The best machine I ever had was Frigidaire that had the agitator that jumped up and down. I had two before they stopped making them. The longest lasting was Whirlpool, I now have a Maytag. I buy washer and dryer to match. I will only buy top loaders. I have a super capacity and need a larger one for big quilts.
I would rather take a beating than go to a laundry mat.

I bought one last year. It's a top loader with the agitator. I can set it to auto fill or to fill to the level I want it. The salesman kept directing me to other ones without the agitator but they were all autofill and didn't want that. It's basically the bottom of the line cheapest washing machine, but it was available in Kenmore and GE. Besides, when mine went out after 27 years, I had just paid son's tuition and didn't have the extra money for a higher dollor machine. I like this one, it's close to what my old one was. Went back after tax refund got here and bought the matching dryer since my dryer was on it's last leg too. But heck, 27 years, I got my money's worth out of them.

And lots of features you'll never use, too boot!

We are on the same wavelength with regard to appliances. In most cases, the fewer bells and whistles, the fewer opportunities to break down.

We have a HE Top load Kenmore pair, washer & dryer. I hate the washer. I had a commercial washer that I loved, tornado took it. THe new one with no agitator does not clean as well, as soon as you close the lid it locks and you can't open the lid to peek at any time. It makes so many noises that we can't run it at night. You load it and cannot put anything over the center thingy dingy in the center. I know I am lucky to have a washer & dryer, just jonseing for the old one.

I agree with you quilt mom my new one uses twice as much of everything and takes twice as long as I have to run everything on super load or the machine does not fill with water then if I want a second rinse have to set it myself my old one had a small load and even a hand wash load but these energy saving ones uses twice the amount of everything wish the person building them would have to use them but then we will never have good stuff until they start making it in the U.S.

I surely hope they never do away with top loaders. Whirlpool is still a good product. I remember when my Father used to work for RCA/Whirlpool in the 50's.

I agree with those who have recommended Speed Queen. They are STILL built like tanks, right here in the USA. Any other brand is a shadow of its former quality and will not last. It's truly a shame that quality is so hard to come by anymore, but if I were in the market for a new washer or dryer, I would get a new Speed Queen, or check out used Maytag (pre 2005), GE (pre 1993 Filter Flo only!), Whirlpool, or Kenmore.

We bought a new washer about a year ago. We did not want the HE type or whatever that uses 4" of water (my husband is a farmer-get real. lol) so we bought a traditional Speed Queen top loader. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It's all mechanical so no motherboard or anything to break and it does a great job. We can use whatever temp of water we want, fill it as high as we want, open it during the cycle, and it's very basic, which is perfect for us. The only extra thing we sprung for was the model with the extra rinse button.

by the way, I read somewhere that they were going to quit making the traditional machines this year. I hope that's not true.

I went to Sears a few years ago and told them I wanted a top loader with a huge tub, dials not pushbuttons, and I'd never need a lot of settings so the fewer the better. That's what I got and it works great. With 4 dogs and the two of us, we do a good bit of furry/grimy laundry and it all comes clean the first time through. I'd advise you to get only what you need and will use, with a big tub. I have 3 choices of cycle, three water temperature combinations to choose from, and three water levels. That's it and it works for me! :)

We also bought a new washer last yr. Left the ....26 yr old Maytag,when we moved. BTW,she was used when bought at a house auction.
The new one is a mechanical GE with agitator & huge capacity.Inside is all stainless steel.It stops on a dime when lid is opened to add more of whatever.Mine does a good job.Still using old dryer,but will look for mechanical if & when.

BTW,both DDs have front loaders that also do a good job.
Some ppl don't like warranties,but our new fridge has one for 6 yrs. Peace of mind!

What ever you do, don't get an LG. They get moldy and make your clothes smell like mold only after 3-6 months and they won't do anything about it and their customer service is terrible. We had to get ride of ours after about 2 years because we couldn't stand the smell any more.

Hate my new Samsung. The ring at the bottom of the washer caught and ripped by favorite pants. A repair person came from Samsung and released the caught fabric. He said I should wash them on delicate. What? I've always washed them with my other clothes. My husband has had a rash we think is coming from not rinsing enough. We're now doing an extra rinse. Who wants this extra work?

I can agree with the life span being very short on the new ones. We bought all new appliances when we moved into this house 7 years ago. We've replaced, hot water heater, put new parts on the KitchenAid range, microwave worked on twice, we replacing the ice maker as soon as the part gets here and now the Whirlpool Duet washer is leaking. We bought the Kitchen Aid appliances because we thought they would hold up better. Never again. I don't like the duet because it doesn't clean as well as my top loader I had before. That's just the way it is I guess.

I have not heard or read a good report on any of these energy saving devices they just don't work very good and to get clothes rinsed enough or just to run hot water you have to stand right there I always like washing my colored clothes in warm water these new machines will not let you they give you just a little hot water then sjps over to cold and where we live our water comes out icy cold so takes lots of time plus more water and more electricity but that is the way with most of these energy saving things the dish washer has cut down on the water and also on the hot water when my pld maytag goes out I will jut do dishes by hand

Just bought a Maytag, top loader, and I hate it. Doesn't aggitate good and lid locks, you can push the pause button to open the lid. Still don't like it. Barb

I just purchased a Maytag Cennential top load washer, so far it seems to be doing a good job of cleaning. I hope it will last. I just finished washing my stash to organize and I done about 8-10 loads a day for 2 months and it's still going strong. Will see if it has a quick death soon after that.

I recently bought a new washer and did some research before hand. I wanted a top loader with an agitator and a real rinse cycle. I found one, a Whirlpool. Check out Lowe's. Or read reviews on Amazon. Yes, it does lock the lid, but tho can use the pause button to open it. Hot water is not real hot, but is Ok. I don't need hot water all that often.

We bought a whirlpool fridge a couple of years ago and had tons of problems with it. It took 3 units just to get one that worked and we still had an issue that we ended up fixing ourselves. Whirlpool was horrible the entire time. Lowe's was awesome but whirlpool has the most hideous customer service I've ever encountered.

then few months ago we bought a samsung stove and there was a piece missing. Samsung customer service acted like I was lying and it took weeks to get the missing part. It was probably a $5 part. Their customer service was still better than whirlpool but not great.

So now I'm holding a grudge against whirlpool (and all of their offshoots, which includes maytag) and samsung. Before long I won't have any brands to choose from.

I doubt if there really are any brands to choose from now I think most by same and just slap a different name on them

Here's a link that shows who makes what at Kenmore:
http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/sears.shtml

whirlpool includes: whirlpool, maytag, kitchenaid, jenn-air, amana, ikea and a few others.

I think Frigidaire also includes electrolux, gibson, tappan.

GE makes hotpoint.

I think LG and Samsung are single brand companies (for these types of appliances).

This may be worthless info but I'm adding it 'just in case'
We found about 15 years ago that it was impossible to buy regular toilets around here, they were all 'low water.' We had always heard bad things about their flushing and we live in 'the black swamp' so no water problems. We live within an hour of Canada so we crossed the border as we heard up in Canada they still had the old style.

We went to a Home Depot right over the border and the guy there said they sell ALOT of toilets to Americans for the same reason!
I do not know the reason for the newer washers, but maybe a Canadian?

thanks a bunch for the tip we are not that far away so maybe a trip coming up this summer I know I love shopping in Mexico I have gotten some clothes there that is much better than here almost like our old and anything leather well Mexico is the place to buy as all of our leather is sent there I love the purses that I get there and the vanilla so it goes you get the idea

I have never bought large appliances to last for years. They start to look out dated and I want to to change them out. I have learned what brands I like the best for each and now only buy Bosch dishwashers. The Bosch dishwasher I have now still looks great and works great and I don't prewash the dishes. I use Cascade Complete Action Packs and a rinse aid. It is so quiet, I have to put my ear to the door to hear it. This washer has an extra shine setting. I never used it but once DH did and I could tell a big difference. The glassware was actually shinning. LOL

I have my top loaders for over 17 years and it still works, My girlfriend had a front loader for 2 years and got rid of it because of many problems and went back to a top loader. At the price they want I would stick to a top loader if I have to replace mine

what we need to do is order a washer from China made in the USA and we'd probably get a great one. what is here for us to buy usually isn't the best. sad but true.

onobyone when did you buy your dishwasher this big change in the appliances has just come out in the last 5 years or so also has happened with sewing machines and many other things it really is a BUYER BEWARE out there shopping is not what it once was and nativetexan you may be right maybe if we could order from China but I really don't think there is much made in the U.S. anymore

That's interesting. We've been having trouble with our septic recently and the plumbers and septic company all think it's because of the low flow toilets (we're in a new house). They've all said the water to solids ratio is not ideal for washing everything down to the septic tank. We have one old toilet in our old house we can swap in but we need two. I've been thinking about looking up a way to modify one to hold more water.

eta: this is another reason we're happy that we went with the traditional speed queen washer. That way more water is being washed down to the septic tank.

In other words....they were HE's.
They still sell the regular washers, just keep shopping.
Sorry I'm no help to where but I got mine at Best Buy two yrs ago.

I've seen regular ones at Lowe's online too. Fisher and Paykel was the brand. The only place we could find the speed queen was at a small mom & pop appliance shop.

Good to know! I still have my 20 yr old Speed Queen washer and we are on septic.
sandy

I have recently bought front loader washing machine whirlpool washing machine and i simply love it, it consumes less water and spin faster which give a me a clean clothes as gift every time i wash them. It also extract water at a much faster rate as compared to that of top loader. Go for front loader may be luck will favor you third time :)
Hope it will help you : )
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Thanks for posting that. I, too, have a Bosch dishwasher & if I could love an inanimate object, I'd LOVE my dishwasher. Never, ever pre-wash. The silverware holder is configured so each piece has their own little compartment, so no nesting. And talk about quiet! When we first got it, I started it, listened, then opened it to see if it was running.
Regarding clothes washers! I have a front load, computer HE washer & dryer, both on pedestals. I keep the door to the washer open, as we live in FL, so with the humidity, things don't dry out really well. It has never gotten mold, but I know that is due to it always having circulated air. It washes clothes clean & I'm happy with the dryer. So I'm just a happy camper, quilting along!!

In my opinion, washing machines do not really clean clothes very well. I do have washing machine but I seldom used it. My reason is , I spend too much on water but I'm not also satisfied with the outcome of our clothes. I think , you just try hand washing your clothes and just use an effective detergent.

There is zero percent chance I will ever hand wash my clothes unless it's the only way. I can barely hand wash the hand-wash only dishes I have to do (I have problems with my hands and wrists). Even clothes that say to hand wash get put in the washer on the hand wash cycle.

If you saw my husband's dirty farm clothes before and after a wash, you might think our washer does a fine job. :thumbup:

I have washed everything but towels and sheets in cold water using liquid Tide or Era for years, and my clothes are clean. I don't have kids or a husband who gets grease on his clothes, so I don't have those kinds of problems - but when I did, I used Amway's SA8 and cold water - that worked, too. I have a Kenmore top loader, but would love to have a front loader to save water and NOT have an agitator that twists clothes into a mess!

The Whirlpool refrigerators are junk. Bought one just 2 years + ago at Lowe's, it lasted 2 years and 1 month, didn't buy extended warranty. It was noise and the ice maker kept freezing up from the beginning, then on the week-end it quit completely. I am going to start shopping at our family owned appliance store. Have heard their service is really good. We should not need an extended warranty if the appliances were made to last.

Hi Gale,
I have been looking for this speed Queen and I can't find one.
I was able to find a man who buys used machines, repairs and sells them.. I may have to go that route.
I still HATE this new GE HE machine... it's got to go..I washed a small load of towels and washclothes about 5 of each and to prove a point to a friend, I placed a white wash cloth with Wet chocolate milk on top, washed the load and guess what?? the wash cloth still had the chocolate milk on it when the load was done... at that point my husband said it's going as soon as they can come and get it.

I also bought one of those new HE washers, top of the line Samsung top loaders with no agitator. Do I like it he** no!! But I figured out a way to trick it into giving me more water for each load. Before I hit the power button I load the clothes into the machine, then I dump a couple of gallons of cold water right on top of the clothes, add my detergent then I turn the power on. Now the machine thinks I just put a heavy load into it and now fills with plenty of water....clothes now come out cleaner because there is enough water for the clothes to move around. If you have a sink close to your machine, give this a try, it really does work.