Our Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer are 11 years old and haven’t been a problem yet. Makes me nervous since I’ve heard about modern appliances having a 7 year life span. On the other hand, my daughter bought a Whirlpool Duet set two years ago and they’ve had lots of issues. But they also have two very hairy dogs. People with Speed Queens tend to be happy. I’ve been satisfied with the Duet and really like front loading.
Whirlpool now makes Maytag, Jennair , Amana, kitchen aid and a few others. A friend is dealing with their warranty people and getting a royal runaround!
Seems that SpeedQueen IS the queen in W/D combos. But at what price? Just curious.
I understand that W/D can have repair issues - as any appliance. But I guess I have never had a set that had more than a couple repairs needed…I just want a set that will wash and dry my clothing, lol. I’m not interested in a multitude of settings or upscale options - just wash and dry my clothes! And now just for 2 of us.
Thinking about how “worth it” it is to spend what, 2 or 3 times a more basic unit?
(I’m seriously just curious on the price/value - not dissing the product which is clearly loved!)
I hope that we are looking at buying a new set in a year or so - a stackable set as we want to bring our laundry to the main floor of our house into a renovated bathroom. Any favored stackables??
My washer was $2,100 plus the dreaded sales tax. I picked top of the line front loader that can do anything from delicate silks to flea infested pet bedding. Yup, there is a flea cycle 
and maybe that’s why the door is glass and not plexiglass. Plus, I wanted something that can easily handle king size comforters. That is not cheap but I got so used to the Miele! Which, according to my receipt, was $1,800 back in the day almost 18 years ago. After seeing so many flimsy $1k washers, I decided to heck with it. YOLO so no time to deal with washer breakdown issues and to hand wash stuff.
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All makes sense. Sound like you did get your money’s worth on the Miele.
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I paid about $2800 for the basic Speed Queen set (which included our high TN sales tax), but did get a $100 rebate in the form of a gift card (not much, but take what you can get…).
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We certainly did! Not having to deal with repairs was the best part. So 
the SQ lives up to the expectations. I would have bought another Miele but they no longer make household large capacity washers (only commercial ones that cost exorbitant $$ and don’t do delicates). We would have repaired the washer, but decided that it wouldn’t be feasible to pay $$ to get a few more years out of it. Miele says their washers last 10,000 spin cycles as compared to run of the mill Korean washers that last up to 5,000 cycles.
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Following the Speed Queen discussion, but it seems no local dealers.
Still hanging in there with our 1990 Maytag washer/dryer, each repaired a few times over the years (but easier/cheaper than buying new… and minimizes junk into the landfill). The dryer is getting thunky. Don’t love hearing it - the upstairs hall is open to the family room / kitchen…. but since these days (retired with time) 80% of the stuff goes on a dryer rack. So no rush. My hesitation to put big money into a Speed Queen is that we’d likely leave behind if we ever sold the house.
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I’m also following this SQ discussion. When my Bravos HE top loader quits (knock on wood, it’s been a workhorse with no issues in who-knows-how-long), I would love to have a front load machine. But our washer HAS TO be on the right side….and last I checked, SQ was the only brand which allowed for the washer door to switch directions. I refuse to lift wet clothes over the washer door on the way to the dryer.
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Electrolux also has reversible door.
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I can confirm this. Samsung and to a degree LG can be difficult for the repairmen to get parts. I worked for a parts distributor for 7 years. Samsung only has like 4 or 5 distributors in the whole country. Not saying they are bad machines just harder to get parts.
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Our Kenmore washer and dryer are just over 20 years old. Only one minor lid switch repair on the washer.
We are moving next month and I have been doing lots of online reading about washers and dryers…lots of Reddit lol.
Many Redditors say the new Speed Queens are not the same quality as older ones. And apparently the only brand that makes any washers that you can manually choose your own water level is GE.
I wish they still sold Kenmores.
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Maytag and Whirlpool have options to add more water.
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I love the simplicity of throwing a few items into the washer, pushing a single button, and walking away until the job is done. No guessing how much and how long. The cycles of the modern washers have been optimized, and the washer adds just the right amount of water based on the load size. At least that was true for my Miele and now the SQ that seems to do a similar great job.
I don’t think I would want to go back to the days of old school washers with a giant agitator. I treasure my cashmere . Funny story. My European friends were shocked to see that sort of a washer in their rented apartment when their employer moved them to the US. The first thing the wife did was to get permission from the complex manager to replace the washer with the one of her choice on the condition that the new washer stays behind when they move.
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Speed Queen has cheapened up, they had a reputation (deserved) for being a simple and rugged machine. We had one, it had a direct drive motor and bronze gears, a mechanical control unit, and was fabulous (and it weighed a ton, I took it home as a floor model rather than got it delivered, wow). When it went finally , I looked at new ones, and I saw the same crap as with other brands, plastic parts, electronic controls. I tried to get my old machine fixed but it was difficult to find anyone, and we needed a new machine.
We ended up with a whirlpool with an impeller (they had it for immediate delivery. It allows all kind of things, like the water level, you can set it for bulk wash like carpets, etc, and it works great. I love not having the agitator, and supposedly the impeller is more durable than the agitator was. Knock wood it has been a honey so far.
Me, I am staying away from the front load machines and the machines touting AI to use in cleaning and the rest. We don’t have fancy laundry requirements, it is just the two of us, and from what I can tell much of what they tout is more pr than reality. And hopefully the simpler the machine, it can actually be repaired. My gas dryer is old, it has to be like 25 years old now, and about all it needed was a new control unit timer thing (mechanical).
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Europe has been using front loaders just fine - since it seems like the stone ages. 
That said, agree on the AI or any internet-connected household appliances. There is no need for that! Preheating my oven remotely while I’m on the way? No thanks. I do not run any appliance with a heating element when I’m not home (other than obviously the fridge and the furnace).
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I prefer a top loader…but that is just my preference.
I don’t need to replace my 25 year old Maytag set anytime soon…
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First time we were in Europe and used a front loader it took about 6 hours to do a load of laundry. Thought the washer was broken.
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We were in an apartment in Amsterdam and I kept thinking something was wrong with the machine as it seemed to keep going and going.
@BunsenBurner i just checked my Speed Queen dryer and it does have a light inside. It’s not new but it’s also not that old. I think unfortunately all appliances these days aren’t built to last.
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Yes, the dryer does have a light. It is the washer that doesn’t have a light in the drum.