Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I do love MOST things about this washer. I previously had a Kenmore Elite Calypso Top Loading HE for 12 years. I wanted to get back to an agitator/fill-with-water type washer because I didn't feel my clothes were getting as clean. Odd thing about this Speed Queen though, is in the User's Manual, it directs you to use a low-sudsing HE detergent (see picture!) Of course I read this after I'd gone out just to buy regular detergent and used it in the four loads I've done so far with fine results. I even ran an extra rinse cycle on this last load just to see if there was any remaining soap, but none of note. I will try it with the HE detergent that I have on hand to see if it still cleans well. Pros for this washer: - Will fill to the top on Extra Large setting. - The lid does not lock. You can open the lid at any time during the entire wash/rinse/spin cycle. - Very short wash times. - CLEAN laundry! Can actually smell the clean. Didn't notice the absence of that clean smell until I got it back with this washer. - End of wash signal. - Delayed start for up to 24 hours (haven't used this yet but looking forward to setting for early morning so laundry doesn't sit wet overnight.) - Extended, 5 year warranty on parts and labor comes with the washer. I've read that some people say you're paying for it in the cost of the washer, as the price used to be $300 less than current selling price. - Can set up to 9 different Favorite settings. - Different wash cycles have different spin speeds (e.g. delicate spins slower than permanent press). Cons for this washer: - The most annoying thing is that this washer will not fill, agitate or spin when lid is open. I can understand agitate and spin, but fill? Directions tell you to pour detergent in bottom of washer, then add clothes, THEN close the lid to add the water. That means some clothes are just sitting right on top of non-diluted detergent. This is a very annoying feature, and I would love to figure out how to override for at least the fill time. I even watched a video on YouTube before I bought, which showed a guy doing a load with the lid open. He doesn't state he's tweaked it in any way. He is using the AWNE82, and I have the AWNE92, but I can't imagine that Speed Queen changed that feature between their two electronic models. ***EDITED: I used the instructions and photos I found on the discussion forum of www.automaticwasher.org to bypass this feature - easy to do and works great now!. (http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?39369) I'm leaving this as a CON, however, because of the need to bypass it.*** - Size of tub is only 3.3 cubic ft. - however, I still was able to fit one queen sheet set and one twin sheet set and 5 bath towels in one load. - When delivered, the tub had a black film on it. You can't see it with the naked eye, but rub a white towel in the tub and you'll see it. I had read about this and was prepared, but it did take two no-clothes wash cycles, one rubdown with Goo Gone and FOUR rubdowns with Windex and a white towel before it was all cleaned off. - The only cycle for NORMAL is combined with the ECO setting, which starts with warm, then switches to cold water, regardless of your settings. Also, the directions say to not use the fabric softener dispenser on the ECO setting. This is annoying. So, instead I will set up a Favorite for my "normal". I've only had this machine for one day, so these are all initial impressions. I will update if anything of note happens. Even though it looks like I've listed many cons, these are minor, and overall I'm very pleased with the machine. One thing I realized, however, is if you don't use HE detergent, it may become hard to find regular detergent in the stores! Also, at the time of this writing, there were three pictures on Amazon for this unit. The main picture it is showing is NOT the AWNE92 with 9 cycle settings. It is showing the AWNE82 with 3 settings. I've attached a picture of my AWNE92 panel. ***EDIT: Update 1/2016 - still loving this machine, definitely worth the money!