Need a new washing machine! I've always wanted a Speed Queen but . . .

[AmyAnne]

I've always wanted a Speed Queen but now that I need to replace our old washing machine, I'm not sure the Speed Queen is worth the hassle of trying to find a place to even buy it. From their website, there are only three "local" stores (that are not really all that local).

If you have a Speed Queen, where did you buy it?

I'm open to other suggestions. Our old machine was a basic Whirlpool that lasted 16 years. Criteria are top-loader with as few fancy electronic parts as possible.

 

[easyas123]

Sorry...no answer but I'm going to pay attention to any responses you get. A Speed Queen has been on my short list for years. And like you, I want something top loading and with as few of those fancy electrical parts !

 

[Rogue1677x]

I'm personally boycotting Maytag but that's because they have been an absolute nightmare to deal with trying to get our dryer operational. It was delivered in July and has yet to complete half a load in under 6 hours. They've sent repair people out 8 times to no avail and told us that if repair people can't figure it, they don't have any answers except we won't be getting a replacement or refund.

 

[Epcot walker]

There is a facebook site called "Speed Queen Rinse and Regret" which gives pretty honest reviews of Speed Queen challenges.

 

[AprilsZoo]

I'm personally boycotting Maytag but that's because they have been an absolute nightmare to deal with trying to get our dryer operational. It was delivered in July and has yet to complete half a load in under 6 hours. They've sent repair people out 8 times to no avail and told us that if repair people can't figure it, they don't have any answers except we won't be getting a replacement or refund.

If you paid with a CC do a chargeback. That usually gets their attention. Either that, or they just don’t contest it and then you have the $$ to get a different one.

I know Samsung gets a lot of hate, but we have a front loader & dryer, that are 12-ish years old. Still works just as well as new. The dryer needed a belt during the first 2 years, but it was easy to get replaced thru the shop where we bought it. And since then everything has worked fine.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

We used to have a "handyman repair guy" who told us the only machine he would recommend buying is a Speed Queen.
We bought one and have no regrets. It's a top loader, works like a front loader, very large capacity.
I don't remember where we bought it, but we did have to order it and wait.

 

[gmi3804]

I know Samsung gets a lot of hate, but we have a front loader & dryer, that are 12-ish years old. Still works just as well as new.

The plural of anecdote isn't data.

 

[cvjw]

When my 12 year old LG front loader died, I looked into speed queen. It seemed like too much of a hassle to find one - and I needed a new washer asap.

Went to consumer reports and the top washers were all LG. Since my other one lasted 12 years, I bought another one. No regrets.

 

[AussieFan8]

We’ve had a Speed Queen washer and dryer for about eight or nine years now with zero issues. Love them. We bought them at a huge local store that sells furniture, appliances, electronics, flooring, and some other things.

 

[NC State Tigger]

I have a large capacity LG top loader. Sorry, I don’t have model #.
It has a stainless tub, lots of whistles and bells (that I seldom use but occasionally find useful), it does not have an agitator.
I love, love, love it!! Daughter loved it too and bought the same one.

 

[AprilsZoo]

The plural of anecdote isn't data.

Fair enough, but this is only one of several sets that we’ve even put in our rental properties. Those have lasted 10, 11, and 8 years respectively. Not too shabby considering things in rentals get beat to crap. Even the house we rented to our son and his friends got more wear & tear than we ever expected.

My front loader is awesome. I never have to select a load size— the washer weighs the clothes and determines how much water to add. I wrecked a top loader years ago by forgetting to switch the load size back to XL and running a lot of jeans thru on an XS load size. Basically burned out the motor. The washer was like 5ish years old, iirc.

We had an LG front loader that came with a house we bought. Horrible water hammer. Even arrestors didn’t help. Bought new Samsung washer & matching dryer based on our previous experience. And the water hammer disappeared.

I guess if everyone who bought a particular brand item had trouble, the company would eventually have to stop making that thing… Somebody has to be having good experiences, for them to stay on the market. Guess I’m just one of the lucky Samsung buyers— several times over. Anecdotal as that may be.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I love our Speed Queen washer and dryer. They are around 12 years old and still going strong.
They were not for sale at big box stores but we bought at a local, family-owned appliance store, which I prefer to support anyway.
Not sure where OP lives or if this would be helpful to anyone, but our store is called Lakes Appliances in Medford, NJ.

 

[holden]

Love our Speed Queen washer & dryer. Bought from a local mom & pop appliance place.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I also love that they’re made in the USA and have been for over 100 years. (Wisconsin)


It’s hard to do these days but when I can, I like to support American jobs/workers. I don’t mind paying a little extra for that.

 

[mmbrad02]

I have no Speed Queen experience but just chiming in with a few others that I have LG (I have front loaders by choice) also and love them. This is our second set and I would gladly go for a third though I hope its not any time soon

 

[Cibahwewah]

On my second set of speed queen washer and dryer. (Left first set in house when sold). I swear you could wash rocks in it. 8 years and going strong.

 

[barkley]

not familiar with speed queen but i always suggest doing a search on 'authorized repair' to see what access you have in your area-it can be a nightmare and crazy expensive when the closest repair person is hours away.

i'm also an lg fan-front loaders/biggest size they had/no agitator. going strong at over 10 years-and even surviving an incident where our well snagged some dirt/sand that got into the pipes of the washer.

p.s. read CURRENT reviews of your old favorite local appliance stores. we did'nt and were put through hell with a purchase a year or so ago. did'nt find out until after the fact that there were major problems post covid years and our nightmare paled in comparison to many other peoples. we ended up opting for our stove/oven to go with a design center store (ferguson-they are GREAT!). top notch service, no pricier than any place else, no nightmare stories i've also read about 'big box' stores (stuff like if an issue is not reported w/in 24 hours of pickup/delivery you are referred to the manufacturer).

 

[johnsontrio]

We bought a Speed Queen washer about a year and a half ago. We wanted a top loader that doesn’t lock when it starts and has a quick wash cycle. Did not want a bunch of bells and whistles.

Our style of laundry is start the water, add the detergent, Oxiclean and Downy beads if desired, mix that all up by adding more water and then add the clothes.

The wash cycle is 26 minutes and we do 3 loads and then start running the dryer to get the wrinkles out and then hang up to allow to fully dry.

It’s almost twice the cost of a cheap washer that would last 5-6 years. But we wanted a 20 year washer.

We were told this machine should wash about 10K loads. We love, love, love it!

 

[RunningRD]

I have not loved our speed Queen. Ours is 3 years old and I don’t think it washes our clothes .

 

[amylevan]

We have been in our house almost 16 years, and I just replaced our washer for a 2nd time. Not happy.

Had a front load Whirlpool first, which I neither loved nor hated, followed by a front load Samsung that lasted less than 5 years!!!!!!

The current top washers according to Consumer Reports are mostly LGs. So that is what I bought. I’ve had it about 2 months and so far I’m happy.