Modern Washer/Dryers
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@adb3da I was in the same boat as you a month ago and the fact you have 3 kids may sway your decision. We have 2 kids so I can imagine what another would do to our laundry chores.
Brief history, we went from a top loader to a LG front loader 10 years ago, was nice having a front load washer next to the matching dryer....no bending down into a drum to fish out the clothes, also uses less water and since we're on a well that influenced our decision to go with the front loader.
During the course of ownership of the front loader, we fell victim to the funky odor of the unit. LG had many complaints about this, I'm sure other manufacturers did also, but one thing we noticed that during the tub clean cycle, it didn't really get the water level high enough to be effective, despite all the thrashing and splashing around.
The plus is, the front loader is very effective at getting clothes clean and is pretty much the undisputed champ...you have to take this into consideration.
Now our LG finally bit the bullet and the main bearing went bad, it would start knocking around with anymore than a handful of clothes in. The wifey said no more to the front loaders and had her mind set on the top loader.
What we have found is while the new top loaders are pretty good, the non-agitator versions just don't perform to most peoples standards. I'm not the expert in this department but from what I have researched if you want the machine to be effective, it's hard to get away from the agitator.
So with a lot of research, the consensus came down to the Speed Queen. My local dealer has just about everything, SQ, Maytag commercial, Whirlpool, GE, Electrolux, you name it as far as washers go, I've known him for about 12 years and he is very honest.
I had my sights set on the Speed Queen, the wifey wanted a good top loader, and he said if we want a top load washer then the Speed Queen is the only one to get. He said they are built with all the best drivetrain components and is designed to go 25 years. The Speed Queen design uses a geared agitator drive and will rotate the agitator 210 degrees if I'm not mistaken, this is a huge advantage over the regular agitator washers.
I was literally ready to tell him to ring it up but the trusted look on her face told otherwise. Not that it's not worthy of it's pricetag, but for the $$, it's capacity was just average or below average.....about 3.3 cu.ft., our LG was about 3.8 and was pushing the limit with 2 kids.
It's not that hard to run another wash cycle, but losing the capacity seemed like a big step backwards.
Also the spin speed of the SQ was about 700 RPM give or take, nothing to sneeze at but the front loaders will kill it.
So we were sitting there, I wanted the SQ, but she just had that gut feeling that this wasn't the one for the job. So I asked him about the front loaders again, and he said if you want to go back to the front loader, then without question, the 617 series Electrolux is the one, he said he has one and it's a phenomenal washer.
Sorry to get long-winded, but we ended up going with the Electrolux. He said try to limit or just not use fabric softener, that will be a major contributor to the funk and gunk in the front loaders, also using powdered soap is recommended.
The Electolux boasts a 4.4 cu.ft drum, and has a 15 min quick wash which is very effective. So far we have had this for about a month and we love it. The machine will thoroughly mix the soap with the water before introducing to the clothes, this is not a gimmick.
Spin speed is 1300 RPM and the clothes are just slightly damp when done, cuts drying time down tremendously.
You just cant beat the front loader design for cleaning clothes...I would highly recommend looking into this model.
With this unit, we only use 1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of powder, 2 tablespoons on a very full and dirty load.
Have to shove off to work, I'll try to answer more later.
But check out the 617 series Electrolux before you make your decision.
Thanks for the detailed post. I am leaning Speed Queen now but I still haven't be able to go looking at them with my wife yet. I will have her read this thread too and see how she feels after that. You make some good points.
