ISO recs for new washing machine (and probably dryer too)

[mlktwins]

My washing machine just died. I am literally looking at many loads of dirty clothes as both of my boys came home from college yesterday. One brought me a gift of 3 weeks of dirty clothes 😆. I am heading to the laundromat tomorrow morning to get caught up. 
 

DH and I are looking for a top load that doesn’t have an electronic programming board (we are going to for knobs and dials this time). We don’t want a Whirlpool again. Need a good size drum to do larger loads. 
 

Any recs (or ones not to buy) very welcome!

[Carol in Cal.]

The only brand of washer I would consider is Speed Queen because it is the only one that is built to be reliable.  The home size ones are not huge in capacity but are much faster than other washers so I don’t mind that.  You could consider one of their commercial models if you very much wanted a bigger one.  I can fit my CA King sheets or a CA King sized blanket in my home sized, or a thin CA king sized comforter, but not a heavy CA King sized quilt, just to give you an idea.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Carol in Cal.

[Ottakee]

Speed Queen for the washer.  I think mine is a commercial grade.  Washes a load in about 25 minutes.   Minimal settings but I don’t ever use anything fancy.   98% of the time it is regular wash, extra large load.   2% is a delicate or small load.

I don’t think dryers matter as much so if you don’t care about a matching set you can likely get a very basic extra large capacity dryer cheaper than the Speed Queen one.  Then again I only ever use one setting in my dryer either.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Ottakee

[Ausmumof3]

My “don’t buy” is a Whirlpool so it looks like you’re good. We got a cheap and cheerful LG due to budget constraints and it’s run like a dream but it’s a front loader so not what you’re after. The only issue is it gets a bit of mould around the seal but that seems to be common with older front loaders anyway.

[wathe]

I just bought a Speed Queen (Heubsch in Canada), after my 26-year-old Maytag top-loader finally died. Dials  -- but there is a circuit board in there somewhere.   So far it's been great.  Standard load takes 27 min.  

Our repair professional says that they are what he instals in group-homes where they see very heavy use, and the only repair he ever has to do is replace the belt.

[Pawz4me]

I just joined the Speed Queen club (cult?). On Thursday I had a TR5 delivered. I've done four or five loads and so far I like it. But I've never had a washer that didn't clean well, or one that didn't work well overall, when new. So I'm reserving judgment until it gets some age on it. Longevity and the length of the warranty were the deciding factors. And the fact that I figured out my CA King sheets and fleece blankets will fit in it.

But . . my understanding is that all of them have electronic circuit boards now, even the ones with dials and knobs. We've been told that at Lowes and by the owner of the small appliance store where we bought the SQ. So although I prefer the simplicity of dials and knobs, that wasn't a major deciding factor for me.

ETA: Our dryer gave up the ghost a few weeks before the washer. We got a basic Whirlpool to replace it, whatever Lowes had on sale that could be delivered quickly. Over the years I haven't found dryers to be nearly as troublesome or picky as washers, so whatever's on sale seemed good enough. My only want/need was a wrinkle free option, where it keeps tumbling for awhile after the cycle is finished so clothes won't wrinkle. Lowes had a basic Whirlpool and a very similar basic GE on sale at the time, and I went with the Whirlpool because the wrinkle free time was much longer (90 minutes) than the GE (only 15 minutes).

Edited December 17, 2023 by Pawz4me

[Kassia]

8 hours ago, Ottakee said:

Speed Queen for the washer.  I think mine is a commercial grade.  Washes a load in about 25 minutes.   Minimal settings but I don’t ever use anything fancy.   98% of the time it is regular wash, extra large load.   2% is a delicate or small load.

I don’t think dryers matter as much so if you don’t care about a matching set you can likely get a very basic extra large capacity dryer cheaper than the Speed Queen one.  Then again I only ever use one setting in my dryer either.

I could have written this post word for word.  

[frogger]

Well, my husband just replaced the bearings in our Speed Queen washer so it isn't perfect but we bought it in 2013 so....

It was an easy fix though shipping the part took awhile. Maybe it will last another decade now.

Edited December 18, 2023 by frogger

[itsheresomewhere]

I wasn’t impressed with the Speed Queen.  It was too small for me ( couldn’t wash my king quilt in it) and when I looked, the parts for it were not as available as I would like.  So I bought a Samsung over 10 years ago.  I absolutely love it.  It has lasted me a good long time and is only now only starting to need to be replaced due to lots of use/wear tear. I find the Samsung easy to repair ( much easier than the LG I had before this).   The other brand I would buy is Meile.  Neighbor has one and I like it when I use it when I am helping her out. 
 

Check the parts availability and if you are not mechanically inclined, check the repair people in your area.  Some will not service Speed Queen.