why would you want an agitator? All it does is tear up the clothes

more water doesnt mean more clean

I cannot say enough good about my Whirlpool Cabrio top load washer and dryer. They have to be 10+ years old and are still going strong. You do not control the water and there is no agitator. My friend was having so many issues with her beautiful looking front loader, so I recommended the Cabrio and she still loves hers. I bought the stainless drum. It has a huge capacity. I think they were from Home Depot.

Like you, I'm not sold on the HE washers. Never had any problems with clothes being damaged by an agitator and I prefer controlling the speed and water level of the machine.

Have you considered ordering online for the 2017 model or checked the SQ website for dealers in nearby towns? I thought about buying a SQ in early 2018 but decided to wait and let my Whirlpool die. Now wish I had purchased the 2017 model that was on sale.

While I don't own one, I've used it at my BILs and have to say, it made laundry almost fun....;0)

Frustrated with poor performance of his latest energy efficient Maytags, BIL bought a GE Deep Fill, gave his Maytags to his church. He told the appliance salesman (not in a box store) - 'I want a washer that works like the old Maytag 606 models'. Can fill to the brim with water if desired, and an agitator.

This is a large family and we can lean towards following each others suit...appliances, cars, whatever works well for one. There are now 5 GE Deep Fill machines in the family counting the one DH installed for a newly wed nephew on Wednesday. No one has had any complaints about price or performance. Keeping in mind the oldest machine is about 3 years now.

Speed Queen has redesigned their washer and it should be out soon. If you can wait a little while... I think the model is TC5000.

We have an LG top loader and love it. Don't have an issue with water levels or cleanliness.

We have the GE4 4.6 HE Top-load washer that does not have an agitator and it has been great! It's just under $600 new and you can choose a higher water level (deep fill). We wash very dirty clothes in this washer, from having an outside job working around animals - so many different types of dirt/stains/etc. We have never had an issue with it not getting all the soap out.

I am extremely happy with my SQ washer and dryer. I'll check what year it is when I get home and let you know. I did a ton of research before buying and the great majority of reviews of the SQ brand were positive.

The new speed queen classic is just coming out. If I needed a new washer I would get one of those.

Just have to add I love my 2017 Speed Queen. The new "classic" one is very similar.

Nice to hear Speed Queen is coming out with a "Classic" model of the their washers. Reminds me Coke Classic after Coke went and changed their much loved flavoring.

Anyhow, good to hear about SQ. I have the 2016 model and it's really a fabulous washing machine. The one thing I would change is to cut down on the agitation just a bit. It is rough on our laundry and things fray or in some cases, tear prematurely from such enthusiasm.

If I needed a top loader I would for sure get the 2019 Speed Queen. It is back to its old design and is coming to stores pretty soon.

I wish I could wait, but I have no washer at the moment and am needing to purchase soon. Does anyone have a clue when the 2019 SQ's are coming?

I like my 2018 SQ just fine. We’re just washing normal dirty clothes. I did just wash a heavy cotton queen duvet cover and it did that well. I love the 7 year warranty too.

Oh, how I dread that day when my late mother's old Kenmore washer finally bites the dust! She bought it around 1986-87 and I inherited it in 1993. No repairs and other than tangling my huge sheets, it is flawless. I don't want a washer that has no hot water temp available, I don't like front loading, and I don't want it to take 1 1/2 hrs per load to run with 3 TBS of water! Maybe I'll go first...

Consumer Reports top three recommended agitator washers are:

• Maytag MVWB965H
• Maytag MVWB865GW
• GE GTW465ASNWW

However, the LG WT7100CW HE (no agitator) washer was judged to perform better than the agitator washers.

The Speed Queen AWNE9RSN115TW01 and its siblings were dead last due to poor washing performance though SQ washers have a reputation for top-notch reliability.

Anglophilia, if the Kenmore you reference is a direct-drive design, those machines were last produced circa 2010-ish and all major mechanical parts are still available. I've fully refurbed several such machines. You might consider stockpiling some items or outright refurbing the machine now before it breaks down.

If it's the older belt-drive design, those haven't been produced since circa 1986-87 so many parts are no longer available.

https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/AWNE82SP113TW01.html This is the model we have and I am extremely happy with it. It has been replaced with this model which does not get as good reviews.

TR5000WN

Although they don't make that model anymore, I wonder if it's still available at random appliance stores.

We have the Maytag Commerical beast machine (model MVWP575GW) and have been extremely pleased with it. It has old school dials on it (which I appreciate so much as a UI designer - those overwrought touch screen panels are garbage), and the cycles that actuallly use enough water to get your clothes wet are clearly marked. 5 year warranty for parts and labor, 10 year warranty for parts. Basically it's Maytag's answer to SQ (we wanted a SQ but they only had 2018 models, so we were pointed to the Maytag).

OP, you said there were no more Maytag Commerical units in your area, though. Were you going through an appliance dealer? Surely they could call one in.

Thank you all so much for your feedback - it's greatly appreciated! Unfortunately, 2017 SQ's are gone (can't find them anywhere), and same with the May tag Commercial (at least where I'm located). I even purchased a monthly subscription to Consumer Reports which wasn't very helpful as their ratings were inconsistent with user ratings (which I find very important). Because I needed a washer immediately, I moved forward with a basic Whirlpool, which had decent user ratings and gets the job done (and is more than half the cost of a SQ). Whenever the 2019 SQ's and its reviews come out, I look forward to getting one in my future!

Never thought buying a washing machine would be so difficult! Thanks again!

2019 TC5000WN

and unboxing and explanation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fDF2Z40kMQ

Like a commenter above, our 40 year old Kenmore was replaced. I loved that washer. Never, never one issue with it. The machine still worked fine, it's the outside bottom started to rust out and my husband was afraid it would be a huge issue. We should have saved it. 4-5 years ago, we bought an HE Samsung top loader that did not have enough water to rinse the clothes. Took almost 2 hours for a dark extra rinse load. Horrible. Am saving it for the garage. I just purchased a SQ classic model with agitator, 10 year warranty, they have returned! I am looking forward to it. My BF has one and loves it. Good luck! Kenmore, we loved you and didn't appreciate truly how hard you worked!

"why would you want an agitator? All it does is tear up the clothes"

I've never had an agitator tear up clothing or any other fabric items in thirty years of washing clothing and linens for nine people. What do you mean by this statement? What are you trying to sell?

WP/KM direct-drive machines from circa 1981 to ~2010 were known for aggressive agitation (on high speed) and could damage clothing in *some* circumstances. They were modified a few years into production for the normal cycle to shift to low speed for the last several mins of the wash period, and then 3-speed models had the middle speed (which is the same as low on 2-speeders) designated as normal/regular agitation, with the highest speed as "heavy duty."

Overloading a machine with an agitator can cause the damage to the clothing.

"Elizabeth: Overloading a machine with an agitator can cause the damage to the clothing. "

Driving whilst intoxicated can cause accidents. The point being, when you do the wrong thing, bad things happen. Don't drive drunk and don't overload your machine. There - problem solved. I've had TL for more than 40 years, and I never had damaged clothes.

The redesigned SQ TR is basically the front load guts turned upright .. the agitator is not really an agitator. Success with the newer top loaders depends on how dirty the items and how many go in. My bath towels are not really dirty -- but my car rags are (I'm a clean car freak). If all I ever did was bath towels .. the new tops are fine. Dirty and fill the same way as an old Whirlpool agitator model ... they don't come clean. Front loaders have the benefit of the tumbling ... SQ brought back the original model w/ matching dryer -- it's the TC5. Has two fill setting .. and a few others that I believe are designed to get around the water use rules. It's expensive at $1100 .... but your grandkids will have it. Or hunt down a used Whirlpool or Kenmore set -- pre 2010. My mid 90's dryer just died ...

How come you're so set on a top loader? There are some great front-load washer and dryers out there. Save a lot of water that way!