Two words: Speed Queen.

Yeah the fancy he washers are a pain. Bought one (Maytag he) to replace my old 30 year old Maytag top loader. Hate it! I like to decide how much water goes on my clothing and if I want it soak or scrub a tub mat … or wash cucumbers for pickling! And can't really tell when the washer if full...

Cucumbers in your washer????? Explain please!

YES! We had a repairman visit recently and I asked about the Speed Queen. He thought they were a good machine, but need to be on a cement pad and stated that they do make a lot of noise.

While I appreciate modern appliances, I DO WISH appliance makers would let us make choices for ourselves!!! Granted, some of us need to be protected from ourselves, but most of us manage on our own without over-zealous manufacturers trying to think for us.

This is a fun thread! I think I will keep my early marriage era washer (late 1970's), basic Maytag. There is a little rust on the lid, and I think it should spin a little stronger. However, I just run the ending spin cycles twice (I can control the dial). I was so happy to get this washer -- it was my very first, and I hope it will be my last.

Just checked the Eucalan website and they are celebrating their 25th Anniversary! Great product that's been available some time.

I must agree with the "intelligent" washing machines. I cannot get the machine to cover two king size sheets (for that matter any load) in a high capacity machine with sufficient water to wet the sheets! The machine weighs the contents and adds water, so I faked out the machine by wetting my loads with water (I, too, had to attach a garden hose to the utility sink to wet the laundry but not add so much water that the machine empties it....lesson learned too.) and then I can get barely enough water to adequately clean the sheets. If I had a way to get home my basic Sears model (many years old) from my cabin in the mountains I would definitely trade the machines. Expensive lesson learned!

Where I live, we start our water bill at $50 per month before using a single drop of water! It can get quite expensive if you aren't smart about water usage.

PatriceJ, we bought a high end Samsung and ended up calling the repair man twice because of water levels. I told him that I had been adding extra water with a hose and he said not a good idea as it can ruin the machine's system. He also suggested an old Maytag works better than any new machine. He said the machine's water level is what the government now allows.

Treasure it. It has more value than you'd think.

Mine are on the second floor and it took us awhile to get the right heavy-weight pan to set them on. The washer doesn't go out of balance and doesn't even have an off-balance switch, so some cycles are indeed noisier. But it's very sturdy, and you can set the water to wherever you want. It has a transmission and a heavy pump, so compared to my earlier flimsy water-saver, it's quite satisfying. And, like my older Whirlpool, the water doesn't sit in the lines to cause trouble.