Staber washing machine

[Gresford]

I have heard that the Staber washing machine is the "Cadillac" of washing machines, especially for those that have a homesteading mindset. Is it really as efficient and maintenance free as the reviews/articles let on? More importantly, is it worth the $1K+ price tag?

If anyone has any experience with this machine, please weigh in.

Thanks!

[WisJim]

We don't have one (use a wringer washer), but we have a number of friends who have them, some for over 10 years, and they all like the machine. They are popular with off-grid electrical systems as they work well with most inverters--the timers on some machines don't do well with some inverter power.

They were the first good horizontal axis machine, and one of the few that is also a top loader instead of a front loader--the tub or basket for the clothes has a hatch in the side so it loads from the top, but it has all of the advantages of the front loaders made by other companies, such as using less soap and water.

A friend that sells them had a demo machine with a glass front that was fun to watch. Amazing how little water was needed to do a good job.

[Hip_Shot_Hanna]

We have had one since April, and I love it! It's efficient, quiet, and uses LOTS less energy and water. It only uses 115 watts per load, according to the energy tag that came with it. It also uses far less laundry soap and fabric softener.

It's made so that it can be worked on easily at home by yourself, and comes with a complete parts listing should you need one of them.

Delivery was free - and after looking at the prices of other front loading machines, the purchase price was comparable and in some cases even less than others.

[LisaInN.Idaho]

We have the Kenmore Elite HE3 washer since it is more water and energy efficient than the Staber and we are off the grid. It probably isn't as easy to fix as a Staber however, but we've used ours for almost 3 years now with no problems and we love it.
Here is one not so good review of the Staber: http://www.tirebalehouse.com/product_reviews.htm
4. Staber Washing Machine - We bought a highly energy efficient Staber washing machine before we moved here and began testing it for about a year. While it is very energy efficient and only uses about 15 gallons of water on a full load, it really doesn't seem to clean the clothes very well and we've found that the drum is small. We can only wash about half the amount they advertise to get the laundry somewhat clean. That amounts to about one large bath towel, one hand towel, and one wash cloth OR about 4 shirts. So, the way we see it, it takes washing a load twice to get it clean. That would be equal to 30 gallons of water just like a standard washing machine (which also holds more clothes). We've also had to replace a warped pulley that caused the belt to slip badly during the spin. Even after replacement, it still slips. We also had trouble with soapsuds plugging the drain pump which resulted in having to dismantle the drain hose so we could drain the drum. We are not very impressed with the Staber and are currently looking into other brands