My LG dryer has a steam feature. I use it all the time. It does not need to be plumbed. There is a small tray that you fill with water that slides into a small drawer. There is also a steam feature on the matching washer, but I have never bothered to figure out how to use it.
Slightly OT. Just bought a french door fridge at Costco. It was $100 cheaper at another big box store. BUT, Costco extended the manufacturers warrant from one to two years. And, if the unit was purchased using the Costco Visa card the warranty was extended to 4 years.
I bring this up because if it’s going to break - on the electronic 'brain side of things - it will happen within this timeframe. To me it makes it worthwhile to purchase a Costco unit.
Dryer stopped working today. I have our long time appliance repairman coming out tomorrow. I’m going to have him look at the washer as it has become finicky, at times not spinning all the water out. I trust his judgement and I’m going to ask him what brand he recommends. I’m hoping to get a few more years out of the ones I have.
Our appliance repair guy told us that the most common break on a washing machine is the lid latch. People let the lid drop, which can damage it, and people get impatient with the locking lids when they realize they need to add one more thing.
Another reason why I got a Speed Queen - no locking lid. You can add clothing as the water runs but it won’t start agitating until you close the lid.
My ancient Maytag also has no lid lock and is very sturdy. We gav had to make a few repairs but the repair folks say it has a lot of life yet and is sturdier than most of the stuff currently available, at any price.
No one has mentioned GE. Just wondering why. We have one – it was in the house when we bought it – and it’s an old workhorse.
ETA: I’m also curious whether the machines with electronic controls are going to last the 25 or 30 years our current models have lasted.
@veryhappy:
I have had a GE washing machine and it didn’t last long, it was a relatively simply one but the drive mechanism broke and the cost to repair it was such it wasn’t worth it. On the consumer reports online forums generally hear a lot of complaints about GE products, that they are poorly made and don’t last.
I personally suspect with the electronically controlled units that a time will come in the not too distant future when it will become impossible to fix them, specifically that the circuit boards and such controlling them may not longer be available, on the old machines with mechanical timers the parts were relatively standard and in use a long time, not so sure that will be true in 5 or 10 years. The other factor is modern machines are made using very light components, the drive mechanisms are often plastic, the seals and such are not particularly heavy duty, and just from talking to friends and places like the CR website forums, it sounds like physically modern machines die between 5 and 10 years. It is funny, back in the bad old days they used to talk about planned obsolescence, yet a lot of those machines seemed to last forever, in part because they were both rugged and parts could be replaced. For example, older washers used a belt drive between the motor and the drum/agitator, and that could be replaced really easily when it went, the mechanical timer unit was easy to replace. The industry went to a direct drive, where the motor handles the drum and agitator via gears and/or a locking tab mechanism, and over time that became more and more flimsy (and the motors themselves likewise became a lot cheaper, using very light metal, the bearings are crap, less strong, you name it).
My repairman just left. Dryer is on its last leg, its 20 years old he got it working but he said it will happen again. Washer has a rusted broken spring which is why it sometimes doesn’t spin all the water out. That’s a cheap fix but he said it is all rusted and fixes will continue to be needed. He suggested I go shopping and decide what I want to do. He can replace the spring but it works without it for now.
His suggestions- stay away from GE products. He also said avoid Samsung as in our area there is no one who works on them. He doesn’t love LG. He suggests getting a Whirlpool made product. He feels his clients find the front loaders clean better than the agitatorless top loaders. His advise for our situation is to get the Speed Queen which is most similar to how washers were made 25 years ago. Or if I can get the door opening to work a Whirlpool made front loader. He himself has a Miele which he feels for his situation is overkill. Nice products but expensive.
He said the key to all the newer products is that they need to be used exactly as directed for the best results.
Edit- he also said avoid Electrolux
The repair guy has a Miele. 
Keeping mine.
@BunsenBurner - he is authorized service for them. He said his clothing doesn’t need Miele level of care.
Mine does! Lots of silk and finer fabrics. I wash many dry clean items in mine. Sadly, the new Miele machines are tiny by my standards, so unless you are really downsized, I would not recommend them just because they will not fit a king sized comforter.
We bought a house with an LG combo. I want to move my Milele there, Mr. B thinks LG is just fine. The person who does the laundry gets to approve or veto laundry-related decisions.
His recommendation was Whirlpool or Speed Queen. That works for me.
Daughter and I just stopped in a Best Buy on our way to dinner. I wanted to see in person what washing machines look like. Holy cow, they look space age some of them. My 30 year old Kenmore is just a white metal box with two dials. I saw some top loaders with glass lids - why would I want a glass lid?
Anyway, the BB sales guy said he’d recommend LG or Samsung for a top loader. Of course those were the brands he had the most of. Not sure I trust his knowledge. I did not like the front loaders, too hard to get in. It’s better on the pedestal but I don’t want to give up that space on top. So at least I am narrowing down my choices.
I will try to get to the local independent store as I think they carry Speed Queen.
We bought several new appliances about five years ago. We went to a local appliance store for the second trip…and I will return there. I won’t buy from a big box store…sorry…just won’t.
I’ve only purchased from local, independent stores. They generally will meet big box store prices, so I see no downside to the independent store. And that is where you’ll find a Speed Queen.
another poster mentioned it but I’ll reiterate - you can add ‘one more thing’ to the load if you have a top loader Speed Queen. I’d go nuts without this feature!! I don’t know if the front loaders have this feature.
My washer and dryer are RED!! I love them.
Tromm?
@surfcity - there may not be a lot of appliance stores near you that sell Speed Queens. Here is their store locator:
https://speedqueen.com/products/where-to-buy.aspx
I bought mine, sight unseen, from a store that is about an hour away from where I live. It was the closest one that would deliver and set it up for me. I talked over the options with the vendor over the phone. Everything went well. I hope you find a good appliance store and can take a look at many models first!
@surfcity - make sure there is a Samsung repairman in your area. My appliance repairman who has been in business over 30 years said in our area no one services Samsung.
The problem I’m going to have is fitting new machines into my existing space. Ironically I have a huge laundry room but the space for the machines is clearly defined. We have a cabinet that jogs out that makes a front loader problematic. I won’t have room to open the door. I read somewhere that you ideally need two feet clearance in front of the machine. Also the depth of most of the newer machines is deeper than my present machines.
My patient is looking for a new WM. She learned that you need to add hoses for a Speed Queen in FL, which has hard water. Consumers report says Costco has limited choices, but is a good place to buy WM/dryers. They add a year to warrantee, and u can return in 90 days. They don’t charge for delivery and set up.