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

[firefly_ris]

I've been looking at these for years because I keep thinking any moment now my Frigidaire front loader set is going to kick the bucket. I bought them in 2007 at our first house and end of 2023 here we are still. I don't even know if Frigidaire is still around.

[edit] Apparently they are but don't seem to make washing machines anymore!

 

[hertamaniac]

We got a Whirlpool top loader impeller with as little fancy features as possible. It works magnificently.

 

[Eastern]

I have an LG top loader and I like it. My previous one was an LG and I got rid of it after about 5 years. It still worked, I just wanted a new one. I had a Samsung prior to that and I will never, ever buy another kitchen appliance from them again. Just constant problems.

 

[gmi3804]

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

How so? Surely they haven't earned their stellar reputation by not cleaning clothes.

 

[seven dwarfs]

How so? Surely they haven't earned their stellar reputation by not cleaning clothes.

I bought a speed queen set as well and it was awful. I had to fight with them for 8 months to return it and will never again buy one. Be very careful the model you choose. I just bought one because I always wanted one and had heard nothing but good things. Apparently there are new designs with new rules of how much water can be used. Ours did not clean our clothes at all and in fact left a tie dye of dirt. The dryer also had major issues. The company treated us terrible. We replaced it with a Electrolux and it has been wonderful.

 

[RunningRD]

How so? Surely they haven't earned their stellar reputation by not cleaning clothes.

I just haven’t liked it and I went back to read reviews & I think my more recent model has had other complaints. Just my opinion and I know they have a stellar reputation. My husband wears scrubs daily and we are both runners so maybe it’s us . I just don’t love it .

 

[Djm_in_buffalo]

In 2014 we moved into a house that had a Speed Queen washer and dryer from the early 1990s. At the time I had no idea what a Speed Queen was, but I was definitely impressed with their longevity. They worked great at least until the day we sold that house in 2019 and are likely still going strong.

When we moved into our current house in 2019, it did not come with washer or dryer. I wanted Speed Queen. I did a good amount of research. So mind you, this research might be a bit dated, back to 2019. Below is what I read:

Speed Queen was a tried and true maker of quality products that lasted a long time and that did a darn good job cleaning. Then c.2017 they added a couple of models that may well have still been built to last decades, but they were higher efficiency (less water for washing machine) and seems they just didn’t wash clothes as great as their older models. Perhaps the new models cleaned clothes about as good as a generic competitor, but that generic competitor’s machines were 1/3 - 1/2 the price.

Shortly thereafter, Speed Queen began making a ‘classic’ line that was not high efficiency. It was found to wash clothes the same as older Speed Queens. Model TC5000WN for the washer and model DC5000WG for the dryer.

I bought these models. They’ve been going strong since Fall 2019 and I suspect they’ll be going for a long while. I haven’t noticed any fall off in wash/dry quality from the early ‘90s set that we had. I live in New York and ordered from the authorized retailer, Goedeker's. The product was shipped direct to me from Speed Queen. Goedeker's is not in NY so I didn’t have to pay sales tax, which was a nice savings. The store has since acquired another company and rebranded its name to Appliance Connection, but I suspect that the same general principles apply.

We really like our Speed Queens!

 

[easyas123]

I bought these models. They’ve been going strong since Fall 2019 and I suspect they’ll be going for a long while.

That's great info, thanks for sharing! I'm making a note of those model numbers....

 

[gmi3804]

In 2014 we moved into a house that had a Speed Queen washer and dryer from the early 1990s. At the time I had no idea what a Speed Queen was, but I was definitely impressed with their longevity. They worked great at least until the day we sold that house in 2019 and are likely still going strong.

When we moved into our current house in 2019, it did not come with washer or dryer. I wanted Speed Queen. I did a good amount of research. So mind you, this research might be a bit dated, back to 2019. Below is what I read:

Speed Queen was a tried and true maker of quality products that lasted a long time and that did a darn good job cleaning. Then c.2017 they added a couple of models that may well have still been built to last decades, but they were higher efficiency (less water for washing machine) and seems they just didn’t wash clothes as great as their older models. Perhaps the new models cleaned clothes about as good as a generic competitor, but that generic competitor’s machines were 1/3 - 1/2 the price.

Shortly thereafter, Speed Queen began making a ‘classic’ line that was not high efficiency. It was found to wash clothes the same as older Speed Queens. Model TC5000WN for the washer and model DC5000WG for the dryer.

I bought these models. They’ve been going strong since Fall 2019 and I suspect they’ll be going for a long while. I haven’t noticed any fall off in wash/dry quality from the early ‘90s set that we had. I live in New York and ordered from the authorized retailer, Goedeker's. The product was shipped direct to me from Speed Queen. Goedeker's is not in NY so I didn’t have to pay sales tax, which was a nice savings. The store has since acquired another company and rebranded its name to Appliance Connection, but I suspect that the same general principles apply.

We really like our Speed Queens!

This is accurate. There were a few years where the high efficiency machines didn’t live up to the nonpareil Speed Queen quality and reputation. Aside from those models, their reliability is all but unmatched.

 

[Hisgirl]

Not sure the hassle of finding one. you just go to the site, see who carries them closest to you, research which one you want, call and order it. I went through two non-Speed Queen washers and finally called a repairman. "Who do you recommend?" Speed Queen. I researched the brand and ordered one. That was about 15 years ago. They are built to last for 20 plus years.
We have a place in the mountains and I bought another brand. It has issues after 2 years. So we got another speed queen. They can be pretty plain and simple but USA made with solid parts.

 

[maxaroni]

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.

We got ours at Lakes, too. My parents had gotten things there for years. We then started going to Lakes and our son and daughter in law got their appliances from Lakes!

 

[OhhBother]

We bought a new-to-us house a year ago, and the Speed Queen washer and dryer conveyed with the sale. I love them! We had LG at our previous house, and I much prefer the Speed Queen. The washer holds a ton, and our clothes get really clean. The dryer is also incredibly fast. A great set!

 

[QueenIsabella]

Subbing because I may be in the market. Our washer/dryer were here when we moved in, 8 years ago. Dryer seems to be on its last legs, but DH is putting up a good fight. Washer seemed fine, but didn't spin well yesterday, which may have led to the dryer failure yesterday (different issue/part than the dryer failures the last 6 times).

DH has agreed to let me shop around (first step of his surrender). I don't need anything fancy, just sturdy.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Never mind, we purchased a Whirlpool washer and dryer. $1300 and change all-in (delivery, set-up, haul away, etc.). They'll be delivered on Thursday--just about the time when DS17's clothes are finally dry! They're hanging on my drying rack--he wears pants once, then wears sleep pants once, so it's a LOT of clothes.

 

[SomewhereNotAtWDW]

Saw this post. We bought a Speed Queen Set (the TC5) and a matching dryer (no idea what model that is) in 2019.

Absolutely, Positively, one of the best purchases we made. We had an absolutely dreadful Samsung Front Loader and Dryer which was just terrible in every way, including cleaning. My sons' baseball uniforms would look EXACTLY the same as when they went in after washing, and all of our towels smelled kinda funky.

The reason we bought the Sh!tSung Set was we had an absolutely wonderful experience with our former Whirlpool Duets, which we had purchased in 2005. That front loader was a completely different animal that cleaned and took care of everything you put in it. I thought all machines were the same, until a few weeks after I got the new Samsung set.

Anyway. We put up with the Samsung Crap for over a year, and then I replaced them with the Speed Queens. Everything is MUCH CLEANER, and not only that, I notice that all of our towels, and sheets feel softer. It appears that the SQ rinses every bit of soap out, which, a lot of machines struggle with.

No issues at all. The best benefit is all the laundry is done in about 35 minutes. Instead of a whole day doing laundry, I can have my entire family's loads done in a few hours.

Do not give it a second thought. Whatever you have to do, is worth it to get a better machine. One thing that I can promise you, is these things will be running long after whatever other machine you buy. Probably 3x as long.

 

[disneybirds]

We had a Kenmore set that lasted about 25 years. When it wasn't worth repairing, I asked the repairman which machine to buy and he told me Speed Queen. I was looking at other brands in Lowe's and the sales guy told me to pick the cheapest machine since it would only last 5 years. We ended up buying the Speed Queen with the agitator and where I could pick the water level. We have not had any issues, but it has only been about 4 years. We have since moved to an area that probably doesn't have a repairman close, but we haven't had any issues. I would definitely buy one again!