Thread Number: 63669
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Speed Queen (or other) decision |
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Post# 862389 , Reply# 1   1/17/2016 at 16:15 (2,993 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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Just off the top of my head, I think you could buy four SQ top-loaders for the price of one SQ front-loader, so there's that.
With a baby on the way, you should think about whether a super-high temperature wash option would be something you'd need. No top-load machine offers such a thing, nor does the SQ front-loader. Other makes of front-load machines do, by means of an on-board heater, depending on the model.
Others here will have to advise on whether the SQ front-loader offers a true hot wash that isn't temperature controlled. If you have your water heater set high enough, a SQ top or front load machine without temperature control could be all you need.
Personally, I'm not sold on the rinsing job from a SQ toploader. We had an Amana, which was a SQ clone, for several years and it was lousy at rinsing -- towels in particular. If you want to eliminate the potential for skin irritation from detergent remaining in washed items, the front loading SQ might be the better option.
Just steer clear of Korean makes and GE. |
Post# 862390 , Reply# 2   1/17/2016 at 16:19 (2,993 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)   |   | |
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I still have my 1984 Maytags running strong with only 1 washer repair. But if I had to replace them, it would be a SQ top loader as it is the closest new to what I have now. Being more old school, I want a washer that does what I want it to do, not it. Hot water if you want, full tub of water if you want and you get clean clothes out of it. I prefer the mechanical controls over anything electronic.
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Post# 862419 , Reply# 3   1/17/2016 at 19:37 (2,993 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)   |   | |
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I have had ,pretty much, every current brand of front loading washers and have had many disappointments with most. The only ones I have had excellent results and are still running strong with few,if any problems are my LGs. Look,even though you have the so called "American Assembled" washers and dryers,where do you think the parts are manufactured????!!!! Not here. So, with that said, my recomendation is LG. You dont need all the bells and whistles. Mine ( I now own six of them ) are going,strong. The oldest being eleven years old. That one was doa. The door latch assembly broke from slamming the door. Those as familiar with LG as I know you are able to readjust the water level by the,simple turning of a screw on the air pressure valve in the top under the lid. Mine fills up to the lowest level of the door handle and EVERYFHING gets uniformly washed, rinsed and spun out,1400 rpms. Real quiet and also has recirculating sprays. I got it at Sallys for a song. Cost me forty bucks to replace the lock assembly. Found it on CL.
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Post# 862431 , Reply# 4   1/17/2016 at 20:34 (2,993 days old) by danmantn (Tennessee)   |   | |
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Highly recommend the Speed Queen top loader. Hot water is not dumbed down in the TL or FL. With the new digital models, you can have multiple rinses, but when using the proper amounts of detergents (and quality brands), multiple rinses are not necessary. I use near odorless detergents and softeners with great success.
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Post# 862444 , Reply# 5   1/17/2016 at 21:20 (2,993 days old) by bourbonbarrel ()   |   | |
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How long is a typical wash cycle in the speed queen front load washer? |
Post# 862464 , Reply# 6   1/18/2016 at 01:21 (2,993 days old) by Danmantn (Tennessee)   |   | |
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Post# 862481 , Reply# 7   1/18/2016 at 06:29 (2,992 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)   |   | |
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Post# 862484 , Reply# 8   1/18/2016 at 06:47 (2,992 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)   |   | |
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My LGs all have quick 18 minute programs. An 8 minute wash in hot, warm or cold, two three minute rinses and a three minute final spin from 0 to 1400 rpms with a final 1minute fluff tumble. It also gives you abilities to increase the wash time and add rinses. I personally prefer the long cycles. My clothes get so clean the neighbors we know now all have LGs. They see and smell the hanging laundry asking why they are so nice smelling. I showed them the Gain I use and the original scent. When they saw my laundry area and all the LGs in red ,blue, white and stainless running in unison,they freaked out. Of course, the WM8000s were the most intriguing set to them. Two of them bought them at Home Depot and love the HUGE 5.5cu ft capacity in the washers. They tell me their children stare at them during use and keep the interior lights turned on. Sounds familiar. The SQs don't show any button catcher door opening. That in itself to me is a red flag. If I'm spending over $500 for ANY front loader brand new,it better have a hot,hot wash available and an accessible button catcher/lint trap. Why pay any service company to come clean out YOUR lint filter when you can be able to do it yourself free?
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Post# 862497 , Reply# 9   1/18/2016 at 08:26 (2,992 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)   |   | |
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Post# 862573 , Reply# 14   1/18/2016 at 13:38 (2,992 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)   |   | |
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Yes, I do love,my LGs. So does Consumer Reports. They are not only highly rated but they are the most reliable brand. Eight years in a row now. Washers AND dryers. They're direct,not belt,driven and will spin clockwise OR counter, clockwise. No other brand does that. The tilted tub,fuzzy logic, twenty year motor warranty,lifetime drum warranty,and user friendly controls along with seeing the strongest seal Ive ever seen on mother board to eliminate the moisture from ruining it are a few reasons I highly recomend LG . The main reason is they get my clothes real clean and spin fast enough to truly wash and wear my clotges.
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Post# 862581 , Reply# 15   1/18/2016 at 14:07 (2,992 days old) by Stricklybojack (South Hams Devon UK)   |   | |
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I see 10 years on the motor on this LG at least, but I'm sure everything else you say is true, just not the only thing I have checked ;-] CLICK HERE TO GO TO Stricklybojack's LINK
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Post# 862624 , Reply# 16   1/18/2016 at 18:06 (2,992 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Post# 862640 , Reply# 17   1/18/2016 at 18:53 (2,992 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN)   |   | |
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I was just at the local full-service appliance store this past weekend (as an aside purchased a 432 SQ TL machine for my girlfriends parents). When I was there I saw an LG front load machine and they had the control module laying on top the machine to show it off. The entire main board was set into a plastic tray and there was about 3/8" of conformal potting compound encasing the entire PC board.
While this may seem to be a good idea to protect the board from moisture (something that isn't really important), what it does do a great job of is insuring that the board has zero serviceability. Even the fuse on the board was potted and impossible to replace. As a pro-electronics type person this really bothered me. Boo to LG |
Post# 862641 , Reply# 18   1/18/2016 at 18:57 (2,992 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Differently get the FL washer if you can, It is less than twice the cost of the great TL washer but it should easily last twice as long all while doing a far better job cleaning your clothing and with less wear and damage.
The front load washer will also save you at least $100 per year in energy and water cost to operate. The SQ FL washer could actually save you over $5000 dollars in operating costs in its over forty year possible life span, and you may be a grand parent by that time.
I almost hate to announce this now because I know you need a washer now, but by April this year the cost to SQ dealers on the FL washers is dropping by around $500 dollars so they will cost only a little more that the old fashioned crude [ hard to repair ] TL washers.
John L. |
Post# 862651 , Reply# 19   1/18/2016 at 19:36 (2,992 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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No doubt about it, so enjoy your peace while you can. *LOL*
While many American families with children as obviously those in Europe make due quite well with the eleven or so pound capacity of a Miele/European front loader, there is a trade off; you will be doing laundry far more often. Cycles run about an hour or a bit longer for "normal" so you can easily see how some changes may need to be made in your laundry routine. Waiting until one set day to do several loads of laundry could mean starting at morning and ending sometime in late afternoon. Next consider front loaders are happiest washing "normal" loads (cottons, etc..) at near full capacity as it is easier for them to balance the load. Putting say three pounds of baby's laundry into a 11 or even 15 pound capacity front loader *may* cause problems. Depending upon several factors the machine may not be able to balance the load to spin quietly and without vibrations. One great thing about top loading washers is the ability to do a true soak with laundry immersed in water. This may prove a godsend when coping with some badly stained infant/child laundry. When it comes to electronic versus mechanical controlled front loaders, the former gets my vote every time. Went from a mechanical timer FL to electronic controlled and the difference is night and day. Far less banging, claning and unbalanced wash loads. The machine revs up to spin quietly, and if it senses the load isn't properly balanced will take corrective action on its own. |
Post# 862846 , Reply# 21   1/19/2016 at 12:42 (2,991 days old) by bourbonbarrel ()   |   | |
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Combo, I don't follow your comments in your post. The front load speed queen is almost twice the cost of the top load where I live. |
Post# 862935 , Reply# 22   1/19/2016 at 19:41 (2,991 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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We currently sell the AWN432-3 for $819 including delivery and installation.
The AFN50R is $1556 currently but will drop to $1397 in the next month or so.
So yes the FL washer is almost twice as much initially, but with savings of over $100 a year in operating costs and a life span that is twice as long as their TL washers the higher initial cost may be the best investment you will make in an appliance. |
Post# 862953 , Reply# 23   1/19/2016 at 21:00 (2,991 days old) by bourbonbarrel ()   |   | |
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Combo, I follow you. I was comparing the electronic front load washer & dryer vs the electronic top load washer & dryer. |
Post# 865867 , Reply# 27   2/6/2016 at 19:29 (2,973 days old) by glomain (tuscarawas cnty. (eastern ohio))   |   | |
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Post# 866034 , Reply# 29   2/7/2016 at 20:30 (2,972 days old) by glomain (tuscarawas cnty. (eastern ohio))   |   | |
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Post# 937729 , Reply# 30   5/11/2017 at 10:11 (2,513 days old) by UncleDave (California)   |   | |
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What are the actual temps of speed queen FL machines?
I can't find this info on their site or here. One poster says if you want hot water buy a SQ, but what is "hot" water? Wife is a full time groomer, that comes back every day with contaminated towels. To clean my daily load of animal soiled towels without beach I need to get to and hold 140F or more for at least 10-15 minutes. My 220V Miele 1215 does that with ease on " hot" - with two setting above that left over. The Miele PW6065 also does that, but Id rather spend 2K than 4K on a secondary set of machines 10250 loads seems light in terms of lifespan. If that really all its expected to go then, Im having a hard time buying the commercial hype surrounding this unit, and cheaper "disposable" asian units may be the way to go. For comparison I hit 10,246 in 12 years with my Miele 1215 including a few repairs along the way, but I'm expecting at least another 5K cycles out of it if not more. Help me out guys, and thanks! Uncle Dave |
Post# 937735 , Reply# 31   5/11/2017 at 10:48 (2,513 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)   |   | |
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Speed Queen doesn't use a temp control dubbed down temps yet that we know of....
but the usual, select hot, and you get hot....as in what comes out of your tap.... but your not going to get 140 degree hot water if your water heater is set at anything lower...I lucked out as mine it set at 180, even dubbed down, its still a hot wash..... what you may find an issue with is the warm setting, not exactly a 50/50 mix, more like 70/30.....but to fix that, I drilled out the hot side of the valve to equal the cold side.... where did you find the load span number from?.....SQ are usually good for around 25000 loads or more |
Post# 937846 , Reply# 32   5/11/2017 at 19:38 (2,513 days old) by UncleDave (California)   |   | |
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Got it thanks.
Bummer. That isn't going to work in my situation. Even if I had my water heater at 180 and paid to keep it there 24x7x365, the water is going to lose temp through the hose on its way and lose a bunch more as soon as it hits the cool stainless then keep dropping as time goes on. That approach also would prematurely degrade my microfiber towels used especially for this application 180 is too high for microfibers and will damage them a bit each wash whereas as 60C/ 140 raised slowly from 70 or so sees them quite clean and so far long lasting in that the first batch is 5 years old and still going strong. I have to have 100% confidence in my machines sustained heat performance because I'm running back to back household loads, with towels that contain animal dander, bits of caked on animal fecal matter, urine, oozing eyes, and open sores in the same machines. Its like working a load of diapers in every day. I need to insure it stays at 140 or better for the 15 minutes plus it takes to really zap the nasties without resorting to bleach which the door seals and material doesn't like and I'd have to use it every day creating a whole other set of deliverables to the laundry room vs. simply pressing the "hot" button. In my personal situation which absolutely does not fit all the Miele still reigns supreme machine Uncle Dave |
Post# 937849 , Reply# 33   5/11/2017 at 19:56 (2,513 days old) by Mrsalvo (New Braunfels Texas)   |   | |
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As an owner of a year-old TL Speed Queen, I can highly recommend it. Excellent washer, and cycles are quick. I can get a several loads washed and dried and put up and have time left over for other things I want to do. No regrets. All American made too. |
Post# 937851 , Reply# 34   5/11/2017 at 19:57 (2,513 days old) by Mrsalvo (New Braunfels Texas)   |   | |
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Also you cannot beat the warranties. |