Speed Queen introduces 'BIG DOORS'

[askomiele]

I was surfing on the internet. Just crossing SpeedQueens site, they have upgrade their washer with big doors. Good quality with a big entrance. Good!

 

[brisnat81]

They now have big doors

And no sign of a heater?

Wasnt there a Boost Heat switch on the control panel before?

Has the controls for the heater shifted, or have they removed it?

 

[appnut]

Nathan, the Model ATSA5A model has the boosted hot temp on the temperature selector knob.

Not only do these models have the new bigger door, it has THE LONGER AWSH TIMES!!! Regular is a 24 minute wash; Perm Press is 20 minutes; hand wash/delicate is 12 minutes!! Hopefully CR will give these versions improved washability scores!!

 

[frigilux]

That's good news, Bob. A 24-minute wash is more in line with other FL'ers cycle times. I'll bet that machine shoots right up the ratings. Unless CR does one of their updates, we'll have to wait til next year to find out.

 

[andrewinorlando]

They had to lengthen the wash times....they lowered the water consumption from almost 20 gallons per load down to 13.9 gallons.

 

[frigilux]

I'm amazed at how little water FL'ers are using these days. Cleaning scores are very good for them in CR's tests, too. My Frigi FL'er is old-school and uses closer to 28 gallons per load.

My machine claims to match the water level to load size, but it really just fills to the same level for every load. I wish it would use less water for very small loads, because they don't tumble well in all that water.

Both my pre-Electrolux frontloaders had water level controls which was nice. I generally used a lower water level even for full loads, just because it kept sudsing down and the clothes seemed to lift and drop better. Cleaning was never a problem, either.

 

[sudsmaster]

Bob,

Where did you get the info on the wash times? I looked at this site a few weeks ago, but couldn't find anything that detailed how long the wash times are.

I'll look some more...

http://www.speedqueen.com/home/products/atsa5awn.asp#details

 

[sudsmaster]

Found it

I see in the use and care manual that the regular wash is indeed 24 minutes, perm press is 20 mins. Also, selected the boosted heat will lenghthen the wash cycle from 30 to 60 minutes, that's a good thing.

If it weren't for that stupid full-width door hinge I might get serious about the new SQ's. As it is, I'd have to remove the bi-fold doors from my laundry closet to be able to open the washer door. The hinge is in the right location, it's just needlessly too far to the right.

Oh well ;-)

But considering these are true horizontal washers, with stainless outer drums, I think they give the new big Miele a good run for the money.

 

[launderess]

Warm Rinse

Is provided as well. It's been quite along time since one has seen an American washing machine top or front loading offering this feature.

 

[appnut]

L, my Frigidaire front loader offers a warm/warm temp selection. When using a hot wash, I usually switch the knob to that setting once the wash wter begins to drain. In fact, the GE, Whirlpool (& cousins), and LG washers all offer a warm/warm temp selection. Bosch doesn't.

 

[sudsmaster]

My Neptune 7500 also offers a warm/warm wash/rinse temp selection. Moreover, if you select the "stain cycle", then the first rinse will be the same temp as the wash. This means that you can have a hot wash followed by a hot rinse - something NO other modern consumer machine seems to do (unless it's hidden in a pre-selection). I routinely use this option when using soap and STPP instead of detergent.

Additionally, I've noticed that the "warm rinse" option, at least on the 7500, is really a "tempered cold" rinse, in that it regulates at 80F, not the 105F of a warm wash. I'm assuming most modern washers' "warm rinse" isn't truly warm but rather a lukewarm setting also. Yet another reason to use the stain cycle.

What else the stain cycle does is insert pauses between each tumble pattern, effectively lengthening the wash cycle by about 50%. This is why if I would normally select a 16 minute wash, with stain cycle I'll select a 10 minute wash, and the wash time will still be about 16 minutes. Thus I can get a true warm or hot first rinse without the cycle taking any longer than normal.

BTW, I'm still experiencing very nice results with the Ivory soap/STPP combination. I haven't found any need for fabric softener or even vinegar. Towels come out more fluffy and absorbant. Sheets come out both crisp and smooth/soft, esp when line-dried. Dark colors seem to look better, also, freed of the nearly ubiquitous optical brightener fluorescent dye conundrum. No sign of graying of whites, either.

 

[peteski50]

Speed Queen

I am so happy they extended the main wash cycle period. I do feel that the 24 minutes should have a option to shorten that if the clothes are lightly soiled. But you can't have everything, after all we appliance people do not design the specs. I also feel they could have added a prewash / soak, but the rinse / spin could be used for that option.
Peter

 

[sudsman]

This mabe be the machine for us now

Its good to see SQ finally got it together Theis just may be what I am looking for. Need a little bit mor info .. Am going to contact my distributor today.

 

[tomturbomatic]

In most front loaders that offer a warm rinse setting, only one rinse is warm, the last one. In some toploaders of the WP persuasion, a warm rinse is what used to be called cool.

 

[oxydolfan1]

Approximately how much do the Speed Queen front-loaders run?

 

[peterh770]

They don't run much; they have very short legs.

 

[mrb627]

Water Level Adjustment?

I wonder if the Speed Queen machines still use a mechanical water level pressure switch. One that could be slightly tweaked if desired.

MRB

 

[sudsmaster]

Get a leg up

The previous models seemed to sell for between $1200 and $1500 for the different washer models (heated version most expensive). I would expect the new versions to be in the same ballpark.

 

[gansky1]

Peter - what'cha been up to lately and what's his name? You've been almost giddy in your posts lately, anyone we know??

 

[Bearpeter]

How can SQ be good at cleaning/stains with 24 mins wash?

My AEG spends no less than 85 mins on the wash before moving on to 60 mins completing 4 rinses and final spin. Now that cleans the hell out of ANYTHING!

Not impressed with this machine after reading the manual...

 

[oxydolfan1]

I'm not impressed with the price range and the limited availability....

 

[peterh770]

Well, my Miele spends 48 minutes in the cotton main wash and even 30 minutes in the delicate main wash, and it cleans the hell out of anything, so I guess that debunks that you need an 85 minute wash to get anything clean...

The SQ probably does just fine with 24 minutes.

Yeah the price is a bit high, and for whatever reason, Alliance is not teaming up with any big retailer, so limited availability will have to be dealt with. But really, once you purchase your machine, is limited availability really an issue?

 

[whirlcool]

Remember, one of Speed Queens selling points is that all the gearing in the transmission is metal, no plastic gears are used there. So I imagine that is not cheap to manufacture and probably contributes to the higher price of the machine.

 

[revvinkevin]

The price of new machines....

$1200 - $1500 for a new SQ front loader? That seems right in there with other middle to upper-line models from LG, Bosch, Siemans (giggle) or even Whirlpool and Kitchenaid!!

 

[Bearpeter]

Peter 770...touche!

suppose youre right. Most of the time the AEG is heating up to about 40 degrees, plateau-ing there for a while and then heating up to temp. I imagine your miele does the same....
Would be nice for someone to find the optimum time to clean everything perfectly and maybe save us all some time.

Still think the SQ times are a joke (ducks and runs flippin' fast)

 

[irishwashguy]

i have the link for the Queens Chanmber right here

Take a look. Those machines with the big doors look really good. Just click on the home laundry link.

http://www.speedqueen.com/

 

[irishwashguy]

The # to the Queens Chambers

Here is their toll free #---They will give you the wash times. Or at least they should---1-800-345-5649

 

[oxydolfan1]

It's weird....Speed Queen apparently never did catch on around here. I've never known anyone who owned one in this area...

 

[sudsmaster]

If you get the TOL SQ front loader model, the one with the heater, then the wash times could be a lot longer than 24 minutes. That's because the machine will pause when the heater is on, and according to the manual, that could add anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. So that 24 minute wash could become 84 minutes, just by selecting "boosted hot". Of course, you'll get 140F water, but that should be just fine for all but non-colorfast cottons, washable woolens, or very delicate items. And if you're getting delicates so dirty they need longer than 24 minutes... try wearing an apron next time.

 

[launderess]

Very Long Wash Times, Such Stuff and Nonesense

American laundry detergetns both HE and otherwise are desigened with that market's laundry habits in mind. That is to say are quite "aggressive" detergents designed to work quickly and effectively within short wash times. This no doubt developed from top loading washing machines which usually had maximum 18 minutes or so wash times, but could always be extended by resetting the timer.

Amercian washing machines by and large do not spend time heating wash water like European machines, that alone takes anywhere from 10 minutes or more (depending upon such variables such as incoming water temp/chosen wash temp, and heating power of the machine). The preferred method of whitening within the United States is chlorine bleach, which works quite quickly and indeed will harm textiles with long exposure times.

Now, SQ's former max wash time for cottons of 9 minutes probably was good enough for most loads, but because the machine lacked a method for extending wash times, besides aborting the cycle and starting over, many consumers simply assumed their laundry would not come clean.

American laundry detergents, again keeping with short wash cycle designs of most machines, will loose effectiveness with very long wash cycles. That is to say the ability to hold soils and muck in suspension and keep them away from laundry is not indefinite. After about 15 minutes or so the formula will weaken and that can lead to soils being redeposited right back onto laundry.

Good laundry practice is a combination of time, temperature, mechanical action and chemicals. An increase in any variable leads to a decrease in the others. That is to say powerful chemicals will require less time, temp and even mechanical action than weaker. The only chemicals in todays modern detergents that benefit from long contact times are enzymes and oxygen bleach. Again American wash habits prefer chlorine bleach for stain removal, even with detergents that contain enzymes (which LCB deactivates).

One bug-bear for Americans towards front loaders is the LONG cycle times of some machines. Again unlike Madame La France, Mrs. Average American Housewife is not used to doing small amounts of laundry each day. Rather the stuff builds up and is done once weekly (if that). If a families entire wash was mainly white/colourfast cottons that could all be laundered in hot water with bleach, then a machine that took over an hour *might* not prove such a bother, but that rarely is the case. With several loads of laundry to do most Americans do not wish to prolong the chore any longer than necessary. One reason I've kept the Hoover TT around despite the extra work and dreadful noise, is there are simply times one does not wish to wait ages for the Miele to do a load of laundry. If the Hoover weren't around, probably would look for a small vintage portable/compact top loader for the same purpose.

It is a pity Alliance didn't make some design adjustment for short or long cycles. Eariler "Homestyle" washers had timer controls, do not understand why SQ felt the need to abandon that design for such and inflexible replacement.