Off topic: I don't like my washing machine

kl8ton

A nice little write up:
http://time.com/money/4688676/speed-queen-best-washing-machine-american-made/

Some excerpts:

Speed Queen is a Wisconsin-based brand — and yes, they build all of their washers here in the U.S. of A. — that’s been around for 100 years, but don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of them. They don’t run any national advertisements, and you won’t catch one of their washers in a big-box store.

Radtke says the significant price difference is due to the quality of materials used and the engineering that goes into Speed Queen machines. “You’re paying for metal instead of plastic. We could build a cheaper machine, but you’re buying a metal product with a metal tub, metal transmission and a lot of engineering behind it,” he says.

Then there’s the longevity factor. Radtke says Speed Queen’s units are tested for 25 years — that’s a total of 10,400 loads if you’re running the eight loads a week typical for many families. And there are plenty of anecdotes in product-review listings and online forums of machines that have kept on truckin’ for 40 years. “It sounds like a cliche, but the equipment I have in my house is from the mid-to-late 1980s,” Radtke says.

poster

Lg front load pair here and so far they work well, My electric rates dropped noticeably as well after install. It could have been that the dryer drum had no seal left though. I was told the HE top loads without the agitator have issues getting clothes wet all the way through as gravity isn't helping with the tumble, but that was from a salesman. The top loads where more money though, maybe not as much commission, who knows

Teefus

Fisher & Paykel. We've been using our top load set for 10 years. Reliable as a hammer. The spin cycle goes so fast it nearly dries the clothes. They spend about half the time in the dryer compared to a "regular" laundry set.