What are the good/bad brands to get today in 2023? (the old thread I found was 2015)

Currently have a 2016 GE top loader (no agitator), about 15% of the time i am manually dumping extra water into it.  It does not have that ‘deep fill’ or ‘add a gallon’ feature.  Its still running fine, but looking to replace it as at 8 years its nearing end of life, and with the new restrictions coming out soon all new models will be garbage. 

Had a front loader before this but didn’t really like it.  Getting another top loader would be fine as long as it has the add-extra-water feature. 

I see Whirlpool has a top loader with removable agitator, but they seem to be the only brand making this feature.  That feature looks great, as I can pull out the agitator for bulky items (wash alot of blankets from my dogs), and use the agitator for clothes, and it has the deep-fill. 

How is Whirlpool today? (i heard they bought maytag).  Or are the LG or Samsung top loaders better?

The problem with LG is their warranty looks great, until you try to find someone who is approved to work on them.

Having said that, I have a 7 year old LG front loader that is not having any issues - touch wood.

We have a GE top loader with ‘deep fill’, and no agitator. Works great and we’ve been happy with it. It’s about 2 years old. 
 

As far as I know, GE appliances have good customer support too. 
 

I was cautioned against LG due to service issues. 

How handy are you?

Here's my $.02 on my LG experience.

We have LG front loading washer and dryer purchased in 2006.  Both have needed repairs over the years.  The dryer died with about 8 years of service and we replaced it with almost the same model.  It's gas and at the time I didn't want to mess with it.

The washer was trouble free until about 2 years ago when we got a code for the temperature sensor.  This was a cheap part and relatively easy fix.  Then early this year it began to sound like a freight train on spin cycle to the point there was a burning smell.  This was a progressively worsening noise that got louder over time.  Did some Googling and figured out it's the bearings and watched a few YouTube videos on how to replace them.  This required disassembling the entire unit... not the easiest of jobs.  I needed my wife to help get the tub out and then I spent 2 days getting the old bearings out without damaging the tub.  Got it all back together and it's about as quiet as it was new.

While I had it apart I noticed date stamps on parts from 2005!  I was also impressed with how the unit is put together/designed giving me confidence should I have to ever work on it again it wasn't as bad as I initially anticipated.  It looks intimidating when you get the cover off and while there are a bunch of screws and hoses and other small parts I just labeled everything as I went.  I did suffer a few scrapes on my arms along the way as there are sharp bits all over the inside. 

Before the front loader we had a top loader that lasted almost 8 years before we replaced it with this one.  They don't make them like they used to and seem to have an engineered lifespan.

Maytag probably has the longest warranty but that is only for parts and doesn't cover accidental damage (think some object left in the clothing causing damage.)

While my LG dryer didn't last as long as I hoped the washer has been a champ and wasn't too bad to fix when it had problems.  Though I'm sure if I had to pay someone to fix it for me I would probably just gone ahead and purchased something new.

Top loaders seem to last a little longer but also seem to require more maintenance over the years.  6 in one, a half dozen in the other, I really don't have a preference for front or top as my wife does most of the laundry.  When we purchased these I'm sure it was based on aesthetics and features as we didn't know one brand from another.  My wife mentions she likes the front loaders are easier on her back.

I guess we have been lucky with our LGs?  I don't know but we are fairly happy with them and would probably buy them again.

We had a GE washer with no agitator and it sucked.  Not only dd it not clean clothes, it kept breaking down and needed a special detergent.  When we gave up on the washer, I went shopping at used appliance shops that also carried commercial laundromat machines.  I bought an old school Whirlpool that was the same as a commercial machine, but without the coin slots.  It's been chugging along for 12 years with no issues.

In today's GND appliance market, you have two choices for a machine that will actually work.  An expensive front loader or an older refurbished commercial machine.

We just bought these this spring:

WT7400CV by LG - 5.5 cu.ft. Mega Capacity Smart wi-fi Enabled Top Load Washer with TurboWash3D™ Technology | Mrs. G Appliances (mrsgs.com)

DLG7151M by LG - 7.3 cu. ft. Ultra Large Capacity Rear Control Gas Energy Star Dryer with Sensor Dry | Mrs. G Appliances (mrsgs.com)

My in-laws have had the same set for 12+ years with minimal issues, so we used them as a test case.

 Old school washing machines lasted 20+ years.  

On 8/8/2023 at 8:56 AM, SW9racer said:

How is Whirlpool today? (i heard they bought maytag).  Or are the LG or Samsung top loaders better?

Whirlpool bought out Maytag about 15 years ago.

 LG and Samsung have a high percentage of Chinese built components, some of them are even assembled there.

Whirlpool/Maytag FL's are good. Easy to get parts and service and USA built. 

Speed Queen TC5 if you want a deep fill, no lid lock, classic top loader that will last 20 years.

1 hour ago, silverado427 said:

 Old school washing machines lasted 20+ years.  

My set that was just replaced this Spring was exactly 20.  I only ever had to replace the agitator's plastic sprocket.  Never had any other issues until the end when the washer wouldn't drain.

For top loaders, Consumer Reports shows several LG models as the best for performance and reliability.

LG WT7150CW Was a top choice.

We've had a Maytag Centenial MCT (Maytag Commercial Technology) for probably over ten years.  It's a top loader.  Past few years I've had to fix it a few times but the parts aren't expensive and plenty of YouTube videos out there to walk you through common repairs.  I would buy another one.

We gave a GE dryer.  It's even older.  Have also replaced a few parts here and there on it as well. 

I would buy either one again.  

As others stated, check out the "scratched and dented" area of your local appliance shops. We've purchased all our appliances from "U-Needa Appliances" in Raritan for over 20 years now.  Many we've bought from their "scratched and dented" basement and saved a substantial amount.

 

 

Very happy with Speed Queen. Daughter has washer & dryer for 6 years no problems, we've had same set for 3 years.

i only looked at a couple posts.......i don't know answers to the question.....but my washer's still from the late 70's early 80's. i'd say it's lasted pretty well.

On 8/8/2023 at 1:27 PM, silverado427 said:

 Old school washing machines lasted 20+ years.  

My mother's Maytag was still going after 30 years.

We have a >30 yo Westinghouse top loader. It recently  tried to crap out on us, and I was ready to buy a replacement. After reading over 100 reviews on about a dozen "top-rated" washers, and noting the many, many complaints about "green" "water saving" machines that don't get clothes clean because of the lack or water (duh!), I contacted a local repair shop. They came out and completely rebuilt our washer for a total cost of about $450. Yeah, that isn't much less thatn the cost of a new machine, but 6 months later it is still going strong, and our clothes get clean.

I see people saying go maytag. I had an absolute shit experience with maytag top loading HE washer. It last 2 years and sucked every minute of that.

My $0.02

If you are going HE, front load is the only reasonable option, and you should be getting a direct drive front loader to boot. My LG has been going strong for about 9 years now, but it is a direct drive. 

If you insist on a top loader, you do not want an HE top loader if you can avoid. it. The general consensus is that if you want a non HE washer, speedqueen top loaders are the last best choice. 

My Bosch front loader is going on 15 yrs strong.  My wife absolutely loves it.