There is another pretty recent thread on this too you can search for.
I’m still shopping. Had to put this on hold for a bit but now I’m ready to buy. Are Speed Queens really that much more money? I def think they have longevity so it’s worth it. But some of your comments read to me like they are 2 or 3 x as much as an average machine.
We got an LG front loader a few years ago. Very nice. One thing that is nice is the close come out of the washer “dry.” It spins the blank out of them. Only takes a few min. in the dryer.
Don’t expect it to last as long as our old Kenmores – 20 plus years.
I will have to look at the SQ when these die. We had a Kenmore washer and a dryer from Montgomery Ward that lasted 25+ years.
I have a 23-year-old Maytag dryer that is still going strong— will definitely replace it with a Speed Queen when it goes.
Their pricing about 1.3-1.5X the pricing of the plastic junk.
I just looked on a dealer’s web site and the the 3 top loader washers are $879, $899, and $999. The front loaders are $1479, $1499, $1499, and $1639.
Some of them are on Amazon too, lol.
Independent sellers selling via Amazon, yes.
Didn’t Sears sell Kenmore…not Montgomery Ward?
We have a 23 year old Maytag set. Basic but good…and I really don’t want them to die.
Replacing the washer won’t be a PITA…and speed queen is likely the www we will go.
BUT our washer and dryer are behind bifold doors. The new dryers all have that 3 inch bump put on the back now…They aren’t flat. That three inches is enough that the new dryers won’t fit! I’m sire I’m not thenonly one with this issue. You would think they would make a dryer to fit my space!
@thumper1 Yes, Sears has Kenmore and Wards had their own brand. 1986 or 1987. I think they were Consumer Reports best buys or just good deals. We were newly weds and didn’t care that they weren’t a set.
My Kenmore front loader washer is still going strong after 15 years, and my 20 year Kenmore dryer, after replacing its heating element for $25, is as good as new.
I still don’t care if I have a matched set. My current washer is going on 7, cost $1000, and I’m pretty sure my dryer from 1993 is going to outlast it. I’m not throwing away $1000 just so my laundry machines can match. Although when my best friend from high school, who is more status conscious than I am, found out I did that, she only half- jokingly asked, “Who ARE you?”
I recently bought the Consumer Reports top rated Maytag washing machine. HATE IT!! It takes for-freaking-ever to do a load of laundry. It is soooo conservative on water usage that after washing a new tablecloth twice, it still hadn’t been wet enough to take out all the fold lines from when it was in the package!
If that wasn’t enough, after only 3 months it started to show brown gunk around the door seal. I have been hyper vigilant to leave the door open, remove anything from the gasket that might keep it wet, and remove and drain the detergent drawer. And am using the recommended washing machine cleaner. Exactly what they instructed me to do in the store.
This is my third washing machine that has died (first one died a premature death in an accident of sorts, second was a crappy Kenmore front loader) in the time we’ve had our Whirlpool dryer (going on 20 years). That thing is no-frills, no-fuss and DH was able to replace the belt himself for $15 with help from a YouTube video. I will probably cry when that thing dies as it has just been such a sturdy, reliable companion for years, despite me choosing such horrible washing machines to pair it with.
Thanks so much for that info. I bought a 1-month online membership to Consumer reports to read their washer/dryer ratings and they do not line up AT ALL with what I’m hearing from people. In fact, Consumer Reports has a place for User Reviews and the top rated washing machine (Maytag Maxima MHW8200FW) only gets 2.5 stars from people who actually own it!
I’m really starting to steer away from a front-loader. I keep hearing about mold and gunk issues. I cannot believe these manufacturers expect people to go to such lengths to keep the machines mold-free. It’s ridiculous.
Like I said…my machines are behind doors in a hall bathroom. I am not getting a front loader…because i m not going to leave the doors all open!
But anyone have an answer to my too big dryer…because of that three inch bump out question? Does anyone make a dryer that will fit where my old Maytag…without but out in the back…is located?
I’ll Get the Speed Queen…well…unless we plan to move sort of soon after the Maytag dies. If that happens, I’ll get any old washer…and leave it in the house…and get a Speed Queen for my new house!
@TQfromtheU , I meant HE, high efficiency. My machines are Miele. They work okay, but there is no way to disable the beeping on the washer. Perhaps later models will let you do this. Counting the days til this one dies.
I just did the same thing with our Whirlpool! It had started making horrible squeeling sounds and I had visions of either paying for a $300 repair call or $600 for a new dryer, but with a little bit of research realized I could fix it with a $20 pulley/belt kit. When I found the kit on Amazon it was listed as being for about 6 different brands of dryers - pretty funny how so many different brands all use exactly the same parts and design. I warned W before I started that we’d probably end up with a completely disassembled dryer that I wouldn’t be able to put back together, but in her mind either way would be a win since she’d either get a fixed dryer or I’d have to spring for a new one 
Anyway, this is a matched Whirlpool washer and gas dryer we’ve had for about 9 years. The dryer is now good as new after the $20 repair kit. No issues with gunk on the washer door seal.
Regarding front-loaders being slow, it’s a flipped paradigm in terms of total time when compared with a top-loader if you add in drying time. Front loaders take longer to wash, but the clothes come out less wet so the drying time is shorter. The total wash + dry time should roughly equal that of a top-loader plus dryer. That said, I do personally think high efficiency in washing machines and dishwashers has gone a little too far. It really wouldn’t hurt much if they used another gallon or two of water when measured against total household water usage.
Many HE front load washers and dishwashers have express wash cycles. On my Miele machines, those cycles take 30 minutes, and clothes and dishes come out beautifully clean. I only use the regular cycles for stuff that was very heavily soiled like gardening wear. Kitchen towels and exercise clothing - I push “express.” 
Thanks BB for the 1.2-1.5 comment. Seems worth it.
My current Kenmore machines are about 25 years old (fake wood trim around the dials anyone??) so they have been workhorses. But the washer is leaving clothes very wet and/or there is a drip that soaks them before I can put them in the dryer.
I just measured my old machines and the are an inch narrower than the new ones. Hope the new models will fit. The new machines are all deeper which really cuts into the space and is another reason not to do a front loader.
Obviously people who design laundry rooms are not people who do laundry!!
In this house, the prior owner had a weird coat closet in the laundry room next to the W/D stack. Not a fan of stacks, so we ripped the guts out of the coat closet… since it was 3/8 of an inch too narrow to fit the dryer, we had to move the wall of the closet to make space.
All our appliances are silent as all allow to kill the beepers. However, the stupid LG that we got rid of required beeper off every time you turned it on. There was no permanent beeper kill.
My sister had the same problem with the new machine being too big to fit behind the bi-fold doors. When she went on vacation, she had asked us to house sit and watch her dog. She had commented once or twice about how annoying it was to have the bi-fold doors not be able to close, and she’d have to figure out something. DH and D (then about 14)decided it was more than just annoying, so they took the doors down, added a couple of 2x3’s and a 1 x 5, moved the tracks a couple inches, painted them to match, and the doors close fine now. D was quite happy to learn how to use the power tools, and the whole project took only an afternoon. They decided not to mention the renovation, and surprise my sister with it. She noticed how nice and clean her house was (I had deep cleaned her kitchen) but didn’t notice the bi-fold doors for nearly 3 months!