Speed Queen 432 or 542 and partial drain?

[toomuchresearch]

Hi, I'm trying to decide between these two SQ models - only difference I can find online is that the 542 has a separate dial for fabric type (but does that really matter as long as I choose the correct spin cycle - like perm.press, delicate, or whatever?). I've read some complaints that the 542 can have an electric smell and some have said that grease has seeped through the holes in the drum from inside the drum (assuming these are both factory mistakes). But now I am just reading that the SQ may also have only a partial drain? Is that in the 542 and/or the 432? One more thing, I just read fine print on SQ site that says their great 3 year warranty doesn't cover labor? So, any help on any of these questions is greatly appreciated. If SQ is a no-go my follow up choice is a *gulp* samsung front loader; really want to stay with a top loader if possible. thanks!

 

[jeffg]

Definitely opt for the fabric dial imo, unless agitation and spin speeds aren't important to you. If you run everything at full speed all the time, don't bother. Among other things it allows a slow agitation/fast spin which is useful for some loads.

There's no difference between TL models, other than the knobs and cycles. Default water levels on current models are pretty ridiculous, to keep within energy star ratings I think, but fortunately they're easily adjustable.

Another gripe I have with current models is the lack of a warm water rinse. Pleae no inane comments about how cold water is as good or better. It's not, it's never been and never will be, especially for cottons, which is 95% of our clothing. According to SQ and just FYI the last model that offered this was the AWS75.

 

[mrb627]

Warranty from the Speed Queen website

Top Load Washers

3-year warranty on parts and labor for the entire washing machine
5-year limited warranty on the motor
5-year limited warranty on the cabinet
10-year limited warranty on the transmission
A lifetime warranty on the outer drain tub and the stainless steel wash basket

 

[mrb627]

Additional Information

From the Warranty Bond.

 

[toomuchresearch]

Thank you both for such quick replies! I have never paid any attention to fabric selectors, looks like I really am a newbie to understanding laundry basics. So I'm guessing one of my few concerns with top loaders (e.g. that they may not be as gentle on clothes) can be alleviated by using these dials...? haha, guess I can research fabric selectors next. But thanks to your post I will look to get the 542.

And yes, when I found out recently that the SQ has cold water washes that threw me back to looking at the Samsung 405 front loader since 'warm water rinse' was a priority originally of mine (before I knew all the other issues - like low water level, lids that lock you out, etc), but I guess I read enough in the SQ camp to make me think it still the better way to go anyway - and just 'rewash' in warm to get a warm rinse when it matters... yes, like the 95% of the time it is cotton(;

Thanks too for the warranty info - that helps, was much confused! Much appreciated, glad I stumbled onto this site!

 

[jeffg]

The "fabric selector" is simply a low/high speed switch for the agitator and spin cycles. It does nothing else.

As for wear and tear in top loaders vs. front loaders it's not even comparable. If you use adequate water levels in a TL, and you don't have a horrid corkscrew clothes shredder for an agitator, they are orders of magnitude gentler on clothes than FL machines. Good grief, the average cycle time in a FL these days is like 90 or 120 minutes, sometimes even longer. Those poor clothes. You can get three or four loads washed in a TL in that same time.

 

[frigilux]

...they are orders of magnitude gentler on clothes than FL m

That may be a bit of a sweeping generalization, Jeff. I know you hate CR, but they report the following:

Speed Queen top-loader with a 40-minute cycle: rated "Good" by Consumer Reports for gentleness to clothing.

Frigidaire front-loader with an 80-minute cycle: rated "Excellent" for gentleness and "Excellent" for cleaning performance.

I wash all kitchen and personal whites on the 110-minute Sanitize cycle of my Frigidaire (same machine as above but with shorter Normal cycle) and have had absolutely no problems with wear-and-tear of fabrics. And I use liquid chlorine bleach to boot.

Most new front-loaders have Normal cycles that clock in from 65-100 minutes, while traditional top-loaders clock in at roughly half that. No arguing that point!

 

[jeffg]

I don't hate CR. I just don't put any weight into their recommendations, and this is a perfect example of why. Any washer that takes over an hour per load is a poor performer in my book, not excellent. Their criteria is whatever the industry wishes it to be, and if the industry wants people paying $2000 for FL machines with 1-year warranties, so it will be with CR. They've been absurdly biased against TL machines ever since.

Also, on our SQ the longest cycle time start to finish is around 30 minutes, perm press and gentle cycles several minutes less.

 

[frigilux]

Here's the warranty for my 2010 Frigidaire 4174 front-loader. Speed Queen's warranty runs circles around it. Jeff, I agree that when one pays $1500-$1600 for a top-of-the-line washer the warranty should be much beefier than this one. Frigidaire's top-end machine goes for around $900 in the real world, a relative bargain considering the features. At any rate, I'm assuming my paltry warranty is closer to the industry norm.

Correction: The top-loading Speed Queen's cycle clocked in at 35 minutes, not 40, in CR's tests. Time to get those bifocals checked (I jumped up a line). They round up to the nearest five-minute mark. Why on earth they do that, I can't explain. If the cycle is done in 31 minutes, call it 31 minutes!

I don't place the weight you do on rating a machine by the length of its Normal cycle, especially with today's large front-loaders that can hold 22-24 pounds of laundry when fully-loaded. I want to know how well it cleans, how much water and energy it uses, the size of load it can handle, how quiet it is, and whether it will shake the house if not installed on a concrete floor.

Warm rinses: I also miss this option, but don't notice a big difference when clothes are dried in a dryer. I can get a warm rinse by selecting the 'Steam' option (which adds about 20 minutes to the cycle). That provides a hot, extended first rinse and a warm second rinse. I use it for cotton sheets and loads of bath towels, mostly because I like opening the washer at the end of the cycle and handling fabrics that aren't ice cold to the touch.

[this post was last edited: 12/11/2012-07:40]

 

[jeffg]

Eugene, thanks for the info. It amazes me to watch people line up to pay that kind of money for machines with China-grade warranties. Frigidaire's top-end may be $900, but other manufacturers aren't.. I've seen washers over $3k with the same 1-year warranty nonsense.

Also, length of warranty isn't the only issue, it's also ease of servicing the warranty. I'll never forget the first time we called Alliance to ask about the agitator cap (the only real problem we've had with our SQ, the huge fabric softener cap had sharp edges), the phone support line (I'm not kidding) went directly to the assembly floor of the factory. The guy spent 20 minutes looking through their bins of caps looking for one that was especially smooth on the edges, he hand-filed it and mailed it overnight free of charge.

I wanted to cry. That used to be America, gone at least for now, and every day a higher percentage of our population can't appreciate it because they aren't old enough to remember it. If Frigidaire's procedure to get a part replaced under warranty is as fast and pain-free my hat's off to them.

 

[aquarius1984]

Sharp edges on agitator caps?

Sounds like extremely poor quality to me if a basic working internal part cant be produced that wont compromise safety of the very items of clothing the machine is meant to be washing let alone the users skin.

Wonder how many Downy balls/dtergent dispensing devices made of plastic have torn clothes and users skin?

Not hears of any plastic baffles/drums in FL's with sharp edges either.

Perhaps its a TL thing.........

 

[jeffg]

The cap sits above water level so it never damaged any clothing, but removing clothes without cutting your hands demanded a level of care that was downright ridiculous. However, judging the quality of a TL machine based on its agitator cap is equally ridiculous imo. We use fabric softener only for a few loads and always add it manually, so we popped the cap off altogether. Problem solved. I don't know if Alliance redesigned the caps on their later models (ours is from 2006).

 

[aquarius1984]

Still when paying top dollar for a TL im sure the general public would want this agi cap to be safe to use seeing as it is a feature they have paid for to dispense AUTOMATICALLY the FS in the AUTOMATIC machine without intervention from themselves.

I know I certainly would or I might as well have a wringer machine.

 

[mrb627]

Alliance

Would be more than happy to have replaced the softener dispenser on your machine, had you filed a complaint about it. As I recall, another member received one because his had a small dent in the side.

Malcolm

 

[launderess]

One Year Warranty

Seems to be the standard for American washing machines. Maybe that is why Miele switched as well.

Always put major appliances on one of my credit or charge cards that will extend the manufacturers original warranty. If one is really leery will go for a mortgage and put it on the American Express as they have a strong program to deal with returns/problems when a retailer won't play nice.

 

[tolivac]

Sharp edges on agitator caps-guess you have to get out your file and sandpaper to smooth them off-but why didn't the parts deburring dept do that?

 

[jeffg]

Rex, SQ's tech said it was a design issue not quality assurance. If you've seen the cap and agitator it's self-explanatory why Alliance had the problem, i.e. the edge that cuts is the same edge that holds the cap in place. You can't file it more than a bit before it starts falling off the agitator.

 

[tolivac]

Thought most agitator tops screwed into place?If the SQ cap problem is a design issue-they should redo it.Sharp edges are a bad thing for clothes and customers.Some of the things I see about SQ on these threads is changing my mind about buying a new one-Keep on the lookout for an older SQ-and yes-one that gives a REAL rinse cycle.-Like that solid drum SQ at an apartment house laundry some 35 yrs ago.

 

[jeffg]

Again, it's the only problem we've had with the machine in 6+ years, with a purchase price of $579. FL enthusiasts are encouraged to compare notes.