My thoughts on Speed Queen

[panasonicvac]

Speed Queen for those of you who don't know is a laundry brand that is manufactured and headquartered in Ripon, Wisconsin. Speed Queen is famously known for making durable and reliable commercial washers and dryers like the ones that you would find at laundromats, hotels, or apartments. But they also make commercial grade washers and dryers for residential use. When I first discovered Speed Queen a few years ago, the name reminded me of Filter Queen since they both have the word "Queen" on their brands and at first I was thinking they were owned by the same company but they aren't. Although I think that would've been cool if they were. Filter Queen is owned by Health-Mor and Speed Queen is owned by Alliance Laundry Systems. When I first used a Speed Queen top load washer, it seemed to get the job done. However though almost every time that I would use a Speed Queen top load washer, I would just be more impressed with the results! And when I first used a Speed Queen dryer, it seemed to dry very well. However though shortly after a few more uses, I finally came to a conclusion that Speed Queen is the best dryer that I've ever used! It wasn't long after I used the Speed Queens that I would be looking into them when I get a set for my own place.

Anyways, I thought that I wanted to share on here about this particular set I've used just over the weekend. This is my uncle's TR7 washer and DR7 dryer that he and his wife have. Last year, they were looking for a new set to replace their Whirlpool ones that were only a couple years old because it didn't clean very well and it was tearing up on their loads. I suggested to them the Speed Queen because I was really pleased with the ones that I've used and that's what they ended up getting. But sometime during that year, I've made the discovery that SQ recently changed their regulations on their top load washers. I was a bit worried that they got one of the TR models because those are different now but shortly after getting the SQs, they seemed to be really impressed with them so I was thinking that they went with both the TC5 washer and DC5 dryer. The TC5 still uses the same classic motor and transmission like what they've always used. But when I saw these for the very first time just last weekend, I was shocked that it was in fact a TR7 and a DR7. I still wanted to try both of them out so I put a load of my clothes in there and I was completely STUNNED with the results! I went on a four wheeling trip that same weekend and so we ended up kicking alot of dust. I didn't really expected the TR7 to clean my clothes very well because they were really dusty but man this washer just blew me out of the water! I took photos of my white socks to see the results very closely and I think it cleaned just as well as our LG front loader that we have. Alot of members from automaticwasher.org the sister website of vacuumland.org criticized the TR models and I was thinking they were going to be junk anyways when I was using the TR7 but now I think the TR series is not as bad as I thought they were. I still personally would want an old school classic model like the TC5 but maybe I wouldn't feel as bad if someone gifted us a TR set for our wedding present.

What about the rest of you that has/had owned or used a Speed Queen? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts about them on here.

 

[human]

I've never used A Speed Queen except at a laundromat but two observations come to mind from your photos: First, I like the stainless steel tubs on both units. To me, that's an indicator of good build quality; however, the digital controls are a dead giveaway that they too many self-destructing circuit boards inside and that's a definite deal killer for me. Too many manufacturers use the circuit boards as a forced obsolescence tool. The boards are often discontinued with great rapidity to force users to replace their otherwise still serviceable appliances at shorter and shorter intervals, thereby removing them from the ever-shrinking category of "durable goods" and instead placing them in the ever burgeoning category of consumables. That's why I stick with my Whirlpool washer and Roper by Whirlpool dryer. They're built with cheap, commodity components and no circuit boards. I can diagnose most problems with a multimeter and field strip them with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. For me, simplicity wins over superfluous whiz-bang features every day of the week.

 

[madman]

Never used a Speed Queen. I've seen quite a few and I always kind of liked how they seem to stick with the good old fashioned way of washing clothes. None of that high efficiency crap, and look! They're literally still using the same sheet metal stampings to build them. They look like they're from the 1980s. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Kind of interesting, then, that they chose to go down the touch pad and digital display road. I'd imagine their products seem mighty outdated to the average consumer, so they probably wanted to throw them some kind of bone.

Electronics and PCBs aren't bad. It's merely a progression of technology that needs to be embraced by repairmen, lest they want to be left behind. It's happened just the same in the auto industry several times.

Also, my appliance repairman friend was just consulting with me on a range control board today. It was hard to find a replacement (yes, that's the company being shitty, not the product), but I was thinking if that was my stove, I'd just replace the board entirely with a Raspberry Pi. The outputs are stupidly simple. A Pi and a relay board and a little programming would be simple enough.

 

[suckolux]

A friend recently had to replace her old machine, sent here to SQ, she is very happy, she chose the mechanical controls

 

[dysonman1]

I own the last set of REAL Speed Queens, made at the end of October, 2017. That was the last time they made one with a mechanical timer and the top-of-the-agitator fill. The very first thing we did, after taking the box away from the machine, was we made it work the lid open. Put a Kirby belt under the lid switch in the back. Then I adjusted the fill switch to the very maximum fill.

I also bought the matching dryer with mechanical timer.

I love them. The best washing machine and dryer made. I didn't want one where the tub and agitator moved together. Absolutely not. And I didn't want an electronic timer. When I found out Speed Queen was discontinuing the 'real' ones, I bought the very last ones my dealer had in stock.

 

[human]

Electronic control boards...

The sad truth is here in the twenty-first century, electronic controls are cheaper to manufacture, even if they don't last as long. Try to find even an entry level stove that doesn't have electronic oven controls and a digital timer. The fact that those electronic controls can be quickly and easily rendered obsolete is just a bonus to the manufacturers. I think major appliance manufacturers should be required by law to make replacement parts available for their products for the duration of the useful lifespan of the product, at least 10 years after a particular model ceases production. Out of warranty should not equal obsolescence.

 

[panasonicvac]

Tom, I would very much like to see photos of your SQ set. You may have the ones that I have used very similarly like these washers below (AWN412P111TW01). I think those are my favorite SQs of all time, such a shame that those got discontinued. But what I think was a real shame was the discontinuation of the 8 series and 9 series. I'm one of those people who prefers to have an electronic timer and buttons on their set like the TR7 and DR7.

 

[dysonman1]

Mine have the second rinse selector but no end of cycle signal.

 

[panasonicvac]

That's a very nice set there Tom, I really like that poster and the measuring cup you have as well.

I just found this out today but SQ actually still makes mechanical and electronic TL washers with the old school motor, transmission, and agitator separated from the tub for commercial use but they are home style.

 

[hoover300]

Ah yes, there are the remains of a Speed Queen wringer washer(rusted almost in half) in the woods behind my house. I took the tag off it last year, I'll have to see if I can find where I put it.

 

[kirbyklekter]

They're baaaaaack

I searched last night for reviews on Speed Queen. There was such a huge backlash on the 2018 models that they brought back the old style agitator with the high water level setting and they say you can order the mechanical dials. I'm wondering if the "dial" is a mechanical clock that you can stop the wash and turn the dial back around to the beginning of the same wash cycle to add more time to the load being cleaned or manually move the dial up to the rinse cycle if your in a hurry.

Or is the dial just a glorified selector switch where you just set it for perm press or cotton or delicate but you can't control the actual timer as you could with all clock timers in the past. I can see that Tom's is the old style which is the best. You should be able to control what's happening with your machine at any given time. I've never seen any touch pad washer allow you the freedom of choice that a mechanical clock timer gives you.

So the TC-5 is the old style version brought back to replace TR-5. Not really replace though you can still order a TR-5. Same with the TR-3 and TR-7. Here's the rub. I'm told that Speed Queen does their models numbers differently than most others. They will stay with the same model or series number even when they have made numerous changes to the machine. You could set two machines side by side , same appearance, same model #'s but underneath the same skins are two different machines. If a person isn't aware of this,they could be confused and end up buying what could be a past model and not the current model they thought they were getting.

I don't get why they have such slow spin speeds. 780RPM in this day and age when you could get over 1000rpm back in the 50's from Frigidaire. Maybe there's a wringer on the back of the machine I didn't look.

I think Speed Queen is aware of the importance of water extraction, On their REAL commercial duty hard mounted machines that do loads from 20-100 lbs. of laundry per load, the specs on the spin cycle are given in G-Force instead of RPM.

Regardless of the warranty they give on your machine, it is still engineered to last 25 years with doing the average of 8 loads a week. I'll be first in line to buy a set from Speed Queen when they bump up the final spin and still offer the dial timer. Nice to support a product still made here in the USA too!

 

[panasonicvac]

This is basically what you would expect to find on the TC5. And this is the washer along with the matching dryer that I will be looking into when I get a washer and dryer for my own place.

 

[centralvacs1928]

Here is my set of Speed Queens - also from 2017.

I bought the washer first out of necessity; old 1990s Maytag went out. That was for our old house with laundry room in the basement and I didn`t care if the set matched.

When we bought and started to remodel the new house I realized the laundry being right between the garage and kitchen would be quite a bit more visible so I got the matching gas dryer. Just in time, too - this was the very last one in stock!

I did jam the washer lid switch (Sanitaire belt was what I had handy, lol) and the machines have been flawless. The only thing that would be cool would be automatic detergent dispensing. Saw that once in a semi-commercial "shared laundry" machine in a nursing home.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Owen,

Very nice machines!
My aunt and her brother both replaced their with Speed Queen.
Thankfully, my Maytags are still great, knock wood.
I like my gas dryer as well.

 

[panasonicvac]

That's an awesome set you got there Owen! I wished Speed Queen was still selling sets like these with the old school motor, transmission, and agitator separated from the tub. Actually they still do but they're commercial models and they only make them a few times a year. I've noticed recently that a couple members from automaticwasher.org bought a LWNE22SP115TW01 commercial top load washer and swapped out the control boards to use as a residential washer since the commercial ones would give you less options from the panel. I think that's what I might do if I get myself a commercial SQ set.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREADM.cgi?78063

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?84952_8

John,

I was thinking you had a Hoover washer and dryer since I thought you like all appliances with everything Hoover on them lol. I guess Maytag would still count since they did owned Hoover at one point.

 

[dysonman1]

Nice machines Owen. I had the option of going for the electron it controls, but I am the type of person who needs to have control over the machine at all times. If I want to just push in the knob to stop the machine and let the clothes soak a little, I want to be able to do that. The electronica controls do not offer you that flexibility to just stop and change the cycle in the middle.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Alex,

lol, if I could, I probably would! I DO have a matching Hoover 'portable' set, which I don't use.
My Maytags are the 'last of the best', I was told by my serviceman. They look and work like new.
IF I had to replace them, I'd go "Speedqueen".

Hopefully, I won't have to make that decision. Bot of my machines have had repairs, but they were easily done, and reasonably priced. They date back to 1992, and, thankfully, are perfect.
Now, if I find matching Hoovers.............................

 

[panasonicvac]

John

Maytag came out with a commercial set a couple years ago that is sold for residential use. If you would like to get another Maytag, this is what I would look into. I probably might look into these if for whatever reason I were to pass on SQ. According to this one expert down below, this Maytag washer is probably the best top loader that you could find on the market today. Although I'm still leaning towards on getting SQ for myself because it lets you add in straight hot water for the washer and I would trust that SQ would outlast Maytag in the long run.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Thanks, Alex

That was very kind. I HOPE to not have to replace them at all. My repairman told me, years ago, "Do everything you can to keep these". And, I have. The gas 'igniter' was replaced, along with the little 'tire' on the dryer, and a few things were replaced on the washer. It was still cheaper than new machines. And, these match, look/work great. Thank God.I originally wanted "almond", now known as 'bisque'. But, bright, shiny white works, too.
I do like things to match. But, that's just me.

 

[panasonicvac]

John

I would VERY much like to see your Maytags. Sounds like a cool set that you own.

 

[electroluxxxx]

I have used speed queens in laundromats for years and thought that they were a solid machine. It takes very little to maintain them and they are just so reliable. As much as I wanted a speed queen set, I always had a thing for the older maytag sets and have 3 vintage sets I’d say I’m pretty set for life as I do still have “spare parts” and a spare parts machine to maintain them and plan on keeping them going as long as they can, parts are still easily obtainable and if there are NLA parts I usually do my research to seek them out or play the waiting game. My newest set is from 1965 and I bet it was only used a month if that. Here are pics of what I have!

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Alex,

I'll try to post more pics of my pair.
There are some pics of them in old post, some from past mini meets.
Having a bit of trouble with photos lately.

 

[electroluxxxx]

John: its about time you get a new camera instead of posting "old" pics... it will save you lots of time from having to search through the "files", and it would be lovely to see your updates that you say you have made.  

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Alex,

I did find a few pics. Easy to fine: in Vintage.. look up "Finally preparing the Hoover gallery", post # 334298. You'll see my Maytag set.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Alex,

I did find a few pics. Easy to find: in Vintage.. look up "Finally preparing the Hoover gallery", post # 334298. You'll see my Maytag set.

 

[ultralux88]

Talked a good friends into getting a front load set in 2017, so far he’s been extremely happy with it!

Mike, if my Facebook was any indication, someone LOVES digging around in year or older posts... not to mention liking them. Which brings me to this, I just went ahead and liked this post in hopes others will too!

 

[ultralux88]

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Alex,

My uncle has the digital one. I'd prefer the machines without all of the digital 'board'.

Luckily, I'm happy with my Maytags.

 

[panasonicvac]

Mike, that's an awesome collection you have there! I wonder if you're also a member on automaticwasher.org?

John, I just looked at your other thread. That's a cool looking set you have! Kind of reminds me of my grandparents old Maytag TL washer they had before it got replaced a little over 10 years ago. I believe they bought it when their house was built back in 1982. I don't remember it too well other than when it had a problem during the spin cycle, we went out to Home Depot and bought a Maytag Centennial but the agitator was on the bottom of the tub. I'm not really a fan of those, but it apparently works well for my grandfather. However I'd rather use his Maytag Neptune that he has over at his other place. For some odd reason I have a hard time believing others that criticizes the Neptunes, I actually like them. Even our old Neptune set we used to have I thought was good overall.

Reggie, if I were to go for a front load washer, I would also look into a SQ. Practically the one that Alex has in his video, I like having the controls on the back of the washer and dryer instead of on the front like the FF7/DF7. It would bring me back memories of our old Neptune set that we used to have. Do you also have SQ out of curiosity?