Which brand of washer/dryer should I get?

D

DMD3.

Pre-takeoff checklist
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DMD3.
I’m a renter, and I’m about to move to a mobile home park for a lower monthly rate ($425, AND the lawn care & garbage is included in the rent). The place I’m renting now already had the washer & dryer included, so I’ll have to get my own when I move to this new place. This other mobile home is pretty small; one bedroom/bath, and washer & dryer will literally be located next to my bed! But I’ll be living alone, so I don’t mind for the affordable price.

I don’t necessarily need the most luxurious (expensive) brand, and they don’t have to be biggest, hence the reason I mentioned my relationship status and home size. :D. I just don’t want a brand that’s going to tear up and/or give out in only a short time down the road. Any particular brand I should get or stay away from?
 
The last repair guy to work on my washer recommended Speed Queen.
 
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Our LG is 15+ years old and I’m going to have to fix the dryer on Monday. That’s going to cost me a couple hours of work and about $35 for new rollers and belt. I’d call that pretty good.

My son has a Speed Queen set. Quite expensive, supposed to be bulletproof. For your use case, I’d suggest looking for a used stacked washer/dryer pair.
 
Either buy used or get the SpeedQueen stuff. Our Maytags are top of the line and less than 3 years old. Constantly have to clean mildew out from the dispenser drawer area. Had one repair already and it no longer dispenses fabric softener correctly (tech thinks it's a $400 circuit board issue). Keep it simple.
 
I've been happy with our Whirlpool Cabrio set that is about 7 years old now. A little quirky on the controls at times, but an on/off reset (or two) seems to fix the glitches. The washer we have is a top-load with no agitator arm (just some bumps on the bottom for agitation), so it bridges the gap between less expensive top loaders and more expensive (and generally lower-capacity) front loaders.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
The last repair guy to work on my washer recommended Speed Queen.
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FIFY

Last w/d you'll need to buy. They rarely break, but when they do, they can actually be repaired. Also the last ones you can buy that actually use enough water to get really dirty clothes clean. Ours are going on 10 years old without a hiccup. Meanwhile my parents are on their third set of "high efficiency" units.
 
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I was always told Speed Queen, but in my research a couple years ago, quality of residential units appeared to have slipped. I think they were competent with traditional washers and dryers, but less so with the high efficiency units which rely more on software and electronics.

Samsung apparently is made in Korea, and that’s where the parts come from also. Something to consider.

LG units are now made in the United States. GE is now really Haier (China).

After digesting all of this, when our top load Maytag became unrepairable after 15 years (motor quit, but there was lots of corrosion on the base pan), we opted for a LG front loader. It has been good over the past 1.5 years. Uses less water, and less soap ( <—critically important), and cleans as well or better than the old non-HE top loader. How long will it last? Time will tell.

Our now 17 year old Maytag electric dryer is still working fine, so we kept that and did not buy the matching LG dryer.
 
Got rid of our Samsung front load washer when it broke and couldn’t be repaired and replaced it with an LG top load that has worked well so far.
 
Whichever brand it is, get just the baseline model without any bells and whistles. You don't need 100 different wash cycles or wifi on one of these things, save your money for avgas.
 
Your gonna need a stackable

look on Craigslist for used ones. They are all junk these days.
 
Avoid gas powered washers...

58167bf93b6178338de630072c5b7ddc.jpg


But it is a Maytag...
 
DMD3. said:
I’m a renter, and I’m about to move to a mobile home park for a lower monthly rate ($425, AND the lawn care & garbage is included in the rent). The place I’m renting now already had the washer & dryer included, so I’ll have to get my own when I move to this new place. This other mobile home is pretty small; one bedroom/bath, and washer & dryer will literally be located next to my bed! But I’ll be living alone, so I don’t mind for the affordable price.

I don’t necessarily need the most luxurious (expensive) brand, and they don’t have to be biggest, hence the reason I mentioned my relationship status and home size. :D. I just don’t want a brand that’s going to tear up and/or give out in only a short time down the road. Any particular brand I should get or stay away from?
Click to expand...

Look for a used Maytag Deluxe Over & Under unit (in good shape). Mine lasted 29 years - and was still working when I replaced it. The replacement, a new GE of the same general layout does the job - but
has issues of it's own.

Dave
 
cessna182b said:
I wonder if the chain (and turnbuckle) are to keep it from getting stolen - or from bouncing off the platform?
Click to expand...

I dunno... but that is cast iron. I am betting two folks ain't gonna be picking it up and running off with it.... at least not very fast..:lol::lol:

(it's a miracle it survived WWII metal drives)
 
Of course my stacked washer and dryer burnt out today. 22 year old Kenmore. I am finished repairing it.

Off we go to Craigslist to find a cheap used one.

Seems like most the used stacked ones are in the 600 and up range. If we got a new stackable, my wife would not be able to reach the top controls...
 
Speed Queen usually comes up. They have some with mechanical timers, which are much less prone to failure. They are back to using cycles with reasonable water usage, which gets clothes clean. All of the washers which claim low water usage take forever to wash a load, and then do not get clothes clean. Don't know about stackable. Most of the washers in apartment laundry rooms are SQ. They last longest and require least maintenance.

Except for 34 year old Sears washers, like the one I bought when I moved in. It's still going strong, and has never been repaired. I am hard pressed to think of any mechanical device which is used daily (when the kids were small, several times per day) and could function with no attention whatsoever.
 
My washer from 1968 and dryer from 1974 lasted all the way up until 2008, when my wife decided we needed new flashy Korean branded appliances.

I bought that washer and dryer in 1985 and after five or so moves in the Army, they were still producing clean, dry clothes. If they broke, I knew exactly what was wrong with either of them and I could fix it in 30 minutes or less. They were made of steel and yet rust was never a problem.

My last temporary move, I bought an brand new set from a guy who gets them from estate sales. Those were whirpools and were a matched set. They had only been used once or twice and were the best combo I have ever used. I paid $400.00. I gave them to the landlord when I moved out and they gave me a $500 break on the last months rent!

Enough appliance stories. Buy used and old. New ones are thousands of Dollars and still junk!
 
Add me to the list of Samsung haters. Dryer is 6 years old. Drum broke in less than 2 years. Sounded like i left a wrench in my pocket. Wouldn't warranty it. Im a single dude, how many loads of laundry do you think I do? The thing takes 2 hours to dry an average load, and yes the exhaust is clean.
 
Our son and his wife bought a Samsung set and an extended warranty. I know that extended warranty paid for itself, as the set required repairs a few times.

Meanwhile I did get our 2008 LG dryer fixed. One drum roller self destructed; I replaced all four and the belt, since the $33 repair kit had all of them. All good for the next 14 years.
 
Hot Point and Kenmore have been best for my experience. Top load washer generally lasts longer as well. Cannot go wrong with these.
 
I, and everyone else, likes the look of the front load machines. But most are nothing but trouble. Mold, inefficient and very long cycles. I will have to replace my very old Kenmore, and I plan to get a top load, probably a SQ. I think the manufacturers were ordered to make machines that couldn't use more than a certain volume of water, and those regulations were relaxed about 5 years ago. When the manufacturers went back to the full cycle designs, the machines started working properly again.
 
Some of us don’t have the room and have to stack them, otherwise I would have a top loader.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
Some of us don’t have the room and have to stack them, otherwise I would have a top loader.
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No doubt that makes sense for those who have space issue. Consumer Reports has shown for years that the front loaders have more issues. That said, I have had both. Hot Point has been my best dryer. Kenmore my best washer.
 
My Kenmore is 40 yrs old (w & d) and still running great. Takes about 45 min for the rinse cycle to fill, but I think that's a plumbing problem, something in the COLD line is clogged. I need a plumber to open the main valve (hasn't been opened in the 30 yrs I've lived here) because I don't want to break the valve or the pipe.

Currently looking for a new fridge - this one has a freon leak. After 35 years, I think a new one is in order. Looking at the low end Whirlpool or GE.
 
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