What's the Hamer of Washers

[veatch]

I've had a Maytag Bravos for 4 years.  Was repaired under warranty, and i have repaired it twice out of warranty.  Now, the gear case is going - the bearing is shot due to water leaking into it.  Gear case is $250, and the outer tub may need to be replaced as well - another $150.  At $400 in parts, i'm looking at another washer.

I was told LG is doing good things, but when i look at the reviews, i am seeing similar complaints to the Maytag - clothes not coming clean, items being sucked into the gap and tearing up the pumps, etc.  Is anyone making a good washer these days?  Seems like planned obsolescence over quality is the standard business model these days.  The Whirlpool i had before this one lasted 18 years.  It needed a new tub, so i opted to replace instead of repair.  I now regret that decision...

Help?

[Studio Custom]

Our GE is terrible.  

[ARM OF HAMER]

                            I have 2 Amana's................had the dryer for 2 years...............quiet and never a problem and works just as it should. When the washer went I followed suit and bought a Amana washer and that has worked perfect and is also very quiet. Price was VERY good as I bought locally and they had free delivery and took both of the old machines away as well. I HAD Maytag's................they were original to my home and lasted a good while but when things started to go wrong the parts were very high and labor was even more.Even though this is the Hamer forum.................2 pieces of advise ALWAYS clean the lint filter on the dyer and only use what is needed for the liquid soap in the washer.

[cynic]

When we bought our current home 15 months ago the washer and dryer were included.  Both are Bosch front-loader style and look to date roughly to the original build date of the house (2007).  The receipts and owners manuals given to us led us to believe the washer (at least) was replaced with the same model (warranty?).   We're already looking to replace both.

We left our Whirlpool in the house we sold because we thought they'd stopped working well after eleven years, but they were easily outperforming the Bosch we're using now.

[kenjones]

We bought a Frigidaire washer/dryer set about 15 years ago. The only service either unit has needed was a few weeks ago when the dryer stopped heating. The holding coils needed to be replaced. I went ahead and had them replace the belt too. $250 in maintenance over 15 years. That's it. And the Frigidaire was one of the least expensive models at the time. The service tech told me to keep it running as long as possible because none of the new dryers are built to last. He said he goes out and fixes 2-3 year old washer and dryers every day.

[murkat]

have a pair of LG's. They are huge tub'd beasts. (King bed linen).

The washer crapped out on us once so far, under warranty. fixed.

No issues since.

the pair is okay. they are oversize, but I, we do not overload them,

which I think most owners do thinking they can handle it.

and I, we usually do not use all the bells a whistles on them.

I just use typical settings, or manual settings.

[triodecr]

We bought a Speed Queen set with old school electromechanical controls about 5 years ago for $1k.  Zero problems.  Their current offerings now include electronic controls and front loaders which may be a plus, or a minus, depending on what you want.

http://www.speedqueen.com/products.aspx

 

[veatch]

Do you find the 3.3 cu ft tub to small on the Speed Queen? I like their approach to quality and the warranty...

Not being able to do blankets and comforters would be a non-starter for Mrs. Veatch.

[specialk]

We've had our Fisher & Paykel w/d for 8 years now with good luck so far. Top loading HE washer and top loading dryer. 

I've read nothing but good stuff about Speed Queen. 

Apparently no washer now uses hot water.

Talk to the experts:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/laundry

 

[killerteddybear]

I bought a Kenmore (Sears) HE washer last year and love it.

[Biz Prof]

I think overloading by users and cheaper design/manufacturing by the major brands are both significant factors in how long washers last these days. All of the appliances in my house other than the washer are still going full boogie (all Kenmore-branded, but made by Whirlpool). I had a new GE washer when I moved in around April '99 that eventually failed (transmission assembly = $270 just for the part), and the current washer is an old-school, top-loading Whirlpool that has served reasonably well for about 11 years.  I just replaced the dishwasher last month because it wasn't cleaning well, even though it functioned. Clothes washers, I fear, take a great deal of abuse and seem to be underengineered or underbuilt for what they really need to be able to do. Point is...buy a brand with the best repair history, then use it within its operational limits.

[JohnnyB]

I bought something like this LG Washer in the summer of 2014. My 21-yr-old Maytag was leaking water and I, too, was looking at around $400+ in repairs. Time to get a new one. After doing several searches and reading many customer reviews, I came to the conclusion that LG and Samsung were the 21st century Maytag and Whirlpool/Kenmore. They had taken the front-loader technology and made it into top-loaders. No center agitator, making for much more capacity, and an 1100 rpm spin cycle. Woo-hoo! The clothes come out of the washer like they've gone through a power wringer. The clothes, being drier and weighing less, are easier on the dryer and don't take as long to dry. 

Here's what made it so easy: Repair shops don't finance. Best Buy does and offers12 mos. interest free on a purchase this size. Not only that, the washer's HE rating qualified for a $100 rebate from my electric company, so my out-of-pocket was little more than the repair would have been and I had a year to pay it off interest-free at about $40/month. 

It has so much capacity and finishes the clothes so close to dry that it has changed the way I do laundry and I actually sort of look forward to it, even nearly two years later.

Plus, I don't have to go to the laundromat to do king size comforters anymore.

I wouldn't say it's the Hamer of washers, more like the Yamaha--ingenious thoughtful design, well-built, and technologically advanced.

[triodecr]

18 hours ago, veatch said:

Do you find the 3.3 cu ft tub to small on the Speed Queen? I like their approach to quality and the warranty...

Not being able to do blankets and comforters would be a non-starter for Mrs. Veatch.

It hasn't been a problem thus far, but we only have queen size comforters and blankets.

[Greg G]

Last year I bought a top-loading LG HE washer.  I researched washers for weeks.  Reviews are somewhat helpful.  Some folks only post reviews when they're really satisfied or the opposite.  The main complaint online about my washer was that it would go out of balance and keep cycling to try to remedy the problem.  In a year's time I've only had one out of balance issue.  Today's washers require you to re-think how you do laundry.  When I installed it I leveled it carefully per instruction.  You have to be careful how you load it.  Follow directions.  Don't use too much soap!  Also use the tub clean cycle as recommended.  I think the front loaders may be a little more efficient because they use gravity to agitate.   Top loading HE washers (at least mine) take about an hour for a normal cycle.  A bit longer that yesterday's washers.  Spins like crazy and drying is more efficient.  For traditional machines I've heard good things about Speed Queen.  So far I'm happy with my LG.  YMMV. Good luck!

[jettster]

The last two sets have been Whirlpool and been great. First set was the standard issue top loader and lasted close to 20 years with a couple of cheap repairs I did myself. maybe $15-20 in parts. The newest is a front load washer and dryer, Whirlpool Duet. We've had them for 6-8 years so far and they have been great. They are both large capacity and by the time the clothes come out of the washer they don't require very long to dry unless it's a king size comforter or blanket, even then its pretty quick. I don't know where the newer ones are made but I believe the models that we have were either USA or Germany? Definitely not Chinese, that was a prerequisite. My folks, brother and sister all had the Maytag Neptune and hated them, mold issues and problems the whole time they owned them. Good luck!

[JohnnyB]

What Greg G said.

I read the instructions first too. I load laundry baskets with the smallest stuff first and topped off with the largest, so I can load the washer's tub per instructions--biggest items on the bottom, graduating to the smallest on top. I tend to spread the clothes evenly around the circumference of the drum. I not only have never had an out-of-balance problem, I haven't even had any delayed washing times given over to automatic load balancing. And you never fill the drum to the top; leave a minimum 6" margin. The longer wash time is more than made up for by the shorter dry time. With traditional washer/dryer pairs, the dryer is the bottleneck. With the LG the dry time is the same or shorter than the wash time. If you balance the laundry when loading, the actual wash times will be shorter than the washer's estimate.

[BubbaVO]

Sears Kenmore front loading...it runs all day long at our house.  Has it crapped out?  Yes and gotten it fixed.  Nothing would survive intact with our high volume use. I have to admit it does a great job with getting clothes clean.

[hamerhead]

With 2 daughters, we decided to get a front-loader to save some water. It's a Kenmore, and after a year or so the door started leaking. Not a lot, but just enough to be annoying. And not as bad as the stubby little $15 hose that cost $180 to replace. And since the girls can't check their pockets, a variety of stuff got caught somewhere along the way (not even sure how that can happen) and probably contributed to the pump's recent demise. Another $250 and we're rolling once again. And by rolling, I mean that literally. The thing has never stayed in one place, regardless of how much time and effort is spent leveling the legs, or loading clothes evenly. I'm a little surprised the tub hasn't broke through the door and raced around the basement.

Both kids are out of the house now, so I'm hoping to get a couple more years out of this baby.

The next one will be a top-loader, probably an LG. Thank you JB and Greg.

[ZR]

We have had the Whirlpool Sport Duet...or something like that for the last 10 or more? years. Stacked front loaders. They've been great. The whirlpool models we bought were actually made in GermaNY BY bOSCH AND THE bOSCH BRAND AT THAT TIME WAS MADE IN the USA. They've been great!

[sixesandsevens]

I have a Kenmore Elite Oasis HE.  We needed a top-loader that could do king size bedding too.  

It's been fair.  After 5+ years it will frequently throw an error code that youtube says has to do with PCBs working loose while it's dancing its way across the laundry room floor.  So far I haven't had to pull the dryer and it out (it's a really cramped laundry room) to really try taking it apart to clean the guts, but hopefully it'll just be a hassle when the time comes to take that step.

When I go to buy a replacement, I'm going to look for the lowest tech washer I can find.

[hamerhead]

6 hours ago, sixesandsevens said:

When I go to buy a replacement, I'm going to look for the lowest tech washer I can find.

Good point.

MESSAGE TO ALL WASHER BUILDERS: We want to clean clothes. We're not cooking dinner. We're not building a church or programming the next mission to Mars. One 'wash' button is enough. And maybe an extra loud buzzer so we know it's done.

[Michael_B]

I suspect that most washers and dryers are made in just a few factories, where QC won't differ widely.  New appliances are relatively complex.  It's a constant battle in my house, where my wife wants something shiny and modern looking and I prefer the old stuff that's cheap to buy used and dead simple to repair.

[Ting Ho Dung]

We've always bought Kenmores and they lasted 12-15 years. This last washer we bought was / is our first HE (?) front loader. It's served well but I don't remember when we bought it. Seems like it's going on 10 years now. It's a Frigidaire Affinity. So far this one hasn't had a hickup. The price wasn't outlandish so I'd say it's a Hamer. 

ETA: Just remembered my wife put in some towels to wash. She said not to forget to put them in the dryer and she said she already did the settings so I wouldn't fuck it up.