My household will be increasing in people this summer so I’m starting to pre plan.

My girlfriend and her two kids will be joining.

Currently using a Miele set which are fine for myself. Definitely small capacity. They would be running nonstop knowing how she does laundry (and towel usage)

Which brings me to the topic.

Considering a TC5 to keep it simple and have an active agitator

Do the Maytag/whirlpool GE models offer a cost vs reliability vs performance equal advantage?

Samsung and LG are not a concideration

Thanks!!

Lovely wife and I are satisfied with our Speed Queens. There are only two of us. Things I have noticed-washer is not real big in capacity. Spin-out speed doesn't do a very good job removing water. No bells or buzzers when cycle is finished. Does get the clothes clean. Our machines are about 5 years old. I would like to see 1200+ RPM spin-out to save on dryer fuel. They are a little pricey.

I just got rid of a three rid old whirlpool cabrio with 5.3 cu ft capacity for a TR7 speed Queen. Night and day difference. Clothes are actually clean and don’t have soap residue left over. Yes the capacity is smaller but just had to make a few adjustments to when we were going to do laundry. No regrets at all.

 
We just bought a SQ dryer, replacing the Whirlpool dryer that we bought when we built the house in 2003. We have been using SQ washers for a few years now.

Nobody is trying to catch up. Question is, has SQ been forced to cheapen down to the rest of them in order to survive in this high inflation market? I suppose time will tell.

Speed Queen is known for longevity and reliability but not performance. Modern washers that use less water and detergent do a much nicer job of cleaning your clothes. Filling the entire tub and diluting the detergent is an old idea that just doesn’t hold up.

After much research we chose this one: https://reviewed.usatoday.com/...shing-machine-review

We leave the agitator in most of the time. We only take it out for comforters or very large loads.

Can’t comment on Speed Queens but we have bought 2 Maytag “commercial” washers for our 2 houses and my wife loves them, not only for how clean they get our clothes but for their capacity. So if the ability to clean a lot of clothes at once is a consideration check out the Maytag line.

PS. One has an agitator and one doesn’t. We can’t tell the difference in performance…

I've only experienced one front loader low water volume washer and it would not get my cloths clean... I had to buy a second washer just for me... but then I am a chimney sweep and that might be the difference..

My wife loves her 8 year old Speed Queen washer. It replaced a GE "Prime" washer that barely made it thru the 5 yr extended warranty. Yes it does have an agitator and that is what she likes. Gets clothes clean. I know it uses more water but we have a septic system so it gets "recycled" anyway to water the lawn and trees.

I believe they may have had some problems 5-6 yrs ago. Not sure what, but I think whatever it was has been corrected. Looks like they are still made in USA.

Speed Queen is still the gold standard for reliability, longevity, and ease of maintenance, and I'm quite happy with mine. However, this comes with some drawbacks that you have to be willing to put up with:

-Smaller capacity
-Increased water usage
-More wear on your clothes than newer machines without agitators

Some people swear that their Speed Queen gets clothes cleaner, but to be honest, I don't notice a difference between my new Speed Queen and my previous more "modern" washer as far as how clean the clothes get.

Maytag Front loaders, since you are going to need the capacity with the addition to the home, run great, get the pedestals to raise them up, or if you leave them on the floor, the tops become a nice place for a folding table.

Handles large loads, LE detergent, less water.

If your GF isn't tall, the top loaders today have very deep drums, she'll need a step stool and one of the old folks grabbers to get clothes out of the bottom of the washer... or, she'll be yelling for you to "help get the clothes out of the washer" all the time.

My parents’ Speed Queen washer gave up the ghost just outside of the warranty period. A repair guy came out, said it was one of to parts, Speed Queen was nice enough to send the parts for free, but it took 6 months. My parents replaced it rather than wait for the parts.

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:

Samsung and LG are not a concideration

Thanks!!

Interesting. My appliance guy told me that his "more mature" customers stick to Maytag, Electrolux, Whirlpool, while his younger customers all want Samsung and LG.

Not sure what they says about you

FWIW, I'm now an Elecrolux guy and I would give the set mixed reviews.

That said, I still miss my old Amana from the days when they were part of Raytheon.

Friends don't let friends buy LG or Samsung appliances (washers/dryers/fridges/dishwashers/etc.). Terrible reliability, which is made even worse by the fact that maintaining them or sourcing parts is difficult.

They really ought to stick to making phones and TVs... Those are great.

Appliance royalty:

Speed Queen

Waste King

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הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
… Some people swear that their Speed Queen gets clothes cleaner, …

That’s choice-supportive bias exacerbated by the expense.

I'm not sure where some are getting "smaller capacity"? I've got a 10-12 year old analog model that I ran my queen sized comforter through just the other day...with room to spare.

I have no idea what they run today, but back then it was on the cheaper end at ~$700 vs, the competitors well over $1000.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I'm not sure where some are getting "smaller capacity"?

The Speed Queen Classic's 3.2 cubic feet is on the small side for washing machines these days.

It's fine for 1 or 2 people, or more if you don't mind doing smaller loads more often. But folks seem to prefer larger capacity these days, especially families with kids.

4 to 4.5 cubic feet is the norm for washing machines these days, with 4.5+ becoming increasingly common.

You need a Speed Quain to go with your Waste Kang.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
4 to 4.5 cubic feet is the norm for washing machines these days, with 4.5+ becoming increasingly common.

This is why I was saying, if you are going top loader, make sure she has no issue reaching into the washer and able to get to the bottom of the tub, the large new washer tubs are very deep.

Wife is 5'4 and could not reach the bottom, which means a top loader would create more work for me