[1967Clone]

Originally Posted by vail67

If you like Korean products. The boys up in Benton Harbor, Mich, and Newton, Iowa don't need the jobs.
I'm in the biz, I prefer not to sell LG.

A tip on buying appliances. You'll always get better prices and service buying from an independent dealer than you'll get from a big box store. More knowledgeable sales people, too, not someone who just came over from the lawnmower department.

Agreed. The local place here, while their retail prices are higher than the big box stores, they will price match, AND beat their advertised prices. The local place does NOT carry LG.

And for Doug.
From here,
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/appliances.html
* Fisher & Paykel : this New Zealand-based company moved production of its SmartDrive washers and SmartLoad dryers to Clyde, OH in 2005. The Clyde facility also produces motors for Whirlpool. (Read about Fisher & Paykel in the USA )
* Kenmore -brand appliances: at least some models are made in USA. Available from Sears and KMart. (SEARS is a retailer, not a manufacturer, so Kenmore washers and dryers are manufactured by many different companies, including Amana, Frigidaire, GE, Jenn-Air, LG, and Whirlpool. Enquire about the origin of the model you are interested in.)
* Staber Washing Machines (Groveport, OH): energy efficient top loading tumble action washers, for residential or commercial use. These unique washers have a six-sided inner tub that rotates inside a stationary half of an eight-sided outer tub. The washers use much less water, detergent, and energy than traditional top loading washers. Each load is larger because there is no agitator taking up space. Because of their energy efficiency, these washers also are suited for homes using solar power. The website has informative video and photographs that explain how the washer works.
* Speed Queen (Ripon, WI): best known for coin-operated laundry equipment, Speed Queen has brought its reputation for quality and durability into the home market. All Speed Queen brand laundry equipment is manufactured in Ripon, Wisconsin by Alliance Laundry Systems. Check the site's dealer locator.
* Whirlpool Corp. (Benton Harbor, MI): 10 manufacturing facilities in U.S., making clothes washers (Clyde, OH), topmount refrigerators (Evansville, IN), dishwashers (Findlay, OH), side-by-side refrigerators, counter-depth refrigerators, trash compactors, ice makers (Fort Smith, AR), built-in ranges, cooktop ranges, built-in microwaves, warming drawers (Oxford, MS), freestanding ranges (Tulsa, OK)

Whirlpool's acquisition of Maytag Corp., finalized on March 31, 2006, has led to integration of operations of the two companies.
* Maytag Corp. (Newton, IA): On March 31, 2006, this U.S. manufacturer of washers, dryers, refrigerators, and dishwashers became a subsidiary of Whirlpool. Whirlpool will continue to market Maytag Corp. brandnames, including Maytag, Amana, Magic Chef , and Jenn-Air .

[PonchoV8]

It's for someone that is going to buy a machine. I bought mine already. But I'd like to have known that ahead of time if a product was American owned. I might still have chosen the LG. I just went to that store again to inquire about a cheaper washer that I saw in an ad. It was a GE. Like was mentioned, the salesman had no idea where it was made and no idea who owned the company or what country it was owned by. Just because something is made here, that wouldn't convince me to buy the product.

[Goathead]

It was a GE. Like was mentioned, the salesman had no idea where it was made and no idea who owned the company or what country it was owned by

China...

[Region Warrior]

Originally Posted by briann

Front loads DO NOT clean better. Thats a crock of bs. We noticed right off clothes are not near as clean even when washing on max time option and extra rinse. Plus what I used to wash in 1 load in a top load now takes me 2-3 loads in the front load. You cannot put same amount of clothes in FL or they really wont clean well.

My socks(from garden & yard work) and work shop cloths are cleaner then ever.
Could be our old washer just wasnt is good as our new one.

[steve]

we have had the LG front loader "tromm" washer AND dryer for two years with no trouble. we noticed an immediate savings in water, electric, and the amount of soap needed that is indisputable. not to mention the fact that there is no moving center piece that has a wear effect on the clothes. i did buy the rip-off 5 year insurance plan just in case !

[vail67]

I don't think GE has any US production, I think it's all in Mexico.

Other high quality US maufacturers are :
Viking, in Greenwood, Mississippi. Fred Carl built his company there in his hometown, because he knew they needed the jobs. Great products, great people. Fred invented the resturaunt range for the home.
Sub Zero and Wolf, in Madison, Wiconsin, and Phoenix, Arizona. A UAW shop, also great products.
Dacor Range, in Pasedena, California. Also great products, even if the guys in the plant all looked like they were from Mexico.

I've toured all three companys. I'm enthusiastic about selling all three, and the Whirlpool complex of Whirlpool-Kitchen Aid, Maytag, Amana, and Jenn Air.

Vent-a Hood range hoods are made in Texas, Independent range hoods are from Nevada. Thermador makes products in Los Angeles, although they were bought by Bosch. Bosch has a lot of production in Tennessee, now, too.

There's enough good products made in the USA that I just don't need to go the LG route. Home Depot sells a ton of it to people who don't know or don't care. I do sell a lot of Asko dishwashers, manufactured in Sweden. I feel it is a compellingly superior product. My clients trust my judgment to get the best products, and to spend their money appropriately, and I feel that the Asko is the best.

But we have choices. I prefer to sell made in U.S.A. I'm a refugee from Detroit, 25 years ago. I watched and participated in the decline and fall of American industry. Before I moved to Colorado, I had to take some of the worst jobs in the world, out on the road working in crumpling steel mills in Pittsburg, chemical plants in Ashtabula and Erie, and in Cleveland and Detroit. I've seen what plant closings do to communities. I like supporting US manufacturers.

[md1twal3]

Originally Posted by 1967Clone

Front loader washers are a gimmick to separate consumers from their money IMO

...but for my money, we got in return: we can get 3 times as many loads done at once, use incredibly less soap and water, and the cloths come out as clean as could be. They are quiet, energy efficient and look great.

We have the matching dryer for ours and the same deal....lots of capacity, a great variety of settings, energy efficient and again looks nice.

I don't so much care about them being a front loader. There weren't a lot of top loaders that gave us what we got with the fronts so we went with them.

They are more modern, but honestly easy to work on. My wife repaired the dryer by replacing a thermister and also solved a poor spin issue by removing the access plug to the pump and removing a large sock.

Works nice for a family of 5, a home run daycare and 3 dogs that make their share of messes too.

In our case, no regrets....Momma's happy, we are all happy!

JMO...

[gregneun]

About a year and a half ago. It worked for a couple of weeks. Then we called the Sears guys in. It was so new that they didn't know how to repair it. Pretty soon we had Electrolux, electronic parts being drop shipped to our house. I was still going to the laundrymat.

Finally we returned the new "water and energy saving" front loader and brought home another top loader.

I still have the electronics shipped to use by Electrolux. When the Sears tech came back and found out we switched the thing, he said that water and electronics don't always work well together.

I hope they have the bugs figured out on these things.

A friend of mine has the Neptune stuff and they have not had problems. I was sick of hanging at the laundry mat and watching Spanish language TV shows here in SoCal.

I've repaired the old kind for a a long time, just ours and some advise for others. I've repaired the old belt drive, with the wigwag and the newer direct drive units.

When we bought the front loader, the plastic tub was leaking, on the top loader and the replacement part was $200, for a Kenmore. I should have just plugged it since I had recently replaced the drive motor.

The gas dryers are a lot easier to get running again.

[PonchoV8]

Impressions: I noticed that the towels are fluffier than with the top load we had. I asked my girl leading questions, like that the dryer took the same amount of time, and her reply was that it was not taking as long to dry by a good amount. We put up a clothesline to help with the electric bill anyway.

[Lloyd-TX]

I bought a Bosch FL washer / dryer pair when we moved into our big house in August '05 - both were high-priced junk! Washer shaked, rattled and rolled and kept setting trouble codes. Repair folks weren't much help. Thank GOD the couple who bought the place from me a couple of months ago wanted the W/D pair - good riddance!

When I moved into my new home, I bought the top-of-the-line LG FL washer / dryer pair from Best Buy. I like them. Much less wear on my clothes. My clothes look, feel and smell cleaner than ever, and they are both so quiet I have to turn on the chime to know when they're done. Over a TL washer, I like the water, soap and energy savings. Clothes (and towels!) are darned near dry when they come out of the washer. Drying times are minimal. I haven't tried the steam feature yet, but I will be soon.

I'd have preferred to buy US made products, but couldn't find any that I liked as well as the LG's.

[Primitive Artist]

Originally Posted by gregneun

...When we bought the front loader, the plastic tub was leaking, on the top loader and the replacement part was $200, for a Kenmore...

Plastic?! I've never seen one of those yet. Even the slip-shoddiest machines, so far, were equipped with stainless steel

[jeffgoss]

All are plastic tubs(shells). Stainless baskets(drums).

Electrolux=Frigidaire=crappy front loader.

[Primitive Artist]

Electrolux bought out Whirlpool, Hoover and even an excellent company called "Zanker" :http://www.neckermann.de/index.mb1?m...gs_group=&ct=1
who's products' quality were comparable to Miele products. Both German machines used to have stainless steel doors. Since, Electrolux bought them out, seems like stainless steel got rationalized out.
I've never heard of a case where a company ever benefitted from an Electrolux buy-out

[1967Tempest]

I have the LG front loaders. Have had them for two years now. System has a great diagnostic feature. I.e . errors out.. looked in the book.. cleaned the dog hair out of the filter.. Problem solved. My water bill did go down when I installed them. They use less water, less energy, less soap. Cleans just as good if not better then top loader. Dryer is flawless. The beauty part is the sensor dry. Shuts dryer off when clothes are dry. They come out perfect, not volcano hot.
Wash and dry times are a bit longer, but the "quick cycle" will be fast with no sacrifice on clean.

[Primitive Artist]

I just read somthing, the other day, where an ordinary house dog survived a 60 degree Celcius machine wash

[mrtonegto]

Electrolux doesn't own Whirlpool but WP does own Maytag (who owns Amana).

Been in the industry, front load is the way to go for efficiency and getting clothes cleaner - no doubt.

Wouldn't trust LG (Lucky Gold Star out of Korea) over the long haul. Terrible track record with # of warranty issues and making good on same.

Best industry front loaders are Maytag - least warranty issues and best performance.

I used to work for Amana until Maytag bought them out.