Product review (4 stars): Have owned for a couple years now
Our old Whirlpool finally gave out and I ended up buying this one. Didn't know anything about Speed Queen washers and just took our local appliance store's word for gospel. They came and set it up and I was good to go. Please understand that this comparison is to my OLD washer, which I loved. I did not have an HE model.

This washer has some things I like and some I don't so much. First, I hate, hate that you can't open THE TOP anymore without the agitator stopping (it's not locked, but it turns off if it's opened). Just an example of all the over regulation going on within our govt (but that's another review). I have found a way around it by opening the lid about an inch and sticking a flashlight inside so I can see if there's enough soap or water. Anyway, still hate this, but I think all the new washers have to have this amazing 'life saving' safety feature.

Next, the NOISE, it is way louder than my older machine. The slower speed for the gentle cycle is extremely hard to endure and if I put my head lower and closer to the machine, it is over the top annoying. I just don't do that! I just run it and close the door behind me so it's something I've just dealt with over the past couple years. The higher speed is tolerable.

I love the speed of the SPIN CYCLE! That is way better than my old one. I just wish the gentle cycle had the faster speed too. Sometimes, a delicate load comes out too wet so I then put the clothes through the spin in the regular cycle.

I appreciate the switch for the EXTRA RINSE. It was an option and cost me 50 bucks I think, but totally worth it. I use it quite a bit. It lengthens the load's time a bit, but it's just handy to have when you have an extra dirty load.

My old machine delivered HOT WATER so that's no different on this one, but it sounds like most new machines 'water down' the hot water. That's dumb.

This machine just won't go out of BALANCE! I love this about my washer. My old one could, at times, act like a bucking bronco. This one has never so much as moved a tiny bit across the floor. And I've washed some pretty big loads including comforters.

I don't like the AGITATOR. My old one would take the clothes down into the machine very quickly. I have to wait on this one longer and combined with the stupid way you can't lift the top without it stopping, it just makes for more time fidgeting around with doing the wash. I wish it pulled the clothes in better, but I can live with how it works and I suppose it is easier on the clothes this way. Still....

We did have a REPAIR person come out once. This was pretty early on. I had washed a crocheted blanket and I am theorizing that it ended up being very heavy with water (or it got caught somehow, although there was no evidence of this). The machine stopped working, leaving a tub full of water. I kept trying to get it to turn back on over the course of the day, but it just sat there. A repair person came to check it out and by the time he arrived, the machine started working again! This happened one other time since then, but I know now to just let it sit for a day. The repair person did not say it had an automatic shut off, but I really can't remember what he said right now. That was a couple years ago.

I would recommend this washer to anyone who is not overly concerned about the noise level (and maybe mine, for some reason, is just louder than other reviewers' machines). I don't consider the problem with the rinse cycle as anything to worry about. I think it might be 'user error'.