Speed Queen: built like Sherman tanks

I hate to give the impression that if you're not buying a front load washer, you're buying a piece of crap. The fact remains that top load washers comprise the bulk of the market, and there are a few good machines to be had.

Speed Queen is one of the oldest names in laundry, and the past couple years have seen them re-emerge from the neighborhood laundromats and into select retail outlets.

Laundry nerds will find many similarities between Speed Queen washers and machines built by Maytag under the Maytag and Amana names. This is because, at one point, Speed Queen was (I believe) part of Amana. In fact, just a few years ago, Maytag was making washers under the Amana badge that offered a 710-rpm spin speed just like Speed Queen. Of course, the Amana models had a habit of busting seals at this speed. Oops!

Speed Queen manufacturers top and front load washers that are simple machines that clean well, offer great capacity, and are built like tanks. In fact, Speed Queen is the only domestic manufacturer that offers a full three-year warranty on their product. And the transmission is covered for seven years (parts only) beyond that!

Speed Queen laundry is not cheap. Expect there mid-range models to set you back about $500 or $600 for the washer. But if you are looking for a dependable washer that cleans well that doesn't have more computing power than you're old Gateway desktop, then look at Speed Queen. You won't find them at the Big Box stores, but you will find them at your local independent dealer.