I agree! It was what was recommended by a repairman. A few years down, no complaints so far.

Speed Queen. I had one of the commercial grade Speed Queen sets for years and they were still working and looking new when I gave them to a friend. I replaced them with front load Samsung that I also have been very happy with.

I bought a SQ washer and dryer after reading the forums here. I wanted quality without settings I'd never use and wanted my clothes to be cleaned. It has all that and it's a fast wash too. The only thing I don't like about it is the water level but you can fiddle with something on the back and raise the level. I'd recommend you do that before you slide it into place if it's in a closet.

First, let me say I've never had anything but Maytag. While I don't hate the energy efficient set I bought 4 years ago, I don't love them either. My BIL was frustrated enough with his own save-the-planet-by-reducing-water-used-to-wash-clothes pair of Maytags just one year older than my own, he gave them to his church and bought less expensive GE Deep Fill machines for his home and weekend home - knowing at the price they may not last forever. I went to their house to do laundry they hadn't gotten to when leaving on vacation and used the new GE Deep Fill....loved it. I had a great time doing their laundry ;0) Push a little upper left button and hold for three seconds (overriding the load sizing sensors) - the machine filled to the top with water just like washers used to. And it had a real agitator, no tangles or unbalancing.

I mentioned that to a licensed service person here doing something else last week and he smiled over my fun with their laundry. And mentioned a Speed Queen top loader would perform the same with likely many more years of use, their residential machines being 'real work horses'...his description. He pointed out the model with dial controls instead of an electronic panel should be long lived and dependable.

I have a Speed Queen with mechanical controls. It has a variable water level selector in addition to an extra rinse option.

It did cost a few hundred more than other top loaders, but in my opinion, it's worth it!

https://www.speedqueen.com/products/top-load-washers.aspx?mn=AWN432SP113TW04#build-your-own

ETA: I almost forgot about the polishing dust left behind in the drum. I was freaking out when I first bought the machine and then did some research. I think I ran it about 4 times (no clothes) wiping the tub well between each load until the residue was gone. Don't know if it's still an issue. http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2426373/cleaning-new-speed-queen

Another fan of Speed Queen, Whatever you get, realize that people are often unhappy with the low profile center agitators in the water-efficiency brands. But that came from national rules on water usage in appliances. I heard that SQ will be changing this year to conform more, so be sure to act quickly and get the old-style machine.

On their website, it says full tub fill, so they may have increased the water level since I bought mine four years ago. I'm able to wash a queen-sized down blanket in it without a full fill.

My new SQ has different water levels to choose. The "full" option is...full. I like the very fast wash cycles. Depending on what you are washing the time is longer or shorter. There's also a "quick wash" option, really fast. Mine has the latest low agitator, but the clothes come out clean. I am pleased with it.

There are so many posts on the Laundry forum on different machines. It was where I did my research before buying.

Another vote for Speed Queen. LOVE mine (Model 542 with mechanical controls).

Can I ask why you prefer a top loader over front loader? I Switched 12 years ago and have been very happy with the energy efficiency of the front loader. In fact, I still have the same Bosch next. I'm not trying to change your decision, just curious .

I so wish I bought a front loader or SQ.

Routinely wash my clothes 2 cycles in my "efficient" top loader Maytag. Not efficient for it to take 3hrs (90min x2) to do a half filled basket/load of laundry.

Hmmm... maybe with repeal of energy legislation, by the current president, we might be able to get better washing machines.

Jojoco, I had a front loader for a few weeks and returned it. It didn't get gardening clothes clean. Then there's the mold issue. Since I had my machine for such a short time I never had to deal with that, nor would I have been willing to. No way I could keep the door open with kitties in the house.

Our local "if he can't fix it, no once can" repairman says SpeedQueen!

I love my fisher paykel. We've had it for several years now and it works great. It's energy efficient (there ARE energy efficient top loaders) and works great. Clothes are clean and much more "wrung out", and that means less dryer time. We also have a FP dryer. I had read too much about issues with the front loaders to try one myself.

Thank you all. I will be looking at Speed Queen. Top loader because the way our laundry room is configured (not our decision) a front loader is too cramped. My current washing machine doesn't have an agitator & i would prefer that but will look at either. I'll be back to let all of you know what we decide on. Thank you so much!

bothell - depending on how small your laundry room is you could still think about a front loader. One of the great features is that most of them can be stacked with the dryer above the washing machine.

I was convinced to get a front loader and regret it bigly. I am reading these comments and thinking if I save my pennies, I can get a SQ top loader next year and chuck this stupid top loader off a cliff. I know some people love them, but I find mine to be finicky (wipe the seal after each load, leave the door open, don't wash anything too tiny, don't wash anything too big, don't open the door once you start it, etc.) and it doesn't do half the things my 30 year old top loader could do. Might just be my particular model.

We love our GE top loader. It doesn't have a lot of extras on it. The fewer the better, I think. It has a stainless steel tub and is a large capacity machine. We have had it for about a yr. Just what we wanted.

I bought a SQ washer and dryer 2 years ago, no regrets and I do a lot of laundry.

I wish I had held out for a Speed Queen. It was about $300 more than the Whirlpool that I bought, plus you had to wait a few months to get one, which should tell you something. My Whirlpool is okay. It does have an agitator and dials rather than electronic controls. Clothes come out somewhat tangled, not terrible but my old machine did not do that, dark clothes have detergent spots on them so I have to set it for two rinses (what is water saving about that?), the cycle is long. My mother has a GE which I like better. The fewer bells and whistles the better. Can someone pleae tell me the difference between Cold and Tap Cold?? Does the machine have a water chiller? Cool adds some warm water. It's all so silly.

Good for wine...LOL!!

Cold vs Tap Cold,courtesy of http://jeffrey.darofamily.com/index.php/cold-vs-tap-cold/:

When you wash laundry on the Cold temperature setting, your washing
machine may actually be using hot+cold water, and wasting energy.

Many modern clothes washing machines have a Cold, and a Tap Cold
setting. The Tap Cold setting uses the water directly from the tap,
without altering the temperature at all. The Cold setting is often set
to a specific minimum temperature. If your tap water, say in the winter,
is not up to the temperature, the machine will mix in hot water to
raise your Cold up to the minimum level of…cold.

Some detergents require minimum temperature to work effectively. If
you are not using such a detergent, choose the Tap Cold setting, and you
can save a few BTU’s of energy.

The LG web site has this to say about the Tap Cold setting:

The difference between COLD and TAP COLD depends upon the
incoming water temperature. The COLD setting will provide water between
65 and 75 degrees Fahreinheit. If the incoming water temperature is
lower than this, hot water will be added to raise the temperature. The
TAP COLD setting will run the cold water line only, regardless of the
incoming water temperature. Temperatures below 65 will not activate
laundry additives and may cause lint, residue, poor cleaning, etc. In
addition, detergent manufactures and care labels define COLD water as
80-85. If the temperature of the water in the tub is too cold for your
hands, the detergent will not activate and clean effectively. The ECO
WARM feature is designed to be a setting between the WARM and TAP COLD
temperatures. It provides the benefits of a warm wash, while using less
energy. The water will be in the neighborhood of 90 degrees.

First I've heard of tap cold. My SQ doesn't have it. When I use cold water (which is pretty much all the time) that's all that comes out. The tankless water heater remote controller is in the laundry room and I'd know if any hot water was being mixed in.

I wash some things in hot and some in cold, it makes a difference: heavily soiled always get hot, delicates, cold. I use laundry bags for anything nice too, good clothes and bras.

thanks for the explanation. Who knew. How did I manage to get by all these years with three settings -- hot, warm, cold. I pretty much leave the washer at tap cold all the time.

Well, some people don't know and based on the variety of questions asked here, I would say it's ok to explain things at the basic level. It's not an insult.

We have a top loader GE Profile. I think the loads take way too long. I also have to use extended spin to cut down dryer time or I have to turn the dryer on at least twice. Repair guy had to come out a year or so ago for something with motor and drum. I forget what all was involved but I do remember him saying he was surprised it didn't dump water all over the floor because that's the end result. When the time comes I like to replace with a SQ. I stayed away from front loaders since there isn't an agitator and potential mold issues.

Bumble, I wasn't insulted, just surprised that there could be such a convoluted explanation of water temperatures generated by washing machines.

I am always surprised at those who wash everything in cold. All my bf's, btw. But I am a bit squeamish.

I don't wash everything in cold. Towels, any white underwear or socks, etc. and dish towels all get washed in hot water. Most of our outside work clothes and depending on what hubby has been into, some of his jeans also get washed in hot.

I thought I should come back to this thread to tell you that the washing machine purchase is on hold. My current machine had what turned out to be a minor problem & is working fine now. that said, when I do replace it, based on all of your very helpful comments I will be purchasing a Speed Queen. contributing to the wash temperature debate - whites in hot, towels, hubs stuff & jeans in warm & most of my clothes in cold. Thank you all again so much!

I start every load with hot water on the small load setting because I use powdered detergent. Heavily soiled stuff goes in while it agitates. Then I reset the washer to full load and fill with cold. Rest of the laundry goes in.