The Staber Washer is good washer if you are interested in saving electricity, water and detergent. It is the only top loading, horizontal-axis clothes washer made in the U.S. It operates in a similar way to an efficient front load washer, but you get top loading convenience. Compared to conventional vertical-axis agitator washers, the Staber uses 66% less water, 50% less electricity, and 75% less detergent. It uses only 12-16 gallons of water per load and 265 kWh of electrical power per year. See this comparison of electrical costs over 3 years.
Here are some reviews and comments on the Staber Washer from Samurai Appliance Repair Man.
This washer is best suited for solar power systems. It requires only 5-6 amps during washing, surges to 11 amps when motor starts. Can run on a 1500W inverter.
Here are some more specs:
Power Consumption: 110-150 Watts per load (265 kWh/year) 1.48 MEF
Water Consumption: 15 gallon per average load
Capacity: 2 cu. ft tub, 18 lb. load
Dimensions: 27″ W x 26″D x 42″ H
Warranty: 25 years on outer tub module, 5 years on bearings & suspension, 1 year on all else.
It costs about $1200.
Product Home Page: Staber.Com
Available from: Alternative Energy Store
5+ years and not ONE SINGLE issue with our Staber… It seems to be exactly as advertised.
Hard to believe there are so many negative accounts here. Of course the net tends to bring that out.
I have had a staber for about 5 years, I would not buy one again.
They don’t do a good job.
They do not save soap.
They break.
They don’t spin dry any better than any other washer.
They’re too expensive.
The people running the company are a-holes.
Your clothes will stink, and your energy bill will be the same.
Do NOT believe the lies. Do NOT buy a staber, you WILL regret it.
The bottom line is this machine is not worth the trouble, as you will find out if look anywhere on the web. It is expensive and unreliable. Even if you are handy with fixing things, why should you pay money for an unreliable product? Is that how you want to spend your Saturdays?
We have had our Staber for 5 years and in the past two years we have experienced a series of problems that have consumed a lot of time and have left our washer unusable for weeks at a time. The first problem, within one year of ownership, was a broken controller board. We sent that one in and it was replaced free of charge (although we paid for the shipping). The second problem 4 years later was malfunctioning motor, which we troubleshooted with the help of Staber support person. I took the motor out and sent it in for a reaplacement (it was an expensive part, cost several hundred dollars). After installing the new motor, the washer sounded much louder than before during high spin cycle. After four months the belt slipped off during a wash cycle (this had never happened before). I have been unable to get the belt to stay on (it slips off after a few turns). I have called Staber and they were very unhelpful so far. The lady I spoke with did not come across as very knowledgeable and walked me through a useless checklist. Once it was clear that the problem was the one I said it was, belt slipping off, she had no ideas. She said she would call me back but so far no one has.
For the few people on this list who love their Stabers, my only comment is the following: you got lucky and wound up with one of the few units that did not experience multiple failures. The level of reliability of components in this machine is insanely low in comparison to all other major competitors. It is ridiculous for a controller board to fail in one year, a motor to fail in four years, etc. These are very mature component technologies that should last 10 years easily. The fact that the machine is designed to be easier to repair by the end user does not justify the fact that it requires repair so frequently. Given all of the high-quality horizontal axis washers available from Europe and Asia, it is not worth going with the only US company (who hasn’t gotten their act together).
I should add that my machine did not experience problems with corrosion, rust, etc. as some have reported. I can imagine that this would only compound any existing problems, but in my case the problems were strictly the result of poor manufacturing/design choices leading to frequent component failure.
I don’t recommend a Staber. It is not a good value. When it breaks after the 1 year warranty, parts are very expensive. Mine broke 3 years after I bought it. Customer service was friendly, but the parts cost over a 25% of the original purchase price of the machine and they have to be back ordered. It’s not a very good value to pay out four hundred dollars every three years to keep you washing machine working. On the plus side, they are very easy to work on since there is only a motor, pump, flywheel, and controller board and all the parts are accessible. Good idea on paper but poor implementation. Not worth buying under any circumstances.
We have had our Staber for about 3 years. What a piece of junk. A total waste of money. The spin cycle is a mess. Does what it wants. Constantly have to redistribute the clothes. No positive interaction with the company. So much for American made. DON”T buy one of these ! You will be very sorry. Control board replaced after 2 years. They were downright nasty to me. They wanted another $250.00 for another. We took it off a friends machine that he had to junk. It kept falling apart after each repair. A very bad company to do business with.
We’re a family of ten, and we give our washing machine a real work out. We have had our Staber for a year and it’s such an improvement over our old, wasteful, noisy, clothes-eating beast. To be fair, the “beast” deserved retirement after 40 years (yes, 40!) of service under three different owners.
I’ve had a Staber for 2 years and have replaced the engine twice, a pulley and a few screws. It has needed a lot of repair and with a family of 5, it’s a bummer to have a washer that isn’t working. It is true that is uses very little water and detergent, but beware that Stabers are prone to break. There is a repairman in my town who tells similar horror stories of Stabers breaking down…
Hi Ellen,
I am considering purchasing a horizontal axis washing machine. I would like to buy an American made product if possible (Staber fits). I was wondering if you had looked at other horizontal axis washing machines? The top loading feature is not that big of a concern for my family (there are 6 of us). I like the simplicity of the Staber. The other ones I have been researching on the web seem to have too many settings and options. We basically do normal full cold/cold and warm/cold. Small loads occasionally. If you have any additional insight on all the other models available I would appreciate hearing from you.
Many thanks
Ken
I have had a staber washing machine for about 5 years. Most it’s claims prove to be true, but I do have a couple complaints. Instead of a timed spin cycle, I guess it is gaging how much water is left in the item being spun, so it spins until it is “dry.” So, the first time it happened, I checked my laundry about 30 min. after the load should have stopped. But it was still spinning. So, I checked back in 10 min. and it was still spinning. I called staber and they walked me through the steps to open the washer and redistribute the items. I had a rug and a few towels, so the rug was the culpret, I guess. Next time it happened, it had been spinning for ~45 min. With a traditional machine, when the time is up, the washer stops. So, that is a draw back to me. The other complaint I have is that my clothes are not as dry going into the dryer as with my other washer. It is supposed to spin clothes dryer, but I have not found that to be true. So I may be spending a little more electricity to dry my clothes.
On the positive side, it is more gentle on my clothes. It is easy to add the sock the dropped on the way to the washer after the load starts. It can handle pillows, blankets, comforters, sleeping bags and other big items that I would never have been able to wash at home.
Wow Ellen,
We have had our Staber about 5 years also. It surprises me that your clothes aren’t coming out dryer. Our experience has been just the opposite, most of our clothes come out ready to hang. Heavy cottons will need to be dried, but not much else.