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OXBALLS DOT COM
Sep 11, 2005

by FactsAreUseless
Young Orc
In my six years of reviewing washing machines, I’ve never once seriously considered recommending a Speed Queen top-loader. This shouldn’t be controversial: Every publication that tests appliances has years of controlled test results proving the superiority of front-loading washers. So why are most washer reviews’ comments sections filled with Speed Queen fans claiming otherwise?

For most of my career, I’ve been content to brush off Speed Queen washers as wasteful, ineffective machines. They just barely meet the Department of Energy’s efficiency requirements. However, Speed Queen top-loaders are exceptionally durable and repairable—they’re essentially commercial laundromat washers without a coin slot, and should last at least twice as long as a mainstream HE (high efficiency) washer. Even so, they can use so much extra water and energy (we estimate $150 extra per year on average) that it’s unlikely that owners will save money in the long run, even after factoring in the cost of replacement or repair every few years.

But as I researched the new 2018 Speed Queen models for the latest update to my washing machine guide, I came across some surprising reactions to the latest design from longtime devotees that piqued my interest. It also dawned on me that I’d never had an actual conversation with a Speed Queen fan about why they hold such strong feelings for these machines. This seemed like a shame, because chances are we’re more alike than different—not many people care enough about washing machines to argue about them with strangers on the Internet. I’d assumed that I’d been making my points clearly in my reviews, and that the Speed Queen fans who left harsh comments were simply being stubborn. But maybe I was the one missing something. So I reached out to some washing machine enthusiasts to hear their side.
Pull Quote

“I was totally devastated by it… Am I really going to change my entire opinion on Speed Queen that I’ve had all my entire life?” —Eugene Pallas, owner of Lorain Furniture & Appliance

Eugene Pallas, owner of Lorain Furniture & Appliance in Cleveland, Ohio, was among the most ardent enthusiasts I encountered. He has been a huge Speed Queen fan since 2000, the first time he repaired one. For a couple of years, the only new washers he would sell at his shop were Speed Queen.

“I gotta look the customer in the eye three months later when I see them,” Pallas said, “and I don’t have any hesitation when I know they bought a Speed Queen from me.” He worries that if he sells somebody a cheaper, repair-prone washer, he’ll lose the customer forever. As a small shop, he can’t afford to have that happen.

Regular posters in forums I visited while reporting this article echoed Pallas’s assessment, referring to themselves as “people reminiscing [for] the days of quality construction and easy repair” who “like to have control.” Several users compared them to old muscle cars, before smog-reduction regulations kicked in and crippled the old designs. It’s also, at least a little bit, about holding up a middle finger to our “throwaway disposable economy,” which they deride as “planned obsolescence run amok.”

I brought up the fact that Speed Queen top-loaders earn mediocre test scores from mainstream review outlets, but none of the fans seemed particularly bothered. “I’m nearly 60 years old and have seen most washers from the mid-1950’s onward” wrote AutomaticWasher.org forum member Barry Warren, who posts under the handle mrsalvo. “The agitator washers… were the standard, period. Tried and proven,” and then he wrote out a very comprehensive list of pro-agitator points, including: better reliability, never locking you out of the washer, no mold, quick cycles, and more user control in general. (Warren did say, though, that he liked his vintage GE Filter-Flo agitator top-loader much more than the Speed Queen he bought last year.) Michael Haensel, who posts on the forum as EEmac, added: “The agitator top-loader cleans my stuff very well.”

As for the rough cleaning action and excessive water use? Haensel puts it simply: “For gentleness, there’s the gentle cycle. Efficiency is less of a concern for me than the other things I value.”

Actually, one of the most compelling points in favor of the Speed Queen is that it does use a ton of water. Pallas, and several others with knowledge of lots of different types of washers, said that old-school top-loaders are the best at cleaning grimy, dirt-caked work clothes. That’s actually something that the industry-standard tests do not currently measure, and I think the fans may have a point.

I’m still convinced that most people are better off with a midrange front-loader from a mainstream brand. But now that I can put some voices to the pro-Speed Queen arguments, I have a better appreciation for why somebody would make this choice. I even thought about making a full-throated recommendation for a Speed Queen in our buying guide for people who frequently deal with heavy-duty messes.

Unfortunately, my change of heart may have come too late. Eugene Pallas, our Speed Queen superfan and dealer, was one of the first people to review the new 2018 Speed Queen top-loaders on YouTube. He did not like what he saw.
In this video, Eugene Pallas of Lorain Furniture & Appliance sums up what he found when he tested the new 2018 Speed Queen TR7 top-load washer. The results were not what he’d hoped for.

Speed Queen public relations manager Randy Radtke told us that the wash action on the 2018 model is “radically different” from that of past washers, and that the new design performs better on the industry-standard cleaning tests, is gentler on clothes, and much quieter. If that’s true, it should help the washer score better on the kinds of tests that Consumer Reports (subscription required) and Reviewed.com run. Unfortunately, as Pallas demonstrates in his videos, this revamped wash action comes as a result of the agitator and tub moving in unison, rather than the separate action that Speed Queen fans swear by.

Pallas found that the new washer worked fine on items like smaller towels (which is exactly what the standardized tests use), but that it struggled to clean heavier items like work clothes, leaving behind stains and soap residue. The items just kind of float in place, swishing back and forth instead of getting pushed around. If you watch his videos in order, you can hear the disappointment building in his voice.

“Once I got down to real clothes and a real test, it’s like, this loving thing isn’t even washing, I don’t even know what to do,” said Pallas in a subsequent interview. “Honestly man, I was totally devastated by it. I didn’t publish that video without a heavy heart, you know what I mean? It was serious, I had to sleep on it. Am I really going to change my entire opinion on Speed Queen that I’ve had all my entire life?”

Pallas’s heavy heart was no consolation to Speed Queen. Pallas claims that after he posted his summary review, his distributor contacted him on behalf of Speed Queen, asking him to take the video down. Pallas declined. “You’ve got to think about somebody who’s working construction and got three kids. $2,000 is a ton of money for a washer and dryer. Can you imagine when they buy that and get it delivered and it doesn’t clean the poor guy’s work clothes?”

“I wonder if Speed Queen realizes that by cheapening their design that they alienated 90% of their customer base.”
—whoisthisguy724A, YouTube commenter

The next week, Pallas found that he could no longer log into any Speed Queen retailer portals, so he couldn’t order new machines, or even parts to service the machines that he’d already sold to his customers. His store had been taken off the public database of certified Speed Queen dealers. The brand hadn’t contacted Pallas directly to tell him any of this, and he had to get in touch with his distributor to confirm that he’d been decertified. (We asked Speed Queen about Pallas’s claim, and the company said it does not comment on matters relating to its dealers.)

So where does this leave the fans of old-school agitator washers? Well, some of them have already decided that they hate the new Speed Queen design. In a video polemic against the 2018 Speed Queen models, YouTube reviewer Sharkie626 said that the only worthwhile washing machines left are used ones. In that video’s comments section whoisthisguy724A lamented, “I wonder if Speed Queen realizes that by cheapening their design that they alienated 90% of their customer base.”

Some forum members have pinned their hopes to the new Maytag Commercial MVWP575GW—another agitator top-loader built for laundromats that’s now available, without the coin slot, for home use. However, it’s barely been available for six months, so not many people have reviewed it yet. It also has some important differences in the build—for instance, the spin speed is slower, which means clothes will need to spend more time in the dryer—so it’s hard to say how it compares with the older Speed Queen model that people loved so much. Pallas now sells and recommends that Maytag Commercial instead of the new Speed Queen, and says it performs just as well, if not better than his old favorite. But he has yet to compare it directly with the last good Speed Queen from 2017. We eagerly await that video.

In the meantime, Pallas said he also really likes front-loaders. If you walk into his shop in Cleveland today, you’ll be able to check out the front-loading LG WM3770HWA, which Pallas also keeps in his own home for large items that can’t fit in his top-loader (like a comforter), or for nicer clothes that he doesn’t want to subject to the top-loader’s aggressive wash action. He said the LG does a solid job cleaning pretty much anything, and we agree: It happens to be our current top pick for best washing machine.

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Loky11
Dec 12, 2006

Pull on the new flesh like borrowed gloves and burn your fingers once again
how much time did you spend on this?

Sophy Wackles
Dec 17, 2000

> access main security grid
access: PERMISSION DENIED.





Protip: Shower in your dirty clothes. That way you never need a washing machine!

Kuato
Feb 25, 2005

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I ATE THE WHOLE THING"
Buglord
This has given me a lot think about op

BigBadSteve
Apr 29, 2009

This is a good article. It was lifted from here:
https://thewirecutter.com/blog/speed-queen-washer

Duke Silver
Nov 6, 2011

Saxiest Man Alive
I prefer the Size Queen myself. For those large loads.

OXBALLS DOT COM
Sep 11, 2005

by FactsAreUseless
Young Orc

Duke Silver posted:

I prefer the Size Queen myself. For those large loads.

OXBALLS DOT COM
Sep 11, 2005

by FactsAreUseless
Young Orc

Reported for threadshitting

the milk machine
Jul 23, 2002

lick my keys
my life already powerful sucks but I'd end it post haste if I also had to write reviews of washing machines

givepatajob
Apr 8, 2003

One finds that this is the best of all possible worlds.
I used to sell appliances when I was much younger at the now defunct megastore Incredible Universe.

It was the happiest I've ever been in my life.

Teikanmi
Dec 16, 2006

by R. Guyovich
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D91NH1lKTHc

SammichBacon
Nov 11, 2013

Just lol at spending time reviewing washing machines.

DebonaireD
May 7, 2007

I read that whole review. Very interesting and relevant to my interests, thanks OP.

Blast of Confetti
Apr 21, 2008

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
lightning fast steve mcqueen is also my favorite op

The Pussy Boss
Nov 2, 2004

Whoa is this a promoted post like on Facebook? I wanna monetize my posts too OP, how do I get in on this?

Who What Now
Sep 10, 2006

by Azathoth
faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaart

Who What Now
Sep 10, 2006

by Azathoth
Wash that out. :smug:

P-Mack
Nov 10, 2007

Came in to this thread ready to contribute but it turns out it's about the top loaders and not the front loaders.

Cyberpunkey Monkey
Jun 23, 2003

by Nyc_Tattoo

Duke Silver posted:

I prefer the Size Queen myself. For those large loads.

Those are usually one and the same with speed queens in my experience.

Laughing Man
Feb 11, 2008
I thought what I’d do was pretend I was one of those deaf mutes, or something...
I have a speed queen from a year or two back and it's the best washer machine I've ever used, no joke. I'll have to keep this in mind when it's time to replace it. Thanks op

flavor.flv
Apr 18, 2008

I got a letter from the government the other day
opened it, read it
it said they was bitches




I like the part where the reviewer freely admits that he has never actually washed clothes in a washing machine in his years-long career of reviewing them professionally

OXBALLS DOT COM
Sep 11, 2005

by FactsAreUseless
Young Orc

RandomFerret posted:

I like the part where the reviewer freely admits that he has never actually washed clothes in a washing machine in his years-long career of reviewing them professionally

I switched to an all merino wardrobe 8 years ago, so I have not needed to use one personally. I think it actually makes me less biased

ditty bout my clitty
May 28, 2011

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe
If you hate soap residue on your clothes just stop using powder detergent.

OXBALLS DOT COM posted:

I switched to an all merino wardrobe 8 years ago, so I have not needed to use one personally. I think it actually makes me less biased

Your taint must be sweaty as hell

Creamed Cormp
Jan 8, 2011

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN
the people willing to go through the trouble of mundane tasks like reviewing washing machine are the heroes who keep this garbage civilization from collapsing into a pile of unwashed work clothes

godspeed

Smythe
Oct 12, 2003
use a speed queen for washing costumes at work, works good doesnt break a++ imo thank you blessed reviewer

ClamdestineBoyster
Aug 15, 2015
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!
Find a laundromat with the continuously variable temperature knobs on the driers ,not that 1,2,3 setting bitch baby crap op. Hth.

OXBALLS DOT COM
Sep 11, 2005

by FactsAreUseless
Young Orc

ditty bout my clitty posted:

If you hate soap residue on your clothes just stop using powder detergent.


Your taint must be sweaty as hell

Actually, wool fibers do such a good job of moving moisture away from the skin that even if the fabric is soaking wet the surface area of your skin will remain dry. Merino fibers and fabrics can absorb up to 30% of their dry weight before feeling wet. Most synthetics feel wet after they absorb less than 7%.

dev286
Nov 30, 2006

Let it be all the best.
Now post some vacuum cleaner reviews. Those dudes are serious.

Have Blue
Mar 27, 2013


Panther Like a Panther

Smythe posted:

use a speed queen for washing costumes at work, works good doesnt break a++ imo thank you blessed reviewer

Nothing ever really gets the smell out tho

nextlevelstart
Feb 26, 2015
The most powerful washing machine in the world and most reliable warranty- caro
The most powerful washing machine in the world and most reliable warranty- caro
The most powerful washing machine in the world and most reliable warranty- caro
SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN SPEED QUEEN

A Wizard of Goatse
Dec 14, 2014

Duke Silver posted:

I prefer the Size Queen myself. For those large loads.

:same:

Over There
Jun 28, 2013

by Azathoth
Posting in an excellent thread!

Over There fucked around with this message at 14:24 on Mar 14, 2018

Mozi
Apr 4, 2004

Forms change so fast
Time is moving past
Memory is smoke
Gonna get wider when I die
Nap Ghost
hey babe... you know they call me the Speed Queen, right? well, it's not just because my agitator and tub don't move in unison - in addition to that, i also suffer from premature ejaculation and need to get into drag to even get that far.

Typical Pubbie
May 10, 2011
I'm more of a backloader myself

Rad-daddio
Apr 25, 2017
Just don't ever buy a high efficency top load machine. They're utter crap, and will break down in comedic and violent ways.

Return Of JimmyJars
Jun 24, 2006

by FactsAreUseless

Duke Silver posted:

I prefer the Size Queen myself. For those large loads.

FactsAreUseless
Feb 16, 2011

I read the entire OP and found it interesting, and I think it's bullshit that Speed Queen stopped selling machines and parts to that guy because he gave a product a bad review.

Waltzing Along
Jun 14, 2008

There's only one
Human race
Many faces
Everybody belongs here
The wirecutter sucks now. It was good before they sold out. Now the review process is faulty. It's not uncommon for them to review a product, but not review top rated models. Before the NYT days, if they reviewed something, odds were they were thorough. So gently caress the wirecutter. And gently caress you, OP, for posting this article.

Gay Weed Dad
Jul 12, 2016

cool dude, flyin' high
So a newer machine does a better job, more efficiently, while having a cheaper initial cost but these dudes don't like it? I like the comparison to muscle cars because it is entirely apt; only a fool would pine for such primitive bullshit.

givepatajob posted:

I used to sell appliances when I was much younger at the now defunct megastore Incredible Universe.

It was the happiest I've ever been in my life.

I had never heard of this but after reading about the Wikipedia I can see why

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redm
Feb 20, 2016


Sugartime Jones

BigBadSteve posted:

This is a good article. It was lifted from here:
https://thewirecutter.com/blog/speed-queen-washer

was looking for this, ty

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