Anyone here use a HE top-load washer?

[SketchMaster]

Mom's 10 year old top-loader ate it early this month and as a gift I took her out to help her buy something nice to replace it. She owns a kitchen where she cooks and most of her cloths come back with pretty heavy stains, so we needed something decent. Because she refused to look at front-loaders we ended up ordering her the Maytag Bravos XL.

So far... She isn't impressed. I went over to take a look and see if she was just having a hard time with the settings, since its got lots of buttons compared to her old washer, but after trying it on the heavy duty and "power wash" settings even I was standing there thinking, "How is that supposed to clean anything?". The clothes just kinda sit there and jostle around in about as much water as you would find in a puddle, and after they are done they don't really come out clean at all. I've debated sending it back and talking her into a front loader, but she has really hard water and I've been told that front loaders have issues with premature failure due to hard water. The hard water issue sucks if it's true because my roommate has a Samsung front loader and though it can take a good chunk of time on the longer cycles (up to 2 1/2hrs, depending on the settings used) even the most soiled cloths come out clean.

Any input from you guys?

 

[KentState]

I purchased a Kenmore (LG) HE top loader back in March. I purchased a new set of white undershirts for work around that time too. Those shirts are actually not as bright as the shirts I got about the same time last year. Even tried using back soda, bleach and whatever and stuff just does not get white in the washer.

As far as settings, our set has a custom button that I programmed for standard cycles. Just load it up, hit the button and it configures it.

 

[Slick5150]

I have a Samsung HE top loader. I love that thing. You can cram it as full as you want with clothes and they still come out really clean. I haven't had any problems with it at all.

 

[gorcorps]

Lots of reports say those HE top loaders suck. Those little impellers do nothing compared to a real agitator, and they ball up your clothes enough to stay wrinkled after drying. That's just what I've read though.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I just bought a speed queen 542 something.... model. It's far better than what I could find in stores around here. I ordered it online and had it shipped to my door. It has a manual water level setting, stainless steel tub, and an agitator.

 

[TrueBlueLS]

The Maytag HE top loader that I have to use over my old GE HE front loader sucks. Clothes aren't as clean and like gorcorps said, it just balls up the clothing for the most part.

 

[SketchMaster]

I just bought a speed queen 542 something.... model. It's far better than what I could find in stores around here. I ordered it online and had it shipped to my door. It has a manual water level setting, stainless steel tub, and an agitator.

That thing looks absolutely perfect for her, and there is a dealer in town! Thanks for input!

 

[Hugo Drax]

Those fancy HE computerized washers all suck ass. Stick to old school. It seems the industry decided to complicate this so they can sell overpriced inefficient washing machines.

Speed queens are good machines though. the top loader ones you cannot go wrong.

 

[boomhower]

I've had one of these for about a year and a half. I really like it. Important thing is to read the directions and follow them. Don't over fill it and put the clothes in as directed. If you just toss in the clothes it won't work correctly. Got a really good deal on it and it's worked out well.

All that said, an agitator based machine is my preference but finding a quality one at a decent price these days isn't that easy.

 

[alkemyst]

Those fancy HE computerized washers all suck ass. Stick to old school. It seems the industry decided to complicate this so they can sell overpriced inefficient washing machines.

Speed queens are good machines though. the top loader ones you cannot go wrong.

It's not the industry, it's push back from green government agencies to preserve resources.

In many areas they have to go to water restrictions.

My Whirlpool Cabrio set works well, the only issue it has is spinning clothes dry if the load becomes unbalanced (comforters and throw rugs usually).

 

[DrPizza]

What do you mean by her top loader "ate it"? Probably the most common problem on top loaders is a plastic coupling that breaks. It's a 15 minute repair: 5 minutes to watch the youtube video showing you how to do it, and 10 minutes to do it yourself the first time. I believe they're actually designed for that to be the wear part between the motor & everything else - and the washers are designed to make replacing that part incredibly simple for repairmen. Even if you think it's something over your head, watch a quick video on youtube showing you how to get to that part - it's either 2 clips or 2 screws that hold the top part (where the dials are) to the cabinet, then about 20 seconds later, the top, front,sides piece of the washer tips forward and lifts right off (only weighs 25 pounds, if that), 1 or two screws that hold clips that hold the motor in place, tilt, slide the new piece in place, and put it together. If I was racing, I could do it in 3 minutes.

So, unless it's a motor that's burned up (not too likely), why not spend $10 on parts & 15 minutes fixing it, then buy her something nice.

Highly likely this is your part: http://www.repairclinic.com/buy/3/whirlpool-washing-machine-motor-coupling
I personally wouldn't get the heavy duty one. I'd compare it to having a shear bold on expensive equipment - I want the cheap, easily replaced shear bolt to wear and break, not an expensive hard to replace part.


edit: oops, reread the OP - I see it's too late for a repair.

 

[BUTCH1]

Those fancy HE computerized washers all suck ass. Stick to old school. It seems the industry decided to complicate this so they can sell overpriced inefficient washing machines.

Speed queens are good machines though. the top loader ones you cannot go wrong.

I think that the price increase comes from better hardware and more functionality from a higher-priced machine, the embedded processors used in appliances are not the expensive component, it does give a manufacturer many options on machine design, someone mentioned a 2.5hr cycle time, a lot of that is probably soak time which would result in a better wash regardless of TL or FL design but sometimes a person cannot wait that long, (more loads needed to be done) so a variety of cycling options are given that are not possible on a lower-end model. My area has hard water and I use a 10+yr old Roper, the best helper I've come across is the old "20 mule team Borax", it seems to help the detergent work better.

 

[CPA]

Have an LG top loader. Love it other than reach way down inside to get the clothes. But, at least I never have to worry about the gasket wearing down like you do with a front loader.

 

[dud]

Mom's 10 year old top-loader ate it early this month and as a gift I took her out to help her buy something nice to replace it. She owns a kitchen where she cooks and most of her cloths come back with pretty heavy stains, so we needed something decent. Because she refused to look at front-loaders we ended up ordering her the Maytag Bravos XL.

So far... She isn't impressed. I went over to take a look and see if she was just having a hard time with the settings, since its got lots of buttons compared to her old washer, but after trying it on the heavy duty and "power wash" settings even I was standing there thinking, "How is that supposed to clean anything?". The clothes just kinda sit there and jostle around in about as much water as you would find in a puddle, and after they are done they don't really come out clean at all. I've debated sending it back and talking her into a front loader, but she has really hard water and I've been told that front loaders have issues with premature failure due to hard water. The hard water issue sucks if it's true because my roommate has a Samsung front loader and though it can take a good chunk of time on the longer cycles (up to 2 1/2hrs, depending on the settings used) even the most soiled cloths come out clean.

Any input from you guys?

OP, I have two facts and a personal opinion:

1) I have never personally owned a Maytag Bravos series W/D.

2) I HAVE owned a Maytag Medallion W/D for 2.5 years. The units work well but started rusting only a year after purchase. I called Maytag and they told me there is nothing they can/will do to correct. I took the washer apart to remove the rust/prime/paint the unit and discovered how abysmally bad Maytag is at corrosion prevention on their product. Their units are guaranteed to rust (badly) because they use little to no preventative measures.

Opinion: Don't walk but run away from Maytag. Their product and customer service are horrendous.

 

[fstime]

Those fancy HE computerized washers all suck ass. Stick to old school. It seems the industry decided to complicate this so they can sell overpriced inefficient washing machines.

Speed queens are good machines though. the top loader ones you cannot go wrong.

Around here, the water department decided to increase the cost per gallon last year or so by 50% and another 50% the year before that.

They claim too many people are now using higher efficiency appliances and buying bottled water so their revenue has decreased.

Basically, we now have to buy the HE appliances to pay the same amount we were paying before. It is all a big scam to get you to spend money and keep consumer cash flow steady. Another reason why these so called HE appliances break after a few years unlike their predecessors which were built like tanks.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I have an LG top load HE washer, cleans stuff fine.

 

[ImpulsE69]

OP, I have two facts and a personal opinion:

1) I have never personally owned a Maytag Bravos series W/D.

2) I HAVE owned a Maytag Medallion W/D for 2.5 years. The units work well but started rusting only a year after purchase. I called Maytag and they told me there is nothing they can/will do to correct. I took the washer apart to remove the rust/prime/paint the unit and discovered how abysmally bad Maytag is at corrosion prevention on their product. Their units are guaranteed to rust (badly) because they use little to no preventative measures.

Opinion: Don't walk but run away from Maytag. Their product and customer service are horrendous.

Maytag isn't Maytag anymore, it's Whirlpool, has been for nearly 10 years. Most of them are made in Mexico (and some before that).

And I used to work for them actually (Maytag). There was a turning point where they started designing machines to fail after so many years so they could sell more. Yes, a company that built their name on reliability, used it to pull one over on it's loyal customers. This pretty much started my negative look at how companies do their business these days.

 

[Kaido]

I've grown to detest HE stuff. I don't like front-loading washing machines either, because you have to leave the door open or else it will start to stink. I got a basic top-load washer with a basic front-load dryer and it works perfectly. Detergent & softener in the washer, and a dryer sheet in the dryer, perfect clothes every time with no fuss.

 

[Kaido]

Maytag isn't Maytag anymore, it's Whirlpool, has been for nearly 10 years. Most of them are made in Mexico (and some before that).

And I used to work for them actually (Maytag). There was a turning point where they started designing machines to fail after so many years so they could sell more. Yes, a company that built their name on reliability, used it to pull one over on it's loyal customers. This pretty much started my negative look at how companies do their business these days.

To be fair, I can see why they do it. There was just a study that the average car right now is 11.4 years old:

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/08/average-car-remains-on-road-11-4-years-study.html

As an OEM, how do you make money if your stuff lasts forever and no one ever needs to buy a replacement again? It's kind of like the Everlasting Gobstopper from Willy Wonka; a great idea in theory, but a terrible business idea in practice. That's why Microsoft is finally killing off Windows XP next year - they're not making any money on it, but they still have to pay programmers to push out patches for it all the time.

Stinks, but our industrial manufacturing technology has gotten so good that they can do a pretty good job determining exactly how long things will last. I can't tell you how much crap I've had that has died just outside the warranty period. I used to think that was just a paranoid conspiracy, but we're starting to know better now haha.

 

[KentState]

I have an LG top load HE washer, cleans stuff fine.

Any recommendations on detergent and settings? My set is just not as good as my old Mytag water wasting baby eater.

 

[ImpulsE69]

To be fair, I can see why they do it. There was just a study that the average car right now is 11.4 years old:

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/08/average-car-remains-on-road-11-4-years-study.html

As an OEM, how do you make money if your stuff lasts forever and no one ever needs to buy a replacement again? It's kind of like the Everlasting Gobstopper from Willy Wonka; a great idea in theory, but a terrible business idea in practice. That's why Microsoft is finally killing off Windows XP next year - they're not making any money on it, but they still have to pay programmers to push out patches for it all the time.

Stinks, but our industrial manufacturing technology has gotten so good that they can do a pretty good job determining exactly how long things will last. I can't tell you how much crap I've had that has died just outside the warranty period. I used to think that was just a paranoid conspiracy, but we're starting to know better now haha.

it's not the industry that is the problem. It's Wall Street. Mandatory growth is what is killing companies and screwing the consumers. You can't just make money, you have to grow (or you end up losing stockholders). It's a vicious circle.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Any recommendations on detergent and settings? My set is just not as good as my old Mytag water wasting baby eater.

Honestly I don't know what you mean. Mine washes as good as the old ones. Just put it on all the heavy cycles if you don't think it's getting clean enough.

Use HE detergent (which means you don't have to use much at all). Make sure you put the clothes evenly around the outside of the tub. Do not just toss it in like you used to. Keep the middle (agitator) open as it works better that way.

 

[manly]

Any recommendations on detergent and settings? My set is just not as good as my old Mytag water wasting baby eater.

Consumer Reports always seems to rate Tide as the best laundry detergent (August 2012 issue). Of course it's the most expensive brand. Next best on CR's list were Wisk and All. I stay away from powder, bought some of the dirt-cheap/popular Sears brand and it just didn't dissolve very well.

 

[KentState]

Consumer Reports always seems to rate Tide as the best laundry detergent (August 2012 issue). Of course it's the most expensive brand. Next best on CR's list were Wisk and All. I stay away from powder, bought some of the dirt-cheap/popular Sears brand and it just didn't dissolve very well.

We went with the Costco HE liquid detergent, but will have to try Tide next. I regularly used Tide Coldwater in the past and it worked very well.