OT - Which washing machine?!

[oldguy00]

We are moving into a new place. We've had two front load washers in the past and hated them. Even leaving the doors open when not in use, running cleaning cycles, HE soap in small amounts, they didn't do a good job getting clothes clean and eventually stink.

Looking at some of the newer top load washers, but some get complaints that they don't use enough water, etc...

Any recommendations? Better off to simply go back to an old style agitator top load??

Thanks!!!

[batman1425]

My folks just did this song and dance and ended up with an electrolux front loader. The like it but are being extra diligent with cleaning. They leave the door and detergent tray open to air dry and wipe out the gasket a couple times a week.

[Ralph]

My wife thinks the old ones clean better...although do use more water. And break down far less often. And when the old ones broke down, they could be fixed by your neighborhood appliance repair man. She thinks the fewer electronic controls the better.

[Bentley]

I would suggest a top loading HE washer. I actually bought a fairly inexpensive GE model with just a few cycles and it works great and only cost like $450. I think that some of the new models are far too complicated and have to many features that are likely to result in higher cost of ownership and potentially a shorter useful life than a basic HE Top Loader. My thoughts

[oldguy00]

I would suggest a top loading HE washer. I actually bought a fairly inexpensive GE model with just a few cycles and it works great and only cost like $450. I think that some of the new models are far too complicated and have to many features that are likely to result in higher cost of ownership and potentially a shorter useful life than a basic HE Top Loader. My thoughts

This is what I was thinking of, but there seems to be a common trend in the reviews that they don't use enough water to clean the clothes properly, and many leave a white residue on the clothing.

[oldguy00]

My wife thinks the old ones clean better...although do use more water. And break down far less often. And when the old ones broke down, they could be fixed by your neighborhood appliance repair man. She thinks the fewer electronic controls the better.

This is what I am actually leaning towards, finding a good quality old style washer.
After we gave up on our first front load washer, we briefly had a 'old style' agitator washer, and it was so nice to have clean clothes again! But we had to leave it behind when we moved again, which brought us to our next front load... :(

[Veloo]

I bought Maytag a number of years ago and I think it's junk
Spin cycle stopped working properly when doing unbalanced loads and didn't think it dix a great job cleaning. Dryer left thing damp. Customer service ticked me off so bad for my oven that I decided to never go with the brand ever again.

[RobJ]

This is what I was thinking of, but there seems to be a common trend in the reviews that they don't use enough water to clean the clothes properly, and many leave a white residue on the clothing.

We just moved and went through the same process. Bought a fairly pricey (not top of the line, probably a model down) Whirlpool HE top loader, all touch panel controls etc. We had nothing but problems. They use a combination of sensors to determine how much clothes are in the tub and then use the right amount of water. Half the time it would error out either being off-balance or no water filling. Or it would run a cycle and the clothes literally came out dry.

Ended up with a HE front-loader and so far it has been working smoothly. But I wouldn't go with the HE top-loader and go old-style as you are suggesting.

[chiasticon]

Any recommendations? Better off to simply go back to an old style agitator top load??yes, do this. and find one with the least amount of computers in it. older washing machines are super simple and pretty cheap to repair on your own. get a new one with computers controlling everything and pretty quickly you're at a loss as to why the thing won't work and are now at the mercy of a technician owning the tools for diagnostics and paying him $200 service calls to tell you you need a new $300 circuit board, but everything else is OK.

I learned this the hard way. wife wanted new-fangled LG dream machines. lasted two years. bought a new washer that cost 1/3 the price and is simple as sh*t. hopefully it lasts. LG dryer's starting to act funny now though... :rolleyes:

[fbhidy]

Just replaced a 2 year old washer at my folks. It was a like new top loader. Thankfully we had bought a e year warranty. The issue is they all have cheap computer boards in them now that just go bad, some quick, others not so quickly. The replacement actually had a 10 year warranty! Totally worth it.

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[oldguy00]

yes, do this. and find one with the least amount of computers in it. older washing machines are super simple and pretty cheap to repair on your own. get a new one with computers controlling everything and pretty quickly you're at a loss as to why the thing won't work and are now at the mercy of a technician owning the tools for diagnostics and paying him $200 service calls to tell you you need a new $300 circuit board, but everything else is OK.

I learned this the hard way. wife wanted new-fangled LG dream machines. lasted two years. bought a new washer that cost 1/3 the price and is simple as sh*t. hopefully it lasts. LG dryer's starting to act funny now though... :rolleyes:

Thanks, yeah, I agree with this.
We have a couple of rental properties, both have old style top load washers working perfectly for 10+ years!
The reviews all mention how the old washers use so much more water, but that kind of goes out the window when you have to run the HE washers multiple times to clean, then run bleach/afresh cycles to get rid of the stink in the machine, etc etc

[Mikej]

Cheapest one, then toss it when it breaks and get a new one.

[parris]

Although they'll use more water I'd look for an old school Maytag or Whirlpool top loader.

We were farmers and the amount of hell the Maytag washer went through over the years was pretty amazing. It was common for the wash water to look like a dirty pond during the wash cycle when doing work clothes. When my wife and I bought our house 20+ years ago we went with the same brand and have had to replace a few small parts over the years but they're still running today.

When the old machines do break there's a ton of diy info on the web for fixing them.

[dgauthier]

+1 for top loader, bottom-of-the-line, all manual dials, no sensors, no computers, simple simple simple.

[chiasticon]

The reviews all mention how the old washers use so much more water, but that kind of goes out the window when you have to run the HE washers multiple times to clean, then run bleach/afresh cycles to get rid of the stink in the machine, etc etcit's getting increasingly hard to find a non-HE machine these days but the ones without agitators seem to be the worst and collect the most gunk in them. you know what else really wastes water? when your washer fills a bunch, spins a bit to "sense" how full it is, fills more, fills more, fills more, doesn't actually wash anything, then drains and tells you the tub is off balance so you need to redistribute the load. not to mention the fun of having it try to spin out sopping wet clothes over and over again, complete with more and more "off balance" error messages... :mad:

[ultraman6970]

It depends a lot of what you want to spend... +1 tot loader. Ours broke months ago and I went over the same predicament, I ended up setting up pretty much in the simplest one they had in the store because honestly i do not need a chemical analysis of the clothing neither the water but I need the machine to work all the time, so the 1st condition was simplicity and with the less electronics as possible, that leaves all the korean machines out right away... we setup in a white GE gtw48.... something, simple, not expensive and wash the stuff good.

Hope this helps.

ps; i think is this one... http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-4-2-cu-ft-Top-Load-Washer-in-White-ENERGY-STAR-GTW485ASJWS/206355477?cm_mmc=shopping-_-shopzilla-_-D29-_-206355477&szredirectid=14951175787321699809610070301008005&gclid=CKHShILT-dMCFU-dNwodvF8OTg&gclsrc=ds

[oldguy00]

It depends a lot of what you want to spend... +1 tot loader. Ours broke months ago and I went over the same predicament, I ended up setting up pretty much in the simplest one they had in the store because honestly i do not need a chemical analysis of the clothing neither the water but I need the machine to work all the time, so the 1st condition was simplicity and with the less electronics as possible, that leaves all the korean machines out right away... we setup in a white GE gtw48.... something, simple, not expensive and wash the stuff good.

Hope this helps.

ps; i think is this one... http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-4-2-cu-ft-Top-Load-Washer-in-White-ENERGY-STAR-GTW485ASJWS/206355477?cm_mmc=shopping-_-shopzilla-_-D29-_-206355477&szredirectid=14951175787321699809610070301008005&gclid=CKHShILT-dMCFU-dNwodvF8OTg&gclsrc=ds

I think that is pretty much what we are going to look at. Do you find the capacity on that one to be enough? Is 4.2 a little on the low side?

[commonguy001]

After a less than satisfying 5.5 year run with a front loader that died I went back to a standard top load unit made by Speed Queen 'commercial' with mechanical controls and couldn't be happier.
Super fast and cloths are actually clean when it's done.

[Jeff N.]

Just bought a top loading washer and dryer combo (Kenmore). It's all computerized but seems to do the job...so far, anyway. Very nice, but I was blown away when I read the boxes..."MADE IN VIETNAM". It reminded me that nothing was gained from that stupid war...NOTHING!

[rnhood]

I had the same headaches and mediocre cleaning from a front loading Machine. Went back to an old school top loader and it's been great. They don't really use much more water and regardless, it's worth it to get clean clothes. Don't waste your money on a modern front loader. H

[Bentley]

This is what I was thinking of, but there seems to be a common trend in the reviews that they don't use enough water to clean the clothes properly, and many leave a white residue on the clothing.

I have actually found a bit of "white residue" from time to time, I generally find it on very dark clothes and by just adding an "additional rinse" seems to correct the problem. Even with the extra rinse, which is actually recommended for most sports wear, it still uses less water than the old washer. Way less soap as well.

[ORMojo]

We just replaced our 15-year-old center agitator old-style washer 2 months ago. I did serious research, but with several caveats: wife pretty much insisted on high efficiency (water & electricity), had to be top load, and NO agitator.

Bought this GE https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-4-6-cu-ft-High-Efficiency-Top-Load-Washer-White-ENERGY-STAR/999922476

Paid the price currently listed - $539 delivered with the old one hauled away.

We could not be happier with it so far. Clothes are coming out much cleaner and fresher than the old agitator (a very-good-for-its-time LG), wash time is quick, spin is very efficient, resulting in less time in the dryer, and after figuring out the cycles and options, it is quick to select and start. The capacity, especially without the agitator, is fantastic - two small kids, lots of laundry, we are doing significantly fewer loads overall. We've already done kids sleeping bags (and will again after another camping trip in a couple of weeks!), no problem. Yes, it does seem at first that it isn't using enough water, but the results are great, and low water usage was one of the goals (water is expensive here - our water bill alone tops $350/month during irrigation season). And there are a couple of options to tell the machine to use a higher fill level if needed. Uses much less soap, no residue so far, and, again, the results have been great.

Read the reviews (I read hundreds). Here is a good starting point http://www.consumersearch.com/washing-machine-reviews/ge-gtw680bsjws

[quattro]

Just bought a SAMSUNG at Home Depot last week after my Maytag crapped out after 7 years, POS! I would stay clear of Maytag and Whirlpool brands.
Purchased a 5 year extended warranty for $129 which is renewable at the end of 5 years, it costs close to that just to have them come out to diagnose.
Here is the model we purchased, it's on sale now for $649.99, so far so good!
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-activewash-5-2-cu-ft-12-cycle-high-efficiency-top-loading-washer-white/5712045.p?skuId=5712045

[paredown]

We've got an older Whirlpool Duet front loader set, stacked. These were (not sure about now) made in Germany, and we have used them a lot--they have been reliable as anything

There are complaints about water being trapped in the front seals, and smells, but the occasional load of hot with bleach and it is all good.

I would never go back to a top loader--they beat the crap out of clothes, do not get the loads as dry since the spin cycles tend not to be as fast, and I don't think you can get the capacity (because the agitator sits in the tub.) With ours, we can (and do) wash queen-sized down and feather duvets, and they come out dry enough that you can stick 'em in the dryer with the 'tennis balls" and get a perfect job, without worrying about tearing out baffles in the quilt.

Every seasonal change-over, I am grateful for these machines--and not paying insane prices at the dry-cleaners to have quilts returned that are not that clean, despite the prices.z

Plus they use less detergent, are quieter and the nearly dry clothes go out on the line to dry and are done. The only thing, if we were buying for this house (instead of bringing them with us) I would have got a gas dryer...

[oldguy00]

...
There are complaints about water being trapped in the front seals, and smells, but the occasional load of hot with bleach and it is all good.
...

If thats working for you, thats great. But I can tell you we went through all that, wipe downs, leaving door/tray open, hot water bleach cycles, afresh tablets. Still got stinky.

[paredown]

If thats working for you, thats great. But I can tell you we went through all that, wipe downs, leaving door/tray open, hot water bleach cycles, afresh tablets. Still got stinky.

Top loaders get stinky too--I just think that people were not used to machines with door seals, so that if you left them closed they really got stinky. I also think that using an HE non-scented detergent helps--Tide is possibly the worst for lingering odors (at least to my nose). Also not using too much detergent...

(I didn't realize that people actually had mold problems and there was a class action suit on Maytag, Kenmore and Whirlpool front loaders and Sears:
http://www.consumerreports.org/washing-machines/settlement-in-front-loader-mold-case/ )
LG had a separate suit for theirs... I can't imagine mold in a washing machine--I guess it would take a nice humid Florida basement...)

Still though, I will put up with the small odor problem for a washer that does a good job..

[2metalhips]

Bought an old school top load Whirlpool 3 years ago at the HD. Works great, no issues, no complaints.

[Ken Robb]

Some top-loaders are HE and have no agitators so the entire basket can hold stuff to be washed. We got a moderately priced Whirlpool 2-3 years ago and it works great. The clothes come out almost dry due to the efficacy of the fast spin cycle speed. No stink. We use unscented detergent.
The salesman was candid and told us it would not last 15 years like our old agitator Whirlpool but he didn't think that a more expensive machine would last any longer.

I have to believe that manufacturers really love the extra profit they get when almost everyone who buys frontloaders also has to buy a bases for each machine to get them high enough for easy loading/unloading.

[patfl1]

We just went from GE HE front loaders to Speedqueen top loaders.

Made in the USA, not fancy and not cheap.

Made to last, most have 5 year factory warranty.

If you have not heard of/seen their product...worth at least a look.

Good luck!


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[parris]

Our female housing unit has 2 Speed Queen washers and dryers. They run on average 12 hrs a day due to the population numbers. Repairs have been things like drive belts, and other small items but they're very tough machines.

[gasman]

We just went from GE HE front loaders to Speedqueen top loaders.

Made in the USA, not fancy and not cheap.

Made to last, most have 5 year factory warranty.

If you have not heard of/seen their product...worth at least a look.

Good luck!


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We had multiple problems when we got a Whirlpool HE front loader. Multiple repairs in two months. It was probably just lemon made on a Friday afternoon so we bought a Speed Queen top loader with manual controls and after 5 years have done nothing to it. It's really built well.
Our Whirlpool dryer is fine and problem free but we dry a lot of laundry by hanging it.

[johnniecakes]

We did this just before Christmas. Tried 2 HE models, one whirlpool, one Maytag, returned them both. Bought a conventional Speed Queen. Now happy wife and clean clothes. I will keep this one as long as possible. Hopefully HE will be close to as good as conventional by then.

[oldguy00]

What is the price of the speed queen top loaders??

I don't think I have a dealer nearby.... (east coast Canada)

[unterhausen]

I have to say that I don't like the fact that our front loader stinks, and I'd rather not have to leave the door open. I'm a little surprised that top loaders don't stink. I took the drum out of our old one before I decided it was a lost cause, and the amount of gunk hidden by the drum was just amazing.

[SoCalSteve]

My wife thinks the old ones clean better...although do use more water. And break down far less often. And when the old ones broke down, they could be fixed by your neighborhood appliance repair man. She thinks the fewer electronic controls the better.

She is 100% correct! We now live in a building that is 14 years old with the original Whirlpool washer and dryer still going strong. Top loading, no computers, no efficiency...just a simple washer and dryer.

They are still going strong after 14 years and I swear they do a better job than the fancy shmancy washer and dryer I had at my house. They don't look as nice, they don't have as many options, they aren't as efficient. But they work, keep working and work well.

[patfl1]

What is the price of the speed queen top loaders??



I don't think I have a dealer nearby.... (east coast Canada)



I believe they range from $650-$1000 for washers and $600-$900 for dryers.

Our dealer had 3 washers $750-$950 and dryers $660-$750


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[Ken Robb]

I got at least 15 years out of my old Whirlpool top-loader. I replaced a leaky hose once and the "safety" switch that kept it from spinning when the lid was up once by fixing it in place with a zip tie. :-)

[Davist]

I've had a top load HE Whirlpool Cabrio for about 2 years and do not recommend, it's terrible, have to run 2 or 3 x on extra high water levels and rinses to get the "white residue" off the clothes, on blue jeans and others. Definitely not saving water at all.

considering going back to an agitator version, the front loader we had lasted 10 years, but did have the stinky gasket, but not terrible, was a kenmore..

[Ken Robb]

I've had a top load HE Whirlpool Cabrio for about 2 years and do not recommend, it's terrible, have to run 2 or 3 x on extra high water levels and rinses to get the "white residue" off the clothes, on blue jeans and others. Definitely not saving water at all.

considering going back to an agitator version, the front loader we had lasted 10 years, but did have the stinky gasket, but not terrible, was a kenmore..

We have a cheaper (non-Cabrio) version like this and it works great. Have you tried different detergents to maybe eliminate the white residue? I have been surprised by how much less detergent we are supposed to use with our HE top-loader.

[Andreas]

Miele.

[yarg]

Went from HE washers which molded up and s#cked, to SPEED QUEEN, made in Wisconsin I believe, and has all manual dials. It cleans great and just runs and runs. Replaced dryer when it died with speed queen as well.