Plumorchard, we considered SQ, as we too like their simplicity of what they have to offer. We settled on Miele as a friend of ours runs an appliance store that sells them. However, we are still awaiting their arrival as they sold-out at the end of the year and they have received our washer, but no dryer, so we are still waiting as we would like both delivered at the same time. We are replacing a Fisher & Paykel Smart Drive washer model L03 and dryer model D04; both purchased new in November 1996 as F&P was starting to establish itself in the US. The washer has been flawless except normal wear as the agitator blades there are three) have a relief line in them (I suspect to prevent the drive mechanism from locking should a situation arise where a bundle of clothes binds against the drum and the agitator) and one fatigued to the point that it broke-off with another showing fatigue signs so a new agitator was in order (approximate agitator cost is $215 with shipping, and a DIY project). The other issue was, and still is, the one-piece plastic control fascia cover with all the button selections that cracked once and was replaced, and has since cracked again. I do not like this method of covering buttons as it leads to the same outcome time-and-time again. The dryer did give us issues, the main issue: It would not shut-off when it should after selecting an automatic selection (e.g., cottons, permanent press, etc.) causing the clothes to get super hot. At the time I contacted F&P providing a very detailed description of the issue, and F&P worked directly with me under the condition that I send them back the parts I replaced, I did. All functions worked well for about two years, and then the same problem reoccurred. Again, I contacted F&P and they had a record of me so they sent out the same replacement part only this time the part was made by GE versus F&P, I sent them back the old parts as instructed. All worked well until the five-year mark where the same issue occurred. By this time F&P had become established in the US, and they no longer allowed me to fix it, as they sent a repairman. The same part was replaced, and it too was made by GE; on each occasion the part had changed (as I photographed the parts each time). Since that time the dryer has worked without fail. There is simple workaround if the automatic selection does not work and that is to run the manual timer versus the automatic selection. The plastic fascia control cover also cracked over time, twice. Both the F&P washer and dryer are going to a needy family when our new ones arrive. The reason we chose not to go with F&P again is that I come from a family that will not own GE consumer products (GE's commercial and industrial products are excellent, their consumer products are typically below par). During that time I do recall something on how GE became involved with F&P, but because of all the acquisitions and mergers it is hard to put all the pieces together, but the bottom line is that I want nothing to do with GE consumer products. I can say, without equivocation, that I enjoyed interfacing with F&P as they were very accommodating.

golferdude--I have a TL SpeedQueen---I bought it from a local longtime dealer that services them too---I feel ok in case I need service/parts. No, I don't know how hard they are to work on--my DH knows about car repairs but not washing machines. I did not receive a manual of diagrams/parts with this machine. I would suggest you call the dealer in your area with your questions. Also if no local SQ service I would call Sears repair guys since they advertise they service all brands.

I checked on Speedqueen.com for the height dimensions & they don't have it with the lid up. I also called them & the tech didn't know & would have to measure one. He wasn't near one. I'll find out Monday from the appliance store. My problem is that if it's too high I'll just have to change my cabinets. I've been meaning to do that anyway. Then I would repair the Maytag until I do the cabinets. I have a repairman scheduled for Monday afternoon to fix the Maytag. I do have a contract on all my appliances, but thought it was time to get a new machine. The Maytag is 17 years old. I'm supposed to get a new transmission. It kept agitating while draining, but never went into a spin. Can't wait to get it fixed or get a new one. I am very careful putting in my sheets on each side of the machine. It's always with the king size. I think the rollover action is very strong. I've had it checked & they say it's washing as it should. I gave up. Sometimes I can get them to stay under water & just wash & rinse. If I have to untwist them to rinse, they are full of soap. I keep doing that until the water is clear. So much work. When people unravel clothes & put them in the dryer, they may be full of soap. I've also washed just one king size sheet to stop the twisting, but then that one turns into a rope. Sometimes I feel like I'm washing my sheets by hand. Very rarely do I have a problem in the dryer. I do know of a couple of people with some twisting in their tl Whirlpools. I don't want to buy another problem if I can help it.

I've used Affresh (not in my own machines). It didn't generate any foam or sudsing and I don't care for the residual scent, but that is not to say it isn't useful for maintenance. Detergent manufacturers are sly on dosing. Measuring caps have markers for Line 1, Line 2, Line A, Line B, etc. ... whatever may be the designations ... per the dosage instructions. The glitch is that the lines are usually impossible to see so the typical consumer blindly fills the cap to some arbitrary level, or fills it full for lack of any visible reference. Also not uncommon that (liquid) detergent is poured directly into the machine's dispenser to the marked Full or Max line, which is wayyy more than is needed. A key point to maintaining a clean washer that your sales guy didn't mention is washing in HOT water, which goes a long way to dissolving/clearing residue accumulation. The glitch there is that, with very few exceptions (SQ may be one), washers nowadays have what we on this discussion board refer to as "dumbed-down" temperatures. Instead of Warm being a 50/50 or 40/60 mix of hot and cold water and Hot being a full-flow of hot, control boards and temp sensors mix the hot and cold flow to target temperatures that may be as low as 75°F for warm and 85°F to 95°F for hot on most of the cycles ... for sure on the designated Normal cycle that majority of consumers pick as their go-to cycle. Warm is the new cold, and Hot is the new warm. Higher soil levels, Heavy Duty, Sanitary, or Allergy cycles are usually required to get a good, hot (or warm) wash. I cannot imagine that 1 teaspoon of either liquid or powder detergent is sufficient. I don't believe that's enough concentration of enzymes and cleaning agents to effectively deal with stains, sweat odor, body sebum, food soils and grease on kitchen linens, grease and grunge from mechanical work, dirt and grass stains from yard work, etc. Consider that while frontloaders certainly take less water than traditional toploaders, there's the same amount of soil in that water (or more in some cases of larger capacity/loads) that the detergent needs to handle.