Top loading washer.....

[daves87rs]

The only thing I've been wanting to add to my house recently was a washer and dryer...have have been able to due to the work I was doing in the area I was putting them. (Had to refinish that area).


My parents old whirlpool washer kicked the bucket last week, and they bought a brand new Whirlpool Cabrio set. So, since the dryer is still in great shape at 15 years old, my dad wanted me to take it, so I did. And now it is cleaned up and ready to go! Still works great too!

So, it now means I just need a washer. Not a fan of the front loaders, so top loader it is. (Born and raised on them!) I don't need a crazy loaded one, but I would like a nice one. And an he one to save water if it is possible. I was considering a small/lower end version of my parents ones, but I am open to ideas.


Looking for bang for buck here, nice but not crazy here. I've looked at a few, and noticed quite a few made in america, which is nice. I'm still planning to take good care of these anyways, since I will take work/dog stuff to the local coin place, and it is not uncommon for me or my wife and hand wash/line dry our stuff either...helps to save money too...

Open to ideas and suggestions....thanks!

 

[Donald]

You want one without an agitator. The agitator ones are old-school, use more water and are harder on your clothes. They will not be sold much longer.

Also the washers come in sizes from around 3.7 CU/FT to 5.2 CU/FT even though the cabinet is the same size.

 

[WhyMe]

if the old washer is fixable, i would fix it. there are pretty common problems that can be fixed cheap. most common is the coupler.

 

[gman2304]

Craigslist is your friend. You might even find one to match the washer.

 

[Trav]

Check out Speed Queen. I buy them for apartment building, they are tough as nails.
Direct drive, all metal gear transmissions, stainless steel drums, no digital doo dads.These things are balance correcting and don't vibrate.

They are so tough they make coin boxes for them for commercial use they use plenty of water so they really wash clothes.
The price is really right on these American made machines and it will out live anything on the market today. Old school typical American HD washer for sure but thats a good thing!

Speed Queen

 

[Mykl]

If you get one that has the auto-water-level feature make sure it has an override. The one I purchased four years ago measured the amount of water based on weight of the contents, so it won't clean lightweight, but bulky items like comforters.

 

[michaelluscher]

What do you have against the front loader?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
What do you have against the front loader?

That's what i was wondering. IME, front loaders use less water and wash better.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: gman2304
Craigslist is your friend. You might even find one to match the washer.


If you go on CL, I suggest you test out a wash cycle. Which maybe hard to do if someone has installed a new set of machines and moved the old ones to the garage. Still you can connect garden hose to water inlet and a trash can for the drain.

The front-loader I got on CL would not spin due to a faulty door switch. I am also seeing the front gasket may be dripping and the water valves are seeping water when the machine is off.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Check out Speed Queen. I buy them for apartment building, they are tough as nails.
Direct drive, all metal gear transmissions, stainless steel drums, no digital doo dads.These things are balance correcting and don't vibrate.

They are so tough they make coin boxes for them for commercial use they use plenty of water so they really wash clothes.
The price is really right on these American made machines and it will out live anything on the market today. Old school typical American HD washer for sure but thats a good thing!

Speed Queen


My dad still has his Speed Queen from the early 80s. Still going strong!!

 

[threeputtpar]

If you are dead set on a top loader, do not get one with the smaller agitator at the bottom of the drum. We bought the higher end top loading Maytags two years ago and I think they do a terrible job of cleaning anything. I even override the water saver feature because they wouldn't fill with enough water to get all the clothes wet or properly rinse the detergent out of them.

They even have the same problem of a musty smell that the front loaders do, and need to be cleansed every two weeks or so according to the light that goes off. So no advantage there.

I took a couple of loads to the laundromat because the stupid Maytag did a horrible job on our comforter, and the front loaders there got my clothes so clean I had forgotton what it was like to have really clean smelling clothes.

If given the choice again, I'd jump at the chance to go with the front loader. I also miss our old top loader with the tall agitator.

 

[71Chevyguy]

From my experience it is best to stay away from the low end models because they really are cheap. I have a front loader LG that was part of a set that was discounted that month. While it was a good deal it isn't really a great washer. Does not use enough water most of the time and some of the clothes never even get wet through the cycle. My mom got one that is a step or two up from mine but she got a scratch and dent one for less than I paid. While hers is about the same as mine it works much better. So even if you do not plan to use all the different extra cycles, the machine will work better over all because of them. I have not had one but I have not heard much good from the new water saver top loaders either. I would almost prefer to have an old machine repaired honestly.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
What do you have against the front loader?

That's what i was wondering. IME, front loaders use less water and wash better.


+1, but the point above about auto water sensing is an important one. Of course it is easily overcome by manually adding water too... Like we do for cloth diapers. But an override would be nice.

Front loaders do vibrate and shake, IME. Not a huge issue if in a basement or something, but for homes with laundry on the second floor of a wood construction, it is a consideration...

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
What do you have against the front loader?

Probably the same reason i hate them, its like washing your car with a friggin windex bottle.
These pieces of junk don't use enough water to wash your hands in, forgot a sock? Forget it, the doors locked.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Front loaders do vibrate and shake, IME. Not a huge issue if in a basement or something, but for homes with laundry on the second floor of a wood construction, it is a consideration...

The samsung washer we have has some kind of anti-vibration technology. I would say the vibration is minimal, even at high speed. By the way, top loaders can't spin as fast as front loaders, which means your drying phase will take longer.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Trav
forgot a sock? Forget it, the doors locked.


Our front loader allows you to stop the cycle and add more clothes, but you can only do it within the first 10 minutes or so.

 

[dishdude]

The doors lock on all new washers. I avoid front loaders if the laundry area doesn't allow the door to remain open when not being used. Closing the door on a washing machine between cycles will rust the drum and cause mold to grow around the gasket.

 

[SLATRON]

I just bought a top load Samsung washer at home depot. It was on clearance as the display model after new lineup came out. Same warranty (direct drive 10yr) and only cost $517 with tax, originally $900+.

It takes a little getting used to from an old agitating type. And they still make those if you want one as well but costs almost as much as more efficient units. It holds twice as much laundry as my old front loader did (small unit before top high efficiency models)

I would look around at big box store for clearance, refurbished, sale, discontinued stuff to get best deal on good washer.

 

[SLATRON]

I think thats changing, my top loader spins at 900rpm and cloths are way more dry that my old front loader, but it was wearing out, I've had to decrease dryer setting time. Plus my front loader went through 3 seals for the door, n had moldy smell no matter how many cleaning cycles I did

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: SLATRON
I think thats changing, my top loader spins at 900rpm

Most current front loaders spin at around 1300 rpm.