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We have friends that just laid out $3000 for a new washer drier set and washer is already leaking from the front door. Pursuing warranty repair has been a major

We have friends that just laid out $3000 for a new washer drier set and washer is already leaking from the front door. Pursuing warranty repair has been a major hassle. My wife and I use a washer and drier set from the late 90's that are nothing to look at but work really well. They appear to be designed with service in mind and changing components is usually extremely easy - something I have done infrequently. These machines are used almost every day. Honestly, for a while I was kind of embarrassed by our beat up old machines. We discussed getting something new but dropped it after sticker shock set in. We also found it nearly impossible to get an honest review of any of the newer appliances. I also just hate "smart home" stuff that requires a wi-fi connection to work correctly. The workman we hired to re-model our rear entry mud-room was looking at our old washer/drier set and unprompted said if we ever want to get rid of them - please let him know. I wondered why and he explained that he and his wife purchased new a couple years ago and have had nothing but complaints. They miss their old setup that cleaned superbly with minimal fuss.

LeafItAlone 3y ago
> We have friends that just laid out $3000 for a new washer drier set and washer is already leaking from the front door. What brand?
- pixl97 3y ago
  Not Op, but if I had to guess Samsung. I won't buy their appliances.
  - graypegg 3y ago
    +1 for Samsung laundry machines being unreliable. I was in an apartment for 3 years and went thru 2 washing machines due to a “unrepairable” circuit fault on the first one, and a drum leaking perpetually on the second one. The model of the washing machine was on the lease, was one of the expensive ones, I felt bad that they were buying #3 my last year there. They’re maybe only slightly above landfill in terms of entropic stability. Edit: to be fair I bet they were warrantied, but still
  - theshrike79 3y ago
    Samsung stuff has all the pretty songs and touch screens and smart features. They just forgot to add the actual functionality though. We've got all AEG stuff and zero issues so far. 7-segment displays and physical buttons. Nothing to break.
Telemakhos 3y ago
Washers and dryers are a field in which older models were definitely built better. I inherited a set from the late 1990s that is still going strong, and repairmen have told me that I should never get rid of them, as nothing today is made as well. The dryer blew a thermistor after more than twenty years, and that was easily fixed.
xp84 3y ago
Don't ever even think about replacing them, but if you do want good unbiased reviews do check out this guy: https://www.youtube.com/@bensappliancesandjunk https://www.youtube.com/@bensappliancesandjunk I learned a lot from him and when he reports a recommendation, it'll be specific and well-sourced which is important. Still, none of this current garbage will ever compare to a pre-2000 appliance of any kind.
CobaltFire 3y ago
There are brands built to super high standards, but no-one wants to pay for them or deal with their compromises. We have been buying Miele appliances, and have nothing but excellent experiences. They aren't cheap, but the general opinion I've seen online is that they are one of the few brands that build quality modern appliances. My experiences would tend to back that up. Specific to the Miele washer and dryer, we hang dry most things and live in a very dry area, so having a heat pump dryer that doesn't get things crisp and dry is perfectly fine with us. We hardly use the dryer at all actually; clothes last longer if you don't use the dryer and we do spend the money on quality clothes (also hard to find and expensive).
- Der_Einzige 3y ago
  Speedqueen is that brand, and their stuff isn't even all that expensive. The issue is that its washers destroy your clothes by being rough on them.
- alexey-salmin 3y ago
  > There are brands built to super high standards, but no-one wants to pay for them or deal with their compromises I'm willing to pay. The money is not the only problem though. 1) These brands are hard to find. I've never heard of Miele until I rented an apartment that had one. The owner built the place for himself but then had to put it for rent. 2) Most of the brands that pretend to be high-quality are the same crap but shiny and expensive. You don't know that until you buy them. Makes the point about "hard to find" even worse. 3) Some of the reliable brands sometimes experience the change in strategy (probably caused by change in ownership) and start to produce crap while maintaining the same outlook. The most disturbing betrayal. As a result out of hundreds of appliances I use I was only able to find quality staff in a handful of categories. The rest is either cheap crap or expensive crap. Maybe I lack some generational knowledge on the topic.
  - bigbluesax 3y ago
    It's exhausting trying to find these brands. You have to do a ton of research, most of which is sifting through ads and the worst google results you've ever seen. If your already in the space you might be so lucky to already know a good reviewer. You also have to update your knowledge constantly, as lots of brands start to decline in quality once they get popular or change ownership.
adrianN 3y ago
I use the cheapest washing machine with A+++ rating that I could buy about ten years ago and it shows no signs of aging so far.
- jahewson 3y ago
  Same for me, until it broke.
  - IshKebab 3y ago
    Old washing machines can break too. They aren't magic. So many useless anecdotes in this thread.
bob1029 3y ago
I can strongly recommend the speed queen TC5 if you are getting tired of taking delivery of defective washing machines. It fills up all the way to the top, and you can open the lid whenever the hell you please. It's loud as hell but it cleans very well and quickly. Front loading is a fundamental engineering mistake if you are seeking trouble free, no maintenance operation for years on end.

LeafItAlone 3y ago

> We have friends that just laid out $3000 for a new washer drier set and washer is already leaking from the front door. What brand?

pixl97 3y ago
Not Op, but if I had to guess Samsung. I won't buy their appliances.
- graypegg 3y ago
  +1 for Samsung laundry machines being unreliable. I was in an apartment for 3 years and went thru 2 washing machines due to a “unrepairable” circuit fault on the first one, and a drum leaking perpetually on the second one. The model of the washing machine was on the lease, was one of the expensive ones, I felt bad that they were buying #3 my last year there. They’re maybe only slightly above landfill in terms of entropic stability. Edit: to be fair I bet they were warrantied, but still
- theshrike79 3y ago
  Samsung stuff has all the pretty songs and touch screens and smart features. They just forgot to add the actual functionality though. We've got all AEG stuff and zero issues so far. 7-segment displays and physical buttons. Nothing to break.

Telemakhos 3y ago

Washers and dryers are a field in which older models were definitely built better. I inherited a set from the late 1990s that is still going strong, and repairmen have told me that I should never get rid of them, as nothing today is made as well. The dryer blew a thermistor after more than twenty years, and that was easily fixed.

xp84 3y ago

Don't ever even think about replacing them, but if you do want good unbiased reviews do check out this guy: https://www.youtube.com/@bensappliancesandjunk https://www.youtube.com/@bensappliancesandjunk I learned a lot from him and when he reports a recommendation, it'll be specific and well-sourced which is important. Still, none of this current garbage will ever compare to a pre-2000 appliance of any kind.

CobaltFire 3y ago

There are brands built to super high standards, but no-one wants to pay for them or deal with their compromises. We have been buying Miele appliances, and have nothing but excellent experiences. They aren't cheap, but the general opinion I've seen online is that they are one of the few brands that build quality modern appliances. My experiences would tend to back that up. Specific to the Miele washer and dryer, we hang dry most things and live in a very dry area, so having a heat pump dryer that doesn't get things crisp and dry is perfectly fine with us. We hardly use the dryer at all actually; clothes last longer if you don't use the dryer and we do spend the money on quality clothes (also hard to find and expensive).

Der_Einzige 3y ago
Speedqueen is that brand, and their stuff isn't even all that expensive. The issue is that its washers destroy your clothes by being rough on them.
alexey-salmin 3y ago
> There are brands built to super high standards, but no-one wants to pay for them or deal with their compromises I'm willing to pay. The money is not the only problem though. 1) These brands are hard to find. I've never heard of Miele until I rented an apartment that had one. The owner built the place for himself but then had to put it for rent. 2) Most of the brands that pretend to be high-quality are the same crap but shiny and expensive. You don't know that until you buy them. Makes the point about "hard to find" even worse. 3) Some of the reliable brands sometimes experience the change in strategy (probably caused by change in ownership) and start to produce crap while maintaining the same outlook. The most disturbing betrayal. As a result out of hundreds of appliances I use I was only able to find quality staff in a handful of categories. The rest is either cheap crap or expensive crap. Maybe I lack some generational knowledge on the topic.
- bigbluesax 3y ago
  It's exhausting trying to find these brands. You have to do a ton of research, most of which is sifting through ads and the worst google results you've ever seen. If your already in the space you might be so lucky to already know a good reviewer. You also have to update your knowledge constantly, as lots of brands start to decline in quality once they get popular or change ownership.

adrianN 3y ago

I use the cheapest washing machine with A+++ rating that I could buy about ten years ago and it shows no signs of aging so far.

jahewson 3y ago
Same for me, until it broke.
- IshKebab 3y ago
  Old washing machines can break too. They aren't magic. So many useless anecdotes in this thread.

bob1029 3y ago

I can strongly recommend the speed queen TC5 if you are getting tired of taking delivery of defective washing machines. It fills up all the way to the top, and you can open the lid whenever the hell you please. It's loud as hell but it cleans very well and quickly. Front loading is a fundamental engineering mistake if you are seeking trouble free, no maintenance operation for years on end.