Opinions sought: Speed Queen washers

[Moe DeLoughan]

I recall reading some high praise for this brand of washer here in the past, but that was several years ago, and things do have a tendency to change. Has anyone got any recent experience with this brand?

I have a well-meaning sister who gifted me with a new GE top-loader washer a couple of years ago. Compared to the elderly Maytag it replaced, it's a real POS, so I'm not interested in putting any money or time into it. I'd rather get a new, reliable top-loader washer - preferably, one that's built the way they used to build them.

Also: you know how stuff around the house knows when other things are failing, and they all decide to go out together? Yeah - since August, the body count stands at two doors, one microwave, one washer, one toilet. I fixed the tractor without replacing any parts, so I won't count that.

[sms]

The Speed Queen commercial machines are excellent. I don't know if they make consumer grade machines. Commercial washers are very expensive because they are built for very high usage in laundromats and institutions. They are easy to repair but they come with no warranty for labor, only for parts.

In home use, a commercial washer is unlikely to ever fail. I fixed one once for my sister-in-law who has one in a triplex she owns. The fix was that the spring in the coin acceptor had broken so you had to pull the slide out manually. I have one, without a coin slot, in my house for about 15 years. I had another in a rental I own but the tenants wanted to buy a fancy LG washer/dryer so I sold that pair of beloved Speed Queens on craigslist for about 50% of what I had paid 10 years earlier.

[Stormin Mormon]

I have a manual for repairing clothes washers. Speed Queen is a different design than the others. Not sure if that's better or worse.

My parents set is Maytag, which is a brand I can reccomend. Mine is Whirlpool, which is also good.

At least, the ones from 20 years ago were....

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

. .

[hubops]

No personal experience with this brand -

But perhaps worth a look .. John T.

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: [e-mail] ---

[bob haller]

a internet friend sold speed queen in his appliance store he closed recently.

he retired and says speed queen is a top notch washer.

my wife bought a new LG front loader from sears less than a year ago.. she is calling for service tomorrow.

she put a big quilt in the machine and it makes loud banging noises. it also occasionally forgets to dispense the detergent. clothes sometimes come out smelling like body odor....

she appears to have admitted defeat. says if its not covered by warranty take it to the scrap yard.

worse they offered her a extended warranty for a 100 bucks and she refused it.

that 100 bucks wouldnt even cover sears travel charge

[micky]

Tell her I would have refused it too.

[bob haller]

me too, but for these expensive 700 buck washers and all front loads having a poor repair reputation the 100 bucks would of been a real bargain

[Ed Pawlowski]

Normally, I'd agree. With the Maytag top loader we bought last year, I took the warranty. It adds a few years and the cost is about the cost of one service call.

Our has a glass lid so you can see what is happening. I watched one cycle with all the valves opening and closing, the agitator changing speeds and reversing. It is a great machine but has a lot of parts that can fail. I'm covered for five or six years now.

[Cindy Hamilton]

My Speed Queen washer is more than a couple of years old. Maybe 4-5. Apart from some trifling cosmetic changes to the control panel and what might be an agitator re-design to be more effective with smaller loads, it looks and acts exactly like the one I bought in 1989 (which lasted 17 years and might have lasted longer if my husband truly enjoyed working on appliances). I doubt that they've gone to crap since my most recent purchase. Granted, they're probably a little more energy- efficient, but still rock solid in my opinion.

Cindy Hamilton

[micky]

You and Bob have a point.

Wow. How much do you charge to come over and watch?

[Dean Hoffman]

Some cut.

Consumer Reports listing of most reliable, in order: Speed Queen, Roper, Maytag, Samsung, Whirlpool, Kenmore, GE, LG.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Just bring a six-pack.

There are dispensers for detergent, bleach, softener. Water flushes each one as needed. Water fills the tub partly and it starts to spin. The water changes from the flow to fill to a spray as the clothes go by.

I've not seen the electronics, but there are plenty of buttons and a big dial. Oh, it can heat water and make steam if you choose.

Maybe bring two six-packs if you want to see it all. .

[micky]

That sounds great.

I love buttons. That's how you can tell if something is good, the more buttons it has.

Good idea. 2 o'clock tomorrow?

[Tony Hwang]

Take a look at Miel washer. It looks like jet engine.

[Dean Hoffman]

The SQ AWN 542 has good, old fashioned dials on it. The other SQ washers that they show have push buttons.

[Dean Hoffman]

Whirlpool WTW4850BW Amana NTW4755EW Maytag Centennial MVWC415EW Kenmore 22342 Kenmore 22102 GE GTWP1800D[WW] Hotpoint HTWP1400FWW GE GTWN2800D[WW] Whirlpool WTW4815EW Kenmore 22332 Kenmore 20222 Maytag Centennial MVWC215EW Whirlpool WTW4715EW Amana NTW4605EW Speed Queen AWN542 Frigidaire FFTW1001PW Maytag Centennial MVWC200X[W] Kenmore 23102 Amana NTW4651BQ 2 other Amanas have no picture Admiral ATW4676BQ Roper RTW4641BQ

These are top loaders with agitators. The highest rated are at the top. I didn't do anything except look at the pictures.

[gfretwell]

Bear in mind whirlpool, amana, kenmore, roper and maytag are all the same people and share the same basic running gear.

My wife has a washer in a cart barn that does at least 10 loads of towels a day. She decided it was cheaper in the long run to buy a $350 whirl pool every 18 months (as soon as it burps) than to pay $1800 for a speed queen that might last 4 or 5 years but it might crap out earlier. Fixing them seldom actually justifies paying the bill for a service call.

[Tony Hwang]

Go to

and check it out. Mechanical vs. electronic (digital) control.

[Tony Hwang]

Also many Youtube articles.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Looks like the electronics are far better than average though.