GE seems ready to launch a Top Load Speed Queen Rival
larsi_gw
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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mamapinky0
8 years agomamapinky0
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Top vs Front Loading Washers
Comments (47)The problem of today's market is that sometimes you have to sacrifice something for another. A couple of reasons for the development of front loader washers is eco-friendliness and space-savings. Eco-friendly in the sense that the front loader uses less water and therefore less detergent. They are also a space-saver because of the ability to stack the dryer on top of the washer, install them in a closet space or even under a kitchen cabinet (like the ones that ASKO produces - http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/W6984FI.html?brand_store=1). But then again there are companies out there that are taking the "less water" concept into consideration when developing top load washers. Take for example, WA42T26GW1 from Fisher & Paykel (I found it here - http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/WA42T26GW1.html) which has an auto water level that senses the size of the load and selects the optimum water level automatically, eliminating water wastage and fabric damage caused by too little water. The only thing is that you can't stack it, but if that isn't a problem for you then it doesn't matter. I use to own a top load before converting to my Electrolux Wave Touch machines, and my machine use to emit a nasty smell (well, maybe not nasty but definitely not pleasant) after a couple of weeks of use and I use to hate cleaning the dispensers which use to get all greased up and nasty (I tend to use this word alot!). So smell there always will be whether you use a front load or a top load. And cleaning the tub is definitely not that difficult as my machine reminds me when I need to do it and all I have to do is run a cleaning cycle with bleach. Like PC vs Mac, there will always be arguments around which one is the best and it will always come down to which one YOU are most comfortable with....See MoreAnother Speed Queen TL member
Comments (22)I only heard about Speed Queen two days ago and I'm already an owner of a TL one. We've had a Frigidaire for about 7 years, we never had any repair issues with it but every now and then my wife and I would see little holes in our clothes. At first we never really questioned it, then we figured well maybe it's bugs, maybe zippers from other clothes, maybe the seatbelt in our car, etc.. etc... Then the problem seemed to go away only to re-appear, maybe there's a loose screw in the washing machine, nope. Again, we kind of forgot about the issue and/or holes were not occurring anymore. Fast forward to present time and we have a newborn in the picture, most of her outfits have holes in them after washing them. That was the last straw, my wife (and I wish we would have done this many years ago) started looking online for "holes in clothes" only to find out that these stupid FL machines have a knack the world over to putting holes into everyone's clothes when thin materials get into the holes of the tub. So we decided we're going TL, I went to the appliance store where we recently bought all our kitchen appliances from and who for the most part only carry European and American solid made appliances (lots of help also over in the appliance forum of GW) and told them we're looking for a TL washer. He showed me the Speed Queen and said you won't be disappointed, I said let me look into it. We looked at a ton of reviews two nights ago and were immediately sold, I purchased it yesterday and we'll have it on Monday. I can't wait for "no more holes". I wish we would have cut our losses years ago as my wife has probably thrown away a decent amount of her work clothes over the years. I'm looking forward to the Speed Queen and hoping that it comes as advertised by all these reviews on here and other sites. These FL washers are BS....See MoreUsed Speed Queen
Comments (15)> Speed Queen top loaders are basically an old Amana design that has been improved by Alliance Laundry Systems who took over production. Actually, more the opposite - the basic design derives from 1970s (or earlier?) Speed Queens back when they were owned by McGraw-Edison. When Raytheon (which already owned Amana) bought out McGraw-Edison's appliance division, Raytheon not only continued production of Speed Queen laundry machines, but also used the acquisition to give their Amana brand laundry machines to sell. Previously, Amana was known for their refrigerators, "deep" freezers, and RadaRange microwaves. Thus, Raytheon-built Amana and SQ laundry machines were nearly idendical. This continued through the late '90s, when Raytheon sold off their appliance units. The consumer side (which besides Amana still included long-gone brands like Caloric, Hardwick, and Modern Maid) went to HVAC/holding company Goodman, which later was bought by Maytag, which in turn was bought by Whirlpool. But Raytheon's commercial appliance business held on for about another year. Raytheon kept the US rights to the Speed Queen brand and continued to sell residential-style washers and dryers, but contractually only to the commercial market for the next 5 years. A year after the residential appliances sale, Raytheon sold the commercial side (SQ) to Alliance Laundry Systems. They still couldn't market Speed Queens to consumers due to a legal agreement with Goodman/Maytag, who was at first selling the same machines under a different name. However, the design of the SQ and Amana machines began to deverge almost as soon as the sale commenced, with SQ retaining the heavy-duty, minimalist designs that commercial cusomers liked, whereas Goodman and later Maytag cheapened them slightly and went to larger cabinets and door openings and more bells and whistles to woo the consumer market. After the 5-year commercial-only clause lapsed in about 2004, Speed Queen could again sell their machines to consumers. By this time, the current Amana lineup bore little resemblance to Speed Queen's offerings. Anyway, if you're buying a used top-load washer there are lots of reliable ones that can be picked up on the cheap (or sometimes free) . Besides those already mentioned, I've found the older GE washers and dryers (up to mid-'90s) to be reliable and easy to find parts for because they didn't change much year to year beyond cosmetics. They can be identified by smaller doors and metal rather than plastic tubs. Whirlpool and Kenmore are usually reliable, if unspectacular performers (beware of really slow spin speeds on older or lower-end models). Maytags that used their own design rather than cheaper ones from companies they later bought out were good. General Motors-era Frigidaires are terrific, but becoming hard to find (up to 1980). Really, most of the older TL washers were solidly built....See MoreWasher recommendations needed: Top-Load super/ultra capacity
Comments (19)dadoes, thanks for the info. We actually had the dryer exhaust ducting examined to see if the problem was with the dryer (also a Kenmore) originally. But it turned out there wasn't a clog in the dryer exhaust ducting. The issue was that the old Kenmore (100 series) washer's spin was never powerful enough to really spin out enough water from the laundry to allow for drying with a single dryer cycle. The basket/drum on the Maytag Bravo MVWX500X is 4.3 cubic feet, so yes, it is much larger than the basket/drum on our old Kenmore 100 series washer. The Maytag Bravo MVWX500X also does not have a center agitator, but instead has a "low-water washplate wash system". This "low-water washplate wash system" is interesting and new to me. I must say, it's nice not to have the center agitator and a larger drum, since I wanted to be able to wash quilts and comforters, and also loads with multiple large towels. However, I've read that because of how the "low-water washplate wash system" distributes laundry detergent, some detergent could build up on the internal plumbing. We were advised by the installers to run a washer cleaner tablet once a month in this new washer. The manual says this cleaning process can also be accomplished by adding 1 cup of liquid chlorine bleach to the bleach dispenser and running the washer through a wash cycle while empty. When our new washer was installed, the installers also ran a washer cleaner tablet through the machine while it was empty. The washer tablet's ingredients are sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate. It remains to be seen if any detergent build-up will accumulate in this new washer, even with monthly cleaning, and if that will lead to any mold or mildew issues. If so, our choice of a high-efficiency machine may turn out to be unwise. It also remains to be seen if the electronics and the "low-water washplate wash system" hold up over time, or if there will be technological breakdowns because the machine is digital. We prepared ourselves for the fact that repairs to this machine will likely cost more than a traditional old-style "knob" washer. So this new high-efficiency washer is kind of an experiment in a way. I will try to report back after some time has passed and let everyone know how it's holding up. steveomc, our old Kenmore washer was in fact from the 110 series, lol. The 100 series have a notorious problem with the lid switch. We've had to have the lid switch replaced twice. The lid switch part only costs about $31 dollars but of course, the service visit cost much more than that. We also had to have a repair on another element of the machine, for a total of three repairs. Even with the repairs, the machine just never spun efficiently enough for our liking....See More
georgect
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
whirlpool_trainee
8 years agolarsi_gw
8 years agolarsi_gw
8 years agomamapinky0
8 years agowhirlpool_trainee
8 years agoAjMadison has the new models already; along with user manuals. It's a wash plate with corkscrew slapped on it. A true conventional top loader wouldn't need a Deep Fill button like these new GEs.
markb
8 years agogeorgect
8 years agomabeldingeldine
8 years agomamapinky0
8 years ago
tibbrix
8 years agodadoes
8 years ago
PROJoe Henderson
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
deeageaux
8 years ago
Caroline
2 years agodadoes
2 years ago
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