SQ FL vs Miele 3033

[vsc]

I have been nursing along a F&P top loader for some time, but at this juncture the machine is at the point where the cost of parts exceeds my interest in playing with it. Based upon my reading here and other places, I have narrowed my focus to the SQ Imperial washer and a Miele 3033. With respect to the SQ my primary concern is the lack of an integrated heater, but in theory I could employ an inline on demand water heater as a solution. Additionally I appreciate the ability to simply increase water usage with a simple tweak. Note that in discussion with an engineer at SQ I was told that over the life of the machine they have cut the water use in half with no other changes (e.g. there is no issue with putting the machine back to where it was designed with respect to water usage).

On the other hand I must admit as an engineer I really can appreciate the design of the Miele machines and have had my eye on owning one for many years. That said while Miele's reputation is a low rate of failures, I'm rather scared of the cost for parts, etc which drives me back toward owning the SQ.

Yesterday I found a thread where someone benched their Imperial set for Miele which makes me think I should simply put aside my fear of Miele cost of ownership and just get the Miele.

Thoughts?

 

[bobo]

I'm looking for a new washer as well (my current one ain't dead yet, so I still have time to look around), and have narrowed down my choices to SQ and Miele. Although I've been assured many times on this forum that the drum in the Miele is more than adequate for a family of three, I still think the capacity is a little small. The SQ has a bigger drum, but compared to the Miele, it's not as refined in the materials used, and the available settings are limited. However, if you like simplicity, I think the SQ is easier to operate (because I'm a technophobe). One more thing - the switches on the SQ are electronic, not mechanical like on traditional toploaders. Hope this helps.

 

[vsc]

In another thread a table was provided which maps basket capacity in volume to weight. A portion of the table is reproduced below that suggests the difference between the two machines is 1.2 lbs of dry laundry. This doesn't seem to be enough to make a difference in a practical sense.

Notable is if we assume this table is correct it suggests that manufactures are generous with respect to their stated capacity in weight. I discussed this with a coworker from the UK and he thought SQ's cited capacity of 2.8 ft3 equals 18 lbs was too high from his experience.

Container volume Test load
cu. ft. liter lb kg
2.50-2.60 70.8-73.6 10.50 4.76
2.80-2.90 79.3-82.1 11.70 5.31

Why a Miele?

So like I said in my Previous post, I own a Miele washer and dryer, so now that I have bought it why did I just spend a rediculous amount on them? Can anybody support my purchase with some arguments that it is not such a bad washer and dryer. regards

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[launderess]

Miele

First thing is to make sure there is local Miele service in your area. If there isn't you could be waiting weeks for a service call as Miele must schedule someone from the nearest area which could be the next city or even state.

Both SQ and Miele have excellent build quality but offer differences that mainly affect how one does the wash.

SQ washers are basically the same as their on premises/laundromat machines with a few more bells and whistles. Cycle wise things are what they are with little room for customer modifications. In short a washing machine built to process laundry quickly day in and day out for years.

Miele washers allow various consumer (and tech if one knows how to get into the system) variable such as increasing water levels, number of rinses, and so forth. The heater on Miele units is more engaged than on SQ IIRC.

Parts:

If you are handy working on all but the most difficult job on a SQ *should* in theory be easy as parts are local to the USA. MieleUSA OTHO is the only supplier of parts for those machines so even if you do the repair yourself you still are on the hook for paying whatever they charge for parts. If you can match the American unit to a EU counterpart it *may* be cheaper to source parts abroad (unlike the USA in the UK or Europe one can purchase Miele spares all over the place, not just from the company), but depending upon exchange rates it may not be *that* much cheaper and you still would have to pay postage.

Being as this may quite honestly once the first year is out anything that was going to go wrong should have done so by then, so if you purchase Miele things should be good for ten or so more years. Long as one does not abuse the unit and otherwise takes proper care. However all things made by man can and do break down. There are complaints about Miele units < five years needed expensive repairs and Miele not offering to foot the bill.

 

[qualin]

When I was shopping for a machine, my choice was between the Huebsch Front loader, which is the same as a Speed Queen, or a Miele IntelliQ 100, which is the same as the W4840.

The SQ won hands down over the Miele for a few different reasons:

- Since it was based upon a commercial machine, there were many service depots I could go to, to go get parts or hire a repair technician to take a look at it.
- While the Huebsch had a 3.3 cu.ft drum as opposed to the 4.0 cu.ft drum of the Miele, the SQ drum had larger holes, which means better washing action in my eyes.
- The Huebsch/SQ came with a 3 year parts and labour warranty and a 5 year parts warranty, whereas the Miele only came with a 1 year parts and labour warranty only.
- The Huebsch Washer/Dryer set was nearly $1200 cheaper than the Miele.
- The Huebsch/SQ FL is rated to 25,000 loads, the Miele only rated to 10,000.
- The controls are easy to use, simplistic and have realistic cycles. The Miele has more cycles, but I didn't think I needed them.
- Alliance (Who makes SQ/Huebsch) is based out of Ripon, WI.. so I know I can have parts overnighted to me if I need them quick.
- While I'm Canadian, I'm still supporting North American jobs by buying Alliance.

I'm not sure why Malcolm switched from using his SQ to Miele machines.. Perhaps he liked the better cycle selection and the smaller drum for his personal use.

 

[mrb627]

Changes

I am the member who owns both the Speed Queen Imperial set and the Miele. I have had the Miele set in operation since mid-July.

If I had to buy a set all over again, knowing what I know now and having used both machines, I would have to choose the Speed Queen set over the Miele. Its just a hands down better built machine!

Malcolm

 

[vacfanatic]

Miele Vote

Malcolm,

I was a bit surprised that your opinion was that the Speed Queen was better built than the Miele. I've seen a few Speed queens (even a newer front loader), and I didn't feel that the build quality was better than Miele. While the Speed Queens are definitely well built, I felt the door hinge, drum boot, and the drum itself felt much cheaper than the W3033. The detergent drawer also felt flimsy in person. Another note I felt made the Speed Queen fall below Miele was there seemed to be more noise from the machine during operation than the Miele.

What parts of the W3035 did you not like, I'm curious?

We all have our own views and opinions, and I respect your opinion of the Speed Queen, but I had to ask what you thought was not very good.

Attached are a couple of pics of the W3033 insides (same as W3035).

Andrew

 

[vacfanatic]

 

[vacfanatic]

 

[Iowegian]

There's no better advice available than from the person that has owned both.

I'd just point out that the Speed Queen Imperial sells for a significant premium over the standard white Speen Queen front (AFN50F) and rear (AFN50R) control models. And they are the same machine inside. So, if you can do without the stainless steel, there's an opportunity to save some money.

Plus the SQ is made in the USA and your purchase dollars stay here rather than heading overseas.

 

[vacfanatic]

 

[Iowegian]

Does anyone know the preferred brand of laundromat equipment in the EU? Or Oz/NZ?

Just curious, because SQ/Alliance seems to be the dominant player in the U.S. and I was wondering who has that role elsewhere.

 

[launderess]

It Varies

Miele, and IIRC Primus amoung others are very big.

Most laundromat washers in Europe are of the same self heating you find in domestic setting, though some will use steam from a central boiler instead of electic power to provide the heat.

 

[ronhic]

It really depends

We've recently done a very long (6,000 miles long!) return holiday by car to Western Australia and back which has required use of the odd caravan park laundry every now and then.

Generally speaking, Maytag and SQ top loaders have been the order of the day...none of which I felt actually cleaned my clothes particularly well.

They were, however, fast.

On another note, for those of you contemplating a holiday in Oz, consider caravan parks as a very viable alternative to motels and hotels....2 bedroom fully self contained cabins (2 beds, bathroom, lounge/diner and full kitchen) were generally the same price as a reasonable motel room....staying with the big chains, cabins were scrupulously clean, private and it gave you options to self cater from BBQ to doing a roast.

...and these were one of the best.

http://www.big4.com.au/

 

[combo52]

Speed Queen FL Washer, Better Built Than A Miele

Yes absolutely, Andrew all your pictures of your new Miele show all the cheap plastic fasteners and other plastic under the top. A SQ FL washer is much more rugged, also the cabinet is way too small on the Miele washer to allow a safe amount of room for the tub assembly to move without possible damage. Remember the SQs are true laundromat machines designed for a life of up to 25,000 loads, 2 1/2 times longer than Mieles estimated life of 10,000 loads.

 

 

A SQ FL Washer is built more like a tank where the Miele are built more German cars, very good engineering yes, but be prepared to pay for the machine more than once and if you live in the US be sure you have a backup washer for the long periods when you are trying to get it repaired. LOL

 

[vsc]

I had a frank discussion with SQ on the reliability and failure modes of the front loader in question. It was cited in the conversation that seal / bearing assembly failures occur most frequently in commercial applications (e.g. OPL). When I asked what drives the failures it was cited that SQ's belief is unbalanced loads cause earlier failure and it is best to run the machine at capacity with a mixed load such that the machine has the best chance to run balanced. For home use the engineer told me "take your best shot we build it strong". Notable is that I was also told that repair is a simple procedure where the bearing / seal assembly can be swapped quickly and the cost is low. Checking the web the assembly is as low as $115.

 

[combo52]

Speed Queen FL Washer, Better Built Than A Miele

Yes absolutely, Andrew all your pictures of your new Miele show all the cheap plastic fasteners and other plastic under the top. A SQ FL washer is much more rugged, also the cabinet is way too small on the Miele washer to allow a safe amount of room for the tub assembly to move without possible damage.

 

 

A SQ FL Washer is built more like a tank where the Miele are built more German cars, very good engineering yes, but be prepared to pay for the machine more than once and if you live in the US be sure you have a backup washer for the long periods when you are trying to get it repaired. LOL

 

[bobo]

The last time I visited the SQ dealer, the salesperson told me that her customers have had electrical problems with their FLs after 5 years. It's mainly due to the electrical switches on the panel, since they're sourced from somewhere else *cough* China/Mexico.

 

[combo52]

Switch Problems with SQ FL Washers

 BoBo

 

As a SQ dealer for over 5 years we have yet to have replaced any electrical parts in the control panels of SQ FL washers, yes some of their switches are Chinese and Mexican.

 

Miele also uses quite a few Chinese parts in their washer and other appliances.