My inexpensive, and I believe discontinued, Samsung WF-1254 compact washer is still functioning very well as we come up on the two year mark.

Thanks for the good advice, people. I understand the problems associated with internet review(er)s, but I have used them for many different things in the past, and they have been pretty reliable in a broad sense.

I'm a little dismayed that I didn't get more answers to the question, 'any washers that work?'. I guess a lot of them don't. I imagine people reading the question and squinting, "washers that work? well i dunno..."

I know my Sears Oasis is a piece of junk, the most expensive junk I've ever bought, and I've bought a lot of stuff over the years.

I bought it before reading any reviews, just figured that spending 'enough' money, and spending it as Sears, was safe. It wasn't. I have had multiple problems over the past 5 years with the washer and dryer. And it's not a simple fix: you have to make the appt: 2 weeks. Now you have to wait for the part: 2 weeks. Guy shows up: sorry, don't have your part: 2 more weeks. Most exasperating experience I have had with a service dept: bar none.

Thanks for the advice about the surge protector and relating your personal experiences; it does help.

"I'm a little dismayed that I didn't get more answers to the question, 'any washers that work?"

Lots of washers work (it's kind of a loaded question). One bad experience doesn't make the whole category a wash (lol ...).

I'm a little disheartened with this forum of late. I post my positive comments and I'm told I must be in "denial" by a certain poster.

I'll try again to share MY personal experience.

I've used front loaders for over 10 years. My previous set (Frigidaire Gallery) worked without one issue for 10 years. No leaks, no mold, etc. At about the 10 year mark the bearings started to fail (I've read that particular model was prone to that).

My clothes were always clean.

I did about a year long (on and off) research into all makes. I never considered top loaders as I never want to use them again. I looked briefly at HE TL but have no interest in them either for my own personal reasons. I looked in depth at every make and model of front loader available.

In the end I chose the Miele W4842. I'm very happy with the performance of these machines. I can now see that they wash even better than previous and rinse much better.

You need to decide up front what your personal needs/requirements are and go from there. Mine were exceptional cleaning and hopefully longevity.

Not every machine is going to be for everybody. What's right for me might not be right for you. You must also temper the personal reviews you read (I mean who are these people and what is the whole story - you don't know).

Make the most informed decision you can make and move on. Odds are it will work out fine. Millions of people purchased their machines and are perfectly happy (that's why you never hear from them).

Well as far as "Washers that work" from my own experience lucky every washer I have ever owned for the past 35 years that I have been buying/using washer dryers has worked very well all the way back to my first washer I bought used when I was 18 in 1977 and I think it had to be at least 8-10 years old when I bought it so was from the 60s. I think it was a Whirlpool but not certain.
Bought the set for $50, $25 each and used it all though college, throwing in lots of sandy clothes (lived in Newport Beach Ca at the time)lots of room mates and I am sure even endured a lot of carnal activities on top of it during those years.
Was treated like crap, slammed lid, never cleaned, banged around, everything thrown into it, dials whipped around and slammed but worked without a problem until I sold it years later for $50.

In fact I have never bought a brand new washer or dryer until this Maytag Neptune 7+ years ago, have always just bought old ones for under $100 and they all lasted until I moved and sold them.

I have never had a washer die on me or give a lick of trouble in 35 years.
The dryer we have right now is the only one that has ever kicked the bucket on me BUT even that is still "working" right now it is just banging as it turns but it is still drying clothes and it is 17-18 years old and is an old cheap GE electric dryer that my wife bought before we met.

Our current washing machine if you look at reviews right now would look like a nightmare, but we have never had a single problem with it in over 7 years and it cleans great.
It is a Maytag Neptune HE TL with reviews that would curdle milk, most every review on it is of passionate hatred for it, yet it works beautifully for us.
Go figure, but that just goes to show you that regardless of what reviews say you can still get a great working machine even if all the reviews are 1 star hate filled rants and visa versa you can just as easily get a dud even if all the reviews are 5 star love stories.

I use reviews as a base line to roll the dice on.
Just as something to lessen my odds of getting a lemon.

The one residing factor to me personally is I prefer the "odds" on a Top Loader Vs a Front Loader.
Yes like everything else you can quite likely buy a FL and have it work fantastic for 10+ years without a problem.
I just think from reviews and repairmen advice that I have seen for more than a decade now that FL are more prone to a few problems that I could do without like Mold, Premature bearing failure and seal leaks.
Not to mention on average they are more expensive.

The top loader I am getting is only slightly less efficient than the best FL that comes close to that size (4.5cu.ft).
I figured it would cost roughly $5 per YEAR more to operate in electricity and use 25% more water which is about $4.
So about $10 per YEAR difference.
That FL that comes close in size is an Electrolux that cost like $800 more, so it would take 80 years to make up just the cost difference.

So I opt for TL which I have had great luck with for 35 years.
It is all a crap shoot and I think today the odds are going more towards the house than the player because in general hardly anything is made as well today as it was 30+ years ago.

Nunyabiz1: "OK, so reviews are completely useless, of little to no value at all."

Once again, you have yielded to your penchant for gross exaggeration. The statement you mock was, "There are serious deficiencies in the 'consumer reviews'," which deficiencies I then enumerated and explained in detail. There is no path from what I wrote to your distorted summary of it.

Nunyabuz1, after selectively quoting from one of my posts: "... and what exactly was that 'exhaustive homework' if you didn't get it from reviews either costumer or professional or from repair sites? In all cases you are relying on someones opinion/review and no more."

The commercial sites of vendors or aggregators (Amazon, Best Buy, eopinions) tend to be populated with one-shot reviews from people you have never encountered before, and never will hear from again. If you hang around a forum like this one, you soon get to know the repeat posters who, from their total body of work, have shown that they really do know what they are writing about. Pay attention to what dadoes writes, for instance, or the person with whom you have been arguing, livebetter. There used to be a poster on the consumerreports.org appliance forums, John Shipkowski, whose advice you always could take to the bank; unfortunately, he has been absent from there for a while. (No, I am not John Shipkowski, and I have never met him.)

"You just 'bragged' more than I ever have or would even dare to BTW."

I was not bragging, just stating factually that we did our own research before spending our own hard-earned dollars on a major purchase. I hesitate to provide detail how and by what means we conducted our personal research, because you apparently want to get into a credentials fight, which I regard to be unproductive. I am highly skeptical of validation by credential, generally, and would find it highly inappropriate in a forum such as this one. I could have stated (truthfully) that I have done that kind of research on a professional basis -- my day job -- over four decades, by dint of which I have acquired access to some resources to which you quite probably lack access. But never would I argue that my access to resources means that I am infallible; professional researchers arrive at profoundly wrong conclusions every day, and I have had my share over the years. I hope that what I write on GW you (and others) would judge on the basis of the words that I write themselves, and on no other basis whatsoever.

Nunyabiz1: "I have also found it very easy to tell when a review is fake they are very obvious. I have actually flagged many such reviews, in general they are very easy to spot. ... I am no fool by a long shot and have been doing this for many many years."

If you take the time to analyze how it is "easy to tell when a review is fake," or why "they are very obvious" or "are easy to spot," then it should be a piece of cake to reverse-engineer the process and to use your analysis to write a fake review that avoids those tell-tale "fake" markers and that appears genuine and sincere. That is how the pros do it. In the political arena, there is even a verb for it, "astroturfing," which is publishing comments that seem to come from real people, the "grass roots," but which really are artificial grass.

"On the flip side if you look at hundreds of reviews and 95% of them are great and they love it, even if most all of them are just a month or so old it is still a good sign"

Any time there are hundreds of reviews of a product that is just a month old, it is a warning flag that there is a fair probability that professionals are carpet bombing the review sites.

"Our current washing machine if you look at reviews right now would look like a nightmare, but we have never had a single problem with it in over 7 years and it cleans great."

Sort of cross-purposes with your opinion of reviews presently, isn't it?

My own 6+ year old Duet has been pretty well lambasted over the years, too, but my machine has been more-or-less flawless from day one. Confess part of my decision back then had to do with service availability in my area. Thankfully never needed.

I think it reinforces the idea that disgruntled owners are more likely to post than happy ones. And I think unusually large numbers of glowing reviews are also suspect, as herring maven said.

OP, I have a Bosch FL washer (300 series) and dryer (500 series, with steam, gas). The washer we've had for 6 years and have had no problems with it. It was my first FL and I had to learn how to care for it and use it; this board was very useful for that. If Bosch were still in the market of full size w/d in the US I might well buy another; I actually was tempted, especially given the deals you can find right now on the Vision 500's) but decided to try something new (we sold our house inclusive of the Bosch pair - and the buyers are quite excited to get them).

The dryer replaced a Maytag that literally crisped our clothing. It died after 6 years, which, according to the service guy, was a reasonable lifespan for a low-mid level Maytag of its line (2004). We've not had the Bosch 2 years yet but I love the steam, love all the settings, and it seems to perform really solidly.

Our next pair, I was sorely tempted by the Electrolux IQ Touch but have concerns about them making me feel cramped in our new tiny laundry room, so I selected the LG 3360s instead. Time will tell, I hope I've made a good choice. I will miss the Bosch but am a little excited for a change, just the same.

Hope that helps, a little!

Not really no
Using them solely as a baseline is just that an no more.

When I see hundreds of reviews that appear to be legit and virtually all of them good reviews and it is that way across dozens of different unrelated sites it gives me a good baseline to go by nothing more. Especially when the reviews agree with sites like Consumer Reports and Consumer Search, product reviews.
I feel it lessens the odds of buying a dud to a degree, again no more than that.
and yes disgruntled consumers are WAY more likely to post reviews than happy ones.
Which is why when you see virtually ZERO disgruntled reviews then that is just as good as seeing hundreds of great ones, in fact it is better.

There comes a point where you have trust something even if its just your gut.

I feel as far as my Maytag Neptune that I am a total anomaly and certainly not the norm for that machine at all.

When we bought that machine it was brand new on the market and we bought it solely for 2 reasons it was a TL and was one of the first HE TL, I had only seen 2 reviews on it before buying it and both had nothing bad to say about it, but was basically meaningless because they only had the machine like less than a month, we simply rolled the dice and took a big chance on it.
We obviously got lucky as hell.

What are the chances that I got lucky on *four* Fisher & Paykel appliances when there are hundreds of bad reviews on them, along with "the magazine" rating the brand as among the worst for reliability? :-)

I'm not including my DE04 frontload dryer (12 years) which is a rebadged GE, not designed/built by F&P. Otherwise that'd be five F&P appliances.

My GWL08 washer had its first repair last month at 12 years of age, a simple pump replacement. My DishDrawer is now past 8 years of age, no repairs. I have an IWL12 washer and DEGX1 dryer (the first model of their topload dryers on the US market), both now 7 years and no repairs ... well, to be fair, I did replace the dryer's filter a couple years ago but that wasn't a non-functional/breakdown situation on the machine.

One really strange thing I've noticed is several complaints of broken/cracked lids on F&P machines. Being as the lids are under no stress of any kind during normal use (the lids on my machines are perfectly fine, even the 12-years-old GWL08), so I can only figure that there was abuse involved in the complaint situations (but of course none of them mention that).

I had a Kenmore HE3t for about 7 years and never really felt like it cleaned all that well; so I switched back to a TL from Maytag and all it did was "shred" my clothes; so finally, after about 3 months of homework, decided to try the Electrolux IQ Touch. We've had it about 3 months now and I cannot begin to tell you how pleased I am with the results. It washes very well and rinses so much better than older model FL's. I use the recommended amount of detergent and liquid fabric softener and always have excellent results. It prompts you to run the Maintenance cycle every 50-cycles; which I do. I've noticed that during the maintenance cycle (hot water, bleach, and cascade complete) there are no suds and such and I've not had any kind of buildup problems in the dispenser (if rinsed like suggested).

This might read like another "fake review" and if you think so, you may feel free to contact me via email and I'll be glad to give you the same review in-depth. The Electrolux machines are expensive but I honestly think, they are worth it.

Nunyabiz1, why are you so confrontational?

What is it to you if some people like their front loaders?

I have a Bosch Nexxt 500 washer which I bought in April of 08. I love it . I love the special cycles.
The jeans cycle leaves my jeans wrinkle free. I can wash my wool sweaters and my husbands wool slacks. I've washed my unlined wool jackets. I love the sanitary cycle (heats to 160) for sheets, my husband's underwear and for towels.
I no longer have to hand wash anything.

I would never go back to a top loader.

I'm not crazy about the gas dryer that goes with it because it tends to roll sheets up in a ball.

My DIL has a 2 1/2 year old LG that she loves. She has 4 year old twins and so it has had a real workout.
She cloth diapered.
Two years ago they moved it across town without putting in the bolts because my son didn't understand that he needed to do it before it was moved. After much hysteria from my DIL when she found out, they leveled it and started it up and it is working just fine.
My daughter has a duet , bought it the end of 2007. This washer gets a real workout. She has 2 children and a husband that play sports year round.

She had a major repair, $500 when it was 2 1/2 years old. Whirlpool said tough until she blogged about it and then within minutes of posting the blog, she had a call from whirlpool and they paid for the repair.

I fail to see how merely having a conversation is confrontational. (Hostile)
If anything I am the one being continuously bashed for merely stating my opinion about FL.
Which is fine with me, after many years on forums and such and being both very Liberal and an Atheist my skin is as thick as the Great Wall of China.
I am used to it and doesn't really bother me at all, in fact I get a good laugh out of it.

I couldn't give a ratz arse if you like Fl or not, all I have stated is that I would never buy one because of the inherent design flaws with them.

There are as many "design flaws" involved in toploaders as there may be in frontloaders. Frontloaders are in fact the oldest style of automatic washer. The first automatic on the U.S. market was a frontloader, brand of Bendix, wayyyy back in 1937. There have been frontloaders available under various brands since that time.

This pic is a typical Whirlpool toploader after several years of use.

As I stated in another thread, Nunyabiz1 can't wrap his head around anyone not seeing the world the way he sees it. He decided, after his research, that FL machines are unreliable and almost guaranteed to fail. I don't begrudge anyone their own opinion and, unlike him, would never tell people they were in "factual denial" if they didn't think like me. Obviously he is just the type that has to be right and likes to argue.

I agree, not sure why it bothers him so that most FL users (particularly on this forum) love their machines (assume it's because it goes against his belief). Many of us, users for many years without issue.

@CharterOps, I've heard that story before. Some makes just were not good. If you get the right front loader, I believe you will be very happy with the results.

I used an older top loader this summer at a cottage we were renting and couldn't believe I ever used one. I would never go back. I've been using FL for over 10 years. Most FL are so much gentler on your items. I think even HE TL are rougher on items by the way they must "move" the clothes in the drum (that's why many of them tangle things).

Most front loaders, by their design, are better at cleaning than any other option (TL or HE TL). Even if I thought mold was a remote issue, I'd still take the chance for superior results.

I think early NA made units may have had some design issues (maybe) but NA users were also new to the technology and didn't know how to use them properly. A large part of that problem was manufacturers did little to educate people. I was the earliest adopter of any of my friends and it was much harder 11 years ago to buy the proper detergent. I educated myself early on and have followed the same steps to ensure my machines stay clean without issues.

As for cost, I've stated before that it's our desire to buy things cheaper that is driving quality down (that just seems logical to me). With inflation things should be costing more not less. Our grandparents spend a greater percentage of their income on things (ie. food, cars, appliances, etc).

I read this today so thought I would post - I can't prove the statements but from what I've read, I believe them to be pretty accurate:

"the expected life of today's washing machine has decreased by about 10 years compared to 30 years ago. The under-lying cause being the choice of U.S. consumers to get a washing-machine at the lowest-price-point has caused manufacturers to drastically lower their quality standards to the point where today's machines have shorter life-spans and only one year warranties are offered. Compared to washing machines of the 1970's that lasted about 15 years, adjusted for inflation, the same quality machine would cost about $2300 today. Europeans generally spend two to three times more money for better built laundry machines."

I just had my FL delivered yesterday and spent the day using it. Washer technology sure has advanced since I bought my top loader 20+ years ago. I felt like I was watching a mad scientist wash clothes in the way it constantly adjusted what it was doing. So far I like it. In hindsight I probably wouldn't but the pedestal again and I won't when I finally replace the dryer.

In my research I not only checked forums but I checked manufacturer FAQs and detergent websites. I came to the conclusion that most mold issues are from people that are used to standard top loaders and put in to much detergent or have the mind set that unless they see suds half way up the portal then they don't have enough detergent in it. The detergent websites seem to agree that you should only see the occasional sud splash on the glass. Both the detergent and manufacturer websites both say to only use HE detergent which might be an additional reason for the mold complaints.

Yesterday while learning the machine I had the right amount of persil but when i did one load using purex complete with zout using the bottles recommendation I came back to see 1/2 of the window covered in suds. I'll have to cut back to see if was the detergent or if the comforter I was washing just had a lot of residual detergent left in it from its years of being washed in my old top loader. It was bad enough that I had to stop the washer to add two additional rinse cycles to the comforter.

In the end buy what makes you happy but don't rain on others parade.

@Kappen, in my experience, an item like a comforter isn't really dirty so I would use half (maybe even a little less) than the recommended amount. If there is not dirt and stains the detergent has nothing to work on and you'll get lots of suds.

I also find powders suds less than liquids. Some liquids suds more than others. It's a little trial and error to see what works best for your machine, water chemistry, etc.

What is your new machine? I hope you keep enjoying it. TL are not as good at rinsing as most FL so you may find items that have detergent residue. Sometimes washing those items with no detergent will help remove it.

Good luck!

LOL, like I said, if anything I am being the least confrontational of anyone here. ROTFL

The washer is the entry LG 2140 I think. It does not have an internal heater so I'll have to keep an eye on it, but I only plan on using good powders in it for the most part and make sure I tub clean it monthly. My clothes do seem to be rinsed better though.

you just like to point out others "factual delusion"

yep ... everyone else here must be wrong AGAIN (about you this time) ... ROTFL ...

@Kappen, I meant to point out that proper dosing is important to your machine working well. Because there is so little water in a FL, there is less room for error (than with traditional TL). It's a little trial and error but you'll figure it out. Not all loads need a full dose. Too much detergent can be as ineffective as too little.

@kappen, my parents have the same one (bought it from Lowe's with the maching dryer). My mom loves it. It is her first top load and she is enjoying it a lot.

They have a septic so she appreciates she can do many more loads a day than with her previous TL.

And look at those reviews! LOL ...

160 of 166(96%) customers said they would recommend this product to a friend

You can always buy a product like Lemi Shine and run it through once a month or so to remove any residue that may occur.

I used my mom's about 3 times before my Mieles arrived and I really liked them. I love the lights and sounds from the LGs.

that was my main goal being able to do more per day if needed or just keep the amount of water the old one put out going into the septic, so I looked for a CEE tier 3 above all other qualifications. The other thing I did was install a discharger filter to capture none biodegradable lint which is a lot of what we wear now.

As far as the detergent i think I'm gonna give the purex to my mom and just use powders i was reading a few articles from repair people in the UK and they are having the same issue with smells and molds now in their FLs and some TLs. They blame liquid detergent because most of it doesn't have bleach and the fact everybody is doing laundry in 40c water instead of 60 like they used too. They are even more concerned with the push to start washing everything in 30c water.

livebetter: "I love the lights and sounds from the LGs."

O.k., true confessions time: an unanticipated delight when we installed our Samsung WF419AAW was to discover that at the end of the cycle, the washing machine plays part IV of Franz Schubert's Piano Quintet, d.667 (op. 114), "the Trout." Would we have preferred that it play the Cello Sonata in D Minor of Frank Bridge? Sure, but that probably would have increased the price of the washing machine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Theme & variations

@Kappen, I haven't heard of the discharge filter. I'll mention it to my parents. Makes sense.

I tend to use various detergents; some powder, some liquid. I run the clean machine now monthly with some citric acid based cleaner. I also use vinegar quite often in the rinse which probably helps keep things clean.

I always leave the door open and remove the detergent drawer (at least pop it open when you're done). The nice thing with your LG is you have the magnetic thing on the door so you don't have to leave door wide open (nice feature).

@herring_maven, honestly ... I just loved my mom's LGs. I was considering the WM3885 but decided to go with Miele. Nothing fancy there - German built tanks. I do appreciate things like their enamelled fronts but no cute tunes or flashing lights.

I've never heard the Samsung. They didn't offer a gas dryer in Canada so I never considered them. My girlfriend's sister just got a pair so I'll check them out next time I visit. My cousins also own a pair and love them (they live in another city so I've not seen them in person either).

To answer the original question:
Any washers that work?

I bought the washer that none of you have mentioned. I bought a Speed Queen front loader washer and dryer set. I expect to get a least 10 years of trouble free service out of them, for a family of four. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars more than most washers.

If you can do without the whistles and bell features and multiple cycles, Speed Queen top loader or front load washers are solid choices. You won't see the error codes, fried circuit boards, or plastic parts that you mentioned, because you are buying commercial quality. Speed Queen durability is kind of like what Maytag used to be.

Google: "Alliance laundry test lab videos" to see some of their durability testing.

"Speed Queen front loader washer"

See many things to admire. Do not see on-board heater. Do their models have them?

I know very little about Speed Queen but I did note their FL machines were listed way down on the Consumer's Report list. So far down that some of the TL and TL HE machines had higher scores.

They appeared (at least by CRs report) to have major vibration compared to many other units.

There is also a lot more to clean laundry than a solid machine. While we all want a solid built machine that will hopefully last, I personally am very particular about how my machine cleans.

No use having a machine last you 20 years if your stuff is not that clean or the machine is so rough that your things age prematurely.

I would not put too much faith in the overall ratings of Consumer Reports, it is very misleading to say the least.
Number one is take a look at the machine on the top of their list which to THEM gets the highest score. a "Whirlpool Duet WFW94HEX".
Then look at what Consumer Report "Consumers" actually have to say about that machine, out of 40 reviews on their site more than half of them HATE it with a burning passion and cussed out CR for recommending it.
Then Google that same machine, unless you believe that ALL reviews today are fake and totally made up then you should at least use those reviews that appear legit as a "baseline".
If you see review after review all stating the same problems it is quite likely the machine is not a good choice.

I would use CR only to point out what could be possible flaws, for instance the "vibration problem" in the Speed Queen could be totally valid. Then again it could have been just THAT machine that they used to test with.
But as far as the actual "ratings" of 87 Vs 50 or what ever is virtually meaningless.
In fact most of the better reviewed machines by customers are the ones in the lower rankings.

Here is a link that might be useful: Consumer reports

I purchased a Maytag Neptune washer and dryer May 1, 1999. These are the 2nd models of Neptunes that Maytag came out with. I guess I got lucky.......they have been performing flawslessly since they were installed on that date. I usually do 3-4 loads every week, sometimes more when I do bedspreads, old rags, rugs. With that said, I do take care of the machines: I leave the door open, dry out the boot after finished using the washer. I do at least one hot wash with bleach each laundry day.

Since it was introduced there have been more Whirlpool Duet FL W/D sets sold that any other model. Anyone with experience in web reviews knows that more unhappy folks post then happy ones - it is the nature of the beast. I am sure there have been some duds - we have heard about them here. Some were probably dropped in transit and were never right. The vast majority of complaints are operator error or unreasonable expectations.

Even the venerable Miele has been under fire here lately - GASP! And relatively few Mieles are sold compared to Duets. Nothing is perfect and it seems most things are getting less perfect as time goes on.

FWIW - The last 2 washers we've had were FLs, doubt that will happen again. Neptune trashed itself & I've never been overly satisfied with the Bosch Nexxt 500 we have. Never had a problem with it, just don't think it does that great of a job. I really think it's a too little water issue, but I guess marketing feels like the less water the bigger the brag.

Below is an older article from the UK whitegoods site that explains what exactly is going on. It's from 2008 but I'm sure the manufactures haven't decided to change their ways.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Great Washing Machine Swindle

What I read in that article is you can't get something for nothing (think I've said that here before).

"Of course consumers, looking for lower prices, are given what they ask for in terms of price but it is all too often not pointed out the sacrifices that they are making to obtain the low pricing."

"There is no way around the fact that you can either have performance or economy, you can rarely have both despite the claims made ..."

Manufacturers and retailers are giving consumers what they want ... cheaper prices which equal cheaper goods.

When our grandparents purchased a washing machine, it was a long term item. Now they are disposable. If you factor in inflation, these appliances would be costing way more than they are today. How do people think they make them so cheaply?? Why do they think brands like Miele cost so much more?

You must of missed the parts where companies are taking there top brand names and rebranding their low end appliances with the high end name and selling them at the premium price.

@Kappen, I read the whole thing so I saw it :)

My personal take on it is price. The issue is prevalent in much of the "article".

"Manufacturers follow and a price war ensues giving rise to slogans and campaigns like "Always lowering prices", Price Meltdown amongst others. But are lower prices actually in the interest of the customer if you have to sacrifice so much in order to achieve them?"

I'm unclear who the author of this is, although I note that it links you to a manufacturers website (ISE Appliances) - I'm suspect of that.

"ISE Appliances continues to grow as more people cotton on to all this and want to escape the trap." Sounds like this is ISE's marketing angle. Hmmmm ....

Anyone can post anything on the Internet - no one is policing the information.

Yes of course according to Livebetter basically EVERY word spoken on the internet today is a scam, so is not to be believed at all.
Even though really all that info can be collaborated with other sources.
There ARE a lot of scams of course but lets not paint 100% with that brush just yet.

I have known this has been happening in the US for at least 20+ years so this is nothing new at all.

This is what happens when corporations are allowed to basically do as they please with little to zero regulations.
They monopolize, hostile take overs, and do everything they can to raise stock prices even if that means firing 1000s of employees that have worked for the company for 30 years, close plants here and open several in China or where ever they can get extremely cheap labor.

Globalization in tandem with Republican policies of zero regulation have absolutely destroyed quality products in general.
Most of our problems here in the US started during Reagan era and has gone downhill ever since.
Some lunatic Republicrats or Dixiecrats are also guilty but they are really nothing but Republicans disguised as Democrats, thankfully 58 of them were ousted in 2010.
58 out of the 60 "democrats" ousted were all Blue Dawg democrats, which is why they were voted out.
It is actually the best thing to happen to the democrats in decades.

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""So how do you grow a business within such an environment as seems required to consider a company successful?

Easy, shorten the lifespan of the product.

Think about it, if the replacement cycle was about ten years and you half that to five then you can double your sales. It isn't rocket science.""
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This is largely why companies that are already in places like Korea (Samsung, LG) or China and even Japan because Japan helps its businesses compete by subsidizing them with funds from the government so that the Japanese company can compete with the lower cost of labor and do so without sacrificing much in quality.
These places (except Japan)already have cheap labor, government help, lower operating cost so can afford to give slightly better quality and still be competitive price wise.

Also countries like Germany can still compete because Germany is still a "manufacturing country" they have very skilled labor, create quality products but in general sell to that Niche of customers that will and can still PAY for quality.

The USA is no longer a manufacturing country, we are now a "Service country" we manufacture little and what little we do is crap because the "Middle class" have been squeezed to where now for the average family both parents must work and both working longer hours and pretty much never really retire in order to just pay the bills and survive.

Inflation has sky rocketed while wages have been basically stagnant for the bottom 98% for at least the last 30+ years.
The top 2-5% have seen income soar over 400% while in most cases the bottom 98% are making LESS today than 30 years ago thus they simply do not have the money to buy a quality washing machine that "Could" be made but would cost $3000+ today.

So as far as I am concerned most of these problems are due in large part if not entirely to Republican Reich wing policies that are quite literally destroying the middle class and the poor and giving everything to that tiny fraction at the top. This is what happens with rampant capitalism run amuck the end game will always end up with the very very few owning basically everything while the bottom 98% scrape to survive.

Think about it, if wages and prices today were basically the same as they were in say the 50s then damn near EVERYBODY could easily afford to buy quality products made to last and do so on a single low wage income then we would not be having this conversation.
As it is my wife and I both retired and from a bit higher than average incomes are making about $5000 a month between us and barely able to make ends meet.
If you look at the inflation calculator then you see that with what we make today ($5000 a month) was the same as making over $47,000 a month in 1950.
The average wage in 1950 ($300 a month) had the same buying power then as $2800+ does today.

This is what happens when way too many people are fooled by lies to vote against their own best interest.

Here is a link that might be useful: Inflation Calculator

Another thread gone completely off the rails.

"according to Livebetter basically EVERY word spoken on the internet today is a scam, so is not to be believed at all."

Only a fool would believe every word on the Internet today ... lol.

Of course that's not what I said at all. You're too arrogant to actually read and understand what others are saying. You're the type who is too busy thinking about what you're going to say.

I merely pointed out that anything you read on the Internet needs to be fully understood (who wrote it, what is the motive behind it, etc).

There is way more crap than legitimate stuff out there and anyone reading it needs to understand it's not all fact.

Whether that article speaks the truth or not is tainted by its association with a manufacturer. Their motives are always to sell products.

That's all I was saying and you chose to be an a** again. Well, you're nothing if not consistent.

Hey, here's a thought ... keep your promise to ignore me in the future - we'd all appreciate it.

That website is a associate of appliance repair people at least thats the best I can tell. It has a lot of great articles on it about a variety of appliance issues.

@Kappen, I did a quick tour around today - indeed there are some good articles (although I'm still not clear who is writing them).

I had a chuckle over this one, "Smelly Washing Machines". I particularly liked these lines:

"First let's start with a simple fact, there's no component that can fail to cause a bad odour from inside a washer. Sorry, but it's not a fault with the machine and it will undoubtedly be from some form of external source ..."

Of course, their recommendations are everything I do to maintain my machine and keep it clean. I guess that's why it works :)

FWIW, it appears that they do sell items on that site (under their store area). They do sell the ISE appliances mentioned above.

"This is why there is a limited choice of appliances, as we only sell what we consider to be good, solid and dependable products in each pricing area."

@livebetter I saw they sold parts but there articles seem to be non biased they even list your machines high on their list. My favorite line so far was an article about the electrolux class action suit in the USA over smells and molds.

" Electrolux and its Frontload manufacturer brethren have hooked the American appliance junkies on the Frontload Washers. The machines have gleaming stainless baskets, designer colors and $300 color-coordinated drawers, which raise the washers up so you can look right at the beautiful polished stainless steel shine xiii. Americans, new to Frontload washers, are just learning that their beautiful machines grow mold and bacteria, stink and make clothes washed in them stink. Maybe America will go "back to the future"
and return to buying top-loading washers." Knowing that EU is all about front loaders it just drips a bit with sarcasm. :-)

In the about area they don't say anything about selling machines just spares.

Linda8818,

I have a 2 year old top loading Maytag non Energy Star washer and have liked it well so far. It is a Maytag Centennial MVWC400VW1 and it looks like that exact model is no longer made. Sears delivered it (they had a special on Free Delivery at that time) and installed it and there have been no problems.

When I started shopping for new washer (as the $50 one I bought used was no longer 'swishing' very well) I first decided what I did and did not want.

I wanted a top loader.
I did not need anything super capacity.
I did not need a stainless steel tub, as I've never had any problems with tubs that weren't stainless.
I wanted knobs and push buttons and not something with a brain or a lot of electronics.
I did not need a washer to heat the water to high temps as what came out of the spigot was fine by me.
I wanted a washer where I could choose the water level myself and not one that chose the water level for me.
I wanted one that I could open the lid and throw in a forgotten item without the machine thinking it needed to add water to it on its own.

For me 'simple is good'. To me, the more bells and whistles there are on a washer, the more chances of them going bad and either being costly or hard to get fixed.

Sue

If you want to see an example of a very well built washer then google up the Frigidaire Unimatic from the 1950s and early 1960s. Plenty of videos on youtube. 60 years later,these machines are still running. This was back when Frigidaire was a division of General Motors.

My first washer was a 1980s White Westinghouse front loader. It was built like a tank and washed many a load without issues at all. I stupidly sold it and got a 1st generation Neptune. I suffered break down after breakdown with this Neptune. It was a horrible machine and it earned every bad thing said about it. I finally had enough of it and got rid of it in less than 4 years.

It was replaced by a Miele. It is built solid and has operated for 10 years without any issues at all. It was expensive, but not so much more than the high end junk that is produced by Whirlpool, Electrolux, etc. The problem with those machines, beyond durability, is they are loaded down with useless gimmicky features.

ok wow.

So I was reading some other posts about spin cycle speeds and I realized that my washer was freezing during the spin cycle. I have tried overriding the 'high' spin cycle setting to 'medium', or just using a wash cycle that has a medium or low spin cycle, and I haven't had any problems since. I'm sure I just jinxed myself and it won't work the next time.

When it does finally die, I will take a look at the machines mentioned here, so thanks for the input. You guys are passionate about your appliances.

Any washers that work?

Linda, my Maytag Bravos washer works great! I am truly impressed, have never owned a washer (in more than 30 years of married life) which cleans better and treats our clothes so gently. I've had Bravos for 2 1/2 years now with nary a problme.

I did get the model with the internal water heater because so many washers these days (the vast majority) mix cold water with the hot water even if you choose a "hot" water wash. I wanted a true hot water wash for white cottons, for example.

I am really sorry about your bad experience with the Oasis. A dil has one, and loves it -- she and ds got it at a Sears outlet store, it has a tiny dent at the bottom, and they saved megabucks on it. Evidently you got a lemon, and that's a real shame. I do hope your next washer gives you excellent service for many years. :)

Thanks mara ;)

YES! Miele's work! And they LAST because they are engineered to do 3 loads per day for 20 plus years!

Get on Craigs List in major metro areas closest to you. See if you can find a Miele washer/dryer pair for under $1000. It's fairly easy to do. Make sure they are running and less than 10 years old. (You can check with Miele service to find out the last date a particular model was manufactured.)

If you have to call Miele service for a "thorough refurb" on the washer you'll pay at MOST maybe $400 and that would be bringing it back to brand new condition. The dryer's cost less to refurb. Don't do it if they're working. Wait until / unless you have a problem. Chances are you may wait years for that "problem" to develop.

Lot's of people bought Miele's for $3400 - $4500 for the pair and cannot afford to keep them when they're loosing a house or cars are being repo'ed. Their loss can be your gain. Bargain well, show up with cash and someone to load/haul it. I've seen buyers price things at $2000 for a pair and take $750 in cash when you hold it out and say "it's all I can spend and I'm ready to give it to you right now - if you really want to sell them and if you have no better offer, at least you'll be done with ads, showing them, etc. And I'll get them out of your house right now - today! No waiting for a man/truck to show up. They're already here!" Lot's of times they'll go for it. Worst case, they say no and keep them another month and wind up getting even less than you offered in a month from now! Give it a try. With the durability of Miele's, you can really save some serious bucks and wind up with a great washer/dryer. Good Luck!

I have a Maytag Bravo that I bought in January 2011. Have had nothing but trouble with it. right now it's being repaired, in the second week of being without it and have no idea when I will get it back. Customer service is terrible. This is my 3rd set of Maytags and never spent a dime on the other two sets. Actually, I do like the way the machine works when it works but can't say much for it when it's sitting 20 miles away and my laundry pile is getting larger and larger. It WILL be put to the test when I get it back, that's for sure.

In ref to your Maytag, it is my understanding that Whirlpool has bought Maytag and changed the units lower quality for some reason. Makes sense bc a lot of posts talk about the new Maytags being lemons and how dependable the old ones were?

seawind, yep, should have done more checking before I bought this one. Yesterday I talked to the repair man who has the washer and it will be yet another week before they even get the repairs from the company. This is a very unfunny joke. buyers, beware. BT

ok, so I ended up getting the Samsung 4.7 this weekend during the sale. I went to Sears and they price-matched Best Buy.

It was delivered yesterday and I've used it 3x. So far I am liking it: the clothes (namely blankets) don't get all bunched up and there seems to be more water during the wash and rinse cycles than Oasis. Spin cycle is quiet.

It's only been 24 hours but I am enjoying it while it lasts! It's like a laundry vacation after 5 years of Oasis torture.