If you don't do a lot of laundry there are a couple of stack units out there that are a small top load washer on bottom with a front load drier on top. Usually they hover in the $200 range on Craigslist. At that price when you move you can afford to either leave them behind our use them as a second set on a different floor or in the garage of the new place.
Well, it does seem that the manufacturers send all the crap frontloaders to the US, as large parts of the rest of the world have been running them for a loooong time without too many issues 
. Either that or there is some cheese movement involved...
Our current house came with a top loader washer so it's the first time I've ever owned one and I've had that thing apart more often than the front loaders I used to own both over here and back in Europe. I think to a large extent the "problems" come from what people are used to, plus you'd want to buy a good one. A cheap front loader is probably going to be as bad as a cheap top loader, or worse.
If you like the robustness of the commercial Laundromat machines, just buy one of those. We did and never regretted it. It washes quickly and spins faster to dry cloths in the spin cycle so you have a short dryer cycle (which uses more energy). Since it's made to commercial standards, everything is beefed up.
A 5 year warranty and 15 year warranty on transmission. Who else offers that?
If you need a front loader and Speedqueen makes one, that's the one to get. Our top loader Speedqueen washer is FANTASTIC. Best washer I've ever had.
I bought a front load Kenmore washer and matching drier in 2004, one of the highest rated by Consumer Reports.
So far, I have replaced on the washer:
Turns out "they require less soap" means "like a only a tablespoon." And I don't use powdered soap anymore - that was a mistake.
I leave the door ajar between loads and smell is not a problem.
The drier has been fine.
Rufledt wrote:SVreX wrote: We've got a Kenmore front loader. Not stackable. We have never had an issue with it- it is about 10 years old. I've never read the info on the internet, and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.I would tend to avoid appliances badged "Kenmore" "GE" or "Sears". They don't produce appliances, they merely slap their badge on other appliances. You could very well get a good machine from a good company (as I suspect rex did) or just as easily something chinese that is terrible.
I used to sell appliances at Sears as a college job. Yup, they rebadge. IIRC the Kenmore washers are Whirlpools. There wasnt much that was Kenmore badged in their appliance division that was chinese junk. Biggest problems we tended to see across all brands really was the ones with the digital displays failing. The fewer computer boards the better. I didnt like the Maytags (ESPECIALLY their expensive fridges, they didnt seem to hold up at all)
That said, it was 7-8 years ago that I worked there.
Personally, I would get the speed queen. Commercial grade? yeah, that's the one I want.
Tom_Spangler wrote:Rufledt wrote: See my post above. Consumer reports dont mean jack.Not that I have 100% faith in CR, but I'd like to see some evidence that they are as corrupt as you say. They don't have any advertising, so that makes it a bit harder to buy them off, unlike, say, Motor Trend. What's more, the reliability ratings aren't based on subjective factors, they are taken straight from their owner surveys. Here's the disclaimer:We survey thousands of readers each year about their washers to find out which brands have the fewest repairs. Among front-loaders LG is among the more reliable brands. GE and Frigidaire are among the more repair-prone, though their repair rates are similar to Maytag and Electrolux. Among top-loaders, Speed Queen is more reliable than Kenmore and GE, but similar to Maytag and Whirlpool. That’s what we found when we asked nearly 73,000 readers who bought a clothes washer between 2009 and 2013 about their experiences. The graph shows the percentage of models for each brand that were repaired or had a serious problem. Differences of less than 4 points aren’t meaningful, and we’ve adjusted data to eliminate differences linked solely to a washer’s usage and age. Although we did not have enough data to include Fisher & Paykel, LG, and Samsung top-loaders in our chart, our analysis puts Fisher & Paykel among the more repair-prone brands and LG and Samsung among the more promising brands. Models within a brand may vary, and changes in design or manufacture may affect future reliability. Still, choosing a brand with a good repair history can improve your odds of getting a reliable model.A survey of tens of thousands of owners is statistically more significant than anecdotal evidence from individuals. Again, I don't have blind faith in CR, and when it comes to cars, I essentially ignore them because they prioritize different factors than I do. But for things like appliances, I can't think of a time when they've steered me wrong.
3 minutes of googling didn't turn up anything anti-CR that didn't stink of bias, but I did find an article about LG's cheating: cheating energy tests This is not proof of CR's reliability, but proof that if LG can find a way to cheat, they might try.
I've always been skeptical of people using statistics as proof of fact ever since my professor showed us, using real data, that people with larger brains get worse grades, and then using the same data, showed that there was no correlation, and then that again that larger brains get better grades. Statistics can say whatever you want them to. Unfortunately it's also a very useful tool, so everybody uses it and if they dont' show their work you just have to trust it...
trucke wrote: If you like the robustness of the commercial Laundromat machines, just buy one of those. We did and never regretted it. It washes quickly and spins faster to dry cloths in the spin cycle so you have a short dryer cycle (which uses more energy). Since it's made to commercial standards, everything is beefed up. Speed Queen Home Products
The apartment where space requires front-loaders is plumbed for gas. Speed queen units I'm seeing are $2200+.
Rufledt wrote: I've always been skeptical of people using statistics as proof of fact ever since my professor showed us, using real data, that people with larger brains get worse grades, and then using the same data, showed that there was no correlation, and then that again that larger brains get better grades. Statistics can say whatever you want them to. Unfortunately it's also a very useful tool, so everybody uses it and if they dont' show their work you just have to trust it...
Well, of course you should be skeptical of statistics, and I never said anything was a "fact" or that the CR data is "proof" of anything. CR's survey data is a data point, that's all. Just like the anecdotal stories of LG problems in this thread are data points. You are free to weight those data points the way you want to when making purchase decisions, as I did.
I really don't have a dog in this fight other than that our particular LG machines have been fine so far. I made that point, and I tried to back it up with publicly-available data. I could care less what machine anyone else buys, I'm not an LG shareholder or anything. So I will bow out of this discussion.
About a month ago our elderly Maytag Neptune front load washer started making "bearing failure" type noises. Wife called the appliance repair guy we use and he confirmed my diagnosis. I asked for his recommendation on new units (dryer was older than washer)and he said "Whirlpool Duet". So that's what we got and are very happy with so far. We do leave the door open a little bit on our front load washers and have had no odor problems with the last 3 washers.
Our repair guy will not recommend either LG or Samsung appliances. His reason is not quality but the extreme difficulty in getting parts.
We're not quite three years into our Maytag front load stacked washer/dryer. Probably average 3-4 loads a week with the six of us. We wipe out the rubber drum seal thing after each load and leave the door cracked. I suspect that we do laundry too often for orders to take hold. I probably (definitely) overload it sometimes. It's been flawless. The biggest advantage has been the lower water useage that puts less of a strain on the septic.
One thing my lady asks - I not touch her machines or do laundry. So I let her buy whatever she wants. It's all magic to me when I toss my dirty clothes into a basket and they magically appear back in my drawer.
She doesn't tell me what lawnmower to buy either - pfffff
All the parts I needed for the Sears Kenmore have been super easy to get. Shocks and pump were even in stock locally.
Tom_Spangler wrote: Well, of course you should be skeptical of statistics, and I never said anything was a "fact" or that the CR data is "proof" of anything. CR's survey data is a data point, that's all. Just like the anecdotal stories of LG problems in this thread are data points. You are free to weight those data points the way you want to when making purchase decisions, as I did. I really don't have a dog in this fight other than that our particular LG machines have been fine so far. I made that point, and I tried to back it up with publicly-available data. I could care less what machine anyone else buys, I'm not an LG shareholder or anything.
I agree with everything you say here, especially the multiple data points. My apologies if I came off as a berk-tard
To summarize, looks like Whirlpool is a solid choice. Something like This washer and This dryer. This is assuming that the apartment and I are the right match etc. etc.
Now, to find a fridge. I do not understand why so many rentals in CA don't supply refrigerators. Any suggestions? Whirlpool still? May go outlet/scratch and dent. I see an expensive month in my future.
Mitchell wrote:trucke wrote: If you like the robustness of the commercial Laundromat machines, just buy one of those. We did and never regretted it. It washes quickly and spins faster to dry cloths in the spin cycle so you have a short dryer cycle (which uses more energy). Since it's made to commercial standards, everything is beefed up. Speed Queen Home ProductsThe apartment where space requires front-loaders is plumbed for gas. Speed queen units I'm seeing are $2200+.
There are pricey. They are the SnapOn of appliances.
We've had a set of Bosch units, bought because they were made in the USA and decently rated on Consumer Reports. We've been very, very happy with them and in the 8 years or so we've owned them haven't had any trouble at all. We do leave the door open between cycles so it doesn't stink. Also don't let the laundry sit in them or it'll stink. Being wet in sealed enclosure will do that to clothes, even clean ones.
Rufledt wrote: Also don't believe consumer reports, they are merely a list of which companies have paid them more to be rated higher.
I don't believe that for a second. That would be a huge scandal and would destroy CR. I'm not a huge fan of them after the Samurai debacle, but they're not taking kickbacks from manufacturers.
dculberson wrote:Rufledt wrote: Also don't believe consumer reports, they are merely a list of which companies have paid them more to be rated higher.I don't believe that for a second. That would be a huge scandal and would destroy CR. I'm not a huge fan of them after the Samurai debacle, but they're not taking kickbacks from manufacturers.
Yeah, I really don't like Consumer Reports, but I don't think that they take money or other benefits from manufacturers. That doesn't mean they are as unbiased as they claim to be - they absolutely are biased - but I don't believe they're corrupt.
Mitchell wrote: To summarize, looks like Whirlpool is a solid choice. Something like This washer and This dryer. This is assuming that the apartment and I are the right match etc. etc.
That is the exact washer we bought. We got the electric version of the dryer though. Only had them a month so far but wife is very happy with them.
I don't believe that for a second. That would be a huge scandal and would destroy CR. I'm not a huge fan of them after the Samurai debacle, but they're not taking kickbacks from manufacturers.
With my inability to find proof to back me up, I withdraw my statement.
Back on topic, yes whirlpool is generally a solid choice. A word on replacement parts, though- if needed, be sure to get actual whirpool parts and not nockoffs. Cheap chinese copies are available and often do work, but sometimes break and takes things with them. One example is belt idlers, some whirlpool machines used a teflon skid instead of a pulley, and when the skid got grooved it would wreck the belt. The official whirlpool replacement parts changed over to pulleys, no skids, but the cheap nock off parts remained as skids. Not sure if they worked any worse than the original skids, but didn't fix the problem. Whirlpool has a tendancy of updating parts and then making those available to older models in replacement parts. The same thing happened with washer drive couplings, there have been like 4 versions, and they are all backwards compatible. I don't know of any other company improving machines that are out of warranty.
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