SQ FL vs Miele 3033
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Miele cabinet
John,
I don't know why you find that the Miele cabinet is too small. My 21 year old Miele never ever once had a problem with that. The drum never banged into the sides when doing a spin with an unbalanced load.
John,
I don't know why you find that the Miele cabinet is too small. My 21 year old Miele never ever once had a problem with that. The drum never banged into the sides when doing a spin with an unbalanced load.
@bobo:
It's unrealistic to expect anything built in the U.S. to be built from 100% U.S. parts.
Look at the 100% Canadian items. Other than poutain, the list is pretty short.
Even a washer built in China probably has parts from Myanmar and Viet Nam.
I build things out of Canadian lumber occasionally, it's not by choice, it's just what is available at the time I need it.
It's unrealistic to expect anything built in the U.S. to be built from 100% U.S. parts.
Look at the 100% Canadian items. Other than poutain, the list is pretty short.
Even a washer built in China probably has parts from Myanmar and Viet Nam.
I build things out of Canadian lumber occasionally, it's not by choice, it's just what is available at the time I need it.
@Iowegian
I understand that almost nothing is 100% made in a specific country these days, but I was saying that electronics made in China - especially the whole panel - are probably not as reliable as something made in Korea or Taiwan. Now I hope most of the electronics in the Miele do not come from China!
I understand that almost nothing is 100% made in a specific country these days, but I was saying that electronics made in China - especially the whole panel - are probably not as reliable as something made in Korea or Taiwan. Now I hope most of the electronics in the Miele do not come from China!
Spain...
A little research yields that Speed Queen's sources its circuit cards from Spain.
To be honest this is really simple stuff and many companies use China for assembly of much more complex products including Apple. I paid my dues overseeing an off shore production effort. It has everything to do with supervision. We had no problems with the low cost assembly house.
That said there are things I completely avoid from China where they have a track record of failure such as motor run capacitors (e.g. in air conditioning units, etc).
My decision to go with SQ over Miele had ultimately focused on the life cycle cost of the machine, lack of freely available parts, etc. I would never judge Miele as poorly engineered. Perhaps I don't need the Porsche of front loaders in my laundry room...
A little research yields that Speed Queen's sources its circuit cards from Spain.
To be honest this is really simple stuff and many companies use China for assembly of much more complex products including Apple. I paid my dues overseeing an off shore production effort. It has everything to do with supervision. We had no problems with the low cost assembly house.
That said there are things I completely avoid from China where they have a track record of failure such as motor run capacitors (e.g. in air conditioning units, etc).
My decision to go with SQ over Miele had ultimately focused on the life cycle cost of the machine, lack of freely available parts, etc. I would never judge Miele as poorly engineered. Perhaps I don't need the Porsche of front loaders in my laundry room...
mrb627
Well-known member
Miele
Well, after having used both brands for a while, I would choose the Speed Queen over the Miele if I had to do it over.
However, I do not mean to imply that the Miele machine is a poor performer. That simply isn't true. Simply put, the HYPE over the Miele machines is a bit bloated for what it is. The Miele is not the Holy Grail that I believed it would be. It doesn't perform with the finesse that my Miele dishwasher does. It will BANG the sides of the cabinet when ramping up to spin. It has failed to determine whether or not the load has been distributed properly quite a few times.
Rinsing is adequate, but no better than the Speed Queen, yet the Speed Queen seems to complete rinsing in less than half the time of the Miele.
Now none of these issues/observations is a showstopper. I wont be dragging these machines to the curb. Will I keep these long term. Doubtful. But my normal routine is to cycle through machines every couple of years anyway.
Malcolm
Well, after having used both brands for a while, I would choose the Speed Queen over the Miele if I had to do it over.
However, I do not mean to imply that the Miele machine is a poor performer. That simply isn't true. Simply put, the HYPE over the Miele machines is a bit bloated for what it is. The Miele is not the Holy Grail that I believed it would be. It doesn't perform with the finesse that my Miele dishwasher does. It will BANG the sides of the cabinet when ramping up to spin. It has failed to determine whether or not the load has been distributed properly quite a few times.
Rinsing is adequate, but no better than the Speed Queen, yet the Speed Queen seems to complete rinsing in less than half the time of the Miele.
Now none of these issues/observations is a showstopper. I wont be dragging these machines to the curb. Will I keep these long term. Doubtful. But my normal routine is to cycle through machines every couple of years anyway.
Malcolm
Not every piece and part can realistically be sourced from the U.S., in the case of Speed Queen, nor can every piece and part be realistically sourced from Germany, in the case of Miele.
Intent is important, IMO.
When you see something in a store that says, "Proudly assembled in the USA!", what does that mean? If it were really and truly "Made in the USA", it would say so.
And I'm not trying to infer that Speed Queen is trying to play games, but I see labeling differentation on lots of products. I guess there is an FTC definition of what "Made in the USA" means, and lots of products don't clear that hurdle.
Intent is important, IMO.
When you see something in a store that says, "Proudly assembled in the USA!", what does that mean? If it were really and truly "Made in the USA", it would say so.
And I'm not trying to infer that Speed Queen is trying to play games, but I see labeling differentation on lots of products. I guess there is an FTC definition of what "Made in the USA" means, and lots of products don't clear that hurdle.
If the device has any sort of electronic parts-they can be from almost anywhere.-even though the machine was "assembled" in the US.
Got it...
Got the SQ FL machine installed today and have been washing everything not nailed down. Great machine.
Thanks to everyone for their advice!
One immediate question. What is the secret to getting the leveling feet adjusted so the machine doesn't walk with a less than completely balanced load? For reference the machine is bolted to a SQ platform, sitting on a concrete slab.
Got the SQ FL machine installed today and have been washing everything not nailed down. Great machine.
Thanks to everyone for their advice!
One immediate question. What is the secret to getting the leveling feet adjusted so the machine doesn't walk with a less than completely balanced load? For reference the machine is bolted to a SQ platform, sitting on a concrete slab.
I would say first to check that the installers really got it leveled side-to-side and front-to-back. If you have a good carpenter's level you can check that - and if they didn't do a good job, I'd call them back to correct.
Getting 4 adjustable legs set correctly and locked down takes some time, and a lot of installers won't take the time to do it correctly.
Getting 4 adjustable legs set correctly and locked down takes some time, and a lot of installers won't take the time to do it correctly.
Oh, and make sure the installers removed the bracket that keeps the tub from bouncing around in transit.
There's a painfully obvious blue tab that sticks out the front of the machine that's attached to the shock absorber isolators that needs to be removed, but dipwad installers could fail to remove the steel bracket and bolts that keeps the tub from bouncing around...if they did their job right they should have turned over all that stuff to you to re-use in case you move.
There's a painfully obvious blue tab that sticks out the front of the machine that's attached to the shock absorber isolators that needs to be removed, but dipwad installers could fail to remove the steel bracket and bolts that keeps the tub from bouncing around...if they did their job right they should have turned over all that stuff to you to re-use in case you move.
Installation issue...
The hard to reach leg wasn't locked... After leveling the machine and eliminating rocking due to a nonuniform floor, I still had to employ the adhesive floor anchor pads to prevent the machine from sliding on the tile (e.g. tile over concrete). But at this juncture the machine no longer walks and I can run it unsupervised. Vibration is still alarming for anything but an empty drum.
Malcolm - If you read this, I noticed in another thread you had difficulty with the Imperial mounted on the SQ pedestal base with respect to wobble. You cited the repair person gave you pointers on leveling the machine. Could you comment on what you did to resolve this issue?
www.automaticwasher.org
The hard to reach leg wasn't locked... After leveling the machine and eliminating rocking due to a nonuniform floor, I still had to employ the adhesive floor anchor pads to prevent the machine from sliding on the tile (e.g. tile over concrete). But at this juncture the machine no longer walks and I can run it unsupervised. Vibration is still alarming for anything but an empty drum.
Malcolm - If you read this, I noticed in another thread you had difficulty with the Imperial mounted on the SQ pedestal base with respect to wobble. You cited the repair person gave you pointers on leveling the machine. Could you comment on what you did to resolve this issue?
Speed Queen Washers (current models)
I understand a few members have purchased new Speed Queen top load washers in which the water level seemed a little low. An adjustment can be made to increase the water level to what a normal user would expect to see. My question is how low was the lowest water level before the adjustment was...
www.automaticwasher.org
My theory ....
The machine would perform much better without the thin steel box underneath...
if you look at many commercial machines that are on pedestal bases or legs the metal is very thick in the corners or legs...
You need the bottom of the suspension struts within the washer to be making contact with a solid floor with minimum distance....those box pedestals just enhance that gap and any deviation, vibration or judder is just multiplied.
Also compound that with smooth ceramic tiles and "here comes ya washer meeting you at the door" you are wise to use sticky pads!!
Happy washing, Mike
The machine would perform much better without the thin steel box underneath...
if you look at many commercial machines that are on pedestal bases or legs the metal is very thick in the corners or legs...
You need the bottom of the suspension struts within the washer to be making contact with a solid floor with minimum distance....those box pedestals just enhance that gap and any deviation, vibration or judder is just multiplied.
Also compound that with smooth ceramic tiles and "here comes ya washer meeting you at the door" you are wise to use sticky pads!!
Happy washing, Mike
mrb627
Well-known member
Levelling Advice
Generally, the technicians were being instructed to place the stand in position by itself. Perform leveling and lock the feet into position, then mark the floor with the position of the stand. Mount the stand on the machine and then place into position. Fine tune as needed.
The afterwards instructions were to balance and lock the legs into postion without the rubber pads in place. Then install the rubber feet.
Malcolm
Generally, the technicians were being instructed to place the stand in position by itself. Perform leveling and lock the feet into position, then mark the floor with the position of the stand. Mount the stand on the machine and then place into position. Fine tune as needed.
The afterwards instructions were to balance and lock the legs into postion without the rubber pads in place. Then install the rubber feet.
Malcolm
The techs instructions sound like a variation of what is in the manuals for the machine and stand, perhaps making the job a little easier on the tech. I spoke with SQ today and they told me to expect 1/8 to 1/4 inch side to side movement without a stand and was not impressed when I cited 1/2 inch with the stand. Additionally they concurred that using the sticky pads on tile is a requirement to prevent walking.
Stainless cabinet? Not so much...
SQ's advertisement for the Imperial machine cites a stainless cabinet. My washer only has a stainless top and front. Everything else is painted boiler grey over what I assume is not stainless. Also SQ didn't put their name plate on the machine (e.g. it doesn't say Speed Queen anywhere on the machine.) I'm still trying to get an answer on why.
SQ's advertisement for the Imperial machine cites a stainless cabinet. My washer only has a stainless top and front. Everything else is painted boiler grey over what I assume is not stainless. Also SQ didn't put their name plate on the machine (e.g. it doesn't say Speed Queen anywhere on the machine.) I'm still trying to get an answer on why.
mrb627
Well-known member
Stainless
My machines are totally stainless on all sides. You should post a few pics to compare.
Malcolm
My machines are totally stainless on all sides. You should post a few pics to compare.
Malcolm
According to Consumer Reports' tests: Vibration is a problem with Speed Queen front-loaders. They received only a "Fair" rating in that category.
