Anonymous wrote:Wanted a speed queen BUT their capacities are nominal. Deal killer for most families.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think it partly depends on whether your laundry gets stained.

All clothes that are worn can have odors and need freshening. But if you tend to have a lot of stains I would buy a washer with an agitator tower. These had gotten pushed out of the market but they are coming back. They are usually coupled with the ability to control water levels to be higher so the clothes can be more vigorously swisher.

The three features I wanted most were: 1) ability to put in as much water/max fill as I wanted, 2) agitator tower instead of the flat impeller, and 3) lid unlocked for most of the cycle.

Based on what I chose, my main regret is the weird sounds my washer makes. They are normal for new washers. Some companies put sound files on their website so you will know your appliance is not broken.

These features are ideal for me, too. Which model did you end up choosing?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think it partly depends on whether your laundry gets stained.

All clothes that are worn can have odors and need freshening. But if you tend to have a lot of stains I would buy a washer with an agitator tower. These had gotten pushed out of the market but they are coming back. They are usually coupled with the ability to control water levels to be higher so the clothes can be more vigorously swisher.

[b]The three features I wanted most were: 1) ability to put in as much water/max fill as I wanted, 2) agitator tower instead of the flat impeller, and 3) lid unlocked for most of the cycle.

Based on what I chose, my main regret is the weird sounds my washer makes. They are normal for new washers. Some companies put sound files on their website so you will know your appliance is not broken.

NP and I want all these things too. What did you wind up with?

PP. I got a cheap GE washer and dryer set and bought a 5 year Lowe's warranty. Other DCUMers from previous threads have also bought this set. GE is really a brand of Chinese Haier now but the appliances are assembled in the US.

I'm happier with the GE washer than the gas dryer. The dryer takes a long time and also sounds weird (like a constantly running fan). I bought the same set as my very smart brother-in-law who is an engineer. He had to purchase a set for a new house while I was shopping for mine. I was considering the set he bought when I learned of his decision. So I went for it.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-High-Efficiency-Agitator-Large-4-5-cu-ft-Top-Load-Washer-White/5014905209#no_universal_links

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-GE-7-2-cu-ft-Capacity-aluminized-alloy-drum-Electric-Dryer/5014905207

Somewhere on the GE page you can listen to what the washer sounds like. I'd recommend doing that. I do not like to run it when I am working from home because my desk is close to the laundry room.

I read really bad things about the company that is now the GE warranty provider. It's called Bodewell. So I didn't want that warranty. I wanted it from a store so that if the set was a lemon within 5 years I could pick out any replacement brand. Lowe's had better pricing for the set plus warranties than Home Depot. I usually think warranties are a ripoff but in this case I wanted to insure myself against buyer's remorse. The warranty was less than a single house call.

My old set were 20 year old Whirlpools with a checkered repair history starting in the first year of the washer's life. It was not worth repairing them again.

I was very disappointed with the Speed Queens for the price. The new ones are partly digital readout and some of their chrome trimmed plastic feels flimsy. And CR said bad things about their wash performance. And I'm the one who had the long convo with my vacuum repair guy about how angry he was about his bought-new Speed Queen's pump problems.

Basically appliances these days suck due to energy use improvements. It's similar to what happened with toilets, lightbulbs, and auto-stop-start in cars. I sympathize with the reasons for these technologies but sometimes they cost more, break frequently, and inconvenience some consumers. It's just something to cope with. I do see however that the Trump Administration is reversing lots of emissions standards and technological requirements. (I think they killed the Energy Star program.) So if you don't have any concern about environmental issues you might wait a few years to see if more old-style technologies return.