washer and dryer questions

[corvairbob]

ok our house burned and now we have the pleasant task of replacing all of our stuff. so what we had for appliances was the top load lg washer and companion gas dryer. for the most part these have been good units. but now i have to get new units so because insurance is paying i guess if the statement is you get what you pay for i'm asking here what top load washer and gas dryer might i start looking for that will or should get me years of good service? the current units we have had for over 20 years and my girl got them new and she used them for maybe 10 years. this is a guesstimate.

one thing i do not like with the lg now is the waffle plate for an agitator, and i had to do a lot of programming to get it to actually fill about 1/2 way with enough water to cover the clothes so they would get wet and wash.  so a unit with at least a bit taller agitator and the ability to do some fill settings might do better.

so maybe some here might have a make and or model that will perform good.  i use to like maytags but i see lots of neg reviews on those now. i may just go back to another lg but before i do lets see the takes on them

 

the other item would be a range in electric with the glass top built in burners and a fridge.

the fridge is an amana side by we got in 2014 and it has done very good had to replace the draft door and a ice maker solenoid. 

the range is a magic chef that is well over 27 years old and i put a timer and bottom oven element in

[Econo Appliance]

Personally I would get a top load speed queen washer, and the simplest whirlpool/maytag/amana gas dryer.

Sorry to hear about your house, hope you get it all sorted out soon.

[citizenX]

Long time Speed Queen factory tech here...nothing else currently made compares in build quality and long term reliability and longevity than Speed Queen washers (top and front loaders). They're not pretty and they don't play music or connect to your phone but they will run a long time, and if you want 100% hot water on the hot setting, you get it. SQ dryers are great as well but not as many differences with the dryers as there are with the washers compared to other brands. Unless you want a matched set, I agree with Econo above about getting a SQ washer and a simple dryer if cost is an issue. Plus SQ has a 3, 5, or 7 year full warranty depending on model. 

As far as refrigerators and stoves, Whirlpool owns Amana, Roper, Maytag, KitchenAid so all those units are basically the same thing at a different feature level and price point. Not a fan of the foreign names myself (LG/Samsung/Bosch) but to each his own. GE and Frigidaire make a decent refrig and stove as well but nothing is built to last. LG has had major sealed system issues with their refrigerators that has supposedly been resolved but I'd tread carefully and read a lot of reviews first. Sad, but nothing is designed to run 20+ years anymore. Seems like 8-12 years is the sweet spot with a lot of appliances in general regardless of brand. They can always be repaired, mind you (provided the parts are still available), its just usually not cost effective to do so. 

[corvairbob]

thanks guys. i appreciate the help. our lg washer and dryer have lasted now for 20 plus years but again they see 1 maybe 2 wash days a week. i will look into the S Q washers and dryers. years ago i has a set of maytag and they were from 1967 and i used them a lot during the kids a t home days. then one girl movec and stored the lg units and then got a house with a washer set so i gave the maytags to a brother back in the mid 2000's and he is still using them.   so we have had good luck with frigidare fridges and will go with one and maybe the S Q system. i'm not a big fan of the lg and there swash plate i do like an agitator and a smaller one may do just great. i had a time getting the water lever settings on the lg to where it would actually cover the load of clothes. one day i watched the wash and it went thru half a cycle before the top of the wash actually got wet. it had to go into some kind of spin and that caused the water to pour over the top and back down over the load and then it got wet.

as the insurance is paying for them i will get the best i can in that brand. also a large load as when i do the wash once a week all the colors go in one load and all the whites go in  one load and they all go into the dryer.

thanks now to go and research the S Q units

[corvairbob]

ok i looked at the speed queen washers and it seems they are all 3.2 cu ft load size. my lg is 4.4 so is that the only size that speed queen makes? because i do all the color in a loas and then all the whites and then all together in the dryer i do not know if the 3.2 tube size will work? it might be the same sze as the lg but the lg may get more because of no agitator 

[corvairbob]

also i see speed queen has both mechanical and electronic controls so what might be the most durable? my guess would be the mechanical controls but i have surge protectors on my electronic devices and a whole home surge device that may put the electronic controls at a even or better review?

thanks

[citizenX]

1 hour ago, corvairbob said:

also i see speed queen has both mechanical and electronic controls so what might be the most durable? my guess would be the mechanical controls but i have surge protectors on my electronic devices and a whole home surge device that may put the electronic controls at a even or better review?

thanks

If you are looking at the Speed Queen TR3, TR5, and TR7, they are all electronic control. The TR3 and TR5 have knobs that are actually just attached to a computer board. The only difference between those three is the controls on top and the 3/5/7 year full warranty. They are the exact same machine from the top down.  The only mechanical control units Speed Queen has is a commercial top load unit (TV2000wn) but since it is commercial, it only has a three year part warranty, no labor warranty. 

The TC5 washer also has knobs that are just attached to a board as well but the TC5 is the older platform washer with the transmission and more aggressive agitation (and no lid lock). The TR series are the newer design (since 2018) with DC motor, electric drain pump, lid lock, and have a much more subdued agitation stroke. Personally, I am partial to the older style wash system (TC5 with no lid lock).  I never had (or have) many washability complaints with the older style but I do get some complaints on the newer design. Mostly has to due with customer education but still, the older design washes better IMHO. 

Speed Queen also makes a really good front loader as well if you are looking at that route. 

 

Edited 18 hours ago by citizenX