Kleenmaid LWK74

TOUGH MACHINE, BUILT LIKE A BIG YELLOW NEW YORK CAB – Excellent big tough machine built like a yellow New York cab. Doesn't jump around your laundry on spin cycle. Not too much noise. Did get a lightning strike which happened to kill the clock timer but just make sure it is unplugged when not in use. Does a great job. One small thing I would like the manufacturer to change is the "Cycle Selection… Read more

Knob". It needs to have a bigger head on it so it is easier to get a grip on to pull out with wet hands.

kleenmaid LWK74 – On my second machine which took a thrashing. love it just goes forever do a lot of washing especially overalls. Only just changed bearings after 10 or more years of hard use. Only objection is has no filter so get lint on clothes if I don't give it a good rinse after washing fluffy clothes. Highly recommend it to busy families.

Kleenmaid is the cheapest, most reliable washer – Cheap? Yeah, I got rid of mine today --- after 32 years of service. At 27 years of service it needed new bearings. At 30 years of service it developed a small leak. Finally the motor began to lose power and did not spin fast enough. It still worked when I said goodbye, but it just didn't work well enough, and the quotes for repair were far too… Read more

high.

It served a family of six for most of its life.

No other machine is even worth considering.

Kleenmaid is the best machine ever made.

this machine is the best ever made in usa – I have had this machine for 15 years with no trouble the only thing was the timer went had 2 replace it and I small leak that's it didnt cost much 2 fix but I wouldn't buy any other washing machines cant beat them heavy duty unit never stops washing 24 7 and reliable washer I stand buy these machines the best on the market today

Servicing of Kleenmaid – Kleenmaid service is fully available and parts are easily obtainable. Stokes Appliances, Parts and Service still offer nationwide Kleenmaid repairs. Kleenmaid products were all just imported, so parts are just continued to be imported from overseas. I have a Kleenmaid at home. Had bearings, seal, drain pump, timer and inlet valve all replaced.… Read more

Cost a few bob, but the machine is now in perfect working condition and is 13 years old. Look forward to another 10 plus years out of it.

Excellent – If I was in the position to purchase Kleenmaid again, then I would. It is well designed and easy to use. I prefer using the knobs to select the different levels of washing, water levels and temperature which are clearly setout. For an older machine, it is water efficient and has been very reliable. This washer is fantastic, I like everything about… Read more ·  1

it. Our machine is over 14 years old now and had not missed a beat until now. I have washed nappies, blankets and doona's; really put it to test. Now the drum is not agitating during the wash, causing water to spill over the sides. The agitator still works as does everthing else. We have replaced the belt to see if the fixed the problem - no it still does it. The repair bill, $500 plus. I am in two minds weather I should get it repaired or purchase another brand.

Excellent – My machine is coming up to 20 years old, I have 2 grown boys it has done the white nappies, school uniforms, work clothes, the 4 of us playing Touch Footy for 15 years etc. I think my machine would have done over 1 million miles of washing. It has always been the best work horse. The only thing I have had to replace over these years was a pump… Read more ·  4

hose & a drain pump & 2 services Total 400.00. The old saying is TRUE you pay a bit more but you get the best product which is my Kleenmaid washing machine. Our model is the KAW-793. We also brought the big industrial clothes dryer, range hood, & oven when we renovated our Kitchen. When you look at these new water saving model machines saying they use less water but they take 2-3 times longer so there goes your electricity bill & you cant add any clothes to them during there cycle. Our machine dosent use a lot of water & the water I use (greywater) I use on the lawn. My clothes are always beautiful & clean. 10 out of 10 KLEENMAID. I LOVE MY MACHINE.!!!!!!! My machine is a KAW - 793.This washing machine is fantastic, it takes roughly 30 minutes from start to finish for the most grubbiest clothes to be cleaned. You can put in very large items eg queen size blankets etc with no problem, quiet & sturdy it's a work horse even for the biggest family. I wouldnt even by another brand. Nothing, it's proved itself over & over again after 20 years of service to my family.

It's True! Its Big! Its is Tough! And it's Built to last – It's big, it's strong, when moving it took a slide down my super steep driveway, bounced on the road and it still worked, left only a dent for the memory. It cleans my queen mink blankets, no bath tubs or dry cleaners for heavy jobs. This Kleenmaid has done some miles, taken some knocks and Large loads of washing not a problem. So far spent zero… Read more

money on repairs but it does need a new dial $20 online. "1" Awesome machine over 12yrs and still working. Definitely got my monies worth! If I chose I could charge for washes by attaching a coin operated gadget.

Excellent – I gave this machine to my parents when I moved interstate. These machines are now available under their original brand name Speed Queen, since Kleenmaid went broke. They are pricey and a replacement wasn't in my budget. This time I bought the F&P Aquasmart, which I've also reviewed. On another note, I've read through the reviews for this Kleenmaid… Read more

washer and am wondering why it only shows an overall rating of three and a bit stars, when the vast majority of reviews and ratings are four and five stars. Superb machine. Functional, practical and well-built. Washes and rinses as a good washer should. No frills, easy to use and flexible. Never had any issues with this washer.

Excellent – I have had this machine for 20 years and have only spent $200 to have a switch fixed and that was 2 years ago and it is once again going very well, if I could buy another I would. It washes well and has many different wash cycles as well as a soak and extra wash, has hot cold and warm washes, large enough to do doonas etc. It has knobs which I like. It is so easy to use.  Show reply

Bad – A slap in the face ... from Kleenmaid and SpeedQueen. Good machine while it worked. Gearbox carked it after 5 years. To add insult to injury Kleenmaid has gone bust and can't cliam on the 10 year gearbox warranty. Joke.

Good – Overall I was really happy with the machine and I really did use it for 5 years (being a commericial type machine would have thought it could handle heavy usage!?!) My mum has had her Speed Queen for more than 20 years and has never had to get it serviced - she also does ridiculous amounts of washing, hence why I bought it. I'm finding it tough… Read more

to part with, because its served me well otherwise and is in immaculate condition, the Kleenmaid service guy was more than happy to take it away should I decide not to fix it - BUT probably will cut my losses this time and buy a new machine - this time a front loader. Great washing machine, loved it however the gearbox has packed it in. Large capacity - I would load it to the absolute max, in 30 mins my washing was done, I would do at least 4 loads a day, easy to use - just turn the dials, no annoying beeping sounds, programming etc. Neat looking machine. Love the metal lid - I used to place a full washing basket on top and it never dented. My machine always washed clothes really well in cold water, no lint problems - I would do blacks after towels or whites, no oil problems. The gearbox has also packed it after 5 years of admittedly daily heavy duty use! It will now cost about $800 to get a new gearbox (with only a 3 month warranty on that part). I should have been more savy and read the fine print that it was a suppliers warranty not a manufacturers warranty on a rebranded product!!) - disappointed. No valid warranties on the machine. So who knows what could go wrong next and how much that will cost.

Excellent – Just to clarify, Kleenmaid never made washing machines. They imported their top loaders from the USA and re-branded them. The washers are made by Speed Queen, which is a brand that's been around for almost a hundred years. The company that makes these washers is a premium name in commercial laundry circles. Yes, their top loading washers are… Read more

old-fashioned in many ways, but that is why I opted to buy it (and I like the way they look). They have that reputation for reliability and excellent performance and, so far, I have not been disappointed. I bought my washing machine to rinse and wash my clothes well. I wanted sensible, straight-forward cycles that I actually have use for. Previous experience, cleaning/rinsing performance, durability and flexibility were the criteria on which I based my decision to get another one of these machines. Environmental concerns were not high on my agenda in this case. I save water and electricity in other ways. The fact, that a lot of modern washing machines now have an expected life-span of less than ten years actually negates most of the monetary savings and supposed environmental benefits, for which people are encouraged to buy them. As far as linting is concerned, I find that sorting my laundry carefully nips that problem in the bud. Top loaders are great for soaking also. If I have really dirty laundry I let it soak for 15 minutes to half an hour. It makes a world of difference and doesn't cost anything. I have always found that washing in warm and hot water gets my clothes cleaner than in cold. Cold water washing works only on very lightly soiled clothes. Detergent manufacturers recommend a minimum temperature of 21 degress centigrade for their cold water formulation anyway, not tap cold. To get optimal cleaning results from ones washer still requires a little effort and preparation on the part of the user, beyond just dumping in ones clothes, washing powder and pushing a couple of buttons. It is a sturdy, well-designed top loading washer. It washes extremely well and, contrary to other reviews here, I've not had linting problems worth complaining about. I purchased my current Kleenmaid washer two years ago in replacement of another one that I had for 21 trouble-free years. That one only had one minor repair (the cold water supply hose burst). My current machine is capacious, gentle on clothes and has common sense, easy to understand cycles. It is flexible in that it allows me to interfere with, advance, change and repeat any part of any cycle whilst the machine is in operation. I can use it as a spin drier or do a rinse only and wash anything in it from my sneakers to the daintiest handwashables. Neither my old Kleenmaid nor this new machine have ever had load balancing issues and I do wash almost anything in it from pillows and heavy blankets to soft toys. Don't know yet. Haven't had any issues with it so far. Of course now that Kleenmaid have gone to the wall I've lost my warranty. Last time I checked the asking price for a new washer was $2,600, which is a little pricey. When I bought my first Kleenmaid top loader 23 years ago I paid $800. This time around I got it for $1900. So, hopefully, it will give me the same hard-working reliability that I got from my previous machine. One can only hope for the best.

Excellent – its been used every day for 10 years, cost 1800 way back then, the timer start knob has just lost its ratchet setting mechanism so it needs to be replaced, I bought it because speedqueen / kleenmaid are used in commercial premise so it had a good reputation, as with any product there are lemons, if kleenmaid survive the current crisis they… Read more ·  2

should look at customer care,no lemons out there, just praise for the item, without us, you have no business, I was a hoover /whirlpool man but got sick of buying new machines every 5 years and they never had good balance, the kleenmaid maths 10 years X 300 washes = 3000 trouble free washes, if I replace her, it will be with a scrub board and a younger woman, just joking a good solid machine , no balance problems no fancy electronic dials to buggar up simple to set and operate it has a jet engine note on the spin cycle but its the tub rotating at high speed, you get used to the sound

Good – The prized metal gearbox which was the deal-maker for me has completely locked and needs replacement...of course 3 months AFTER the company goes bust and my warranty is not worth the paper its written on. To add insult to injury, the caretaker company sent a bloke out to fix it, charged me the service call to tell me a)what's wrong and b)he can't… Read more ·  1

fix it within 2.5 weeks and they don't have anyone else who can!! The chap was apologetic but my socks are still dirty and I'm no closer to having a solution. Understand this is just tough luck BUT ... Now I'm not sure whether to fix it (will be quite expensive) or buy something else... after reading some of the other reviews though....maybe it IS worth fixing... Like others, i love the sturdy, reliable, METAL-ness of it. I bought it for precisely that reason - I didn't want plactic nonsense. Had it just under 10 years now and whilst it did need repairing a few years back, overall it's been pretty good and I've been a satisfied customer, content with my decision to spend the extra $ to get good quality.... that is...until NOW. See below... other than that, no real downers... never had anything like a lint problem ??? It's a tad noisy in full flight but I think that's a good thing... i find it comforting... :-)

Terrible – For what is supposed to be a "quality" product, I've never been so disappointed in all my life. We got it as part of a package deal for new house we built. For something that is supposed to retail for around $2,000 it really is attrocious. I've never had one good wash out of it. The lint filter (if it really is there), seems to "self clean" by… Read more

putting the lint back in the water - so my clothes often come out worse than they've gone in. 700rpm spin speed isn't fast enough to get enough water out of the clothes, so they come out wet still. Plus there are no "waterfalls" in the rinse cycle, so left over detergent is left in the clothes, making them sticky and disgusting. You'll need to soak them and spin them again to get a decent result. The agitator does a good job of stretching clothes, so most of my t-shirts are ruined. Selling this piece of junk and can't say I'm sorry to see it go.

Destroys clothes. Spin isn't fast enough, so clothes come out wet. No "waterfall" feature, so any left over residue stays in your clothes during the spin cycle. Central agitator hardly seems to wash clothes on full load, so clothes come out dirty (or dirtier - see next point) after a wash. Says it has a "self cleaning lint filter". Well if it does, it doesn't work - I've never had so much lint on any of my clothes. Clothes get tangled and stretched, most of my t-shirts are now ruined. I've given up on this piece of junk !!

OK – Bought in august 2001. worked well for 14 months, then had to call out the repair man to fix bearings. have now had the washing machine for 7 years and now am having problems with it. when machine is supposed to rinse out the wash cycle it is also agitating at the same time. i lift the lid up and put it back down and then i goes back to normal,… Read more

but then when it does the final rinse it wont stop spinning and keeps on going untill i stop it myself. also like another reveiwer i find it does not rinse out the water enough like it should. i havent had any problems with lint on the washing.it does a thourough wash and also quicker than previous machines i have owned.other than mechanical problems ive had i have had a lot of use out of it considering i have a family of 6. but was dissapointed when it broke down only after owning it for 14 months considering it's supposed to be the best washing machine in the world. Hope this helps out other veiwers to considering buying a washing machine. Quick washer, very basic easy to operate too expensive, unreliable, broke down after 14 months.

Terrible – This piece of garbage cost us just under $2,000.00. We went on recommendation that this was a commercial quality machine. It broke down on the first day and they refused to exchange. The service guuys attended about 7 times and replaced nearly every part of teh machine and still was causing problem. Had to repeatedly threaten fair tradingaction to… Read more

get anywhere. Finally convinced managing director to swap over for new machine. Since then machine has performed O.k. , not great but O.k.. Would never recommend this companyto anyone. So called commercial quality Constant breakdown from first day, leaves clothes wringing wet at end of cycle.

Excellent – A great washing machine that is simple to use. It is sturdy and solid and it gets a real workout in my house. I would highly recommend for anyone with a large family. Have had my machine for 2 years and I love it. Great size; excellent balance and I have not found it hard on my clothes as mentioned in other reviews and I am very particular about… Read more

how my washing is done. I love the lack of buttons and the ability to be able to manually use the machine if you only want to spin or rinse etc without having to be a rocket scientist to work out an electronic panel! I wanted a commercial size/type of machine as I have a large grown up family (8) and this machine and its accompanying dryer are fantastic. I actually like everything about it. There is nothing for me to dislike.

Terrible – My kleenmaid machine almost caused a house fire and is now useless $1100 to fix! What was their response? - $500 off a new machine another $2000! better off to buy an el-cheapo, get 5 years out of it, throw it out and get another el-cheapo Very disappointed! No electronic control panel warranty and after sales service

OK – My opinion is based on the fact i have spent the better part of the 15 years working on remote construction sites, and, in the laundry 9 times out of 10 you will invariably find a kleenmaid. I would have to agree with most of the points raised already, that is, 1)They dont wash very well. 2)They dont spin very fast. 3)They dont have the all… Read more

important waterfall, and 4)They really are rough on clothes. I think the point that should be made however is that these are "commercial" quality machines. They're meant (and made) to be used in areas where they will be tortured either by non caring employees or in (as in my case) rough headed construction workers, or worse still a laundromat. Commercial quality does not mean "better" than a home appliance, quite the contrary, it means highly efficient at doing the job it was intended to do with the minimum of bells and whistles... Tough as a tank Rough as a tank as well