what is better today vintage washers or modern?

[pierreandreply4]

hello to all i am seriously questening myself on what is better in term of washing needs vintage washers, like this direct drive inglis whirlpool washer or modern like my curent daily driver washer thats full electronic that takes up to 1 to 2 hours do do a cycle if deep fill or options are selected?

Because if for x reason washer or dryer broke and needed replacement for my mom and myself 's need i would try to convince my mom we go used refurbish as new with an old school direct drive like we own back in 1993

 

[d-jones]

The answer to this comes down to personal preference, your mechanical aptitude since it can be difficult to find shops willing to work on machines beyond a certain age, and availability of parts. I personally like the look of the vintage machines and already had an interest in them when I found this site. In fact, that's how I found this site, so I already had a bias toward vintage. Since my family had a top of the line Frigidaire from the early sixties when I was a kid, those machines have a definite appeal for me. However, parts are hard to come by and maintenance on them can be tricky, so I own Maytags. Years ago when I first came to this site I read a comment from someone, possibly qsd-dan, encouraging interested people to stock up on parts for their old machines while they are still available. That sounded like good advice at the time so I took it. I have quite a stockpile at this point which will hopefully allow me to keep my machines going for the rest of my life. But I've been at it since 2011 and things have changed. Depending on how old your preferred machines are, finding parts now will be harder, and it will become harder still as more time goes by, so you'll need to think carefully about which machine you'll choose for yourself.

 

[goatfarmer]

You are going to get 150 different opinins. I like them all.

 

[ragnboneman]

It is quite possible to build a modern high quality efficient washing machine.

But there does not seem to be much desire in the industry to build that.

 

[johnb300m]

If you're thinking cleanability?
I would say modern, 6 days a week.
My parents, grandparents, aunts, were always soaking and stain treating constantly.
They had the gammut of machines, from the Newton-tags my house and my one grandparents had.
To the WP DDs my aunts had, to the FilterFlo my other grandma had.
They all needed pre-treating.

Today, in my modern front loaders, I can literally throw in 95% of laundry, set a soak or steam cycle, and within 90-120min, items are completely clean.

 

[DADoES]

 
Improved detergents with enzyme cocktails are a factor of improved cleaning performance.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Yes, so far six members, one-hundred-and-fifty different opinions...

 

Our house came with a verging on-vintage set, which was a '90's Kenmore belt-drive...

 

The washer got voluntarily replaced, when my daughter wanted a Maytag pet-pro for our now-departed guinea pigs...

 

So chances are, while it's one of the last washers to get a still-available of parts from and someone to expertly repair her, and still less-frequently as the years wore one, she'd still keep working away...

 

Months later, the dryer needed a suspension system repair, which instead of more time and money spent, however, we decided to replace with a new Maytag, though not a pet-pro but a regular one, just to get the timer the washer lacks, as well as the drop-down door and line filter in the threshold...

 

Too bad according to the guy who helped me get her out and lift her in his truck she'd gone to the scrapyard...

 

But when even there, I'd hoped someone would plug her in and find a way to get whatever repairs done which were still minor, would get a hime like the washer did or be harvested for still good and at the time recently-replaced parts...

 

 

 

-- Dave

 

[qsd-dan]

It depends on your lifestyle and what you're trying to accomplish.

Large capacity - Front loader

Stains - Front loader with a heater (can be accomplished with top loaders via soaking in proper temps and detergent ratios)

Keeping lots of dirt in suspension - Top Loader (particularly vintage).

Pet Hair - Top Loader with a filter such as GE filter Flo pre or 1990 Maytag. There are other options like certain belt drive Whirlpool/Kenmore models but you're looking at 45+ year old washers.

Top loader with lots of flexibility, great rinsing, no dumb down water temperatures, great build quality, excellent filtering...vintage is the ONLY option.

New Top Loader Options: Speed Queen TC is your only choice for a quality machine but they're way too inflexible for my tastes. I would purchase a used pre 2018 model with better flexibility and more options. You couldn't pay me to use any other top loader made today, they're cheap inflexible junk.

New Front Loader Options - Got cash burning a hole in your pocket, get a Miele if you want a heater. Speed Queen FF7 if minimal cycles and no internal heater doesn't bother you. LG has the best bang for the buck, large capacity, lots of options, a heater, easy servicing and top reliability marks.

Thing can be further broken down such as rinsing if detergent allergies are an issue.

 

[snail]

I use my 1958 westinghouse slant front daily

It's my only usable machine right now. I did have to tear it apart and fix/ clean it up. Replaced the rear seal and bearing, rebuilt the push button assembly (dirty). Had to rebuild the motor (full of lint) rebuilt the spin clutch replaced the belts. Rebuilt the three way water valve. Rebuilt the timer. I also had to do some minor electrical. It's been reliable ever since. I've been using it for about a year now. The modern washers are better for instance my westy really can't handle bulky items. I take my sheets and towels to the laundromat. It will tangle clothes up if you put too many pairs of pants in it at once. The trick is to stagger the pants lol. It only handles small loads. The coolness factor is worth it to me.

 

[maytaga806]

I think you know the answer to this question.