5113jls@hou2f.UUCP (J.SCHANTZ) (08/06/84)
I am planning to buy a new washer and dryer in the next two weeks. I would like to have some of your opinons before I make my order. Could you also tell me what features you really like on some of the machines. Also, tell me if there are any lemon machines out there. Also, which is better - an electric or gas dryer? John Schantz hou2f!5113jls
mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) (08/07/84)
Our Hotpoint dryer hasn't given us the slightest trouble in 3 years. We'd replace our ancient Sears Kenmore washer, but it doesn't know when to quit; it's ugly, old, and kludged beyond belief, but it works just fine. As to gas vs electric, this may be a religious issue, or it may just depend on which of your local utility companies rips you off the worst. Where I live, we have Columbia Gas of Ohio, which buys their own gas from the west coast at a much higher rate than they could get Ohio gas for, and then whines to the PUCO about how they just have to raise their rates because their gas costs so much, and they have signed contracts with Columbia Transmission so they have to buy the expensive stuff. And then we have C&SOE for electricity - they are part owner of the now infamous Zimmer nuke plant in Cincinnati that didn't pass inspections and is now going to be turned into a coal plant. Fortunately, our PUCO won't let them pass any Zimmer money along to the consumers in the form of rate hikes, so our rates stay pretty close. (I'm not sure exactly what we're paying per KWH because my bill is so weird; a random bill pulled says Fuel rate per KWH: $.017413 2606 KWH used this period $126.24 and if you multiply this out it comes to $45.37, not $126.24. I seem to recall something about a fuel reclamation allowance on some previous bill, but there's no reason printed on this bill for the obvious overcharge.) In any case, we don't have the option of gas in this particular house, and I'm not the least bit sorry. I'd have to say I hate the gas company worse than the electric company, and I'm happy as a clam with my all-electric house and heat pump. Mark
dthk@mhuxd.UUCP (D. T. Hawkins) (08/07/84)
I can echo Mark Horton's comments about the Sears Kenmore dryer. We have one and it, too, refuses to quit, although I couldn't count the number of times I have had it apart to clean/fix. What I like about it is that it's EASY to get it apart when something goes wrong. We have a Frigidaire washer which went for 10 years before the tub rusted through. The latest Consumer Reports article on washers is 1/84, and they always rate Maytag at the top. Several people we know have Maytags and are extremely happy with them. We are going to get one to replace our Frigidaire. Don Hawkins AT&T Bell Laboratories (201)-582-6517 mhuxd!dthk
jj@rabbit.UUCP (08/07/84)
I've lived in two places that had OLD GE washer/dryers in them now. Both of the sets of machines were 1960's vintage, and neither had any serious problems, other than looking ugly and old. The second set is still with me, working fine, execpt for occasional funny noises. <I haven't the vaguest what they are... They don't affect the performance.> I guess from my sample I'd get GE's. I don't know what new ones are like, though! -- EVEN TEDDY BEARS LIKE COOKIES! "Please, Sir. I want some more" (allegra,harpo,ulysses)!rabbit!jj
billp@azure.UUCP (Bill Pfeifer) (08/07/84)
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My favorite brand is Maytag. I've worked occasionally on friends' and
neighbors' washers. Most of them have to be pulled away from the wall, then
you have to crawl behind them and remove 5,634,789 screws to get off the back
cover. To work on any electrical problems, you usually have to literally
crawl into the washer.
If it's a Maytag, however, you remove two screws from the front cover, allowing
you to remove the cover without pulling the whole washer away from the wall.
The whole top then can be flipped up, allowing easy access to the wiring.
The water pump is also right up front, with a transparent top, so you can
see if anything got sucked in without having to take it apart.
The hose clamps are the kind that can be tightened and loosened with a
screwdriver, instead special pliers, etc., etc.
As a result of all this attention to details, Maytags need far fewer repairs
than other brands. They may cost a little more, but you save more than the
difference in the long run.
Bill Pfeifer
{ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4,allegra,uw-beaver,hplabs} !tektronix!tekmdp!billprs55611@ihuxk.UUCP (Robert E. Schleicher) (08/08/84)
I've had good luck with both new and older GE stuff. I bought a used GE washer 5 years ago that was 8-10 years old at the time (for 60$). It still works fine and has required nothing more than a new belt (plus some minor dismantling when I overloaded it and a pair of gym shorts got sucked down the drain - my fault entirely). My newer gas dryer has also behaved fine. GE has another advantage in their self-help answer "hotline", and the wide assortment of replacement parts they sell with clear instructions. Definite advantages for the do-it-yourselfer. Bob Schleicher ihuxk!rs55611
mel@pegasus.UUCP (Mel Haas) (08/08/84)
We got our Maytag washer and Frigidaire electric dryer in 1973. In those 11 years we have moved twice and added 5 kids to our family. Both get used daily, often for several loads. I have had to disassemble the Maytag pump twice to extract a stuck sock (it usually passes them right on into the drain), and the dial markings rubbed off in the first 6 months so we use the by-guess system for starting it up. I just recently replaced the heater on the dryer ($40 and lots of sweat), and had to replace the blower impeller once ($25 and lots more sweat). No other service required on either, and they both should last another 11 years. Mel Haas , houxe!mel
mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) (08/10/84)
One caution about Maytags. I recall a Maytag shop where you go in and the salesperson tells you all about how Consumer Reports ranked the Maytag #1. What he doesn't tell you is that this rating applies to their washers, and not necessarily to their other products. In particular, I understand the Maytag dishwasher isn't so wonderful.
vince@fluke.UUCP (Craig V. Johnson) (08/10/84)
My recommendation is for Whirlpool washers and dryers. I have also had
favorable experiences with Kenmore.
I feel that Consumers Reports is biased too far towards reliablility
and not enough toward features and practicality particularly with
regard to their recommendation of Maytag. My folks bought a Maytag
about 5 years ago, and even though it has been very reliable, I have
been unimpressed. It has a very short wash cycle, poor agitation, and
few water level, temperature, and cycle options. This was the top
rated washer by Consumers Reports in that year.
Last fall I researched washers and dryers and ended up getting a
matched set from Whirlpool. They were of the 7800 model series. I
have had no trouble with them and have had no regrets. The best
feature of the washer is a water level control that is continuously
variable. It also has four temperature settings and four cycle
selections. The dryer is electric, has three temperature settings and
four (or is it three?) cycles.
My conclusions when looking at washers and dryers were to avoid the
top-of-the-line models (too many unnecessary bells and whistles adding
to the likelyhood of a breakdown) but instead to concentrate my
attention on the second and third level models. I also didn't bother
to look at bottom-of-the-line models since they typically lacked the
features and perceived durabability that I wanted.
Craig V. Johnson
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
{uw-beaver,decvax!microsof,ucbvax!lbl-csam,allegra,ssc-vax}!fluke!vincescott@opus.UUCP (Scott Wiesner) (08/13/84)
I'm in the process of buying a condo, and will need to buy a washer
and dryer. The catch is that this condo has room for only the "stackable"
type washer/dryer. Anyone have any recomendataions for this specific type?
I've been looking at Kenmoore, but that's because that's the only kind I
really know of. Anyone have any feeling as to whether to go with the
"all-in-one" unit, or seperates?
--
Scott Wiesner
{allegra, ucbvax, cornell}!nbires!scottgarys@bunker.UUCP (Gary Samuelson) (08/13/84)
If the salesperson tells you what Consumer Reports says about their product, report that to CU (publishers of CR). It is against CU policy to use their reviews in that manner, since it jeopardizes their reputation for objectivity. Gary Samuelson
hutch@shark.UUCP (08/13/84)
< are YOU puzzled by dingy whites and drab colors? > | I feel that Consumers Reports is biased too far towards reliablility | and not enough toward features and practicality particularly with | regard to their recommendation of Maytag. My folks bought a Maytag | about 5 years ago, and even though it has been very reliable, I have | been unimpressed. It has a very short wash cycle, poor agitation, and | few water level, temperature, and cycle options. This was the top | rated washer by Consumers Reports in that year. | | Craig V. Johnson Last time I read a Consumer Reports study of washers, it took into account not only reliability but several other factors including features and practicality. They studied how well the washers worked on "standard" dirt using a range of detergents and cleaners, in hard and soft water, using hot and cold, and so on. They included electrical consumption. They included little things like "how easily can I lose socks in this machine". They included how well the washer "mixed" clothes, in other words whether and how often clothes moved from next to the agitator to outside and from top to bottom. I think I recall that they commented that Maytag had some differences in its cycle, but that the clothes came out acceptably clean. They seem to scoff at unnecessary complications; they might have found the number of temp, level, and cycle options sufficient for average use. I primarily use CR as an indicator of what to avoid rather than what is necessarily the "best" buy. Hutch
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (08/14/84)
I have been reading the series of comments from many contributors about the virtues of this or that brand, and I guess its time to jump in feet-first. It is sad to say, but I think it is a valid observation, that the evaluations of these appliances can best be summarized by "They don't make them like they used to." If you are basing your approval on the washer or dryer that served your parents or yourself well for the past two decades, or whatever other long period that began some years (over 10) ago, I fear that such data is inapplicable to the devices being produced today (with the possible exception of Maytag). For example, I used a GE electric dryer that had beloged to my GRANDparents for a decade or so; it was probably 15-20 years old when I got it. There was something wrong with the high-low heat selection, which could have been fixed if I had wanted to put money into the machine -- since it worked fine on one position, I never bothered. If finally failed, not from any electrical or motor defect, but because of metal fatigue of the dryer drum itself! (It cracked circularily around the attachment of the shaft in the center rear, allowing the drum to bind as it turned, since it sagged against the front panel.) Does this mean anything with regard to currently-produced GE dryers? Not a thing. That older device was built with heavy-duty parts, thicker-gauge steel, and better fasteners than the current product. I also had a Frigidaire washer, which I bought at a used-appliance outlet for $45, and which ran for about 15 years, with periodic replacement of a plastic agitator part which broke every few years and a rubber bellows which sealed the agitator to the tub. It died from what I believe was failure of the motor-starting capacitor, a part no longer available from Frigidaire service outlets and seemingly not available as a generic substitution (though I still have the washer in case I find one). Again, this older model is constructed with parts of far greater durability than current models. I replaced the GE dryer with a Norge model which had high Consumer Reports ratings. It had belt problems within the warranty period, and the motor died and had to be replaced soon after the warranty expired. (That motor was no more than half the size of the still- running GE motor from the old machine, and manufactured in such a manner that it could not be simply opened up and re-wound or repaired.) I replaced the Frigidaire washer with Maytag's bottom-of-the-line. I could have bought many different washers with loads of features for less, or no more than the Maytag cost. I (and my wife) see no reason for such "features"; they are just things to go wrong. If you can select water temperature, size of load, and have a "regular" and "permanent press" cycle, you do NOT need anything else. So, what do I recommend? If there is a good chance that you will move after a year or two (if you are a student, or change jobs frequently), buy a used older machine. Ideally, from a relative or friend who will tell you the history and let you know of any idiosyncracies (also, this is usually cheapest). Secondly, from an individual at a moving or estate sale. Thirdly, from a used-appliance dealer -- check out the older neighborhoods of big cities. You will probably have to work out some method of moving it yourself in the former two options, and that can be a hassle. But if it runs when you get it, it will probably run as long as you need it. You can then give it away, abandon it, or sell it at your own moving sale when you move. If you are moving into a house and plan to stay there, then buy a new machine. I honestly cannot recommend anything currently produced except Maytag. (However, don't believe those "lonely repairman" ads -- I called our local Maytag service center with a question for days before I caught a repairman actually there; SOMETHING was broken that they were out fixing!) A last comment -- I really would like to hear what negative comments anyone has about Maytag dishwashers. I sent in my disparaging remarks about GE dishwashers to the recent "appliance survey", and I had hoped that Maytags would be good, so I could plan on putting one in when our current GE finally dies. Now I see that all is not good news about Maytags. I don't know where else to look, now! Will Martin