Product review (5 stars): Fantastic Washing Machine. Wipe out the inside first!!!
Before I review this machine, I want to emphasize that you MUST wipe out the inside of the stainless steel tub when you first get your machine. The tub is coated with a greasy, dusty film that must be wiped off with a spray cleanser/ degreaser and a cloth or paper towel. It took me about 10 minutes before I got the inside of my machine clean. This coating is quite substantial and will not wash off with normal running of the machine. This is mentioned in both the installation manual and the user's manual. (Similarly, the installers ran the matching dryer for 30 minutes to burn off a similar factory coating.) I wonder if some of the writers of the poor reviews had problems because the users did not wipe off this coating.

We just bought the AWN542 along with its matching dryer at our local independent appliance store. We replaced a set of 20 year old Maytags that had served us well but once the dryer started screeching, we decided to replace them instead of repairing them. I wanted to avoid the fancy front loading machines because of all the complaints I have heard over the years. We looked at simple looking Maytags, Amanas, Whirlpools, etc. but they all looked cheaply made and do have some computerized components that can fail. The higher end machines seemed overly complicated and would have cost at least twice as much as the Speed Queens.

The salesman at the independent appliance store recommended the Speed Queens. At first, I was skeptical. The Speed Queens looked like the lower end machines to me at first. They are very Plain Jane but my husband was immediately impressed by how much better built they were than the somewhat lower priced Maytags, etc. So we went home to do some research on Speed Queen. We were happy to find so many positive reviews and that they were made in Wisconsin with absolutely no computer boards. As far as I know, there is nothing comparable available for consumers in the United States. We returned to the store an hour later and bought the AWN542 and matching dryer on the spot. We felt the Speed Queen washer and dryer set were moderately priced - somewhat higher than the low end Whirlpool clones but much less than high end front loaders.

I could repeat all the other positive comments. Nice, simple straightforward washing machine that gets clothes clean. There are plenty of options to choose water level, cycle, extra rinse. Nothing fancy or complicated. I have already washed delicates, towels, heavy canvas pants, coats, a large comforter. Everything came out beautifully. I think the extra large water level is fine. I don't feel the need to overload the machine.

The only thing I might complain about is that the knobs look sort of dumpy at first. They could use a good industrial designer to make them a little more attractive. But they are growing on me. The knobs are actually very sturdy and functional. The black lettering on the plain white is very clear and easy to read so the complaint about the look of the knobs is very superficial and silly.