The reign of yet another Queen has been destroyed by America.
The new efficiency standards are in full force this year and they have officially destroyed the best washing machine available… err, that used to be available. In 2017 you could still purchase a mechanically controlled washer from Speed Queen but, as of 01/2018, those machines are as illegal to sell as crack cocaine! We had high hopes for the machines that replaced them but our hopes were dashed when the most expensive of these top loaders from Speed Queen couldn’t even get the soap out of the clothes much less the dirt. That was a problem for me because this machine was at my house (OROTR7000WN) model ! In the end, my wife made me bring it back and we are now using a cheap Crosley washer that actually has a better agitator and does a much better job washing clothes. This is sad.
The main culprit here isn’t Speed Queen trying to make you pay a premium price for a sub-par machine, it’s the government dictating efficiency nationwide with a broad brush. Using less water makes it difficult for washing machines to do their job and in an attempt to overcome the imposed water deficiency, extra boards and pumps and cycles complicate the once simple formula of wash/rinse/spin. Water availability isn’t the same nationwide but the standards are built based on the lowest denominator. And it’s ALL about the water- the new, more efficient washing machines actually take twice as long to wash clothes (cycling again and again in an attempt to clean) and use more energy. Of course, distribution might be hard to police… so once again everyone is punished.
I believe Speed Queen will get this figured out eventually but in the mean time it is a terrible inconvenience. Some of the other manufacturers have been working on solutions for this for a longer time and with more resources so the playing field really isn’t fair. And, if you can find a decent used Whirlpool top-load model built before electronic controls were mandated, you will use more water but your clothes will be cleaner and you won’t have to worry about pesky soap rashes or soured front load washer boots!
Oh, and this is another good reason to NOT throw out that old model. [Warning, self promotion ahead.] Repair, don’t replace, with new parts from A-1 Appliance! Especially winners like the pre-2018 Speed Queens!