Thread Number: 44520
Looking to purchase new washer/dryer set & need feedback |
[Down to Last] |
|
Post# 653784 , Reply# 1   1/16/2013 at 17:23 (4,088 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 653791 , Reply# 2   1/16/2013 at 18:14 (4,088 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 653793 , Reply# 3   1/16/2013 at 18:25 (4,088 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Honey, you need a front-loader! You'll be able to cut down on the number of loads by almost half compared to the capacity of your Whirlpool. Yes, the cycle times are longer, but again, you'll be doing fewer loads.
I just checked Consumer Reports online, and the LG WM2250C ($720) front-loader is rated Excellent for cleaning, capacity, energy and water savings, and gentleness to clothes. The Normal cycle (you'd better sit down) is 90 minutes. Clothes will come out of the dryer sooner, as you have the option to use a high spin speed for things like towels, jeans, sheets, etc. It receives a rating of Very Good for vibration, so you should be able to install it on a first floor laundry room without major vibration issues. (If it's on a concrete floor, almost any front-loader will be fine.) LG is also listed as the most reliable front-load brand. I have a top-of-the-line Frigidaire Affinity front-loader ($900) and love it. Mine's on a concrete floor and I could stack a house of cards on it during the spin; but it is only rated Good for vibration, which means it is probably not a great choice for first-floor installation. I also just purchased a top-loading Frigidaire Affinity Immersion Care washer. You can see videos of it in another thread in this forum. While I've been surprised how well it does for an impeller (no agitator) machine, it has a pretty limited capacity, and most cycles are around 60-70 minutes long. You can select your own water level, which means you don't have to wash in a tub only one-fourth full of water. I wouldn't recommend it for someone with a lot of active kids and the number of loads you have to do each week. I agree that impeller-based machines are probably harder on clothes. It's the agitation of impeller machines that is hard on fabrics, not the spin speed. My front-loader spins at 1300 rpm (about double your Whirlpool) and I've never had a problem. If you have absolutely ruled out front-loaders, then I agree with Malcolm: A top-loading Speed Queen washer has a traditional agitator and behaves like the machine you're used to. But seriously....think about a front-loader. Good luck with your decision! Let us know what you wind up getting. We're nosy that way, LOL. |
Post# 653829 , Reply# 4   1/16/2013 at 21:09 (4,088 days old) by billiedyer1954 (Ohio, USA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
a top load speed queen washer and roper dryer works for me and i am pickie.this was the best value for me.750 dollars for the awn432 and 300 and something for the dryer.i got the washer from a small appliance store and the dryer at lowes. |
Post# 654058 , Reply# 6   1/17/2013 at 22:16 (4,087 days old) by xraytech (Rural southwest Pennsylvania )   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
I must also highly recommend a top load Speed Queen.
I purchased the Speed Queen AWN412 washer last year for $649 and the matching Speed Queen ADE3LR electric dryer for $499. They both have a larger capacity than the Super Capacity Plus Kenmore 80 series they replaced, the loads are done quickly and everything comes out wonderfully. If you look at the length of the Speed Queen warranty on their machines and the fact everything is built to commercial standards you will realize they are built to last and are definetly worth paying a bit more for them, we do about 15 loads a week here in ours |
Post# 654174 , Reply# 10   1/18/2013 at 11:26 (4,087 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Jillygirl6
You have not displayed which part of Alabama you are from but there is a Speed Queen front load washer & dryer for sale in Georgia, by a vendor well known in this forum, it could well be worth your while checking out if you could arrnge to collect or ship them - see the link. Al CLICK HERE TO GO TO vacbear58's LINK |
Post# 654226 , Reply# 13   1/18/2013 at 15:52 (4,086 days old) by ronhic (Canberra, Australia)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
A couple of things....
If you are doing that much laundry, you will most certainly do about 2/3 or 1/2 the number of loads with a front load machine. As an example, and I have to work in kilo/pounds here being in Oz, a small 9 pound (under 2 cu ft) front loader will hold 8 cotton single bed sheets....yes, 8!!! and wash them perfectly. Assuming you are washing top/bottom/pillow slips only, you could wash 2 loads of sheets instead of 5.... American and Korean (LG/Samsung) front load machines are enormous compared to those made in Europe and have the capacity, should you use it all, to clean more clothes in cold/warm or hot water better than pretty much any top load machine. Doing washing for 6 people is no 'relaxing job', but if you can put double + in the machine and it takes, say 90 minutes compared to 35 for your Whirlpool you are really no worse off. In fact, that allows you a 90 minute clear run to do other things - read, kitchen, kids to sport, have coffee with a friend etc - things you could never squeeze in if you only have a 35 minute 'window'. Think long and hard about what you need, how much various machines hold, access to warranty claims/repairer (should you need) etc. Don't be afraid to take a big basket of clean clothes to a shop and fill a few machines up either! The only thing you need to remember with a front load machine is to FILL IT UP - 4/5 up the door or until you can put your hand in (just) between the clothes and top of the drum....then you'll really see just how much they hold. |
Post# 654299 , Reply# 16   1/18/2013 at 19:13 (4,086 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
jillygirl6: I never keep washers/dryers long enough to discover their maximum lifespan. Frankly, I don't know that you'll find a new machine that will give you 11-1/2 years of service with only one repair. Speed Queens are built like tanks by all accounts, but we have yet to see how reliable they'll be in the long term.
If your Whirlpool washer is doing well, by all means keep it and buy a dryer. Rather than spending big bucks on a dryer that pairs with a front-loader, get an inexpensive one. If you get a few more years of service from your Whirlpool, you can purchase a matched pair of your choice at that point. |
Post# 654302 , Reply# 17   1/18/2013 at 19:16 (4,086 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
My Whirlpool dryer with the filter on top just turned 20 years old. It has never had a repair at all. It still has the original belt and light bulb in it too! I'm going to see if it will last another 20 years. |
Post# 654609 , Reply# 19   1/20/2013 at 06:27 (4,085 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 654693 , Reply# 21   1/20/2013 at 12:23 (4,085 days old) by kenmoreguy89 (Valenza Piemonte, Italy- Soon to be US immigrant.)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
I suggest: I just add that IMHO in a general speech nothing can beat an agitator washer on washing results....it all depends from models, it's clear as sun rise east that newer machines have nothing to do with older ones, Speed Queen is almost the only brand that kept the way of washing (washing action etc) of Top loaders agitator machines as it should be done, by the way they only made laundry machines since always and only cared about it no else until modern days.... if they lasted that long and still in the market it will means something.... This post was last edited 01/20/2013 at 12:53 |
Post# 654738 , Reply# 23   1/20/2013 at 15:41 (4,084 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 654783 , Reply# 26   1/20/2013 at 18:57 (4,084 days old) by coldspot66 (Plymouth, Mass)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Also, the drum in the W/P top lint screen dryer is wider but not as deep. So it looks smaller, but will dry clothes more wrinkle free than the others with the lint screen in the drum. |
Post# 654813 , Reply# 28   1/20/2013 at 20:18 (4,084 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 654837 , Reply# 30   1/20/2013 at 22:53 (4,084 days old) by Volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
I work in a store that sells appliance parts. I am not a service technician, but I sell parts to them all day long.
First the dryer: Speed Queen makes the second best dryers on the market. In my opinion, Whirlpool makes the best. They are sold under the Whirlpool, Kenmore, Maytag, Admiral, Inglis, Roper, and a few other name brands. The good ones are easy to spot because they have the lint screen access on top in the back right corner. This is called a "Whirlpool 29 Inch Dryer" in the appliance field. They have been in production since the mid 1960s and are still made today. They are the best performing, most efficient, longest lasting, and easily serviced dryers money can buy. There are only 2 or 3 features I would really look for. #1, a drum light, #2, an electronic moisture sensor, and #3, a drop-down door. The drum light is a rectangular plastic thing on the back wall of the drum. The moisture sensor is a black plastic thing with 2 silver metal strips at about 4:00 on the back wall of the drum. This is the only appliance I can confidently say can withstand 40+ years of regular hard service and still be reliable. If you have this type of dryer, keep it. Look up a Whirlpool 29" dryer on Youtube and get videos to show you everything. They are simple machines that are easily repaired. Second, the washer. SPEED QUEEN! There is simply no substitute for the quality and performance of a Speed Queen washer. The Whirlpool Direct Drive washer, like yours, is good competition to Speed Queen, but if you want new, go with the Speed Queen. I prefer top loading, but buy whichever you want because Speed Queen makes the best of both types. There are other brands that are very good, like Asko and Miele, but having them serviced is a bit more difficult and they are very very expensive. Samsung and LG make the worst appliances money can buy and many service technicians won't touch them. Good luck, Dave |
Post# 655003 , Reply# 31   1/21/2013 at 17:39 (4,083 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 655030 , Reply# 33   1/21/2013 at 19:49 (4,083 days old) by ronhic (Canberra, Australia)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 655079 , Reply# 35   1/22/2013 at 00:49 (4,083 days old) by ronhic (Canberra, Australia)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
...but you did do laundry so you could of at least asked the question:
'Auntie Mabel, has your machine always sounded like that?' and have gone from there. You have a level of knowledge and may have saved them some heartache in the future. If it was still under warranty, then they could have quite possibly have scored a replacement machine. If not, there is still an obligation regarding the 'reasonable expected lifespan' of the goods - be it toaster, car or washer. Maybe I've a different approach - if it doesn't sound right or doesn't smell right, then it probably isn't. Most people I have the privilege of knowing would be grateful for any help someone with knowledge can provide and I most certainly would have asked a question regardless of how young or old they were. They don't need to heed any answers, but often a question can start a dialogue - they may have thought for a long time that it wasn't quite 'right'. If I'm a guest in their home then they obviously care sufficiently about me to invite me to stay, and long enough to do laundry in your case. The least any of us can do with our knowledge is try and help. |