Speed Queen quality

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Looking for thoughts on Speed Queen quality, specifically a front load washer & dryer. Basically, are they worth the premium, which I do not mind IF the quality is there. US made also, I try to buy domestic whenever feasible.

Replacing a ~3 year old Bosch washer which we've just had enough of: 3 broken latches, weepy front door seal & paint failing... Frustrating, since we are good about care, wiping the seals down, leaving it open, etc. Disappointing and irritating.

Thanks.
 
I have a Speed Queen top loader that's 7 years old w/o any problems. I had the same issue as you with washers lasting only 3-4 years before a major issue. Don't know anything about front loaders, though.
 
Another thing about the top load models is that the SQ still fill the tub with water. Other brands that are water savers don't wash as well. I know a couple people who complain that they don't get clothes clean enough. I work in a job that could be classified as one of the most dirtiest jobs LOL. I haul kitty litter clay and unload it into the silo w/pneumatic tanker and you can't help but get filthy. I also do mechanical work, and needless to say it's a challenge to get grease and dirt out. My wash comes out clean every time with my SQ..
 
I have a Whirlpool HE top loader, it does a pretty good job, no complaints.

I have owned front loaders in the past, and unless you leave the door hang open between washes they start to stink. It's a lot easier to keep the lid on a top loader open than a front loader.

Also with front loaders, I would run into an issue with the washer not being able to spin if I had certain loads like 2 towels in it.
 
My parents have a speed queen dryer. They've had it a few years now(3-5 probably). Hasn't caused them any problems. Myself I use the old style whirlpool/Kenmore washer dryers. Everything but the motor is cheap and easily replaceable. The motor was the death of my last washer but it was a mid 80's model. Replaced it with a new to me pair for $160 off of Craigslist.
 
I know when we needed a new washer at work we asked the old school appliance shop nearby to send over the most heavy-duty machine they'd recommend. They delivered and setup a Speed Queen top load. That was about 3yrs ago. This machine washes 3-4 loads of nasty work clothes 24/7/365. Still looks and performs like new.

We have an older LG front-load machine at home. It does an OK job, but like said, it barely wets the clothes. I'm fine with this though, being on a 40+ year old septic system, where we try to minimize waste water.
 
I would check Consumers Report....to see where SQ's are rated.

A few years ago, I purchased a Kenmore 'Elite' top load washer on Craigslist, that was less than 1 year old. It has been the best washer we have ever owned.
 
SQ has some good and bad things. I don't own one, but my mother just bought a SQ top load and I've done a lot of reading on them.

The good is they're built very heavy duty, much more than other top loader brands. They also lack the electronic controls that can be problematic on some brands. They also use a lot of water, and if that's what you want there aren't many options that still do that.

But the not-so-good will be that some reviews say they're rough on clothes, don't have a good gentle cycle. I've also read some complaints on an appliance forum of grease leaking from somewhere in the washer and contaminating clothes.

So again, it depends what you want. If you're main concern is build quality and heavy duty construction, SQ is top notch. If you're looking to wash a lot of clothes on gentle cycle, maybe it's not such a good choice.

EDIT - I just checked CR. The older SQ top loader, the AWN542, didn't have a great rating for the washing performance reasons I mentioned.

However, SQ has recently released a new top loader that's more expensive, has electronic controls, but also has a higher CR rating for its washing performance. The front loading model also has a significantly higher rating than the old top load model.
 
Any time I buy 'durable goods', I don't mind paying extra for quality.
But remember that every manufacturer has a selection of High and Low End products.

Like everything, do your research and spend the money to get quality.
Not fancy do-dades, but well made basic quality components.

I've had my Maytag Washer and Dryer for 30 years now.
Maytag has since been bought by another Company.

Would I run out and buy another Maytag ? ? ? ...... Not necessarly.

Like the newer Cars, these new Washers scare me.
Too much electronics.
 
I have been through 4 washers in the past 15 years one was a lemon and the factory gave me my money back. I bought a Speed Queen and it is solid. It is 3 years old and all the others were starting to fall apart at 3 years old. Made in the U.S. I had a old 1970 Maytag that was a Maytag. The new Maytags are p.o.s. Whirlpools
 
My washer is a relatively cheap 1991 vintage Hotpoint, top loader of course. I dread the day I have to replace it. It's not awesome, but it has gotten my clothes plenty clean without destroying them. I have had to replace the mixing valve (about ten years ago) and the agitator coupler (about two years ago) and that's it.

The front loaders look nifty and they are supposed to use less water, but given what I have seen in the experiences of friends and family I want nothing to do with them.
 
i had a whirlpool that lasted almost 5 years and within that 5 years the timer went the pump had problems the switch on the door had to be replaced and then the transmission stopped working. Then we had the electric companies worry free contract and they fixed everything except the transmission.. Whirlpool is JUNK and that was the top of the line. The only thing that was good was the paint job it looked brand new when we got rid of it.
 
I plan on getting the Speed Queen base model top loader when my 2004 Kenmore finally bites it. Replaced the lid switch and that's it on the Kenmore. Lid starting to rust, put some metal duct tape over it. Problem solved.
 
Originally Posted By: Silverado12
Another thing about the top load models is that the SQ still fill the tub with water. Other brands that are water savers don't wash as well. I know a couple people who complain that they don't get clothes clean enough. I work in a job that could be classified as one of the most dirtiest jobs LOL. I haul kitty litter clay and unload it into the silo w/pneumatic tanker and you can't help but get filthy. I also do mechanical work, and needless to say it's a challenge to get grease and dirt out. My wash comes out clean every time with my SQ..

Echo the top-load. My parents owned a Speed Queen for 40 years till they passed.

We bought one several years ago. I believe they are in a class by themselves. If you are planning on keeping it for years its a good plan.
 
I've never owned a SQ, but they were always the choice of laundromats. Built like tanks.

My wife bought a basic Whirlpool (re-badged as Kenmore) top-loader 2 years before we got married, and we've used it ever since that's since 1988- coming up on 28 years now. We did buy a front-load washer/dryer pair about 7-8 years ago, so the old top-loader got re-purposed to shop rags and really dirty stuff. And its filled in a time or two when the front-loader was down for some electrical gremlin (grrr...).
That same basic Whirlpool toploader is still available as the most basic, generic model they make. All the parts are still available. That said, conventional-agitator toploaders are harder on clothing than front-loaders, and (at least my experience) don't actually clean quite as well. But they're darn sure reliable.

As for that front-loader (a low-end Whirlpool/Kenmore also), The root of every problem it had early on was low-voltage electrical connections (serial bus between motor controller and main controller, for example). I finally fired the service people, took it apart, and put electronic-grade grease on every board-edge connector on every module, and it hasn't given a lick of trouble since then. Viewed from a purely mechanicla point of view, front-loaders are far simpler. Just a tub on bearings and either a belt or direct-drive motor, no complex gearbox for an agitator like a top-loader. Its the electroncs that are their downfall- if they made a *mechanically* timed front-loader with no electronics, serial busses, and so on, man I'd be all over that.
 
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