Hey… time for the “what have I been up to” report.
Yes, I see you sitting there with bated breath going… “ah, no, too busy with my own load of bull, but, okay, give ‘er a go - I’ve got, like, a minute”.
What BRAND is your WASHER and DRYER?
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| Source Yes, I do wear heels and an apron when I do laundry! What? You don't? My, my… tsk, tsk. |
I’m in the market and need a new set - you know, a washer that can actually take a full load and “wash” it, and a dryer that doesn’t groan as the door opens, then continues groaning for the duration. (Like some old guy wishing his dose of Viagra would finally wear off - really, four hours, come on, who are we kidding - even as a young buck he’d be lucky to hang in for 10 minutes.)
Consumer Report was rather useless - only big ticket brands seemed to warrant their time and attention.
Here’s what I want in a washer and dryer.
SIMPLICITY - no fancy computer dashboard. I want nobs, just ordinary, simple nobs! The kind that do their job for at least two decades. (My nobs still work by the way, it's everything else that's on the fritz.)
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| Source (BW is a Speed Queen success story - for real!) |
GOOD AGITATION - this is one of those times when being an agitator is essential and in washing machines it’s a must. (There was soooo much potential to add my penny's worth about good agitation, but… you've only got a minute, remember!)
TIME FACTOR - I don’t want to stand around (or sit watching TV and thinking about my laundry) for an hour and a half - which seems to be the time HE (high efficiency) front loaders take to wash a load. Now that’s a full load of bull right there!
Last, but equally important is COST - they should be affordable. (I don’t want to sell the first born (my only born) as I’m thinking she might come in handy down the road when I can’t find my dentures or my wig!)
Anyway - I’m leaning toward SPEED QUEEN. They’ve been around since before electricity - well, close - 1908! Wow! And, they are the major supplier of commercial machines. And, (yes, another and) they use the same industrial grade components for their retail line.
So, after reading THIS C/NET ARTICLE (particularly the comments, which are way more informative than Consumer Report) and watching the following video I think I’m making a wise choice.
This first confirmed my fears that front loaders "could" have their share of problems. The comment had a lot more chronology but this will give you the gist - plus the author has a link to her complaint website if you really have that much extra time. (Like, what happened to only having a minute, eh?)
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In this next comment, it was the bit about Speed Queen which spurred me on the path of due diligence… and do it I did.
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A FURTHER BONUS - their warranty is three years, parts and labour - that’s right THREE years - not the piddly one year that is the norm. Well, that speaks volumes too!
Here’s that video that sold me…
Another thing that worked in Speed Queen’s favour, while calling around, was the recognition HUEBSCH (Speed Queen’s name for their product in Canada) received when I asked about it at three different stores.
And… (yes, yes, the stand alone, out front, and) one of the sales folks even owns a set - well… that’s it for me. I use the face product I sell and believe if it’s good sales folks will use their best products too.
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My circuitous ramblings are now complete, I am back to where I started...
What BRAND is your WASHER and DRYER?
And… do you love them!
Would you recommend them?
Cheers, Jenny
PS - A post-post note. Here in Canada the set retails for $1659-1798 + tax. Delivery is $60-80, removal of old W/D is $20-30.
I have my mom's dryer which is about 30 years old and works great. I bought my washer from a 2nd hand appliance place back in 1999 that has no bells and whistles and is deep so I can do blankets etc... My hubby can fix anything and he told me no way to buy these new fangled washers because they break often and the clothes stink after a while. This is why we now see commercials for selling stuff to make the washer smell better. This NEVER happened in the olden days. My hubby told me that, especially these front end washers are not made well enough to extricate all the water. Water is sitting inside and molds and then also rusts out the inner parts. He said until they make these washers better, we will not be buying them as they are not worth it.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about the no bells and whistles - and deep with good agitation for blankets is a must too! It's great to have a "fix-it" person on call - can you clone your hubby and send him this way!
DeleteI know a few folks with those front load washers and they too complain about the smell.
Why do companies feel they have to improve something that already does a great job.
I need to upgrade and now while I'm doing all my renovations I thought it would be a good time - hence all the research. There's no end to options that's for sure.
Thanks for stopping by. :)
I have a real old one. It breaks and I tear it apart and fix it. It is well worth the trade off. A few hours of research, a couple days of waiting for parts to be shipped in from a junkyard in Bangladesh and I get to puff out my chest at my widf as she loads clothes into a repaired washer that will be half washing clothes until the next time it breaks.
ReplyDeleteOr some just call it Kenmore and a Maytag.
Oh to be handy - even though I'm good at wielding a hammer I'm no match for the inner workings of a dryer. Mine's been a beast lately and it's because I did not have it properly vented while doing my renos so I think it's gotten rusty - squeaks like the dickens.
DeleteFunny, Mrs. Penwasser says "I have an old one," too.
DeleteI don't get offended.
Much.
I like fixing things, too.
DeleteAnd am quite surprised when I actually do.
And, Mrs. P would know about these things too… best not get offended otherwise you will be really fixing things - broken and old would not be good!
Delete:P
I have a Whirlpool HE washer and dryer. Had it about 9 years. We did have to get a new door handle for the washer. Found one on Ebay for a few dollars.
ReplyDeleteWashers and dryers seem rather expensive up your way.
Whirlpool is a good name - I know lots of folks that are really happy with them. And, if all you've had to worry about is a new door handle I think you've gotten off pretty good!
DeleteYes, up here in igloo country washer and dryers are as rare as electricity hence their ridiculous prices. :)
You gotta watch what you eat. Those hooks can be nasty and I don't think worms are terribly tasty.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh, you meant "bated," not "baited" breath.
Aren't homophones fun?
By the way, we have a Maytag washer and dryer. They're pretty good and have a five year warranty.
ReplyDeletePlus, the dryer doesn't set my underwear on fire all that much.
But, it's a Maytag! Boo, Maytag.
DeleteHa ha - the battle of the washers and dryers begins!
DeleteWell we finally caved in. Our local store was having a huge sale on appliances. 40% off. I also received an offer from them for 18 months free interest if I used my store card so we jumped. After many hours of reviews and budgeting reports we selected a Samsung front load HE with steam option. Now we have only had it a week but this thing is amazing. Clothes are cleaner, the spin cycle leaves them virtually dry and it so quiet you have to look through the glass door to see if it is even running. A hefty price tag but at 40% off it was $750. We will get the matching dryer once this is paid off. Then I will remodel the laundry room and put in a wash basin and build a folding counter over top of both machines with lots of shelving and storage cubbys overhead.
ReplyDeleteThat was the wife's Christmas present. We also picked up a new dishwasher (My present) We opted for the extra protection plan for $200 so we are covered for at least 5 years now. Today the Culligan man is coming to install a water softener so we can protect our investment a little bit more. We don't have bad water but it just needs a tweak.
I'll be counting on you for feedback when I finally (still no purchase made) get around to buying mine.
DeleteI know some women get their knickers in a knot when the hear of appliances being given as gifts - me, personally, I love getting things that will make my life easier, particularly if I'm the one that uses it. Last time I looked I didn't see any laundry being done by a diamond ring (useless things to boot).
In fact, as I was in a hardware store I was looking at a table saw - I've always wanted one and us Canucks are having "Black Friday" sales and it's tempting.
However, I'll hold off as I really don't need one, I'm more in need of the washer/dryer and kitchen appliances than tools. But, I LOVE tools! hahaha
Good look with your new dishwasher too - What brand is it?