The Speed Queen resedential washers being sold today are not the units they used to sell in the 80s-90s. From what I have gathered which may be wrong Speed Queen units were rebadged Amanas for the home. Speed Queen is under a different company and went back to an older more proven design that is very close to what they sell commercially.

Everything I heard about the Speed Queens being sold today from dealers, repair people and even the delivery guys are that they are very reliable.

Thanks for your reply, briant. Speed Queen looks really good to me but I risk losing a long-time,valued repairman over the issue. I think I'll try to get repair data from Speed Queen Co. directly.

Check out their website, they have a 3yr warranty.

I just bought a used 4 yr old FL SQ and love it.

Its way better than the Whirlpool Duet that I have now in my garage, its only 4 months old.

A few questions -
1) Have you gone to speed queen website for service centers nearby you?

2) Does the dealer selling speed queen service them?

3) They do have a 3 years parts/labor, so you shouldn't need to pay a service guy until the end of year 3.

I understand wanting to keep someone you trust in the loop but if he hasn't been brought up to speed on SQ design then he probably would not be a good bet to attempt servicing those products. Whirlpool and new Maytags are pretty standard builds that should have good parts availibity.

You will enjoy the SQ MUCH more. It has the spin drain instead of neutral drain like Wpool which for me means cleaner clothes. It also has a suspension system that keeps the load from banging and walking if off balance/Wpool doesnt, they just knock/bang and walk till you stop it.
I think the Wpool would be a good machine just not as much so as the SQ. The SQ is a heavier washer and also spins faster than the Wpool.
My sister has a SQ and has had no problems at all. They are just simple sturdy machines.
If they were so bad, how could the company give the warranty they do??? Whirlpool is 1 year on everythign as far as I know. SQ is 3 years on everything, then 10 years on the transmission, 5 years on rust, lifetime on the tubs. Also SQ uses a metal outer tub and a stainless steel inner tub where Wpool uses a plastic outer and a porcelain inner.
Dont think you will regret the SQ. Ask your dealer if you try the SQ and dont like it if he will exchange it for a Wpool. Dont worry about the repairman, he might be retired by the time the SQ quits!!

Thanks everyone, for all your helpful advice.

I called Speed Queen (Alliance-Ripon, WI). They couldn't have been nicer. Explained their history, tech. specifications, everything. EXCEPT.. they said they didn't have reliability data. I find that surprising.
However, when I asked about repairability and whether a talented homeowner could make repairs, if necessary, the answer was yes.
Not only is it servicable completely from the front- they do sell a repair manual and a DVD that shows how.
I'm going to take another look at SQ at the dealer.

It's true, although my dependable repair guy seems pretty robust now, I suppose he could retire in the future, or leave me for a better customer. But he's really been great.

Perhaps Speed Queen can fill in where Maytag left off.

For decades, buying Maytag meant paying more but getting something of high quality.

Around 1997 the bonehead management at Maytag discovered that selling junk with the Maytag name on it resulted in huge profits. And the company with a proud 100 year history was destroyed in just 10 years.

curiousshopper, it sounds like there may have been a change of ownership and/or management around that time. I've seen changes at Wal*Mart since Sam Walton died.

All I can say about Maytag now is that I love my HE TL Bravos washer and dryer. Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2006.

Speed Queen's current machines are simple, built like a tank, and easy to repair.

My parents own a cattle ranch in Montana. I went to visit, and Mom was glad I was there because her 6-month old Speed Queen (that I sold her) was"making a horrible noise" and wouldn't drain. Since she's about 50 miles from the nearest servicer, I popped the front panel off, and noticed that the belt was slipping on the pump, which appeared to be frozen.

I took the pump apart (a very simple process), and took out the nail that was stuck inside. Reassembly took about 5 minutes, and it's been flawless since. I know that everyone can't do this, but I was very impressed with the simplicity and heavy duty build of the machines.

It cleans well and is simple to operate. Of course it uses more water than HE models, but reviews say that HE doesn't always clean as well as full agitator models.

Had new SQ dryer installed last week. It works well on timed cyle. Test load took under 30 mins. Test load on automatic took over 75 minutes, at which time I stopped it.

Now my old reliable washer is acting up from the re-installation. The new serviceman came back and fixed a leak but replaced the tub off kilter. We had to shut the gas today because we think there's a leak from the new dryer. So I'll need to call service again.

I was researching cost of new washer parts and found that SQ parts ARE more expensive. SQ pumps are listed as plastic(!) and are one of the items SQ rep. said may require replacement from time to time (as well as belts). New pumps are over $200 without labor.

I miss my old repair guy- but I was unfaithful, and no longer worthy of his attention.
Hope the new guy is worth it!

Hi Suz,
I got a speedqueen washer last week (model 76) & like it very much. I think you will be happy with it.
After it came, it was making a little squeek with the agitator & I called SQ. They said there was a notice out about needing more grease on the agitator with my serial number (my luck). I called one of the service companies listed & the next day a very nice fellow came out & took off the agitator, added a little more grease & no more squeek.
I don't think it's any different repairing this machine than any other. I don't know about the prices after the warranty ends. I have a service company that I use with a contract on all my older appliances & I'm sure they can repair speed queens too.
I found out about SQ washers from this web site. After reading about all the new machines and the problems with them, I think I made the best choice for me from the regular top loaders out there.
Since I was getting a top loader I knew I didn't want any electronics. I like being able to stop it & add extra time,etc.
I do have a Miele dishwasher with all electronics that I love, but I got it because it did have lots of rinses on it. (Anyway it did 3 years ago, who knows how they're made today.)

I am having a problem with my SQ washer recently purchased(4-28-11) 4 times since i have used thewasher when I go back downstairs to get the clothes out of the dryer I notice that the washer time is making a humming noise and i have to pull? the timer out to stop the cycle. I realize once or twice could be human error,but 4 times there is a problem ..any susggetions on where I should go with this

How much does the top of the line Speed Queen washer top loader cost and how big it is........could anyone answer that question for me? Thank you !!

Hi, classylady2121. We bought our Speed Queen 2 yrs ago Mar 31, 2014 $650 it washes as much in one load as our large frontloader did, and it was suppose to wash 16 pair's of levi jeans in 1 load. Which was mix of baby med and large together... Misleading at best.....

On Mar. 31 2014 I was so excited to finally get a washer that would give enough water to actually rinse soap out of clothes and also not braid clothes together. That makes it hard with a bad back and neck.

I have posted about my horrible frontloade washer experience about 5 yrs? ago... I have bought 3 washers since... Anyway at 2am that morning after setting up our washer and dryer I got the worse call of my life. My son was killed in a car accident, he and his wife just celebrated 1 yr anniversary day before and had 2 month old baby. So now everyday I do laundry I have that awful reminder!

I can say my new washer works great, too much so that my clothes are wearing out so bad within 2 years I need all new clothes, towels etc. I don't know why it's wearing them out. The dryer I purchased at the same time works very good too. But between them both the lint catcher is full of lint every time I do laundry. I have not called to find out why because I feel like they will just say they can't find anything wrong... I'm just wore out....

Good luck on your new purchase... Sorry for the story behind my new washer purchase...

Marie......first of all I am so sorry on the death of your son. I understand only too well about losing a loved one as I lost my husband 17 months ago tomorrow to cancer after fighting a hard battle for 9 months. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Does your washer have a speed control on it so you can turn the agitator down assuming that the Speed Queens have agitators. I have heard that some front loaders wear your clothes out faster also. Also, do you wash your clothes in cold water. I wash all my clothes in cold water most of the time except for the whites if they are real dirty. I have had my Sears washer/dryer since the 90s and I pray that they will last awhile longer. The Sears guy said washer and dryers are made poorly now so that you will have to replace them every 3 to 4 years and he is the one who told me about Speed Queen when I had to replace them so I decided that I had better start investigating. Thank you so much for all your help. I appreciate it so very much.

Mamapinky0.......thank you also for your information and I will check that website out. I appreciate your information also. Take care to all !!

I bought a Speed Queen TL last month, along with a matching dryer, and I am enjoying them a lot. They aren't the top of the line though. I wanted the knobs instead of the electronic buttons, so I went for AWN432. Both pieces together were $1700 here in California. That included delivery and set-up.

Marie and classylady, I am so sorry for your losses! I can't imagine how difficult that would be and I pray that I never know.

Marie, maybe you should use a shorter cycle and see if that is sufficient to get the clothes clean. I know what you mean, though. I feel like my new SQ is not as gentle as my last washer. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. I like the way it gets the job done so far.

janen49.

Thank you.

I do use light cycle. I switched to delicate the other day I'm hoping it will be more gentle.

classylady2121

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. I too lost my first husband to accident also. I was lucky to find my 2nd and last husband.

I try to remember to switch backto cold water, but do often forget to switch after washing husbands work clothes in hot. I do like Speed Queen after having tried 5 front loaders and 1 other top loader. Way too many in last 25 years. I think it will last the next 25. Good luck to you.

In the end you really have to choose what your comfortable with, and what you like. From an old school perspective the SQ is really the only machine out there, but very basic and somewhat pricey. I wouldn't be close minded to the newer technologies either. While there is a learning curve, the end results are excellent. I also wouldn't close the door on a modern FL. Once you get through the learning curve, you will never go back to a TL. SQ is built with heavier grade materials, but that certainly doesn't speak to overhaul reliability. Whirlpool has always made quality products, easy to fix, easy parts availability. The days of the 20 year machine are over regardless of whom makes it. Spend less, replace more frequently. Spend more, replace as frequently. Spend what you need to get the job done and that's a happy medium.

it cost a lot to buy a speed queen here in canada,which is called Huebsch,but they are the same washer,as they are not allowed to sell them in canaa with the name speed quen,i love my washer,my cost time i got it here in newfoundland canada cost me..1,693.00 thats a good chunk of change,i got the zwnf32A

Verna I'm also Canadian (Alberta). You're right the Huebsch (SQ) machines are expensive! What model did you purchase? Are you happy with it? I also recently purchased a Huebsch washer and dryer set from a local appliance store. They were delivered 2 days ago and I have to say...I'm in love! It cleans so much better than my previous GE Hydrowave washer. I'm loving the quicker wash cycles as well. I had my eye on this set for 2 years. Just had to wait for my GE to die first and it did- 3 years and 2 months after purchase. 2 months after extended warrantee was up. :( Would of been $400 to repair. The machine originally was $575. For the Huebsch set, I chose the top loader, mechanical control model with the extra rinse switch (432). I paid $2299.00 CDN plus tax. I've got a large family and we've been through several washers in the past 10 years-Whirlpool duet FL, LG Tromm FL, and GE Hyrdowave TL. None of which held up to long term with frequent use. Very frustrating, inconvienent and expensive. They sure don't build appliances nowadays like they used to. I find the drum size in the Huebsch plenty big enough for large loads because it fills up with water. Although my GE Hydrowave had a bigger drum, that was deceiving, because it only half filled with water, even on the super large setting, so you couldn't fill the drum all the way up with clothes because the top ones wouldn't even get wet, let alone clean, so I was limited to medium sized loads in the GE anyways.

Think the GE hydrowave is what I bought last summer, sent it back after a dew days with lemony scented issues lol...I had a short hose hooked up to the water inlet valve to fill it the rest of the way. Ya the drum was deceiving..but it had a beautiful drum and I loved the agitatior action..I would have liked to have kept it even having to add more water but it wasn't in the cards.

I think today Mama would remind this recommendation of Speed Queen. I know I would.

Remind? Or withdraw? Mama's SQ turned out to be a lemon.

From my research Speed Queen washers are basically good machines, however that being said...if you happen to get a SQ lemon or have a problem with this brand...you need to be absolutly sure that your dealer will send a qualified service tech to repair and not a quack with a bad bedside manner and no knowelage of the basic simple design of on old skool machine. And forget asking SQ for help if your dealer and service tech can't help you because Speed Queen with all their promises will NOT do anything other than tell you...call your quack of a service repairman since after this machine left our plant and went to the dealer and than ended up in your house it became your problem..not Speed Queens.

I love my SQ. I bought the basic TL to replace a very fancy Bosch. I won't go back to a FL. I'd forgotten how simple the old TL units were. I am delighted with mine. It does the job quickly, without fuss and my clothes, towels and sheets aren't wearing out any faster. They do smell better than they did with the Bosch.

Mamapinky0 is having an issue with her SQ and is understandably frustrated. She has a lemon of a repairman and a dealer that hasn't done the right thing and is no longer cooperative. Neither of those are SQ's fault. She says that she has had this repairman out so many times that Alliance Laundry auditing department has noticed because he has ordered so many replacement parts. Hopefully, she will get the unit replaced when she contacts Alliance Corporate and asks for satisfaction.

"She has a lemon of a repairman and a dealer that hasn't done the right
thing and is no longer cooperative. Neither of those are SQ's fault."

Not entirely true. SQ is endorsing the dealer by way of allowing him to sell their products and be an authorized warranty servicer.

dadoes,

Until she tells Alliance Laundry directly about her problems, they can't address them. I've thrown out repairmen who couldn't do their jobs correctly. It's long past time to get another repairman for this unit. Her current repairman may be a nice guy but he doesn't know what he is doing and is slowly rebuilding this machine.

Her dealer has already taken one set of machine's back from her. The SQ set is the second brand that they have sold to her. She may have had serious problems with both units. We don't know. Sometimes the stars will align that way. It's possible the dealer is incompetent, just tired of dealing with her or a being a jerk.

I think the dealer should replace the unit without question. I don't understand why he hasn't already. In order for her to be satisfied, she has to take this to the next level to get satisfaction. That means contact with Alliance both verbal, via email and written. Until she does that, the dealer isn't going to do the right thing.

The good news is the unit is still under warranty. The sad news is it could be a really simple fix, but she doesn't have a repairman that is capable of a diagnostic to find out.

Meanwhile, she has a pile of dirty laundry that is growing. I think we can all agree that is frustrating as get out. The irony is if she goes to the laundromat to do a load of clothes, the laundromat will probably be using a Speed Queen.

My understanding is that the repairman involved is from the dealer from which she bought the SQ machine (a local "mom-and-pop" store). I thought she also has already spoken with SQ/Alliance via phone and possibly corresponded via e-mail, and was referred back to the dealer of purchase. I know she has had multiple machines bought and returned but apparently I've not caught that this SQ dealer was the source of one of the other machines. Perhaps Mamapinky can clarify again how many different machines she has tried, from where they were purchased, whether the SQ repairman is from the selling dealer or is independent or from some other company, and what's the history of contact with SQ/Alliance.

I have never bought from this dealer until this set of SQ's...when I bought this washer its the first time I had ever been in that store.

I have already contacted Speed Queen 4 times, long and lenghtly conversations..my last call they flat out told me that that once the machine goes to the store and I buy it all issues are the dealers responsability. He wasn't rude about it in fact he said it sounds like I've a lemon on my hands and in his opinion a new replacement should be given to me BUT I have to go thru the proper channels to accomplish that. I have to speak to my dealer and he has to speak to the repair man who has to tell him what parts have been replaced yet a problem still exists and he doesn't know what the problem is....I have spoken to the dealer....this is where my problem is..the repairman says he can fix my machine and the dealer already knowing the parts replaced and the new ones ordered chooses to believe the repairman knows what he's doing...in otherwards the dealer bought the machine from SQ..I bought it from the dealer...SQ won't help me but they will help the dealer..the dealer won't ask SQ for help and SQ won't help me because I didn't buy it from them...sounds to me like SQ found a nice loop hole...a way to get out of helping us consumers. I am writing letters..and I am calling SQ back tomorrow...I'm also going into the dealers tomorrow.

I am able to use the washer..kind of. It spins out if it feels like it. It often goes into spin and just at the point where it should pick up speed it slows down almost to a stop. I wait awhile turn it back to spin and try again..yes I've got some done but its piling up majorly.

My last new washers last summer came from Sears a GE TL which was clearly broken, they replaced it..with a used one which was headed to be reconditioned and than to Sears Outlet, no one knows how it ended up in my laundry room. Than the LG FL which gently rocked back and forth for 12 hours, sears said a tech could come out in 3 weeks..I didn't have 3 weeks so I told them to come get their lemon out of my house.

That's how I understood and recalled the situation. So, the repairman is an independent, does not "belong" to the selling dealer but the dealer selected him?

Speed Queen stepped up. Mamapinky0 is getting a new washer tomorrow. They told her that they had been working on a new machine with the distributor for the last few days. The good guys win.