Hey All,
I mentioned the new washer. Still in love with it, BTW. The oddest thing I've noticed, there is way less lint in the lint screen on the dryer. Cool, but unexpected.
I thought I would share a conversation I had before I went washer shopping. I went to the local appliance parts store. I've been in there several times to get parts for the old washer and the microwave. I know he sells some washers that he reconditions. And I knew he would tell me his honest opinion of what's out there. Really nice guy and he has a perspective that most of us don't since he repairs these things. And knows what usually goes wrong with them. ;) Just like we all trust Ron to tell us about sewing machines.
He said front loaders are definitely the way to go. They use less water, then because the clothes are so much dryer after that final spin, you use less electricity/gas in the dryer. And things come out cleaner.
Oh too, I should mention that his dad owns a Laundromat and he works on those machines and helps his dad out there too. So the guy knows washing machines. ;)
He said the best place to put a front loader is on a solid floor. I told him our house is on a concrete slab and I have ceramic tile in the laundry room. He said that's perfect. He said he's seen them have vibration issues even on floors with a crawl space under them. He also said the pedestals are a bad idea. The only thing they do that he likes is they raise the machine opening higher so you don't have to bend down as far. He said with some front loaders, the pedestals will actually make the vibration issues worse.
He said the best brand out there right now for front loaders is Bosch. (He has one at his house.) They have the least "issues." And the best marks for efficiency and quiet. (although I don't really know how anything could be quieter than the machine I bought!!)
He has seen nothing good about Whirlpools or Maytags (this was also seconded by the guys from Lowes when they delivered my new washer. They get called out to repair or replace those two brands more than any other.)
Kenmores are Frigidaires like mine. He said those are his second favorite. They aren't as fancy as the Bosch machines, but they are good and sturdy. (he had two Kenmores in his shop, but I wound up paying $200 less for my Frigidaire b/c it was on clearance at Lowes (last one they had)) He did say the controls are a lot easier to understand on these. (and that was my opinion too. Some of the fancier machines I figured I'd need to go to engineering school to figure out how to use them!! lol)
Things he said to stay away from:
top loaders with no agitator. They don't hold up well.
Anything that says it's "super capacity" in a traditional top loader. They make the tub bigger. However, the motor and transmission are the same size as a machine with a smaller tub. So they both have to work much harder and wear out sooner.
Any of the newer machines that have a "steam" setting. He said, "They're crap. Pardon me for saying crap, but that's what they are."
Any of them that say you can wash more than about 20 lbs of laundry are fibbing big time. What caused so many of the problems with the early Whirlpools was the claim that you could do 20 pairs of jeans at once. He said that is too much even for the $7000+, bolted to the concrete floor, industrial sized washers at his dad's laundromat. The industrial machines will handle about 35 lbs of wash. Jeans weigh about 2 lbs each.
That's about the whole conversation. He is such a super guy. I was thrilled to have that talk with him. I know we talk about washers on here from time to time since they are kind of an extra piece of sewing room equipment. Like I said I trust this guy's opinion on washers the same way I'd trust Ron's opinion on a sewing machine. And I thought it might be useful information to someone here. :)
Sharon