Washer and Dryer

[Chopper 17306]

I bought a w&d set that would likely subject me to ridicule in this thread. But we ended up getting it for free after having a dispute through amex. I guess it was late 2020 when there was basically no stock of any decent w&d's and we needed a new set asap. We had moved into a new house and the seller left us their old machines - they sucked, the wife hated them, they were ruining clothes and not getting anything clean. We preferred a front loader due to the cabinetry in the laundry room. Found a Miele set online from a NY retailer and rolled the dice on it, even though the dryer was ventless (there were some benefits for that per what I read online) and used a heat pump technology to dry, not the typical condenser. 

To make a long story not as long, the pedestals arrived busted up and the retailer was giving me a hard time so I disputed the entire transaction with amex. The retailer re-shipped new pedestals but once again didn't package them right so they arrived severely damaged. In the end, they never provided the pedestals, time ran out on their ability to counter my dispute of the transaction, and they ended up losing to amex for the full amount of the transaction. A few months later I purchased new pedestals from someone local when they became available, and the machines have been pretty awesome.

Plus side - they've been reliable and are excellent at cleaning clothes and removing stains. The washer automatically dispenses detergent that I purchase from miele, which is convenient and zero mess. The wife loves them because they're really gentle on her more delicate fabrics. The dry sensor on the dryer works. No exterior dryer vent to clean or have professionally cleaned. They were free. They're stackable if I ever wanted to put them in a basement or downsize. Cons: You can bypass the auto detergent dispenser but it means you have to push an extra button or two. We use the miele detergent and the auto dispenser - it works better that way though is more expensive. The drums of both the w&d are smaller than I prefer, but are perfect for the wife's clothes and more frequent loads of towels and rags. There's an extra lint catcher that we have to use the hand vac on every once in a while. We have an entire cabinet full of miele washing detergent canisters, which is pretty annoying.

Edited February 18, 2022 by Chopper

[Francisco 2.0 32432]

On 2/17/2022 at 7:18 PM, Chopper said:

erior dryer vent to clean or have professionally cleaned. They were free. They're st

 

You typed a lot of words to get to the money shot.

And yep, Amex comes in handy every now and then.

[Chopper 17306]

34 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

 

You typed a lot of words to get to the money shot.

And yep, Amex comes in handy every now and then.

Not to quibble but it was also in the 2nd sentence of the post. On repeat since as good and easy as they've been I'm not certain I'd buy the Mieles again given better availability of other machines. I prefer to chuck everything in the washer and get it done in one laundry load. The Mieles aren't large enough for that. I'm 100 percent certain the wife would want me to buy those again.

[CooterBrown 18034]

Not to quibble but it was also in the 2nd sentence of the post. On repeat since as good and easy as they've been I'm not certain I'd buy the Mieles again given better availability of other machines. I prefer to chuck everything in the washer and get it done in one laundry load. The Mieles aren't large enough for that. I'm 100 percent certain the wife would want me to buy those again.

They’re built for Europeans who, being less obese, wear smaller clothes and wash less frequently since BO is a badge of honor along the Mediterranean.

[Spur08 382]

Well our LG top load washer is currently on the outs after 9 or 10 years.  I don't plan on buying another LG/Samsung and it sounds like Speed Queen has fallen off a bit. Anyone bought one in the past few years and have reqs?  I'm really impartial between top and front load unless there's something I should consider other than the mold smell in the gasket. 

[kmac30 416]

We were at TriSupply in town that’s moving and had everything on sale. Bought SpeedQueen washer/dryer for huge discount. Went to put the power cord on and the terminal block is broken. Bypassed it and have it up and running. Timer doesn’t seem to work so we’re having it serviced (under warranty - TriSupply is handling). Aside from that little issue, wife is extremely happy.

[bluto 4943]

6 mos into a new whirlpool dryer and the damn thing is already effing up, thinking mother board. Run maybe 2-3 loads per wk. 

[Okie State 3848]

Still liking our SpeedQueen set. They're not pretty, have minimal options, and are loud, but they get the job done and will hopefully last a long time.

[uoftorange 1388]

8 hours ago, Okie State said:

Still liking our SpeedQueen set. They're not pretty, have minimal options, and are loud, but they get the job done and will hopefully last a long time.
 

Replaced the dryer with a SQ recently and it's been perfect.  Washer isn't far behind

[Okie State 3848]

Replaced the dryer with a SQ recently and it's been perfect.  Washer isn't far behind

We have the 5003 models. Probably the only thing that surprised me was how loud the washer is during parts of the cycle. I assume it's normal. It doesn't bother me much, but might bother some people. The dryer is awesome.

[uoftorange 1388]

17 hours ago, Okie State said:

We have the 5003 models. Probably the only thing that surprised me was how loud the washer is during parts of the cycle. I assume it's normal. It doesn't bother me much, but might bother some people. The dryer is awesome.

We did the DR7004WE for the dryer and love it.  Assume I'll end up paying more for the 7 series washer when the 5 would be fine because "it needs to match"

[kmac30 416]

We were at TriSupply in town that’s moving and had everything on sale. Bought SpeedQueen washer/dryer for huge discount. Went to put the power cord on and the terminal block is broken. Bypassed it and have it up and running. Timer doesn’t seem to work so we’re having it serviced (under warranty - TriSupply is handling). Aside from that little issue, wife is extremely happy.

Update on this. Terminal block on back was broken so the timer didn’t have power. Fixed. Repair guy told me he doesn’t do work on SpeedQueen very often (they don’t have issues). Said they are the best options out there.

[Chips O'Toole 1327]

Whirlpool top load washer just shat the bed after less than 3 years.  Will not power on at all after checking breakers and plugging it into other power sources.

Assuming it is most likely the control panel or control board, I never get lucky with just a blown fuse or something.

I looked into Speed Queen last time around, but the wife had never heard of it and wanted to buy through Costco, so we went that route.  We didn't opt for the extended warranty, which seems pretty dumb in retrospect.

It seems like appliances are just garbage top-to-bottom these days.  I am tempted to try and buy an old used one that has actual buttons and was built 20 years ago.

Any updates on Speed Queens or other brands that have been solid?  I thought Whirlpool was one of the better ones, but quality issues probably hit all of them since covid.

[TwiceHorn 31601]

Did your WP have some digimagical control panel? 

Ours was/is about as simple as it got with knobs and buttons that pretty closely resembled the 35 year old unit it replaced. 

[tx 3 putt 77595]

Sounds like a simple service call ?

[Chips O'Toole 1327]

I have scheduled someone to come take a look.  

These digital control panels tend to be expensive as fuck to replace.  If it's the control board, it could be a lot less, but the panels can cost like 400 bucks to order the part from what I remember.  

[thunderlounge 7965]

Put SQ’s in at the VRBO prop 3 years ago, and they’ve been solid AF so far. If they can take that, they’ll be fine at your place. When the ones at the house need replaced, I’ll be getting SQ’s. 

[Stella Link 534]

Purchased a Speed Queen commercial top load washer/side load dryer just after they became available again to the consumer market in 2012.  They weigh a ton!  One of the best purchases I've ever made.  No problems at all.  

[Gil Bang 26057]

On 10/26/2023 at 11:32 AM, kmac30 said:

Update on this. Terminal block on back was broken so the timer didn’t have power. Fixed. Repair guy told me he doesn’t do work on SpeedQueen very often (they don’t have issues). Said they are the best options out there.

SQ may well be a great machine, but the fact that the repair guy sees them rarely might have something to do with their tiny market share.

[Incredulity 11684]

Fwiw

Had to buy a W&D for a vacation house we bought during the great appliance shortage of the pandemic.

Local independent appliance shop only had same day availability in large capacity option of a higher end Electrolux set.  They have been so good we replaced our home ones as well.  Quiet, effective, dry completely.  
 

worth the extra $ for us

[Pato del Muerto 52636]

Bought a new set in Feb for the new house. Went GE. 2 months in and the washer has shredded its belt. Free fix, but guess I have to hope the belt was the issue and not just the casualty.  At least there’s a lot of warranty left. 
 

I would absolutely trade all these features and digital bullshit for bulletproof basic machines like the one ls I used at the laundromat last week.  

[TwiceHorn 31601]

Well, as the OP, our pretty standard Whirlpool has been chugging along fine for almost three years now. 

That seems like damning with faint praise, but three years without a problem seems pretty good these days. 

A couple of notes. The impeller seems to be a good thing.  The washer seems to be easily unbalanced during spin compared to the prior old unit, but some of the cycles, for sheets and bulky items, seem to avoid this, perhaps with longer, lower rpm spins. 

 

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

We have GE and they are the basic ones we bought 20+ years ago. Three speeds, three water levels (washer); several dry features and (best of all) the timer can be silenced (dryer). We've had them serviced a couple of times when spouse couldn't do the repair and the tech was like this is going to be almost as much as the machine is worth. I gave him the 'look,' and shrugged because it really is worth it. I mean, $75 to cross the threshold and then maybe $100 for a fix and given some of the newer machines with the weird agitators and digital displays and I'm good as long as they can find parts.

[locodos 5409]

1 minute ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

We have GE and they are the basic ones we bought 20+ years ago. Three speeds, three water levels (washer); several dry features and (best of all) the timer can be silenced (dryer). We've had them serviced a couple of times when spouse couldn't do the repair and the tech was like this is going to be almost as much as the machine is worth. I gave him the 'look,' and shrugged because it really is worth it. I mean, $75 to cross the threshold and then maybe $100 for a fix and given some of the newer machines with the weird agitators and digital displays and I'm good as long as they can find parts.

The house I bought in 2003 had an old simple washer and dryer pair from the 90's.  I thought to myself that I would replace them once they broke.  Well the joke was on me because they both ran for another 18yrs. (washer still worked fine)   I was temped to repair again, but stuff was starting to rust underneath.

Looked at the Speed Queen stuff... simple and durable, but we rolled the dice on modern stuff.  I am not optimistic at all.