Hi Viennamommy19. As far as top loaders go. Speed Queen is the last true heavy duty agitator washers left. They have heavy duty suspensions which handle unbalanced loads with ease, have my machine 1 1/2 yrs now, and the machine has not ever banged the cabinet or walked across the floor.

If you are willing to sacrifice some capacity and take the King sized comforter to a Laundromat or dry cleaner; you will not be disappointed in how these SQ washers perform their task at washing,...and doing it quickly too.

I wish I could recommend a "HE" top load washer to you , but after only 2 years with the one I had,...I am wary of these machines.

You will pay more for a Speed Queen, but that money is spent on better engineering and a warranty that is scarce today...BACKED BY THE MANUFACTURE! Speed Queen washers and dryers are built period.

Hope you get the machine that is best for your needs.

I'm afraid there are no consumer top loaders on the market right now that can effectively clean a very large quilt. My SQ dealer told me that even a queen sized quilt was iffy in the top loading SQ. The Sears salesman told me that current HE top loaders "really can't get the job done." There is ample evidence of that on this forum.

After much research and trying out my friends' machines, I recently bought a Kenmore Elite 41072. It will clean a king-size quilt. Smaller Kenmore OK. Whirlpool 4.5 cu ft. had problems with load balance with quilts, GE toploader with agitator (really cheap) could not get the job done to my satisfaction on any load. GE RightHeight had major spin cycle problems with all large loads. Maytag Maxima was a non-starter due to the leaking boot issues. We don't have Electrolux service where I live so that was out.

If you must have a top loader, SQ is the way to go. The technology is just not there yet in the other brands. Most of all, please be sure you have a good repair service provider in your area for anything you decide to buy.

Good luck. I'm been through the children and dog washer wars too. Happy washer hunting.

Newer washers just don't have the capacity of the older ones, because families are so much smaller these days. One or two kids or none, lots of single households, as opposed to families with 5 or 6 or 7 or 13 kids. King size comforters or no, they're just not going to get any bigger.

I had a Whirlpool that came with my dad when I started caring for him. It was ancient. But it had one of those filters on the top of the agitator, that water pours through constantly during the wash cycle. I thought it was stupid and I hated it because I thought it was yucky for no reason.

Then I gradually realized that it filtered out ALL SORTS of things the dryer doesn't get and that the washing machine can't get without one of those filters. When I bought my Speed Queen, the salesguy tried to convince me that it had some sort of internal filter that would do the same job, but that you NEVER HAD TO CLEAN this mysterious internal, invisible filter. Apparently magical as well, because if it was filtering out the amount of cat, dog, and people hair the Whirlpool was, I guarantee that it would be totally blocked in a matter of a few wash loads.

Don't get me wrong - I knew this guy was snowing me, and I have no complaints about my Speed Queen - except that I wish it had that extra filter like on the old Whirlpool. Because even though I KNEW the value of that filter, there's nothing like experiencing the effects of living with laundry without it. Trust me, you do not EVEN want to know.

The only thing better than my Speed Queen would be a Speed Queen with a pass-through filter like on my old Whirlpool.

The only thing better than a Speed Queen with a pass through filter would be a BIGGER Speed Queen with a pass through filter.

The only thing better than a BIGGER Speed Queen with a pass through filter would be a BIGGER Speed Queen with a pass through filter AND total control over water temp, cycle lengths, and water level.

Sadly a lot of that is being legislated, and for reasons I well understand and even agree with. Sort of like seat belt laws.

The problem is that manufacturers aren't, by and large, giving us machines that will do equivalent cleaning jobs, just as car manufacturers have yet to give us a properly installed seatbelt (no, they are NOT supposed to go across your stomach, they are supposed to go flat across your legs).

So - personally I don't feel you can do better in a home washing machine than a Speed Queen - unless they improve an actual Speed Queen.

The SQ filter cleans itself with every load when the washer drains.

If your old washer had a filter pan on the top of the agitator it wasn't a Whirlpool. Whirlpool has never made one with a filter pan on top.(that I know of) Theirs was a brush like deal to the right when you opened lid and water recirculated through it. Then you had to pull it out to clean it--then they went to the "Magic Clean" self cleaning filter built in under the machine.
Your machine could have been a GE, Norge, Magic Chef or other depending on it's age.

I have a SQ top loader for 4 months. It does the job fine but I do with it was larger capacity. It barely fits a set of king size sheets and no way would fit a comforter.

(for the record, I would never think of washer a comforter anywhere but the laundrymat).

Why can't you do a front loader again? I think you explained in a different thread but I don't remember. Front loaders are the best way to wash bulky items, short of taking them to the laundromat. They use little water, like HE top loaders, yet they do a much better job.

I wash a set of King sized sheets in mine with room to spare. Granted, sheets are not bulky like a comforter,but it washes them fine. I have even washed a king sized comforter in my machine,..but that comforter was older and lost much of its fluffiness.
Two things I wish they would bring back though,is a warm rinse and a longer or added spin spray rinse. I find I am always using the extra rinse with this machine (AWN432).

Other than that, I am very satisfied with these fine machines.

If your old washer had a filter pan on the top of the agitator it wasn't a Whirlpool. Whirlpool has never made one with a filter pan on top.(that I know of) A few very early Whirlpool and Kenmore direct-drive machines had a filter in the agitator barrel that functioned similarly as the old Maytag style. The entire top was removable off the agitator base for cleaning.

Back at the late 1950s/early 1960s a few low-end Whirlpools had a filter pan that sat on the agitator at the high water level.

I stand corrected, it was queen sized sheets and comforter I was washing for a family member. I thought it was king sized. No wonder I had extra room DUH! LOL.

Thanks all. I think I really need to go back to the drawing board here.

HVTech- the new laundry space is in the hallway upstairs. High traffic area between the steps and our sons' rooms. The laundry closet is likely too narrow to be able to keep a front loading door open to dry. The door wouldn't have enough room to open all the way.

At least, this is what DH thinks. Our designer thought it was workable but after a miserable 6 years with our kenmore front loader, DH really wants a top loader.

If the SQ can't wash a set of king sheets, I'm in trouble.

I'll post the plans. Wonder what everyone thinks about the possibility of having front loaders in the space.

I used to wash comforters in an agitator top-loader. Looking back on it, I realize it's an indefensible practice. The agitator beats up the part that's close to it, possibly abrading the surface or worse, while the rest of the comforter barely moves. Meanwhile the whole comforter is trying to float out of the water.

My wife likes to launder comforters frequently, so the rule here is that we don't buy a comforter that won't fit into our 4 cu ft (IEC measurement) Miele. This means we don't use a king-size comforter on our king-size bed, rather we use two smaller comforters. Twin, or full at most, but not full-queen which is too big. Laundromat isn't an option for a couple of reasons: 1) Decent laundromats are ten or more miles away; 2) We use unscented detergent, which means we get the mixed scent of the detergents everyone else uses at the laundromat.

Dadoes-Yeah I remember Wpool having the filter in the agitator(mostly cheaper models best I remember) but I never remember one having one "on top" of the agitator. Maybe they meant inside the agi. instead of on top. If so, my mistake.

There is no comparing top loaders with front. I have king size comforters, large, heavy towels. We bought the Electrolux washer and dryer two years ago and I could put wall to wall carpet in it. I spent time and money taking my comforters to dry cleaners for many years. No more. Washes everything with room to spare.

You can leave the door open for a few hours to dry. You don't need to keep it open all the time. I don't, and haven't had any problems in the 2 years I own these machines. Fantastic machines.

Jane

Thanks JaneNY. We have a front loader now so I know all about leaving the machine open. It's going to be a challenge in its new location (see my other thread about layout).

This site has been so invaluable for our reno!

I'm not sure that the door needs to be completely open. I saw Frigidaire machines with a little latch, which kept the door open only about an inch or maybe two. I thought it was a great idea. I ended up with the Electrolux pair, though, because I also like to wash my comforters at home. I have never lacked for space in it and after a few years, never have we had any problems with smells. I replaced a 25 year old Maytag that many people swear by and work hard to keep repairing. This machine cleans circles around that one. And it uses a lot less water and softener salt to boot. I'd never go back to a top loader after having had the 'Lux pair. That is just my own opinion and nobody is required to agree with me.

:-)

Cj

Gosh, I just have an old 20-some year old Kenmore top loader and I do queen-sized comforters in it all the time. It never gets unbalanced or walks across my floor. Proper leveling on the floor helps keep things balanced. I am careful how I load it so it's loaded balanced. Everything comes out clean.

I didn't realize the new washers are smaller. Bummer.

I used agitator top loaders until 6 years ago. My stuff came out clean. But when I switched to a front loader, I learned a whole new definition of clean.