We are two of us, so the 9kg Siemens is ok. These is the biggest size I know in our market, except machines for professional use, but those are very big, so you would need to place them in your garage or anywhere else outside an apartment. And these machines also need much more electricity, and water. So, depends on your individual need what wish to buy and where you can place your device.
Miele is 8.1 kilos (17.9 pounds) max per load.
My laundry machines are in the basement. I am not concerned about noise, and while the dryer can’t move too much (it needs to connect to its gas and vent) i do not anticipate trouble fitting the washer between the sink and the dryer.
I’ll throw in another vote for Electrolux. We’ve had a stacking washer/dryer set for about a year now. Only a couple of minor complaints, like the “dryer done” chime is barely audible and there doesn’t seem to be a way to make it louder. And when I dry a load of jeans they never come out completely dry, but I just started using a timed dry for those instead of sensor dry. Otherwise my wife and I are both really happy with them so far.
My only advice is if you can, arrange front-loaders so the doors oppose, so you’re not having to move piles of clothes around both doors. So annoying.
Yeah, that was the plan… I just went shopping. Apparently, all the front loaders open the wrong way. The only brand that has doors that can be switched to the other side is GE. Even if i wanted a new dryer (i don’t) switching the washer and the dryer would entail moving the water inlet, the water drain (which is connected with a sink that isn’t going anywhere), the gas inlet, and the air vent.
So… It’s either a top loader or a GE. And there aren’t a lot of top loaders.
Also, the salesman says that speed queen no longer works entirely like a vintage washer, because federal efficiency requirements mandate that it, like all the others, weigh the clothes to decide how much water to use, rather than letting you pick that with a switch.
Our set of Maytag neptunes is still going after 20 years. THe big selling point for me was that the neptune front-loader washer uses 14 gallons of hot water on that setting VS 40 for the old style top loaders. They cost abpout what a speed queen does now. Both of my brothers have speed queens and love them.
Is that at a shop that sells Speed Queen machines? Because if it isn’t, I’d suspect they’re trying to talk you out of getting that brand.
Maybe the only brand they carry, but we could switch the door direction on our Mieles.
We purchased a Maytag Performa washer & dryer in the 1990s. Washer is a top loader. Both have old-style dial controls; no electronics.
Both are still going strong. For the washer I once had to replace the water inlet filter screens. A 5 minute job. That’s the only thing I’ve had to do to it in 30 years.
On the dryer, I once had to replace the impeller fan. And one of the thermal fuses trips about every four years due to lint accumulation in the vent. The fuse is easy to replace.
Anecdotal, I know. But I don’t hear about this kind of reliability with new washers & dryers.
The odor business isn’t a question of machines or detergents as much as it’s a consequence of the synthetic materials used more commonly today than in the past. They hold stink through washings unlike natural and older synthetics.
We’ve got a Speed Queen TR7 which is sort of the best of both worlds. All electronic, seven year warranty, top loader, and does a decent job. It does take a long time, but doesn’t beat the hell out of clothes like earlier Speed Queen washers do.
If you want the old-school Speed Queen, the TR5 is the washer for you.
I have consistently heard that the scoop size of laundry detergent is too big even for a top loader. They really want you to buy a lot of Tide. Those little Tide pods are more than enough soap for a full (and I mean full) load in our washer. Too much if I’m just washing a few things.
In fact, I first heard this in a review of those ceramic laundry balls that supposedly replace detergent. They seem to work for a while because all our clothes have enough residual detergent in them for a cycle or two. And as it turns out, it was a good old Uncle Cecil that I heard that from.
We went with front loaders at our old house when we remodeled. 10 years of excellent results with no problem with poor rinsing or odors. In our new place, we went with a similar set (Whirlpool Duet) and have had a further 10 years of solid performance.
In fact, the only complaint about our current set that I have is that while the dryer door opening direction can be switched , the washer door can’t. The washer opens the way that’s most inconvenient for me and that just how it’s gonna be.
The salesman claimed they could order them (and it’s where I bought my speed Queen dryer) but based on their website, I’m guessing they no longer carry them.
Good to know. I have reached out to another appliance shop that carries more different brands, and asked about opening the door the other way. I just got an email from them, but it seems to be an auto-generated note saying “a sales representative will get back to you”.
I don’t think I want a compact, though. I have plenty of space for a full size machine, and more capacity is probably a win. (and most of the Mieles seem to be compact.)
Yup. That’s what the salesman told me about all the models they sold except for a few GEs. I kinda think that’s a deal breaker, and may push us to a top loader, unless the other shop comes through.