Washer Choice,

[laundryboy]

Hi Everyone,
I have to buy a new washer and dryer for my house in NY, I am debating between the new LG front load steam washer and dryer in Graphite gray, or a Speed queen top loader and dryer.. Any advice would be great
Chris

 

[pierreandreply4]

i would go with the speed queen top load washer awn542 with matching dryer

 

[henene4]

SQ is of course the winner of reliability ratings.
LG on the other hand wins in terms of efficency and features.
I don't know the water rates of NY, but I guess they won't be low after all.
So if you think the more as twice as big water usage of the SQ would be problem in terms of cost, the LG might be your better choice, though only haveing an estimated lifespan of 5-8 years.

 

[washman]

Second what pierreandreply4 said.

 

[mtn1584]

Speed Queen and only Speed Queen

no way would I buy Korean made LG!
What part of New York? Yhere are alot of independent dealers that sell Speed Queen washers and dryers.
Mike

 

[laundromat]

Hate to burst your bubble,Mike but,most appliance parts are made oversseas. Not in the US. So quality,convenience,reliability,performance,and features weigh more then where the product is "assembled".
I have three LG front loading Tromms. Two have steam another is the 5.2 washer and matching dryer. The only repairs were a new door lock assembly on one and the other had to be overhauled from somebody washing lava rocks in it. Seriously!! "Magic Mushrooms" were rampid n the area this washer was abused.Anyway, LG paid for all my parts on it . All I had to pay was labor. If the life expectancy is so low,how the hell has their rating in both washers and dryers been the best overall and had the fewest repairs of ANY other brand??? Top loaders are water and power hogs. They tear clothes from the agitator blades and cause lint from fraying the fabric. They can't easily wash tents,shoes,backpacks,sleeping bags,area rugs,queen or king size down comforters,pillows or stuffed toys like my LGs do easily and with awesome results.
The washers are direct drive. No pullies,no gears,no belts. Extremely user friendly,extremely quiet,warm rinse option,steam,sanitize and rinse only cycles along.with quick wash 22 minute cycle with a wash washand two deep rinses. The tilted drum and balance control make it purr when it spins up to 1300 rpms. Because of no sharp Edges,theirs little ware ant tare on clothes. That's why the dryer has less lint build up. The anual energy cost to operate averages $9 to $11!!!

The dryers get clothes so dry so fast! Our water AND power bills went down considerably. I got the big ones last Summer for just under $2100. They're 29" wide and stacked. Interior lights to turn on and watch ad the drums are stainless steel. Quiet too . Almost silent.

 

[mattl]

I can't conceive of ever buying a top load machine again - to me it makes no sense.  Much less water and detergent are used in FL units and I feel they are kinder to the clothing.  Plus I like the steam and heat options that cannot be matched in a TL machine.

 

[laundromat]

I agree with you,Matt. More versatility,safer on the environment,better , more thorough but gentle fabric care,easier to watch without opening a door,quieter and easy maintenance. The high speed spins are another feature I personally have always prefered. My old Askos spoiled me with their wopping 1800 rpm spins.

 

[hvtech42]

I agree that the LG's are good washers overall. I have one now that had some issues at the beginning, but most of the other brands have similar complaints, andI know there are many people who have had no issues with theirs. Consumer Reports surveys showed a 6% repair rate, which beats out all the other front load brands and I believe is equivalent to their findings for SQ top loaders. I have heard technicians praise how easy the LGs are to get service manuals and other tech info for, and how they are relatively easy to work on. I agree with laundromat's point, it seems like people often like to bash products just because they are made in other countries. The US assembled stuff is filled with imported parts anyway.

IMO The only laundry manufacturer that really is setting themselves apart these days in terms of quality is Speed Queen. I'm not trying to say LG's front loader is anywhere near as well made as theirs. But, is LG really worse than Whirlpool, GE, Frigidaire, etc?

 

[washman]

But the question is

1. How expensive will it be to fix? Things break.
2. How easy to fix?

I have had doubts for a long time now about the proliferation of all these cycles that, oddly enough, didn't exist years ago and our garments are made from more or less the same stuff (cotton, rayon, polyester, and the like). Now if we had some new age fabric that COULD be washed with a couple of pints of water, sure I'd be all for it. Always looking to reduce expenses where practical.

Steam? Sanitize? Really? What study has proved that we need those?

The SQ is a good, basic old school TL machine. It uses water, too much according to some, but the end results are clean laundry. It lacks any sort of whiz bang do-dads that go beep in the night, flash obnoxious lights, codes and the like. You don't have to "sanitize" it because it can be set for a tap hot wash. You can use powder, liquids, and gasp, PODS if you like. And you can have your laundry washed, dried and still be home in time for corn flakes. No need to take half a vacation day or set aside an entire weekend day to do laundry.

OTOH, if the application of gee whiz technology floats your boat, then by all means go for the LG, Samsung or whatever machine makes your day. Invest in a surge protector because these machines with their made in China circuit boards don't tolerate power surges very well. I'd make a printout of the PDF "quick start" guide so you can become familiar with the error codes that will inevitably come up.
Plan on wasting, yes wasting, water to run the "clean" cycle: read the manual, you cannot put your clothes in when you run the clean cycle. Plan on additional expense of purchasing a "cleaner" like Affresh or something to "clean" the machine that should be "cleaning" your laundry. And finally there are the "soft" benefits. If you have bought the eco-nonsense about climate change, water disappearing, and mother earth getting warmer AND you feel good about all this and want to do your part, then by all means go for a "modern" machine. You'll probably get a better deal up front as the BIG BOX has a finance plan especially suited to your financial needs. You know the drill, 12 months, no interest, cash back et cetera.

 

[frigilux]

Chris:

1) I do not care if you believe in global warming or in conserving water and electricity. Belief in any of that proves spinelessness and lack of patriotism.

2) The LG front-loader and Speed Queen top-loader rate the same for reliability by Consumer Reports, both being best in their categories with only about 6% of machines needing a repair in the past 4 years. Shame on you for considering either washer, as it means you won't have to replace it as often. This reflects badly on Wall Street. Why do you hate corporations and thus America? It has been proven that corporations are people, you know.

 

3) Washing a 12-lb. load in the Speed Queen will use approximately 38 gallons of water.  Washing the same load in the LG will use around 15 gallons.  Each machine will produce a thoroughly cleaned load.  By the time the LG prompts you to use the "Clean Washer" cycle (about once every 50 loads), you will have saved around 1,150 gallons of water.  The 8 gallons the washer will consume during the Clean Washer cycle doesn't even come close to the 1,150 gallons you saved.  Frankly, I solve the problem by opening all the taps in my house for a couple of hours just to show that damn front-loader who is boss.  Consuming anything less than the absolute maximum amount of water and electricity possible is for the weak and intellectually feeble.

4)  Clothes washed in the LG will emerge drier than those washed in the Speed Queen.  A load of dress shirts will spend about 8 minutes less in the dryer.  A load of bath towels will spend around 35-40 fewer minutes in the dryer.  Again, this reduced energy usage is unconscionable and can be rectified by running the dryer empty for a couple of hours each wash day.

 

5)  I have steered several friends toward purchasing LG laundry equipment, none of whom have reported seeing an error code.  I have had two washers with electronic controls and am embarrassed to report the same thing.  None of our washers are connected to a surge protector because that is for pussies...but still no flashing error codes.  We have been cheated!

 

6)  I have a Speed Queen AWN542 and a 2010 Frigidaire front-loader.  It is with grievous shame I report that the Frigidaire reduces my sewer, water, natural gas, and electric bills.  Again, this is un-American.  Use as much water, gas, oil, and electricity as possible. Not doing so means you're being cheated out of what is rightfully yours.  But rest easy: it is a proven fact that no front-loader lasts longer than 3 years, so you'll consume more metal and plastic by choosing the LG.  Winning!

 

 

[this post was last edited: 10/5/2014-00:22]

 

[henene4]

Limited Warranty

I heard people (they know who I mean) claim that any manufacturer has only a "limited" warranty and SQ is soooo much better.
First: Do these people even know what "limited" in this context means?
Second:

 

[washman]

Well if it makes any difference, I switched my windows 7 PC to the power saver mode and bought some candles and a Dietz lantern so I don't have to switch on any lights at night. Who says I don't try to reduce energy usage?

 

[henene4]

So you are saveing on the smallest, most inefficent parts?
You PC saves maybe 10W per hour this way.
On light issues: You maybe have 5 light bulbs running for 5 hours a day you substituted by candels. Each has maybe 60W. So we got 5*5*60W. If my head works right, that's 1.5 kWh you save per day.
That equals about 5400kJ. To heat one liter of water by 1°C (or 1.8°F) you need 4.2kJ. One gallon equals about 3.8 liters. So about 16kJ to heat 1 gallon of water by 1.8°F. For a warm wash in your TL you need about 16 gallons of warm water. You'd probably have to heat it from 50°F to 100°F.
To heat ALL the water you need for a warm wash by 1.8°F you'd need 16*16kJ=256kJ. If I divide 5400kJ by 256kJ, I get about 20. So this could heat the water by 20*1,8°F=36°F.
To put this into context: With your energy saveing cautions you told us here, you save about half the energy needed for a warm wash in your SQ per day. And still, not even considering the higher drying costs, the higher water usage and and smaller capacity, you are still less efficent than a LG FL.

 

[washman]

I know henene4. But I'm working on it. Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was Syracuse.

 

[henene4]

But a FL is...

 

[washman]

Can't go FL. I have too much invested in the SQ TL. That being said, I am going to reduce bathing, coffee consumption, and figure out a way to capture grey water from downspouts. Also plans are in action to stop flushing toilets; the smell I will just have to live with.
If I can manage those plus other eco-sanctioned initiatives, I know I can reduce water consumption. When all is said and done, I might not smell so good but I will certainly feel good.

 

[frigilux]

P-s-s-s-s-s-t! Hey Ben! This is where you remind everyone you drive a very fuel-efficient, super-reliable Corolla, saving thousands of gallons of gasoline over its lifetime. The Mighty Geo (my rebadged Corolla) gets around 40 mpg on the highway, and the odometer turned over 262,000 miles on the way home from Mankato a few minutes ago.

You know I have no qualms with Speed Queen's top-loader. There's a shiny new AWN542 in my laundry room! However, I do get frustrated with the misguided attitude that every other washer on the market is garbage by comparison. I love owning a classic, old-school top-loader with a fun-to-watch spin-drain...but the list of reasons I prefer a modern front-loader---reasons which extend far beyond water/energy use---keeps the SQ from ever being my daily driver.

So, Chris, if you decide to purchase a top-loader, there's no question it should be a Speed Queen. If you decide to go with a front-loader, LG makes great, reliable washers...with some very useful bells and whistles.

[this post was last edited: 10/5/2014-13:42]

 

[washman]

Of course Frig, I forgot that. Only I don't quite manage 40 MPG on it. In fact, the mileage has dropped off a bit. Not sure why. Only 79K on the clock too.

I turned the thermostat down to 68 this AM. I keep moving around to keep the internal temp up but the gloves are coming out of the closet next!