Latest recommendations on washers and dryers
- Thread starter Martha
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calmloki
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I was intrigued by the Stabler brand someone posted about - looked like a nice combination of front load + old school repairability. Not cheap, but maybe a get-what-you-pay-for item. Some found it's looks kinda plain, but do you need really need a Salma Hayek bent over a tub of sudsey water, brushing her hair from her forehead with the back of her hand, then going back to the rythmic strokes against the scrub board. S'cuse me. I have to go think about clothes washers now.
Craigslist and ePinions? We've been happy with our Kenmore front-loader, which is probably 5-6 years old now.
One nice thing about Craigslist is that if you pick a turkey it's usually only a $300 problem instead of a $700 problem.
ProspectiveBum
Full time employment: Posting here.
DW & I replaced our old washer and dryer about a year ago with Bosch units. I probably would have opted for the Tromm, too, but had some problems with our LG refrigerator which made me look for another brand. Bosch isn't the cheapest, but both units have worked flawlessly (once we figured out all the controls/menus/settings). Our water usage has gone down tremendously.
calmloki
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Liked our series of used Asko's (see: Nords: see Craigslist) a whole bunch except when it came time for repairs. Parts were a major issue and the dang things are all put together w/ torx drive screws in lots of different sizes. NOT repairman friendly. Our new Danby replacements are still working after a couple years, but aren't 1/2 the machines the Asko's were.
I'm still shouting the praises of Staber to anyone who will listen. Our machine soldiers on and my clothes are getting less beat-up than they used to.
Last month's Consumer Reports had a report on washers. They rated 28 front loaders and had two "Best Buys": The GE WCVH6800 ($900) and the Figidare Gallery GLTF2940F ($650).
They finally reviewed the Staber, but listed it under top loaders (technically true, but extremely misleading because it spins on a horizontal axis, like a front loader.) It was well down the list of top-loaders, but the only negative "mark" it got was concerning capacity--again, I wonder if they just filled up the tubs of all machines with styrofoam peanuts and measured the volume, which would be misleading: The Staber can honestly be loaded full, whereas a top-loader with an agitator filled the same way would not get the clothes clean.
I recently heard from another "victim" of the Kenmore/Frigidaire/GE "small door" front loader. Like my previous washer, the rear bearing on his went out just short of 5 years, leading to an irrepairabe machine.
Anyway, nothing earthshaking on the washer front. Maybe check out the recent CR issue, and definitely look at Epinions for customer experiences. You won't get a scientific sample, but you can get a sense for problem areas.
Last month's Consumer Reports had a report on washers. They rated 28 front loaders and had two "Best Buys": The GE WCVH6800 ($900) and the Figidare Gallery GLTF2940F
They finally reviewed the Staber, but listed it under top loaders (technically true, but extremely misleading because it spins on a horizontal axis, like a front loader.) It was well down the list of top-loaders, but the only negative "mark" it got was concerning capacity--again, I wonder if they just filled up the tubs of all machines with styrofoam peanuts and measured the volume, which would be misleading: The Staber can honestly be loaded full, whereas a top-loader with an agitator filled the same way would not get the clothes clean.
I recently heard from another "victim" of the Kenmore/Frigidaire/GE "small door" front loader. Like my previous washer, the rear bearing on his went out just short of 5 years, leading to an irrepairabe machine.
Anyway, nothing earthshaking on the washer front. Maybe check out the recent CR issue, and definitely look at Epinions for customer experiences. You won't get a scientific sample, but you can get a sense for problem areas.
harley
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
We recently bought a Kenmore high capacity top loader from Sears. It's back at the second home so I can't give you the model. But we're pretty happy with it. We wash quilts and comforters fairly often (3 dogs that shed) so the extra capacity is great. There's no agitator so it is gentler on your clothes, and while not as water efficient as a front loader it's pretty efficient. We've only had it a few months so I can't report on the reliability.
