On Sat, 06 May 2006 04:29:25 GMT, Ignoramus22440
wrote:

It seems that my current maytag washer broke the clutch, that's very
hard to get to. The motor and the tub pulley spin, but the tub does
not engage. There were also some bad noises coming from there, as
though a piece of metal was caught between some gears. These noises
stopped, eventually, with no improvement.

It is not the first time when this washer breaks and I have just about
had it.

I would like to buy a new washer that is built honestly, like Miller
welders or Cummins engines, and not like cost engineered crap that
does not last and is impossible to fix.

Such washers are, apparently, made, at least for commercial
laundromats. (which would not fit our room) Is there a consumer
version of that? Where plastic and potmetal is not used for major
parts, and things are built to last "like they used to".

I do not mind paying top dollar for such a thing if it exists.

Any ideas?

i

I was involved in R&D for whitegoods once upon a time, worked with
appliance makers here and in Europe.

Maytag ain't what it used to be. They once were fanatics about
quality and durability. Then there was a management shakeup about 8
years ago, VP of Engrg Curran Cotton was pastured, and the culture
changed. The whitegoods industry has consolodated enormously from
dozens of brands to just a very few by merger and accquisitions. U.S.
makers chase pricepoint. They are strongly governed by purchasing and
marketing; new designs start with an ordained pricepoint, then they
try to build the best machine they can that will meet that pricepoint,
because they firmly believe that American consumers buy price first.

European consumers tend to value quality and performance more, and
they're willing to pay for it. It's not a snob thing, just different
values.

The finest laundry machines in the world are probably made by Asko
Cylinda in Vara, Sweden. Vara is a very small town about 30 km from
Lidköping, where you can read a newspaper outside at midnight on 21
June (Midsomer). Employee turnover at Asko is about zip. The
culture there is quality, quality, quality. Lots of stainless steel,
very little plastic.

They are available in the U.S., though you won't find them in the big
box stores. They don't have the large capacity that Americans seem
to want, but they are superb machines. Pricetag will be well over
$1K.

http://www.asko.se/
http://www.askousa.com/company/awards.htm

Also have a look at their dishwasher. It is silent!

Possibly interesting tidbit: the water valves in their appliances can
withstand something like 180 PSIG pressure. Water in Norway comes
from high glaciers in places, mains pressures can be quite high!