shop towels (about 70 in all) that I use to clean up around the house. They get a hot wash, with bleach, and dried on HOT. And I do mean HOT. Drying time is under 20 minutes on the cleaning cloths. If I snag them right after the cycle as ended, they are uncomfortable to touch.

Nevertheless, it is a workhorse and I like it a lot. I like the mechanical clacking of the timer. Makes me feel young again in a warped sort of way.

Hi Frig!
 
Hate those on top lint filters on WP/KM dryers they make a freaking mess When you pull them out or put them back in.
I prefer the 27 inch Kenmore dryers with the lint filter screen inside the dryer.
As far as SQ I have never had "cooked" clothes ever!
Towels are the only thing I ever dry on High heat.
I dry clothes on med or low depending on the fabric and never had an issue.
I have no complaints about my electric SQ dryer and I do not have a sensor.
Mike
 
Lint Filter

While I live the way Whirlpool made dryers perform, I agree, the line filter I dislike. It holds lots of lint, and its easy to clean, but when you pull it out the line goes everywhere. I always keep a lint roller on hand when using my Maytag (Whirlpool) dryer.

Also people are correct about Speed Queen getting hot, but there is more to that.
Temperature is not only the function of the thermostat, but also the moisture in the clothes. On many dryers (like Whirlpool) when vented properly the heater never shuts off for the first 15-20 minutes when drying a large load of clothes even on the delicate setting. The internal moisture keeps the temps down, and when the moisture drops the temp goes up and the thermostat starts to cycle more and more each time. The threshold at which it opens is determined by the user settings/cycle. This is the basic theory of operation behind none electronic auto-dry. The timer does not move until the thermostat is "satisfied", and the more often it gets satisfied and the longer it stays satisfied the faster the dryer shuts off. Naturally (as a result) lower temp setting require more time on the dial (ie, more dry for delicate where less dry works for high heat) In fact if one gauges loadsize x moisture content in relation to time, it is possible to obtain delicate temps with a single knob-high heat only dryer.

With that said I would argue two possible faults in CR testing:

1. Setting the dryer to something other than less dry

2. Not selecting delicate or permanent press.

How they vented the dryer was not mentioned, but Id guess (hoping) nothing unusual.

I think Speed Queen choose the worst case scenario when programming the controls out of fear of consumer backlash, but that can easily be mitigated with less "vigorous" settings.

I know people will argue you don't have to turn down the temps with Whirlpool and genuine Maytags but I disagree from my experience. Both Whirlpool, Maytag and even some GE dryers get to hot for my liking, so I select the medium (or delicate) for most items when present. Whirlpool and Maytag to not drop a heater coil from that start, so not that much time is lost using lower temps.
 
Actually, I have a friend who has an LG dryer and the "Hot" setting burned the material inside of one of my comforters. (You could smell it!)

Never had a dryer do that before...

So, while it seems like I'm not happy with my Huebsch, I am.. It does the job.

I've never had a problem with my Huebsch dryer melting or burning anything, even on regular (high) heat. At least, not yet anyway.
 
Messy Whirlpool top mount filters

I find the Whirlpool top mount lint filters to be the cleanest filters of any dryer. Simply pull the filter AFTER the dryer is running and the blower will exhaust the fine dust out the duct. I empty the filter over the dryer (while it runs and the cover is open) and any dust disappears.

The tiny little in-drum filters don't hold as much, and I contend they are messier to remove and clean since you don't have the dryer to act as a vacuum.
 
I have to say that I am not that thrilled with my SQ dryer. It does the job, but it is a slow, hot dryer and on the medium or high setting the clothes are still hot after the alleged "cool down portion of the cycle. It is also noisy and when starting up from cold, thumps until the rollers warm up (at least that is what the local repairman told me last time they came out to service the washer.

It is what it is - a basic dryer.
 
Could I just say

no matter what they say, these are the same geniuses that put liquid laundry detergent in the fabric softener dispenser when testing the SQ washer.
I wouldn't give 2 cents for their advice.
Mike
 
I remember seeing a comment that said the pouring of softener in the soap area was for 'artistic license' in the photographs. But they did not run it that way.

I mean....I'm not excusing them....it's misleading, but that's their defense.
 
My hunch with the detergent/softener confusion is that the people that do the reviews and the people that shoot the video are likely different groups. Clearly anyone that is attempting to review the machine wouldn't confuse this, but someone that just needs the "shot" to complete the video may not pay attention.

Besides it isn't like reviewed.com has said anything drastically out of the realm of that we all know to be true. People that have personal bias towards anything will always be offended when a review doesn't agree, even if the review is basically correct.
 
There just isn't any better dryer than a good ole Whirlpool made one with the lint filter on top of the machine. I now have an LG made dryer that does a good job, but it tends to roll sheets and larger items into a ball. It has the lint trap at the opening of the door, which is how dryers other than Whirlpool made ones are. I just know that for the money you spend on a dryer, the most inexpensive Whirlpool made one is as good or better than anything out there because of the design and the fact that they are 29" wide too. The drum is wider and clothes can tumble better. They have fewer air blockage problems or lint build up also. They have always had a good design and have stuck with it.
 
Thermostatic dryness control, slow stroke long arc agitators, no sudslock control regime in their FLs, sturdy construction and so on.
Let`s face it, apart from the new electronic control panels the whole brand Speed Queen just screams 1950s technology.

And that is for the good and the bad!

I find them adorable for their very succesful attempt to celebrate technology from the past, but also have somewhat lowered expectations whenever using a Speed Queen.
 
Speed Queen Dryers

Work just fine, after selling a few hundred and working on a few hundred more I have yet to have a single complaint from the owners of them about performance. We are also selling a lot of the new SQ stack laundry and the only comments I get is how much better they work than their older machines.

 

A good example was a customer on Capital Hill a few months ago that still had a 1975 MT HOH gas dryer that the motor sized in. I suggested a new SQ gas dryer to which they agreed. About a month after we installed the new dryer we got both a call and a letter about how wonderful the new dryer was, they could not believe how fast it dried and how cool and wrinkle free the clothing comes out.

 

The current SQs are not 50s technology in any sense of the word except maybe for the fact they can actually be repaired easily when needed and that they could actually last 50 years.

 

For folks here that like to get different washers and dryers every few years go for the glitzy new stuff, but we have very few customers that ever want to buy another new washer or dryer again if they don't have to.

 

John L.
 
SQ FL

The SQ FL machines do indeed have suds detection and control logic. It can add 2 additional rinses, making the total 7 for any cycle.

Malcolm
 
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Reviewed's comments (and mine) are based on a, "for what you pay" consideration.
It certainly does the fumdamental job for us, and combo52 nailed my own feeling after i installed the machines, "phew, ready to not go through all that again for DECADES..." something which you are going to have to pay extra for from any company, for any product, which can give one such a feeling of confidence. The question is, in regards to the SQ dryer, do the money numbers vs total ownership experience hold up? It is a fair question and not a slam dunk...for me at least.
My mother being old school wanted a new matched pair...i might have opted for a different dryer. Even the salesman didn't try to defend the dryer by suggesting a Whirl-tag (like Reviewed.com does) when i questioned him about it. But then a now discontiued SQ model was found in the warehouse and sold to me at a sizable discount so we were happy...and still are.
My wife has figured out the exact timer setting that works for her. I may go that route too as the automatic setting is not able to dial in (we have and wanted one with knobs, not the touchscreen version) enough retained moisture for me, at least on the normal heat setting. Before doing that i will experiment with the cooler heat selection options, (delicate and PP to be specific) as recomended in earlier posts.


[this post was last edited: 10/4/2016-14:47]
 
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