Washer Bearings Washed Out Early

I bought a Maytag Neptune washer and dryer after reading an article in Design News, which convinced me to spare the extra expense when our top loader quit. I was fairly impressed with the design. We pay for our water in California, but that was less a deciding factor than the fact that it was gentler on clothes and quiet.

The washer bearing set gave out fairly soon, however, and I was surprised to discover that they were not replaceable. You had to buy the entire (expensive) drum/spider set. You can rent a tool to replace the bearings, but the hassle and downtime was so much that I decided not to fix it. Instead, I bought a new washer/dryer set.

We replaced the Maytag washer and dryer with a Samsung steam washer and dryer, which we've had for 18 months, and so far they work perfectly. Time will tell, but I have the expectation that they will last at least 10 years. If we set the spin speed to "very high," the clothes almost don't need to be dried. They are slightly damp at most. Even on this setting, the washer is so quiet that you can barely hear it spin. The music it plays when it's done is at least twice as loud, and it's not loud at all.

When Whirlpool bought Maytag, it replaced the Maytag-designed Neptune with a Samsung washer and dryer and simply rebadged them. I worked for Samsung some time back, and I had reviewed its washer design once. I was impressed with the design team's commitment to quality.

This entry was submitted by Kelly Williams and edited by Rob Spiegel.

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