Let's Talk Washers and Dryers

[Cheesefood]

Anyone done any significant research on W&D's lately? We're shopping and looking for some good advice, not just what looks cool.

 

[Kayos]

Bought a Kenmore washer last year that we loved. I would say a must get is the bigger size, other than that, it was all about how many cycles they had.

Then a year later out dryer broke (of course). We decided to get a front load. We now wish more than anything we would have gotten a front load washer, too. You would never think of how convenient it is to be able slide the clothes from the dryer right into a basket, not lift them over. Sounds silly, but makes laundry day way easier. We got an LG with the stainless bowl because someone somewhere says the surigcal stainless makes it impossible for bacteria to be there then. The one model below had all the same features, but not the ss bowl. That 's one we picked and they were out of it, so free upgrade. The dryer cost us about $800--Best Buy-- I think. The washer about $550-Sears. And if you do get a front load, you gotta get the pedestal, too. Otherwise it will be more of a PITA than the front loads. Organizes the laundry crap and makes where you load more like counter height.

As a general rule, we liked Sears and Kenmore. I would definitely use them again. They had all the same stuff as all teh other places, just seamed cheaper under the Kenmore name.

Now that I have reveiled my feminine side, I need to take a shower.

 

[Evets]

We also use Kenmore. Works good, reasonably priced and seems to quite reliable.
But I guess we haven't actually done any "significant research" on the subject. Maybe "Consumer Reports" could help.

 

[Cheesefood]

My folks looked at front-loaders and said they've heard a lot of problems about the units leaking. So I'm kind of concerned. A good W&D should last about 15 years. I don't want one that's going to start leaking in a few years, especially if I'm dropping a G or two.

 

[Blender]

We have a Kenmore front loader and it works great. Less water, less power,bigger wash loads and quicker drying because it spins them so fast. They do vibrate a lot however because of the spinning.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

SPEEDQUEEN.


These are commercial grade washers and dryers used in laundramats that are marketed towards homeowners. We purchased a Speedqueen when our washer kicked due to stripped plastic gears, the gears in the Speedqueens are all metal. These are pretty basic looking with generic settings, but they are supposed to last 15 years, so well worth the money.

 

[Germey]

We've been using the Kenmore frontloading washer and dryer for about 7 years now. I would never go back. In that time, the seal on the front of the washer has popped off it's bead maybe 3 or 4 times (probably from trying to pull out ALL the clothes in one pull) and then it leaks a bit. The thing to keep in mind though is that the entire wash cycle only uses a fraction of the water of a top loader, and only a fraction of that is exposed to the seal, so a "leak" has amounted to about a cup of water on the floor. I just pop the seal back on with my fingers.
I've been less happy with the companion dryer, but we have them stacked, which means there's about 6 extra square feet available in the garage for brewing stuff
If you do get the Kenmore dryer that matches (and when you compare all the prices, it's hard not to) the one thing to look out for is if you start getting little brownish streaks on your clothes (in places other than your undies). What those dryers do is wear out the felt seal at the front of the drum and clothes start to get stuck in there and rubbed until they get friction burns. This can be accelerated by a zipper getting stuck in there once.
Thank god for the internet. Sears was wholly unhelpful, but, after some googling, I found other people with the same problem and some with the root cause and $40 DIY fix (uncharacteristically, I paid $100 for someone else to do it).
Wow, that was long. Did I mention that my wife and I both are obsessive product comparison researchers?
Anyway, the felt seal thing was just this year (of the seven).
Cheers,
Jeremy

BTW - Could you bring back the squatting monkey dog? Your new avatar is giving me nightmares.

 

[elkdog]

Just bought GE frontloaders a couple of months ago, and we love them. The water and power savings are significant, and as mentioned above, drying times are cut way down too. According to Consumer Reports, Maytag frontloaders, unlike their toploaders, have repair problems, but GE's do pretty well, hence our choice. We have ours stacked, so they hardly take up any room, to boot.

The high-efficiency detergent for front loaders (it is lower sudsing, which you need for a front-loader) is good too. It costs the same per load, but uses less packaging. You can get eco-friendly formulas just like with regular detergent, to really minimize your environmental impact. Beyond being green, though, these machines work really well, and they'll save you money in the long-run.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

We have the Maytag frontloader (Neptune series), and we really like it. I read the same Consumer Reports article that elkdog did, but we haven't had any problems in over 18 months.

The price of the frontloaders kinda cancels out the energy savings if you ask me. I could've paid about 1/3 to 1/2 the price for a pretty nice toploading washer. I haven't done the math, but I think it would take well over 5 years to recoup that cost in energy savings.

"So, Yuri, why did you buy it?"
"I caved to SWMBO."

 

[LouT]

Not to jinx you, Yuri, but do a google on Neptune problems, specifically mildew. We have a top loading Neptune that failed it's clutch after about 2 years, it's a funky design that's supposed to be like a top loading front loader (if that makes sense), it has no center agitator. It looked like the next great thing when wife bought it about 3 years ago, but I'm not crazy about it because it tends to tie clothes in knots.
We haven't had mildew issues, fortunately, but I came across all kinds of problems when I was using the internet to figure out how to diagnose and repair our machine.

I generally like the Consumer Reports ratings, but very often they rate low priced items to be great when in reality they are not necessarily the best value. Their reliability testing is generally accurate, though...

Oh, side note, when we lived in Raleigh one of our neighbors owned a chain of cleaners that use water vs. chemicals -- he was very big on Miele equipment -- specifically because the RPM of the spin cycle was extremely high -- this means major cost savings and time savings when it comes to dryer usage. Might be something to consider as you shop and compare specs, etc.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Not to jinx you, Yuri, but do a google on Neptune problems, specifically mildew.

I know they have issues...I'm just sayin' we're happy with ours for the moment.

You mentioned spin cycle RPM - the frontloader is really fast as well. Clothing comes out damn near dry! I'd recommend taking a look at that feature when shopping for a new washer, as it really cuts down the time it takes to complete a load of laundry.

 

[CodeRage]

I honestly cant see dropping that kind of dough on a washer dryer, espescially when it is going to be condemed to some small closet somewhere. Just from general use the tops generally get scratched up, dented, and inevitably rust . I bought a Roper super capacity set 5 years ago for about $400 and have zero issues.
I'd rather spend top dollar on kitchen appliances.

 

[EdWort]

Whirlpool Duet series. Pricey, but they last forever. Get the washer that has the built in hot water heater. I rocks! I've had one for going on 6 years, and they've been through one move. No problems.

Since they are front loaders, you can stack them. We did.

 

[olllllo]

I have a Generation 1 Frigidaire gallery front load W and D.
Absolutely no issues. It's already 9 years old.

I expect this thing to last 30 years.

Really.


Even with a 15 year life expectancy, why buy something you'll hate.
As Yur said, the spin on the front loaders really reduce drying times.
Spend the extra cash for the front load. IMO, worth it.

 

[Short Drive]

Check out a washing machine called Fisher Paykel. Its spin cycle is about 1000 rpm's. I almost sounds like a jet engine revving up. The cloths come out just damp. Cuts down on the drying time.

Told SWMBO about the extra $5000 bonus huh.

 

[david_42]

First, unless you are really picky about appearances, the Sears Outlet is your friend. I paid about 1/3 retail for my set.

Second, get a front-loading washer. They do an outstanding job and use less water, soap and bleach than a top loader. They are easier on clothes & also spin drier which saves time and money drying.

Last, if you have NG (I actually got my NG dryer converted to propane), get the extra, extra large dryer. More fluff space means faster drying and fewer wrinkles.

 

[McKBrew]

We have the Kenmore HE-4 Series (I think the current mod is HE-5). I've heard about mildew problems, etc... with this model but haven't noticed anything affecting my clothes. Sometimes, if the washer sit empty a day or so (which rarely happens), it will get a funky smell. We just run it through on a hot cycle, empty with some bleach and it takes care of it.

As far as durability, with eight people in the house and an average of about two loads of laundry a day for two years, we haven't had a single problem with the washer or dryer.

 

[Petunia]

SPEEDQUEEN.


These are commercial grade washers and dryers used in laundramats that are marketed towards homeowners. We purchased a Speedqueen when our washer kicked due to stripped plastic gears, the gears in the Speedqueens are all metal. These are pretty basic looking with generic settings, but they are supposed to last 15 years, so well worth the money.

Good thought. Thanks. We bought a Maytag and have had it repaired twice now. Plastic gears and some flimsy clutch mechanism. Not worth the money.

I already made up my mind that with the amount of laundry we do here we need commercial machines.

Jennifer

 

[Orfy]

Hey,

some of us have SWMBO around, can we not talk about washer dryers....

 

[brewman !]

My Ex and I had a Kenmore HE4 washer and dryer. I thought it was the best home appliance ever. Quite a machine. Highly recommended.

 

[Beerthoven]

We have Fisher&Paykel washer and dryer. They are great. Super quiet, energy efficient, and never break.

Even though its a top loader the washer uses only as much water as a typical front loader. It spins so fast the clothes practically come out dry, so very short drying times.

We had a Maytag setup for 5 days and it was cheap crap. Returned and got the F&P and never looked back.

 

[Cheesefood]

Bought the Kenmore frontloaders last night. Got the pedestals.

Should be interesting to see if they can hook them up as they apparently are specifically built to have washer on the left, dryer on the right and our current configuration is the opposite.

 

[david_42]

Life would be a bit easier if I had been able to put my washer on the left side, but that would have meant a very long dryer vent. Mine are on a platform and I had a leftover water heater stand that I set in front of the washer. So I just pull everything into a basket, shut the washer door and dump to the dryer.