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Washing Machine Shootout: The Staber vs. Whirlpool Duet

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Your mother called and said for you to buy all your applaince parts here! Over 800,000 parts in stock, 98% ship the same day, 30-day no-hassle return policy-- return any part for any reason!

Susan Marek wrote:

Welcome to the Mac and firefox –however Mac’s Safari is cool too! Firefox is for windows users to try to avoid most viruses/spyware thru internet– until it gets popular too.

Now for the big question:

I see you feel Staber is best bet going–still after the whirlpool Duvet entry?

Also, do either of these do twin and queen comforters or King Duvet?

_______________________________

Message sent from IP: 24.185.40.124

I think the essential difference between Macs and PCs comes down to this: I use a PC because I have to; I use a Mac because I like to. And I like the Safari browser, too. But I was already using Firefox on my Windows platform and they have a very nice version for the Mac with features not available in Safari (e.g., all the extensions, especially FireFTP, gmail checker, and several others that I rely on heavily).

The Staber washer vs. Whirlpool Duet… hmm, tough call. Both are excellent machines with all the advantages of horizontal axis washers over the old, energy/water hog vertical axis machines.

First, a little terminology. I refer to the Staber as a horizontal axis washer instead of the layman’s term front-loader because it’s more accurate. All front-loaders are horizontal axis washers but not all horizontal axis washers are front-loaders. For example, both the Staber and the Whirlpool Duet are horizontal axis washers; however, the Staber is loaded from the top, whereas the Whirlpool Duet is loaded from the front. Aside from the Staber, all other top-loaders are vertical axis washers, which are distinguished by an agitator in the center of the tub that beats the hell out of your clothes.

Let’s review some other fun facts to know and tell about horizontal axis washers vs. their vertical axis cousins:

Comparison of Vertical Axis vs. Horizontal Axis Washers
Feature Vertical-Axis Washer Horizontal-Axis Washer
Water Use per Load 45 Gallons 15 Gallons
Tub Material Plastic or Porcelain Stainless Steel
Annual Operating Cost $600 $260
Detergent Usage per Load 4-8 ounces 1 ounce
Capacity 8-10 Full-Size Towels 16 Full-Size Towels
Half-Life 12 Years 20-25 Years

Ok, any dufus can see that horizontal axis washers are the only way to go. Recent marketing research has shown that the only people buying vertical axis washers these days live in double-wides, smoke GPC cigarettes, and leave the water running while brushing their tooth. If you fit into that demographic, tell whoever is reading this to you that they can stop now and turn Jerry Springer back on because you’re just looking for the cheapest washer you can find.

Let’s move on to the specific comparison and contrast between the Staber and the Whirlpool Duet:

  • The Staber loads from the top vs. from the front as in the Duet. For people with bad backs (like me) this is a compelling feature.
  • Samurai’s 11th Law of Appliance Repair states that, “Electronics and wet appliances do not mix.” The Staber has NO electronics in the control panel– all user controls on the Staber are mechanical switches and timers. It does use a single motor controller board which is required to control the forward and reverse tumble directions of the motor. The Duet, on the other hand, uses two, mondo-hairy electronics boards, one of which is just for the control panel. I’ve already seen problems with the motor controller board, though these were isolated cases and do not appear to be a design or production flaw.
  • Samurai’s 3rd Law of Appliance Repair states that, “Everything breaks; it’s just a matter of frequency, difficulty, and expense.” The Staber is designed to be repaired by the end-user– no servicer required. Since you sought out my website, I assume you have at least some interest in being able to do most repairs yourself. The Staber washer is totally serviced from the front, so you don’t have to be a gorilla to pull it out and work on it. You buy replacment parts directly from the factory– this means they’re going to cost less than comparable parts for other brands because you won’t be paying a retail markup.
  • The Whirlpool Duet is made in Germany. The Staber is made right here in Ameedica.
  • The Staber is less expensive than the Duet. The Staber all-white base model, HXW2304, sells for $1,199, freight-paid. The Duets are more in the range of $1,500, plus delivery.

Wanna see it in action? Ok, come check out this video of the Staber in action (138 mb). The Staber standard white model HXW2304 is available for just $1,199. This is a delivered price to a business or residential home within the Continental U.S. (free freight). When you purchase your Staber washer through me, you also get these other goodies:

Still have questions? More info at Samurai’s Appliance Emporium.

Washer Repair FAQs


This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 8th, 2005 at 11:20 pm and is filed under Washer Repair. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Or, you can jump to the homepage.

18 Responses to “Washing Machine Shootout: The Staber vs. Whirlpool Duet”

  1. Anonymous Says:
    April 1st, 2005 at 9:55 am

    Dude! That Staber video tain’t ‘vailable no more. “Error 2703: Shared file is no longer available.”

  2. Henry Says:
    April 2nd, 2005 at 6:52 am

    I haved owned a Maytag Neptune, and now own a staber, the maytag was great, before it started breaking down, the staber is more of a comercial machine, not alot of bells and whistles, but will keep going and going, example… it has grease fittings on it’s bearings, the maytag, you change out the drum assembly $$$$ .
    as far as capacity, a queen comforter will fit.

    it’s your choice…

    cncguy

  3. Henry Says:
    April 2nd, 2005 at 6:58 am

    here’s a link for staber pics and videos…

    http://www.staber.com/HowtoUse.htm

  4. Anonymous Says:
    April 4th, 2005 at 10:20 pm

    I’d be interested in seeing Samurai’s BIG video, but it’s just not there any more.

    cncguy, I’m talking about the Duet not the Neptune. Wouldn’t dream of touching the latter.

    Finally, I can’t find anything at staber.com that tells me what cycles are available on the machine, how fast the spin cycle is, etc. This is important to me, as I hang dry the majority of my laundry. More water extracted = less drying time. We really valued the cycles on our last front-loader.

    Basil

  5. Henry Says:
    April 5th, 2005 at 7:50 pm

    try these…

    http://www.staber.com/FAQ.htm

    http://www.staber.com/Specs.htm

    as far as being spin dry, it does a good job, but to be truthful, it seems like the maytag did better, it spins at 1000 vs 750, however it is much dryer than a normal machine.

  6. Anonymous Says:
    April 6th, 2005 at 12:56 am

    Henry, how do you rate the noise level of the Staber compared to the Neptune? Do you find the Staber’s cycle/temperature settings comparable?

    Basil

  7. Samurai Appliance Repair Man Says:
    April 6th, 2005 at 1:03 am

    Working on a re-post of the BIG video. Standby…

  8. Henry Says:
    April 6th, 2005 at 4:32 am

    noise level is pretty close, maybe a little bit louder when spinning, otherwise pretty quiet. I like the cycles on the staber better than maytag, The staber is more heavy duty to me. I bought it because I want to do minimal repairs, and it is simple, no complex keypad, or leds, just clean clothes. I also started using “Our detergent” It really works well with the staber, and you only use 1-2 oz. per load. between that and hotwater savings, it will pay for itself in couple of years.

    Hey I gotta save all I can to buy gas for my car!!!

  9. Rob Says:
    April 14th, 2005 at 11:17 am

    What about capacity- the duet seems to be 3.5 cu ft, whereas the staber is only 2.5 cu ft… I would like to buy the staber, but….

  10. Anonymous Says:
    May 7th, 2005 at 9:33 am

    also looking into a new machine after disasterous neptune with bearings now gone. makes me a little nervous with repairs to be done by owner on staber. My husband is really handy, but if he wasn’t there then I’d have a machine that I needed to fix! Like the simple machine without bells and whistles,though. Also want a quiet machine, with laundry underneath our kitchen. Liked the duet, if only with a little less stuff!

  11. Anonymous Says:
    May 7th, 2005 at 9:35 am

    Are there any quiet, commercial machines worth looking at?

  12. Samurai Appliance Repair Man Says:
    May 7th, 2005 at 10:08 am

    The Duet is a sweet machine: runs whisper quiet and has a large capacity. Haven’t done much service on them ’cause they don’t break down that often. But tear-down was moderately easy during the Whirlpool training class, with one or two tricky spots.

    If noise is a concern, get the Duet. If serviceability is your prime consideration, get the Staber.

  13. Anonymous Says:
    May 7th, 2005 at 2:22 pm

    ONe more question. Any idea lifespan generally of a duet? Any commercial machines worth looking at besides a staber for moderately heavy use with 6 people in family.Thanks for all your info!!

  14. Byron Says:
    June 1st, 2005 at 11:27 pm

    I have owned a Staber since 1995, I am currently on my second machine and we are a family of 4…no we don’t take in laundry for money and yes we are a normal family of 4! The first machine suffered from weak struts and poorly designed soap / bleach / softener dispenser that plugged, a circuit board issue that required a field motification by yes you the home owner. The good news is that all these items were replaced or resolved under warranty, then the bearings went out…since I live in Ohio I visited the factory and decided that generation 1 was not for me and was offered a great deal on upgrading to the “2000″ model in late 1999 as you can guess the above problems were resolved in the “generation 2″ design. I installed the new washer and completed my first load of laundry to be treated by a screaming noise when the unit went into the spin cycle. The problem was caused by improperly seated rivets on the washer’s drum. When the unit went into a spin part of the drum door seperated…this prompted a call to Staber and they in their defense provided a speedy replacement washer. I was a “Most Happy” Customer for 4 years but allas started having problems with the motor not wanting to turn. This issue was caused by the brushes on the Seymons motor becoming stuck in the brush holder assembly (this must be a common flaw). Since the motor is a very simple design I tore it apart and requested replacement brushes from Staber just to discover that they do not sell them. They also could or would not provide me with a part number or a contact with Seymons…upset customer cloud looming! Since I could find no part number on the motor I was forced to purchase a new motor for $187.00 through Staber; all that for a $5.00 item… To sum it up do you know where I can get brushes to fix my now “spare” drive motor? I can only guess that this issue will be back to haunt me. Now that I have told you all the bad things it would only seem fair to mention the great things about this washer; it cleans cloths like no other machine I have ever owned or used! If you hate
    1. High electric bills
    2. Water bills
    3. Live in the country and have an aging septic system (this alone is worth the price of 5 machines)
    4. Suffer from dry skin that is overly sensative to soap residue..

    Then you may want to consider this machine. It has saved me money in spite of the problems I have experienced not to mention what it means to my overly sesitive skin. Something to think about if you have a baby in your house! Staber warns you to NOT put any detergent in with a load of clothes that have been cleaned with your normal run of the mill washer. This is due to the soad residue that they leave in your clothes! It will over suds the unit! How’s that for washing action.

    Things not to do with a Staber
    1.Top load design can allow small items to fall into washer tub assembly…not cool and very hard to get out, tip of the day always leave the doors open on the washer drum assembly until you are ready to close the top, if you drop something it will then land inside the clothes hopper, not the tub!.
    2. Pocket change can be an issue! A quarter fell out of a pair of pants and as you can guess left the hamper to find it’s way to the bottom of the washer tub. This is easy to diagnose since you washer will now not drain due to the pump motor getting jammed. The fix? Undo the hose and remove quarter. This was not the end of the world but a pain to empty a tub of water and dripping cloathes…if you think me accident prone or just unlucky I guess I leave that to for you to decide! In spite of it all I still have a soft spot in my heart for the darn thing, it cleans oh so well and has been overly kind to my septic system! I just wish I could find a part number for those darn brushes…. Another word of final warning, dont forget to grease the bearing every three years with Lith grease, front and back spindel.

  15. Samurai Appliance Repair Man Says:
    June 10th, 2005 at 9:45 am

    Great comments, Byron, thanks for posting ‘em!

  16. Ray_Z_Boy Says:
    December 18th, 2005 at 4:56 pm

    Byron,
    If the motor is made by Siemens (Seymons?), you should be able to contact them for brushes, although I know they’re an unwieldy giant of a company to deal with. The brush P/N should be molded into the side of the brush itself and there are very few actual brush part numbers in the world. I deal in industrial automation and could recommend someone if you can draw me a dimensioned sketch of the brush itself. I’d need length, width, and how the spring attaches to it. This is assuming you can’t read the printed part number on one of the four sides (again, I’m making an assumption that it’s not a round brush?) You can also sand the sides of the brush down with, say 120 grit sandpaper to allow a bit more room to slide, which should prevent it from getting stuck. I’m looking for a Staber but not sure if we can wait for one to arrive. I think I lost my transmission in the Kenmore (less than 5 years old) and the laundry is starting to pile up fast. Good luck and let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

  17. Samurai Appliance Repair Man Says:
    December 18th, 2005 at 5:07 pm

    UPDATE: You can now view the Staber presentation video here.

  18. Jimmy Says:
    April 16th, 2007 at 7:41 am

    Byron,

    This was a SUPER review and gave me a lot of information. We’re currently trying to decide what to do with a Frigidaire horizontal-axis machine that died after less than 4 years of moderate use, and a Staber is one of the candidates. You’ve helped quite a bit.

    However, with all due respect, could I ask you to (a) either use the Firefox browser with built-in spelling checking, or (b) to type your comments in Word first and paste them in? It’s very difficult to go through all of the typos and misspellings in your posting to reach to serious opinions that you’ve posted!

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