12 replies to this topic

[The Seven]

My friend asks me for the recommendation of a FL washer from Frigidaire FTF530ES, Whirlpool LHW0050PW and Maytag MAH2400AWW which are of similar price range.

Anyone has any comment on the reliability of these FL's.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

One or two comments ratcheer:

http://fixitnow.com/...t-staber-vs.htm

[wweasel]

Do not get a Frigidaire front loader (made by Electrolux)- the 3.1 cu ft models. Also sold by Kenmore, GE, and others. This POS has a bearing design flaw that they won't stand behind. See my recent post on my Frigidaire front loader.

[wweasel]

We have had our Staber for 8 weeks now.  It rocks.  We actually wash more per load than with the old :poison: POS Elecrosux Frigidaire 3.1 cu ft front loader :poison: because you just fill it up to the top. 

As others have posted, the Staber removes stains that had been there for a while.  My wife was flabbergasted. 

It feels really good to be using only 1 oz of detergent per load- it is enough.  Definitely use the HE detergent.

The  energy use is also unbelievably low.

It  is fairly quiet- more quiet than the old Frigidaire.  Make sure you scrupulously level it. 
The plastic top is cheesy--ish, but  not a huge deal. 

We are inside so we did not spring for the stainless steel frame bottom.  No reason to, seemingly.   

We got it from Lehmans, but I made the mistake of 'saving' money and picking it up myself, lugging it up the stairs, and installing.  What a PITA.  Get the post-paid  delivered option.

We finally put the electrosux frigidaire out on the curb.   It  has a warning notice and the  directions on how to replace the bearing, in case someone was tempted to pick it up before the city hauls it to the dump.

I will never buy another washer that doesn't have the reputation of a Staber.

Rob

[DB130]

wweasel, i would have recommended that you "part out" the washer - there are some $$$ pieces that would have fetched good money on eBay, i.e. the motor control board/inner stainless tub.

where are you located?  if i was anywhere near you, I'd pick up the washer and try to get it going again.

 

[kdog]

new tub ass'y approx $200.00,they aren't all THAT bad of machines

[wweasel]

Don't forget the 4-8 hours of labor to have it done.  Add that cost in, and you might as well buy a new washer, since it retails for $675 or so.   If you do it yourself you have to take apart the whole machine (I got about 80% done when I gave up in disgust).   

It is a horrible design with  a fundamental weakness.  Bearing seals should not leak on washers, and if they do, the bearings should be replaceable with 1-3 hours of labor.

My .02,

Rob

 

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

I suspect the Electrosux engineers made a change to the tub bearing in the late 90s. We have a Gibson front loader (same thing as the Friggidaire); have had it for about nine years.  Family of five, used every day, sometimes twice a day. Only problem was the plastic door catch broke and I had to buy a new one for $0.59. 

For some reason, they just couldn't leave a good thing alone and had to go tinker with a proven design.  All the bearing failures I've seen were from machines manufactured in the late 90's.

Fun fact to know and tell.

[dbiberdorf]

I'll be buying a new washing machine within a month. The Staber has figured prominently for me, alongside the Speed Queen front loaders and the Whirlpool Duet.

What is bugging me about the Staber is I'm not seeing anything that really backs up the durability claims. The Samurai doesn't own one himself, yet he's a dealer. Byron's comments at the thread give by the Samurai above certainly don't point to the kind of superior reliability claimed by Staber. Actually looking at a Staber requires a trip of over an hour for me (and I live in lower NY -- where everyone sells everything).

Also, the Staber's washtub is significantly smaller than the other h-axis machines (by 1/3). Sure, there's no dropping action (where clothes are picked up and dropped into the water, as most frontloaders do), but the clothes have to be able to move around a bit or the stuff in the middle won't get clean.

The Staber's motor is smaller than its competitors (1/2 hp, IIRC, versus 3/4 hp for the others), and it's a universal motor instead of an induction one, which means brushes will have to be replaced periodically. Finally, the top spin speed on the Staber is 700-750 rpm. generating 175-200 Gs, according to their materials. But the Staber competitors get 1000 rpm, at 300 Gs. We hang dry most of our clothes, so this translates into significantly reduced drying times for us. Staber says 700 rpm is fast enough (i.e., you can't wring any more water out), but 700 rpm is much closer to a v-axis machines 500-600 rpm than it is to the h-axis speeds. I KNOW how much drier h-axis clothes feel than than v-axis ones after a spin cycle. I really suspect 700 rpm isn't fast enough.

So, aside from the marketing literature, does anyone have any proof of increased reliability, especially that which can be deemed statistically significant, of the Staber?

Right now, I'm leaning toward the Speed Queen FL, based on my experience with the vended ones in our apartment. The door is pretty durable (much more so than the Duet's), and, after 9 months of use by about 15 families, neither of the two we have have shown even the slightest problem. (each machine gets 5-10 loads of laundry per day).

Thoughts? I'm not trying to be argumentative here, but rather to get some hard facts on the Staber.

[wweasel]

I had exactly the same trepidation.  Looked like the wash basket was too small, I couldn't see one,  reliability was (and still will be for years) a question, since there is no hard data to back up the reliability claims.  And, it was fairly expensive.

But, darn it, my wife and I both really like it.  The top loading feature is nice.  The energy use and detergent use is very low.  It isn't too loud.   It cleans clothes super well, for whatever black juju reason, and does load sizes equivalent to our old Frigidaire 3.1 cu ft machine.  And, since I intend to fix it myself when it needs work, well, it certainly has the right design for it.  FWIW, I am a mechanically-inclined and an electrical engineer by  training.    If it breaks or leaks within three or five years, we will consider ourselves screwed.   

[Pegi]

I understand one problem is the set screw for the drive pulley is not real tight and will back out over time setting up a vibration noise.  Suggest checking this set screw and making sure it stays tight so it will not ruin the pulley.

[kinscho]

I just bought the FTF530ES and had it deleivered yesterday. It got 2/3 of the way through the first load and quit.

It just stopped.  The door lock light is on, and it's full of water, but it does nothing.  The place I bought it at (The Brick) is going to replace it, as our local fixer is on vacation until July 4th. 

Not impressed, so far!

 

 

[myrands]

My bearing just died and I went out and bought a new Kenmore HE3 last night at the Sears Outlet here in Michigan.

You mentioned parting out the Frigidaire for the the motor control board/inner stainless tub. How much do these used pieces generally go for and is there anything else of value I should remove before I put it out at the curb

Thank you much - first time post, many many views Master Sensai

-Scott:D