Test Load Results: Speed Queen AWN 542

[washman]

Frocco

Believe me when I tell you ordering the AWN 542 is not a mistake! Trust me, I am very happy with my machine and if it was not up to par, I would let everyone know.

This is the last of the old school top loaders built like a tank, not to a price point to satisfy a BIG BOX VP of cheap merchandise.

Yes it uses more water than a FL. But it cleans and at the end of the day, that is what a TL or FL machine is supposed to do.

 

[frocco]

Thanks washman....

My washer/dryer should be here by next week.
Does SQ clean any better than other TLer's?

My old maching was an Amana

 

[frigilux]

Olav-- I debated using the Prewash rather than the Soak cycle, but I was busy around the house and it was easier to set the temp at warm for the soak, then return to the washer later to reset the control to hot, add more detergent, and let the Normal cycle do its thing.

I do want to use the Prewash one of these days, just to see how it works. Someone said the US version of the AWN542 spins the water out after the Prewash, which means either diluting liquid detergent and adding it to the softener dispenser, or returning to the washer at the right time to add detergent when the Normal cycle begins.

Frank-- You don't know how many times I wish I had purchased pedestals for my front-loader! But I use the top of the washer & dryer to fold clothes, and there's a cupboard right above them, so the pedestals wouldn't have worked, anyway. I can't believe how much they charge for the pedestals---it's crazy.

 

[washman]

frocco, that is always a matter of opinion

Plus there are lots of factors involved.
*how dirty is the laundry?
*type of detergent? Is is budget stuff or Tide or Whisk?
*minerals in water
*length of cycle
*temp of water

Does my machine clean in a manner that suits me? Yes it does. Did my 14 year old plastic tub GE clean properly for me? Yes it did.

My lifestyle is such that my laundry needs are not demanding in terms of raw cleaning abiltiy. Most of what I deal with is smoke odor and basic B/O that permeates clothes. Thus I don't need steam, sanitize, etc. I just need a machine that lets me put the stuff in, set the cycle, add detergent, select water level and be done. I live alone so I wear ALL the hats taking care of my home. I work 5 10-11 hour days week in and week out, so I cannot have a machine that takes over an hour just to wash. Which is why I detest my eco-GE dishwasher that takes nearly 3 hours to do a load on NORMAL. God only knows how long it would take if I used the "heavy" cycle! But that is a different topic!

 

[yogitunes]

Eugene

Sears Ultra Plus......not sure if its still on sale....was there last week, it was one of their Hardware/Appliance only locations!

I prefer the one with DoubleEnzymes.....

and NOT in the sales ad....but only the SUP with built in Softener was on sale in the Largest 275 load box.....was 12.99.....and with using my rewards card.....I paid 7.00 a box....

so I got 4 of them...for about the normal price of one!

the smaller boxes of the others were one sale as well for 11.99

 

[frigilux]

Martin-- I have a box of "double enzyme" Sears detergent. It cleans well, removes quite a few stains, and rinses out well, even in soft water. I use it for loads of bath towels in the front-loader. Towels love to hang on to suds in softened water, and the Sears detergent rinses out more thoroughly than my daily driver, Tide. WIll be interesting to see what the Fuller 86 detergent is like. Hadn't heard of it 'til Ben mentioned it in another thread. Online reviews at Amazon were excellent, both for cleaning and thorough rinsing.

Ben-- Dishwasher cycles certainly have gotten ridiculously long on some machines. My 2008 LG (model 9810) reads 2:19 for a Normal cycle with no options, but it rarely ever takes that long. It's usually done anywhere from 90 to 105 minutes. I almost always select the 160-degree final rinse, which adds only a few minutes to the cycle. My water heater stays at 140 degrees, so that may account for having some time shaved off the cycle. Also, unless there's really a lot of crap in the water, the LG will opt for fewer water changes. As long as everything comes out sparkling, no problem. I have my sights set on a top-end Bosch, but it'll be awhile. I don't allow myself to put appliances on credit cards anymore, so I have a lot of saving to do.

 

[mickeyd]

Your tests are always a ball, Eugene. SO THANKS! A Classic

First I've heard of the new Wisk. Will of course go out and buy a jug today and try it on my habitual stains of dark chocolate, red wine, and berry juices: blue, straw, and rasp. Your tests and results are always exciting and motivating. Can't wait to see what the new Wisk will do in the Cold Water Mark XII, and elsewhere. So many thrilling new options abound today for laundry experimentation. Dazzlinggguee and dizzyinggguuee. [this post was last edited: 10/14/2013-17:49]

 

[frigilux]

Thanks, mickeyd! I love putting a new washer through its paces.  I'm already staining some dish towels to wash this weekend.  I want to see how it does on a load of kitchen whites without a soak cycle or liquid chlorine bleach.  I also want to wash a stained load in warm water to see if cleaning is hampered.  The machine earned only a score of "Good" for cleaning in Consumer Reports, and I want to see if the 'cool-ish' warm water setting CR tests with is the reason for that.  CR also tests in hard water, which I can't replicate, but it will be interesting to see how much reduced water temperatures will affect cleaning ability.  Given hot, soft water and a top-shelf detergent, the SQ's cleaning ability has been excellent.  

 

Had the Frigidaire Immersion Care been able to use truly hot water I think it would have been more consistent in cleaning tough loads without resorting to the fabric-wearing Stain Treat setting (also known as The Eternity Cycle, LOL).  I understand the need for a machine to default to energy-saving settings, but to not be given the option to use hot water when it's needed is frustrating.

 

Speaking of which, I visited the young woman who has custody of the Immersion Care.  I had explained how to get the best results from it, and she reports that it's does a great job for her.  Frankly, I think she's still giddy about no longer having to go to the laundromat .   Believing a good guest always brings a little something for the host/hostess, I knocked on the door with a jug of Wisk Deep Clean in hand.

 

Ben-- Just received an update from Amazon, and the Fuller 86 is slated to be delivered on Friday afternoon.  With any luck I'll be using it this weekend.

[this post was last edited: 10/15/2013-05:53]

 

[DADoES]

Wisk report

 
Picked up a bottle of Wisk Deep Clean couple days ago.  Used it on a load of whites this afternoon in the Neppy TL, line 3 dose.  It (the Neppy TL) doesn't rinse as well as the Calypso, even with Extra Rinse selected (3 rinses total).  There were some suds in the wash toward the end.  None in the drum through any of the rinses although the final rinse drain had a little foaming.  Cleaning performance seems very good, but hard to judge being as I did use a 1/3 cup LCB (Clorox brand) on the load.  Majority of the items were the grandmother's, a hand towel and pair of sweatpants had some burgundy nail polish smears which shifted 99% without any pretreating (a smidgeon left on the sweats).

 

[frigilux]

Glenn-- I need to test the detergent without the addition of bleach, as well. Will do that with another uber-stained load of whites this weekend. I'm really liking the Wisk, and it's formulated for use in standard and HE machines, which is handy. If I stick to Line #2 in the cap it seems to rinse out all right; but more than that and the suds become more tenacious.