Are you set on getting a front load? I ask because I just replaced a Kenmore front load with a Speed Queen TC5, and I am so happy I did. I love the deep fill option, the true hot water washes, and the fact that even the heavy duty cycle doesn't take forever.

Thank you for asking, because no, I am not set on a front load. I will definitely put this one in the running. I think getting personal recommendations from washers and dryers is so much better than trying to read all of the reviews online!

Any idea why some love front load over top load? I don’t know a lot about the differences.

In December I bought a Speed Queen FL Here is a link to my initial observations.

Five weeks in and I am still happy with it. Clothes come out very clean and rinsing capability still impresses me; it is light years better than our previous FL washer. Lack of internal water heater is the only "con" and for us is not a problem. We survived for decades without one in our conventional top load washers.

@thekeller4, be aware the Speed Queen TC5 agitator toploader has no control for multiple load sizes. The cycles have two fill levels. Approximately 1/2 to 2/3 (depending which cycle) as the default. 3 to 4.5 gals more with the Deep Wash option selected. The minimum to wash a single item is around 26 gals total. Some users are OK with that depending on concerns for water consumption, or if they don't wash small loads.

Speed Queen! TC5. I had a Maytag before that had multiple issues. When it started electrifying the water lines and tripping the breaker we got rid of it. (don't believe me? my husband didn't either until he got out his voltage meter :) )

I LOVE the Speed Queen. In any other washing machine I'd have to scrub out my microfiber floor cloths to get them clean looking. They now come out looking brand new and all I do is toss them in. And the wash cycles are fast! I just need the Maytag dryer to break.

My husband was dead set on getting one. Says the guys at work rave about them (not that they are using them) and others wished they'd talked their wife into one when the "fancy machine with the bells" started having problems within a year.

Edit to add - and the tub isn't as deep as others which is nice since I'm only 5'3". Very easy to get all the cloths out of the tub.

Wow! I’ll have to look into this one for sure!

I bought a top load GE commercial quality washer 1 month ago and couldn’t be happier. It has 4 water settings plus an auto sensor - if you want to conserve water. I can choose water temperature plus add extra rinse. My clothes come out cleaner without knotting together as they did in my previous energy efficient washer. I choose the GE over the Speed Queen due to small tub size on Speed Queen. A set of king sized sheets did not fit in the Speed Queen in a single load.

gigi, I put king sized sheets in my top load Speed Queen often. They fit here.

I am very satisfied with my 2017 Speed Queen TL (analog). It is built like a tank and has been trouble free. I had Front load washers for over 16 years. I never say I would never go back to one, but I do not miss them. It is just personal preference, and for our household, this TL works well. If I had a digital 2017 or a later model SQ I would most likely be not as happy.

I am also ecological and environmental minded. I am aware that my TL uses more water than the average FL washer, but I am very careful with total water usage in and outside of our home. Same with electricity and gas. Once again, this is what works for our household and my preference. Choosing the right washer for your household is an important decision. This is such a great place to come and hear all sides and experiences.

20 year old Whirlpool FL was fine, although a bit of a blunt tool. Enjoying Miele W1 now (FL). FL for all the reasons already mentioned.

Yes, my 35 year old Maytag was the best. Unfortunately they don’t make them like that anymore. My very knowledgeable salesman explained the differences between The Speed Queen models and how they have changed, even in the last couple of years. The Speed Queen tub looked much smaller. He said many people had complained that they were unable to wash a set of king size sheets in one load. I was concerned about tub size, so that was deal breaker for me. Love my new GE commercial home washer.

@gigi121, thanks for this input. Hmmmm...that's too bad because Speed Queen's have such a great reputation. Everyone needs to wash sheets, so what are all of the Speed Queen fans doing for sheet washing? There must be multiple sizes? What GE model/make do you have?

Current Speed Queen toploaders are all rated 3.2 cu ft, which is the same as Whirlpool direct-drives of the late 80s into the 2010s (some Kenmore models were rated 3.5 cu ft with a different agitator auger that was spring-loaded to press the load down). I can easily get two sets of queen size sheets in one of my 3.0 cu ft toploaders so surely a SQ can handle one set of king size sheets.

Another vote for the Speed Queen TC5 - It's like the old Maytag - Normal loads are done in 28 minutes instead of 50 or 60 for a front loader. I got rid of my front loader and got the Speed Queen - So So happy with SQ. No mold problems, like the front loaders. No need to leave the door and detergent dispenser open to prevent mold build up. No problem washing king size sheets in the Speed Queen. It may not have the total capacity of a front loader, but with loads done in half the time you can do two if you have to. I will NEVER have a front loader again.

@gigi121 - I have NO problem washing my king size sheets in the Speed Queen - None.

Thank you for this clarification. Out of curiosity, would the Speed Queen fit a King Size comforter as well?

I don't think a king comforter would fit. That's why I have a duvet cover - However, I never even put my queen (when I had one) in. I wanted the largest front loader so I went to the laundry mat. It wasn't a big deal for me as I didn't need to do it that often.

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t fit king sized sheets in your washer. I’m sure there are many models. I was looking at a new speed Queen top loader with an agitator. I asked about tub size because it looked much smaller, than my old Maytag. The salesperson stated that the tub on that particular model was much smaller than other washers. I was simply sharing my experience and appreciate you sharing yours.

thekeller4- It is called GE commercial quality. Just says commercial quality on top. Doesn’t give model # on top. Long model # inside. For what it’s worth, I’m not a speed Queen hater. But I have been extremely pleased with my purchase and saved $300, which I consider a win for me.

GE commercial quality is a marketing term. The only way anyone can find and buy the exact machine you have, with the same features and operational characteristics, is via that long model number stated on the model/serial tag. That's what you should share when someone asks which GE washer is yours.

I love my LG washer and dryer set. Works great, no issues! I loved it so much, that I puchased a LG dishwasher, TV and portable air conditioner. They all function wonderfully too.

I'm happy with my Whirlpool Duet front loader. I researched here a lot before purchasing it around 2009 and have had no problems in those 13 years. It was designed and made in Germany, is built like a tank, and has a water heater. With the drought we have here in CA, it would pain me to use 26 gallons of water for a load of laundry. Water itself doesn't clean, it just allows soils removed by detergent and agitation to be rinsed away.

I love that I can wash my king size bedding, including duvet cover, along with a queen set, and never have an unbalanced load like I did all the time with my old TL. I also wash my huge king-size down comforter every few years with no problems at all. (Drying it is the much bigger chore.) Also, I love using the water heater to sanitize bedding for that super-fresh smell and feel.

The only things I would change about my washer would be to have more control over the water temp, time, and speed. The cycles of my machine have energy-saving limits that at the time made it eligible for some big subsidies. So the Normal cycle "Hot" setting mixes in some cold water, making it barely warm. (I have measured it with my Thermoworks and talked with Whirlpool CS.) I'm a big believer in the power of heat to clean oily soils and reduce/kill germs and dust mites, so I never use cold washes or even warm unless the fiber is super-delicate to heat, like cashmere or silk. I like to get fabrics clean with heat and time, and keep the agitation as gentle as possible, but the cycles on my washer combine high heat with fast agitation. I use some workarounds (mostly the Bulky cycle), but would love to be able to set temp, time, and agitation speed manually.

But all my fabrics get just as clean as they did with my old top loader. Cleaner, when using the heater cycles, for sure.

Our LG gas dryer is fine, though we have repaired it maybe 4 times, and it needs another repair right now. I don't think there is anything bad about LG in particular, but probably the super-high capacity of both the washer and dryer make for some very heavy loads that wear out the belts and drum rollers faster. Dryers are pretty simple machines, and they all seem pretty much alike to me. If someone could make a dryer with a lint filter that catches ALL the lint and doesn't let ANY of it get into the duct, I would buy it.

I used to dislike the chore of doing laundry, until I read the history of laundry in the book Home Comforts (recommended here), about wealthy Europeans shipping their laundry to the Caribbean, and less wealthy trying to wash fabrics in cold rivers in the winter. Now, I think about the awesomeness of ANY laundry appliance every time I use them, with gratitude.