so I strolled through Lowes... opinions....

[vacuumfreeeke]

Hey guys.... I've been thinking about moving to a bigger apartment, one that would have room for a real washer and dryer. If I do, I can retire my tired and small but faithful Edgestar all in one laundry processor and get dedicated full sized laundry appliances. The only appliance store close to me is Lowes (very close!) so I strolled through to look at the washers and dryers. I was a bit surprised to see the selection today... when I sold appliances at Sears, they had some really awesome laundry appliances there... the Kenmore HET3, Maytag Neptunes with touch screens, GE Harmonys that "talked" to each other. Lowes didn't seem to have anything special, though did only look at front loaders. The GE and Whrilpool Duets and even the Maytag front loaders all seemed so cheap as I turned the knobs and played with the buttons and opened the drum and additive drawers. I was most impressed by the Samsung and the new Electrolux appliances. The Electrolux really made a lot of sense to me, I liked that you could pop the control knob in and out, and to open the doors (both drum and additive), you press and it pops open... no pulling handles. I really like that, unless it's something that would break after a year or two. Even though I think the pedestals are over priced, I would want to get them because I like the added height they provide. Maybe I should go to best buy and check out the LG stuff as well. I looked for the Fisher Paykel one that was designed like a top loader, but worked like a front loader, but they don't seem to carry it anymore! Just wondering what you all think of the modern stuff that's being offered in the stores these days? Maybe this is silly, but "knob and button feel" is very important to me on any appliance!

 

[mtn1584]

SPEED QUEEN IS NUMBER#1 in QUALITY

DO NOT SPEND YOU HARD EARNED MONEY ON THE PLASTIC MACHINES SOLD AT LOWES...FIND AN APPLIANCE DEALER NEAR YOU THAT SELLS SPEED QUEEN WASHERS AND DRYERS. WHETHER YOU BUY A FRONT LOADER, OR A TOP LOADER, QUALITY CONTROL & SERVICE, WILL NOT BE AN ISSUE. PERFORMANCE IS EXCELLENT, AND THEY BOAST THE BEST STANDARD WARRANTIES IN THE INDUSTRY. GO TO WWW.SPEEDQUEEN.COM AND VIEW ALL THE LATEST MODELS. IF IT IS TRUE QUALITY YOU WANT, AND IT IS TRUE QUALITY THAT YOU EXPECT, THEN PURCHASE WISELY, AND BUY SPEED QUEEN, AND OH YEAH, THEY ARE BUILT IN RIPON WISCONSON.
GOOD LUCK,
MIKE

 

[laundromat]

The Speed Queens are a very good high quality machine line but,their capacity is questionable (3.2 cu ft.) and for the price they want you to pay,$1600,they should be at least as big in capacity as the L.G., Frigidaire and Whirlpool models (3.5 to 4.4 cu ft.). Their spin speed is also questionable (1000 rpm). The L.G., Frigidaire and Whirlpools spin from 1100 to 1400 rpms.and are still less expensive than SQ. The L.G.s come with a limited 10 year warranty on their drive motor and 2 years on the electronic control board.

 

[volvoguy87]

Fast, cheap, or well, pick 2.

Like the title says, you can buy machines that will work fast, well, or are cheap to buy. Pick any 2 you want. I would gladly pay more (and even sacrifice some capacity) for machines that consistently perform well and are exceptionally durable. If I get a good value for the money I'll spend more. Personally, I'd vote for an older model Orbital or Helical drive Maytag. Cheap, reliable, simple, and effective.

Often the best deal is not the cheapest (at least for new stuff),
Dave

 

[tolivac]

Another thing in SQ favor-parts and service are still available-Service and parts for the "plastic" machines could be more difficult.the companies that build those machines are new to the US and parts and service infranstructure still needs to be established.SQ machines were designed and built to be easily serviced rather than go to the landfill or rcycler in a few years.Remember SQ is an older company in the US!

 

[rp2813]

One of the things I liked so much about my Duet HT that retained the first generation styling is that it had a knob with a pointer that clicked into position. Yeah, it had a lot of buttons but you didn't have to use those so much.

My current Affinity has a knob that you can turn and turn and it never points to anything; the cycle lights will illuminate as you turn it, but it doesn't point to anything and it doesn't click solidly into place. I understand your concerns in this regard.

I don't think you have a lot of options, and I don't know if it's wise to buy a used/reconditioned early Duet HT, but they are good and capable machines and I wish I still had mine.

I would steer clear of Electrolux. They made my Affinity, which has proven to be incapable of rinsing and generally inferior to my Duet in all respects, and I can't wait for it to give me a reason to replace it.

 

[yogitunes]

AMEN Ralph!.....I'm with you....I have the Frigidaire Gallery with the square door.....worthless to clean and rinse properly....I'd rather have the machine with out the digital readout, at least this one you can adjust the water level...and I know this ONE. my sister has one, and I adjusted hers, and TWO I took a screwdriver into SEARS and "shocked" the salesperson when I popped the top to see if I could make adjustments....I should have done this before I got my set....live and learn.....like the Speed Queen FL you can't adjust the water level...but in the TL you can....go figure

 

[rp2813]

Hey Martin, good to see your post! Sorry I've been out of contact . . . you know my drill (or maybe you should ;-P)

IMO there is a reason why the Affinities are among the lowest priced of the more top end FL's on the market. You get what you pay for.

I can't say it enough. Steer clear of Frigidaire/Electrolux front loaders.

 

[yogitunes]

We live and learn...the hard way...as always "if I knew then, what I know now"....but thanks to this site, and great advise, we should try our best to make the right decision, at least with appliances....NEXT TIME!....but just the same, I should have stayed with my mothers GE V-12 from the start, would have saved a load of money, but I'm just a fool, you could have wrapped xmas lights around a machine and I would have bought it...just for the flashing lights....

but otherwise Ralph, doing OK after 1 surgery, and then an infection, another in about 2 weeks, we manage, 5 days of chastity is the real killer, once was bad enough, and to live it again, shoot me!....hope all is well with you these days...

 

[spankomatic]

None of the washers on the market today thrill me. They all look pretty much the same with different names on them. The front loaders today don't splash when they wash like my 2004 Maytag Neptune does. Friends of mine just bought top of the line LG front loader. Pretty much the same thing as the Kenmore HET3 I had and the Whirlpool duet I use in Ukiah. Never liked either machine. Speed Queens are hard to find in my area. Sears,Lowes,Home Depot just don't have them in the stores. I can only hope the selection will be better when it comes time to purchase a new washer.

Jim

 

[strongenough78]

Well the Speed Queens may not spin as fast, although 1000 rpm in a front loader isn't exactly slow, and the capacity may not be as large, although it's not exactly small either. I'd rather pay for something that will last twice if not three times longer than the others.

 

[volvoguy87]

G-Forces.

Spin speed is nice, but drum diameter is also essential. A slower spinning bigger diameter drum can match or exceed the G-forces of a smaller faster drum. Also, extraction isn't the only consideration in a machine, how well does it clean? The best extractor is worthless if it won't clean.

Spankomatic, Speed Queens aren't sold at Big Box stores. They are sold through dealers who know their products and can provide the after-sale support that is so lacking from their competition. Certainly not as convenient for purchasing as Big Boxes, but well worth the effort nevertheless.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[mrb627]

Big Box Sales

I can't tell you how many times I have gone into the appliance section of a big box store to be greeted by a high school student who knows nothing about the product. Just barely enough to ring up a sale in the computer.

Malcolm

 

[suburbanmd]

G-forces

are proportional to the drum diameter, but are proportional to the square of the RPM. So RPM makes a much bigger difference.

 

[laundromat]

Affinity

I now have two of these and they both work great. I just got a Whirlpool Duet Sport model and it sounded like it had some baring issues. I removed the back panel and found out the pulley was scraping against it causing the loud noise and had to adjust it using a rubber mallet to hammer it out far enough so it no longer came in contact with the pulley.I now have to repaint the body. This unit was on a slab of concrete outside a house with no protection against the elements.Still works o.k. and I was able to increase the water level.the Affinity's water level is sufficient but could be a tiny bit,maybe 4 gallons,increased.