Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

(Update, February 2013: I want to point out that Speed King has added a comment on the spinning rate; that it can be modified by changing a spring. I'll check into it.) I replaced my old Speed Queen (20 years!)with this new one and they are very similar. Both great quality. But I wish I had taken more time to notice the differences between them. I don't know if buying a more expensive Speed Queen would have helped, but I want to point out things I missed. The new one doesn't have an auto second rinse, a feature I routinely used. (Update: one of the commenters says the second rinse is available on a different model. I bought the only model the store carried.) The new one has hot, warm and cold wash, but only cold rinse. This may be a new EPA regulation to save energy. You might want to check that out by looking at other models here on Amazon. Clothes come out cold. Sure, the machine uses less energy, but then you just have to heat them back up in the dryer, so it's bogus. I may externally re-plumb the inlet pipes to change this, depending on how cold the water gets in winter. This model has a redesigned agitator which makes the washing space larger, but it doesn't really wash more clothes. Here's why. I found out that the EPA has a new rule: like front loading washers, top loading washers no longer fill all the way to save water. So the washer only fills about 2/3 full. If you load clothes above the water line, they come out tangled and wrinkled. There's a web site that explains how to reset this inside the machine, but I haven't done it yet. If it works, it'll become a nice big capacity washer, bigger than my old one. I noticed in other reviews here people are complaining the clothes come out too wet. For me too. Again, I wonder if this is another EPA energy-saving regulation so I don't know if a more expensive model would solve this either. Maybe you could check details (spin rates, motor size) with a salesman. For really wet items like towels, I respin them which helps a bit. Overall I like this new machine and will like it more once I make the above changes. For anyone who's never had a Speed Queen, they're simply better than all the rest. It's quiet, smooth, fast, self-leveling, okay looking, easy to use, makes a useful table with the top down, has no irritating beeps or digital settings-just a good, reliable Speed Queen. I hope they never stop making them. (And I wish that the EPA wouldn't make rules that are counter-productive and don't save energy in the end.) Update Jan 2012: Still like it. Easily increased water level using the screw in back of top panel. It's the screw that goes through the center of a 1 inch white Teflon disk, but be careful to play around with how much it should be turned on your machine or you'll flood your floor:) Use trial-and-error; I think about 2-4 turns clockwise did the trick. Now it can wash a lot more clothes at a time and the wrinkling problem is gone. Still haven't re-valved water inlet to get a warm rinse(not sure how to do it...) Update Nov 2012: Topic: REPAIRS: First, thanks for all the comments I just found. I'm back with a bit more info. Long story, I managed to get a plastic upholstery button caught between the inner (spinning)and outer (stationary)buckets and needed to remove the top to get at it. It was rattling and screeching and at first I thought the bearings were shot. But I knew the button was probably in there since it wasn't on the cushion anymore. Upon examination, I thought removing the top panel would require some sort of bizarre angled screw driver to get at the screws in the middle of each side of the top panel. A wiser person realized they are not screws, even though they look exactly like screws. They are only alignment posts and the top will pull right away from them. SO, to remove the top, you need to 1) unplug the machine. 2) pull it away from the wall so you'll have room to fold back the top panel. 3)remove the front panel by removing the conventional screws by each front leg. Lift the bottom of the front panel while angling foreward and it slips right off. 4)remove the hexagonal screws on the underside at the FRONT corners of the top panel, but not the "screws" along the sides, like I said above. 5) fold the top panel back. From there, you can unscrew the clamp from the water hose, and carefully unclip the upper rim of the baskets. This will give you access to the space between. A coathanger did the trick. I wish there were a screen of some type at the top of the buckets to prevent jerks like me from managing to jam a button in the machine while washing couch cushions:) Update October 16, 2013. Still love it. Update 9/2015: still love it.