I’m looking for a decent top-loader. My front-loader bit the dust, or at least is well on its way with a failing main bearing after just 7 years, and I don’t want another. Nice, simple, basic top-loader would fit the bill, at least 4 cu ft capacity, preferably bigger. I’d rather not even have high efficiency, but don’t really care.
The major constraint is that there are cabinets above the area where the washer and dryer sit, which have 53 3/4" inches of clearance underneath. Many top-loaders have short lids that will clear that space, but some do not. I don’t know how far forward I can pull the washer if the lid is higher than that – the cabinets extend 12" from the wall.
Anyway the problem I have is that I picked a handful of washers that I like that seemed like nice units at reasonable prices (a Whirlpool and three Maytags) and every single one of them has horrible reviews, as do some others I looked up. People seem to love phrases like “piece of junk”, “stay away”, and “worst washing machine ever”!
Is it not possible to just go out and buy a decent washing machine any more? Surely there must be someone out there with a relatively new washer that they actually like?
We’re waiting for the transmission to finally die on our Whirlpool (only 6 years old, argh) and our appliance repairman strongly recommended a Speed Queen. They aren’t fancy or pretty, but they are built to last. They are a little pricey, but they are built for 20+ years of use. The Whirlpool we have now was only a couple of hundred less than a Speed Queen, and I wish now we had bit the bullet and paid a little extra.
I’ve heard similar good things about Speed Queen but around here, none of the major retailers have them. It seems to be a niche market and it’s annoying even trying to find them. I looked at some websites linked from the Speed Queen site. One has two models listed with the notation “contact us for pricing”, another that is supposed to have them doesn’t, and a third has only their dryers at astronomical prices. That’s no way to market a product. I think I’m gonna need something more mainstream.
The washing machine market is really bizarre. Some of the washers with the best reviews from reputable sites like Consumer Reports or the Consumersearch aggregator have absolutely horrid reviews from purchasers on retail sites like Amazon, Best Buy, or Home Depot.
This is amazing. I’m not trying to buy a nuclear reactor, I want a goddam washing machine. To wash clothes. The kind you used to be able to go out and buy with no trouble at all. And all I can find are high-efficiency monstrosities that reviews claim grind away for two hours making very loud noises and never get anything clean!
In the last few years, Whirlpool bought Amana, Maytag, Hotpoint, and others. While many people have fond memories of the Maytag that never broke, they are all Whirlpools now. Historical comparisons may or may not be useful.
About 3 years ago, I bought a basic GE washer and dryer. They’ve worked good, but it’s only been 3 years and this year’s model may be different. Oh, and a Chinese company now owns the rights to the GE appliance brand.
And when I was shopping, everyone from online reviews to the appliance salespeople who actually sold them, told me to stay away from the Korean brands because parts and service were impossible to find. If they never break, that’s not a problem, I guess. And things could have changed since then.
You really can’t win. Everything is changing. Past performance is not a predictor of future results. Just get the cheapest one and replace it when it breaks.
Which GE washer do you have? Several review sites have rated the GE GTW680 very highly (there are 5 more letters after that model # but they don’t matter – they are different colors or minor revisions), yet buyers have given it terrible reviews.
Here’s a great example of what I mean:
This Maytag gets a great review and an Editor’s Choice checkmark from a reputable review site, and that very site has tons of disparaging comments about it, if you click over to the comments!
If one is trying to make an intelligent buying decision, it’s enough to drive you nuts!
At a certain point, you’re not going to buy anything after reading the customer reviews. I mean, everything sucks!
A couple of other things to look at: certain new washers won’t let you open the lid after the wash starts. So you can’t throw in that sock you found next to the washer.
I personally prefer minimal features. You will never in your life use the setting for Himalayan yak fur. For me, it’s just regular or permanent press; hot, cold, or warm. That’s all I need. And avoid electronics – all you need is a good motor to go around. All that other stuff is more to just break, especially electronic parts which are expensive and discontinued after a couple of years.
Yeah, I read the reviews on your web site. I would be terrified, too.
Good luck.
I have a GE Hotpoint set that after 11 years is still purring like a champ. It hasn’t gotten the use a family would incur, b/c I’ve lived alone about half that time; but it’s worn well!
If there’s room above them to do it, consider moving the cabinet up or replacing it w/ a shorter one; it would give you more leeway and is overall less frustrating than settling for a washer that fits but isn’t as reliable and needs replacing after a few years.
My understanding is that Speed Queen sells to commercial establishments only: laundromats, apartment complexes, etc. They don’t normally sell directly to individual consumers.
We have a Maytag washer and dryer. We purchased them new 22 years ago. Both are top-loaders. No electronics. I haven’t had a single problem with the washer, and only a couple minor problems with the dryer. The latter is very easy to work on. I am going to hang on to them as long as I can.
I suspect new washers and dryers, especially ones with electronics, are less reliable than washers and dryers built 20 or 30 years ago.
Speed Queen mostly sells to commercial customers, but they do have a product line for use in homes. And even though they’re not as widely available as the other brands, they do have dealers. Several in Chicago, for instance. I’ve also heard that their machines are more mechanical and less electronic than many machines sold today. (Some things are easier to fix on the older, more mechanical machines.)
We bought our first GE top loader when our son was born. He moved away to college and it died from loneliness a few years later (just kidding, but it did last 20-some-odd years). We replaced it with the cheapest top-loader we could find. A Sears 100e, or something. So far, so good.
We did find something out, ymmv here: kept getting whitish residue on our clothes, having to re-wash them constantly. Changed detergents, &c, ended up having to max out the water usage of the new (overly efficient) washer. Problem solved.
They do have a line for consumers, but they are generally not available in places like a Sears. You have to look for an independent retailer. They have a website listing places you can purchase them at ( https://www.speedqueen.com/products/where-to-buy.aspx)
I’ve been searching for a new washer to replace our aging Whirlpool (nearing 20 years old). After reading countless reviews and Consumer Reports, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the LG model WT7200CW, 5.2 cf top-loader, HE; about $600 in white.
Thanks for all for the feedback so far. I would welcome any other comments.
Regarding the LG above, I didn’t look at LG closely because … guess the brand of my failed front-load washer? Of course YMMV and a top-loader is completely different anyway, but I hate the idea of giving LG another dime.
Also that model is bit pricey for me, considering the last one barely lasted 7 years and I don’t have high hopes for the next one. In a better world I might spring for something like this, a commercial-grade Maytag built for ruggedness and simplicity, similar to Speed Queen and favorably compared to them in reviews. It comes with a full five-year warranty on all parts and labor. But they’re hard to find locally and in any case are much more money than I’m willing to pay for a washing machine.
My current thinking is to stick with my original choice of Maytag but dial back my expectations and just get one of the cheaper ones, which also have the advantage that they use a more conventional agitator. If it breaks down after five years it won’t be a total disaster. The major thing it doesn’t have that I wish it did was a manual water level selector, like some of the GE models have. Instead you either have to go with automatic water level which doesn’t fully cover the load, or else completely fill the tub – one or the other. I hate these machines that are stingy with water. The whole time I had my front-loader I used the “extra water” option, and was very glad it had it.
I think we paid $300 for ours. It says Sears, but looks like most of the other “manufacturers” (pretty sure there’s only two or three, who slap different badges on the same machines) low-end offerings. It has only three dials: Soil level, water temp, and cycle. we leave soil level on heavy, and cycle level on deep wash, then vary water temp. That seems to use the most water, which seems to do the best job of washing anyway.
This might be overthinking it, but I tend to fill the washer halfway with warm water and detergent before I select the cycle and temp, then put in the laundry.
Kenmore (Sears) doesn’t actually manufacture appliances – they’re made by Whirlpool/Maytag, LG, and others. For example, as I continue obsessing and researching this stuff, I just discovered that the Kenmore 2622352 and the Maytag MVWC565FW are the same machine, both made by Whirlpool Corporation in the Clyde, Ohio megaplant. I downloaded both user manuals and the manuals are word-for-word identical except for a few terminology differences. When making the Maytag for Sears as a Kenmore, the two right-hand control knobs are in opposite positions and some of the cycle names are different, but that’s pretty much it. The trademarked “Powerwash” cycle used by Maytag is just called “Jeans/Towels” on the Kenmore, which doesn’t sound nearly as impressively high-tech!
I visited the Clyde assembly plant about 10 or so years ago. it’s pretty much the case that the “guts” of the particular machines (of a certain type) are all the same. the differences between brands comes down to minor changes in the cabinet (e.g. front opening or side opening lid,) the styling and brand on the control panel and agitator, and how many different cycle types and options they offer. back then a lot of them were still using electromechanical timers, so the addition/deletion of optional cycles was just a different cam wheel in the timer. the frame, motor, drum, basket, transmission, etc. were all the same.
