Washing Machine Recommendations?

[MKCP5]

Our appears to be dead. I won't spend the $$ for top of the line, as in my experience top of the line didn't last any longer than an average brand. What do you have and how has it lasted? Value for your $$?

 

[kymom99]

Our appears to be dead. I won't spend the $$ for top of the line, as in my experience top of the line didn't last any longer than an average brand. What do you have and how has it lasted? Value for your $$?

I have kenmore. Top loader HE. I've had it for I think 4-5 years. It doesn't have any bells or whistles and I didn't pay a fortune. It works pretty good but sometimes my darks have soap spots on them. And sometimes it doesn't spin all the water out while other times the clothes are half dry after it finishes.

 

[havaneselover]

I bought the most basic lg front loader in July and paired it with a pedestal washer (wanted hand wash cycle and ability to do small loads). I only sprung for the pedestal washer because they were on sale (both machines together only cost $700 or so). I agree with not buying top of the line. My $1300 lg steam washer died after 8 years. It had more bells and whistles but that doesn't mean it will last longer.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I am not going to comment on top of the line vs. basic, since I just bought a top of the line set this summer because I wanted certain features. But I will say that I prefer LG brand. I had an LG front load washer for years and when I moved into my house, it had a washer/dryer set, so I gave the LG set to my sister. It is still working great for her and it is over 10 years old now. I hated the Whirlpool that came with my house, so I replaced it this summer with an LG set that included the pedestal washer. I love, love, love it and so does DH.

 

[Wish Upon A Starbucks]

I love my LG top loader!

 

[scard192]

I have had regular Kenmore appliances forever as my Mom has but would be kind of leery about the Kenmore brand in light of the difficulties Sears is having. was talking to a salesman at Lowes about washers a few months ago and we discussed that Sears could be selling the Kenmore and brand and someone else would be warranting them.

My brother in law fixed my 18 year old Kenmore washer 5 months ago (lid sensor); they just don't make appliances like that any more. Bought the dryer at the same time.

 

[BLLB]

Speed Queen. No frills, top loading. They are usually sold by independent retailers. They also manufacture commercial washing machines. They last about 20 years. American made.

 

[tvguy]

Too soon to tell. Our LG front loaders are only 4 years old. So far so good. They sure wash and dry better than any of the Maytags and Fridgidaires we had over the previous 30 years.

 

[tvguy]

I have had regular Kenmore appliances forever as my Mom has but would be kind of leery about the Kenmore brand in light of the difficulties Sears is having. was talking to a salesman at Lowes about washers a few months ago and we discussed that Sears could be selling the Kenmore and brand and someone else would be warranting them.

My brother in law fixed my 18 year old Kenmore washer 5 months ago (lid sensor); they just don't make appliances like that any more. Bought the dryer at the same time.

I guess the warranty could be an issue if it is a Kenmore brand, but so few of the appliances Sears sells anymore are actually branded Kenmore. And Sears prices are so much better than anyone else. Having said that, we bought our LG washer and dryer from Sears, so no warranty issue there. And our Kenmore fridge is out of warranty now, but it is made by LG so parts will be available.

 

[Alexle2007]

We had the LG Tromm for 12 years that the barrel stopped spinning and replaced with Samsung since we had already replace the LG dryer a couple of years before with a Samsung. So far very happy with Samsung. We already have the appliances on the pedestal bases and when they came to take away and install the new washer, the delivery men refused to put the washer on the pedestal. He got his boss on the line and all to tell me he could not put it on top of the pedestal. Needless to say, they knew I was not very happy with my service and they knew I would be receiving a call to ask how my service was. When he let me know the install was complete, low and behold, the new washer was on top of the pedestal. Also, while I went into the store to check out the various washers. I, ultimately, purchased it online so I could go through the shopping portal for the extra points I got the same price as in the store but made out better online.

 

[scard192]

Speed Queen. No frills, top loading. They are usually sold by independent retailers. They also manufacture commercial washing machines. They last about 20 years. American made.

close friend of mine just bought a Speed Queen, only had it a few weeks, just loves it

 

[Southernmiss]

Speed Queen. No frills, top loading. They are usually sold by independent retailers. They also manufacture commercial washing machines. They last about 20 years. American made.

This exactly. Have had a speed Queen for 2 years now after having had kenmore's. No Frills and does the job for our family. Expect to have it for 20 or so years

 

[Hisgirl]

We kept replacing washers and I was sick of it.
So...I called two washer repair people. "What never breaks," I ask.

One brand, hands down...say both of these experts.

Speed Queen.

This is who makes commercial laundry machines. They are in it for the long run. Your home washer, they say, should last you 20+ years. American made, steel parts. Basic and hard working.

I bought one, paid around $800 and it has worked non-stop with no issue for over eight years. I love it and when it stops working after 20-25 years, I will buy another one.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Speed Queen without question. The only reason I don't have one is that it won't fit through my very narrow doorway.

 

[kristenrice]

We have the Whirlpool Cabrio set (retail for about $1200 each), but we got them for about half-price. They had been ordered from Best Buy and when they were delivered, the side panel of the washer got dented.....a teeny, tiny dent. It was enough that the customer opted to return them. It does not effect the functionality and it is purely cosmetic. We just put the dented side adjacent to the dryer so it's not even visible. We paid just over $1200 for the set which included installation and delivery. I'll be honest, we didn't do a lot of research on them at all. I had stopped in to Best Buy just to kill some time and the sales person pointed out the set that had just been returned and put out that morning. She was as stunned as I was to see the price and she said she would be surprised if they were still available by the end of the night. I called up DH and we decided to buy them on the spot. We've had them about 3 years now and, aside from a minor issue with the dryer (fixed by untwisting the vent), I have no complaints. I wouldn't have bought them at full-price, but it might be worth a stop into Best Buy to see their "scratch and dent" selection...you never know what you might find.

 

[summerlyangel]

Speed Queen. We've had ours for about 3 yrs now, and we love it! I had a basic kenmore set for 15 yrs (still have the dryer!), the washer tub broke and it was almost as much to fix it, as to replace it. We replaced it with a basic maytag centennial. It lasted about 3 yrs and the tub broke on it! I hated that thing. We researched and decided to go with speed queen. I like basic, I refused to dry a washer and leave the door open and wash with special cleaners to keep it smelling good, lol. Old fashioned top loaders work for me and keep my family of 6 in clean, good smelling clothes.

 

[supersnoop]

I find Maytag top-loaders to be very well built. We replaced one after 17 years when we moved, and it was still going strong.

Keep in mind tha Kenmore is just a rebranded machine from another manufacture; usually whirlpool of GE, but with some minor changes to the parts. Those changes make repairs exponentially more expensive. I stay away from Kenmore.

 

[NinaBella]

Shopping as well. Repairman said bearings are shot on the one we have now. Repairman recommended Speed Queen so that is what we will be shopping for. Our current brand is Maytag Bravo. Repairman said the adjustator we have is not good cause it's not built into the motor.

Glad to see others are happy with Speed Queen. We have 6 in this household and do tons of laundry.

 

[MKCP5]

Looks like Speed queen would be a winner, although I went on a local yardsale site and found one for $200 that is only a year old and the family is moving. Hoping I get a few years out of it. Thanks for all the replies!

 

[Southernmiss]

Shopping as well. Repairman said bearings are shot on the one we have now. Repairman recommended Speed Queen so that is what we will be shopping for. Our current brand is Maytag Bravo. Repairman said the adjustator we have is not good cause it's not built into the motor.

Glad to see others are happy with Speed Queen. We have 6 in this household and do tons of laundry.

Our Speed Queen has served our family of six adult sized folks very well. Sometimes I hear 'Oh but I need the extra large capacity kind'.

Speed Queens wash a load in under 30 minutes. So what if the capacity is not as big as other models. In less than 30 minutes you can start another load, as long as your dryer can keep up.

For dependability and reliability and longevity, I'll happily trade bells and whistles.