Speed Queen Front Load Machines

[ronhic]

Capacity

I coiuldn't agree more. Capacity is very hard to determine when measurements differ.

All I can offer is that Europe and Oz still use the weight method to determine and enable comparison. Speed Queen front loaders here are rated at 8kg.

Now, on the issue of cycle times and wear on clothes. My own experience is that clothes, in general, will last significantly longer washed in a front load machine than they will if washed in a top-load machine. A wash component of 24 minutes isn't long either....my shortest 40c cotton wash on my machine is 68 minutes...38 minutes of that is washing, but there are 2 rinses and 3 spins that follow.

There is a reason front load machines don't have a lint filter. They don't need one as they produce significantly less lint which, in turn, means there is less wear on your clothes...

 

[mrb627]

Delicates

I would only add the additional spin if the items being washed are heavy and too wet to dry in a reasonable amount of time. Many times, wrinkle free items would finish better in the dryer without the additional spin.

Malcolm

 

[tomturbomatic]

When the Delicate cycle skipped the spin was when I had the extra rinse option selected. It drained and went into the distribution speed, but did not spin after the extra rinse. Maybe it should not have done that, but I have not bothered with it since. I bought it mainly for rugeand was looking for a cycle with a higher water level.

As for wear, I never noticed much wear with my TLs, but I do not load them heavily. Tumbler action washers used to be gentler on the fabrics, but with the reduced water levels, they are not as gentle as they used to be.

I tried the extra rinse option, but found it to be a waste of water for my rinsing preferences because of the partial extraction between water changes. You might come to different conclusions.

 

[bobo]

@Malcolm:

I just figured out from this site that you also have the Miele W3033; compared to the Speed Queen, how much smaller is the drum of the Miele? Are you able to wash just as much clothing as the SQ, or you have to downsize?

 

[mrb627]

Load Size

Between the two, I find that the load size to be only slightly smaller in the Miele. And I don't really notice any better or worse rinsing in the Miele either. The Miele does take considerably longer to complete a cycle with similarly options to the Speed Queen.

Malcolm

 

[Iowegian]

@mrb627:

Do you sense any differences in gentleness/fabric wear between the SQ and the Miele?

 

[frigilux]

I just found out my local LG/Whirlpool dealer is now carrying Speed Queen. I'll have to go check it out.

 

[qualin]

I think that if I lived in an Apartment or a Condo, where the washer could be installed in the kitchen European-style, a Miele W3033 would be a great machine for two people. We'd probably have more frequent loads, but it would be a luxury in comparison to having to use common area laundry.

 

[bobo]

Just an update:

My parents and I went to 2 places to look at the machines in mind. We went to a big box appliance wholesale to see the Miele W3033, but they didn't carry that model, just the Novotronic W1612. The drum of the machine was SMALL; there's no way that you can put a Queen sized fitted sheet in there, let alone a King size! I think the W1612 and W3033 have the same drum capacity, so I would assume that the W3033 would have the same small drum. The salesperson was trying to persuade us that the Miele and other European machines were "crap," and Samsung would be a wiser and better choice. The Korean set was very well-priced too, at $1200CAD for the washer (4.3 cu.ft drum) and the dryer. We knew what was "crap" so we thanked the salesperson and headed to the Speed Queen/Huebsch dealer.

At the SQ dealer there was an Imperial Series Stainless Steel washer/dryer set at the front door. The price of the set was shocking; $2999 for the washer and $1999 for the dryer. The drum of the washer was quite a bit bigger than the Miele, but still small compared to the Samsungs and Maytags. The salesperson looked very honest (compared to the one at the big box store), so I asked her if a King-sized duvet cover and a fitted sheet could be washed in one load. She said no, and kindly told us not the get the FL for one simple reason: the knobs and controls are electronic, and will have problems after 5 years (just right after the warranty expires, of course, LOL). Quite a few of her customers complained that a $3000 washer stopped working after 5 years (i.e., people can accept a Korean machine breaking down in 2 years, which cost $700). She recommended the toploaders, where the switches and timers are still mechanical. And for comparison, she also showed us a 2-year-old Samsung that was heading to the dump field, and a Whirlpool. Both of those machines were made almost entirely out of plastic, including the drum. The stainless steel was just a thin piece of metal "glued" on to the plastic drum to look like a true metal unit.

In conclusion, after looking at our 2 top choices, both didn't suit our needs very well. Our top priority was to wash the King-sized bedding in one load, and none of the machines could do that. We could go back to a toploader, but the Huebsch TL unit didn't look convincing enough that washing our clothing in it would make them last any longer than in our current machine, as the Huebsch TL has an agitator with threads around it (think huge bolt in the middle of the drum). Hopefully there will be more FL from Miele with bigger drums, and wait for the free 10-year warranty promotion to show up (we just missed it). For now, I'll continue to do more research and learn more about the technology here, but stop looking at machines in person.

 

[launderess]

Whatever

Have a vintage Miele w1070 which is rated to hold about 5kg (ll pounds of wash) and am doing a load of four (4) king sized cotton sateen sheets atm. While the drum was full when dry sheets were loaded, just opened the door after the wash water drained and the load compacted down to between one-half to three-quarters full.

The Miele w3033 is rated to hold slightly more than mine (IIRC 5.5kg) so draw your own conclusions.

 

[bobo]

@ Launderess

I would assume you literally stuffed the drum full with no space at the top? I thought it was no-no to overload the washer like that!

 

[paulc]

bobo

I have a Miele rated at 6kg, I could comfortably get two king sized bedding sets ( 2x duvet covers, sheets, pillow cases )with no problems.

 

[bobo]

There is a possibility that the drum unit in the W1612 is smaller (5.5kg according to Miele Canada) than other 6kg machines (W3033 - but it's also rated 5.5kg in Canada, but 6kg in the US); so dare I say that it is not possible to wash four King-sized sheets in the W1612, but possible in other machines with a bigger drum and a lower weight capacity rating.

It just blows my mind to imagine so much laundry stuffed into such a small drum; even when the load is wet, there's probably no room for the stuff to move around, and with so little water, I don't see how clothes and linens get cleaned properly. I have to see it to believe it!

 

[launderess]

Er, No. Did Not "Stuff The Washing Machine Full"

Thank you very much.

Have been keeping house with this Miele washer long enough to know it's limits and how to load.

More than enough room for a folded fist was left at the top of the dry load, which by all professional and domestic measures is deemed good and proper.

Again the proof was in that after the wash was soaked down the load tumbled freely within the "10 to 2" or "10 to 4" clock measure.

It is quite easy to tell when a Miele or at least my model is over stuffed. It makes horrible noises and you can literally hear the wash moving about in one soild mass.

 

[launderess]

Pay Attention Son, You Might Learn Something

As Foghorn would say:

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[logixx]

Front loaders can be loaded to the top. Naturally, you're not supposed to force item in with your foot... but 'to the top' can be fine.

This is my washer doing towels. Towels are especially forgiving because a load of them will shrink down quite a bit. Of course, my washer is a European one so it has long cycles etc. etc. But it just goes to show that you can fill the drum up and still get some nice tumbling.

Alex

 

[ronhic]

Bobo

Listen to what people on here who have European machines say about them.

Learn from our many many years experience.

Miele will certainly make a couple of different drums for the various size machines that they retail, however, without exception, every single Miele machine produced in the past 40 years and in current production can take a KS quilt cover, fitted sheet, flat sheet and 4 pillow cases as a minimum.

4 kingsize sheets would also work equally well given 8 single sheets equates to 4kg and a king sheet is approximately the size of 2 singles.

 

[bobo]

@launderess

Wow. Just wow. I'm speechless! I wonder if a King-sized duvet cover and fitted sheet would work; now I have to find a place that will let me try!

@logixx

The drum of your washer is larger than the one I saw in the W1612. I would say the drum size in the Miele was close to the size of a 12 quart stock pot:

 

[chestermikeuk]

Has.....

Somebody been sniffing the HE again!!!

Bobo if you really want user friendly advice and information from tried & tested users then please dont insult our understanding and intelligence by above said picture!!! The actual drum of the washer is much larger than the window of the washer.

All Miele washing machines from vintage to modern are perfectly capable of washing said king cal queeny whatever duvet covers and sheets!!

We hope you take the information above, and it is always as well to check out what you require and make an informed decision and purchase!!

p.s. just washing two king duvets, 8 pillow cases and 4 t-shirts in the Servis Quartz rated 4.5kg, which does a better job of washing, rinsing and less creasing than the Fagor 6kg washer - more water and no holes in the drum...LOl

 

[ronhic]

Bobo

I think you might like to consider some deep inhalations over that stock pot or else one of us may just tip it over your head and start banging it with a wooden spoon!