Used Washer and Dryer Brands Compared: Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, and Amana
Buying a used Samsung washer and dryer? How it compares to LG, Whirlpool and Amana on reliability, parts, fair price, and a 10-minute test.
If you're looking at a used Samsung washer and dryer, here's the short answer: Samsung pairs are fine to buy used, but LG and Whirlpool are the safer bets, and Amana is the best value if you want something simple that's cheap to fix. On the open local market a used washer and dryer set has a median price of about $350, with most landing between $200 and $600. LG sits near the top at around $500 and Whirlpool near $375, according to our washer and dryer price index.
I help people buy and sell large appliances for a living, and laundry pairs are where brand matters more than almost anywhere else. Two five-year-old front-loaders can look identical in a listing photo, and one has a decade left while the other needs a $400 control board next spring. Below I'll compare the four brands I see most (Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, and Amana), cover what a fair price looks like for each, give you a ten-minute test you can run before paying, and tell you which models I'd skip.
Used Washer and Dryer Brands Ranked
For a used washer and dryer, I rank LG first, Whirlpool (and its Maytag sibling) second, Amana third for value, and Samsung fourth, mostly because of parts and repair history rather than how well it washes.
That ranking surprises people, because Samsung makes some of the best-looking machines on the floor and they clean well. But a used buyer isn't buying how a machine performs on day one. You're buying years six through twelve, and that's where the brands separate.
| Brand | Best used buy | Watch out for | Repair and parts | My take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG | Front-load pairs with the direct-drive motor | Gasket mold on neglected front-loaders | Good. Direct-drive motor has fewer wear parts | Best all-round used buy |
| Whirlpool / Maytag | Top-load washers, basic electric dryers | Early front-load models from the 2000s | Excellent. Parts everywhere, any tech can fix them | The safest boring choice |
| Amana | Top-load agitator washer plus matching dryer | Fewer features, louder | Excellent. Shares many parts with Whirlpool | Best value per dollar |
| Samsung | Newer front-load pairs with full history | Recalled top-loaders, control boards, dryer heating | Fair. Boards can be pricey and slow to source | Fine if the price reflects the risk |
Samsung is the stylish choice. Whirlpool is the fixable choice. Those two sentences settle most of the arguments I hear.
Used Samsung Washer and Dryer: What to Know
A used Samsung washer and dryer is a good buy when it's under about seven years old, comes with the model number, and isn't one of the recalled top-load washers.
In 2016, Samsung recalled about 2.8 million top-load washers because the top could detach from the machine during high-speed spin, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recalled machines were sold between March 2011 and November 2016. If you're looking at a Samsung top-loader from that window, check the model number against the recall list, and confirm whether the repair kit was installed. Plenty of them were fixed. Plenty weren't.
Beyond the recall, the Samsung issues I hear about most on used pairs are control boards and dryer heat. Error codes that come and go usually point to the board. A dryer that tumbles but takes three cycles to dry is often a heating element or thermal fuse, which is a cheap part but a real hassle. Neither is a reason to walk away from a fairly priced pair. Both are reasons to test the machines running instead of looking at them sitting still.
On our marketplace, Samsung washer and dryer pairs have listed at a median of about $1,175. Those listings skew newer than the general market and come inspected, so they sit well above the private-sale median. LG pairs listed around $1,275 and Whirlpool pairs around $1,030.
Front-Load vs Top-Load When You're Buying Used
Top-load washers are the safer used purchase, and front-loaders are the better machine if the last owner took care of them.
Front-loaders use less water and spin clothes drier, which shortens dryer time. But they have two weak points a top-loader doesn't: the rubber door gasket, which traps water and grows mold if nobody wipes it, and the drum bearings, which carry the full weight of a wet load on a horizontal axis. When bearings go on a front-loader, it's usually cheaper to replace the machine than fix it.
First-generation front-loaders from the mid-2000s drew class-action lawsuits over mold, and that's where the reputation comes from. Newer machines added drain paths and self-clean cycles, and the problem is much smaller now. But on any used front-loader, peel the gasket back and look at the bottom fold. Black spotting you can wipe off is normal. Black that's grown into the rubber, or a smell that hits you when the door opens, means the gasket needs replacing and the drum has probably been sitting wet.
Top-loaders, especially the agitator models Whirlpool and Amana still make, are close to indestructible by comparison. They're louder and harder on clothes. They also run twenty years.
How to Test a Used Washer and Dryer in Ten Minutes
You can test a used washer and dryer in about ten minutes by running a rinse-and-spin on the washer and a high-heat cycle on the dryer at the same time.
- Get the model numbers first. The washer's sticker is usually inside the door rim or under the lid. The dryer's is inside the door frame. Photograph both.
- Start the washer on rinse and spin. Watch it fill, listen as it drains, and stay for the spin. A roar or grinding at high speed means bearings. A machine that walks across the floor is usually just unlevel, which is fine.
- Rock the drum by hand (front-loaders). With the machine off, grab the top of the drum and push it up and down. A little give is normal. A clunk is bearings.
- Check the gasket and dispenser. Peel back the front-load gasket, and pull out the detergent drawer. Heavy mold or caked detergent tells you how the machine was treated.
- Start the dryer on high heat. After five minutes, open the door and put your hand inside. It should be clearly hot, not warm. Then check the lint trap housing for buildup.
- Look behind both machines. Check the water hoses for bulges, and the dryer vent for crushed or clogged duct.
If the seller won't run them, that's your answer. A working machine takes ten minutes to prove.
Are Pedestals and Stacking Kits Worth Paying Extra For?
Pedestals are worth paying for if they come with the pair, but don't pay much extra for them, and stacking kits are cheap enough new that they shouldn't move the price at all.
Matching pedestals from Samsung and LG are often a couple hundred dollars each new, so a pair thrown in with the set is real value if you want the machines at waist height. But they're brand and model-family specific, so confirm they match the machines in front of you. A stacking kit, on the other hand, is a small bracket that usually costs $20 to $50 new. If you plan to stack, check that the brand makes a kit for that model before you buy. I wrote more about that in my guide to buying a used stackable washer and dryer.
How to Check Parts Availability on an Older Model
Search the exact model number on a big appliance parts retailer and look for the control board, the drain pump, and (on front-loaders) the door gasket. If all three are in stock, the machine is repairable.
This step takes two minutes on your phone and it's the one almost nobody does. Brands discontinue control boards long before the rest of the machine wears out, and a washer with no available board is scrap the day the board fails. Whirlpool, Maytag, and Amana almost always pass this test because they share parts across a huge number of models. Samsung and LG usually pass for machines under ten years old. Older than that, check.
Which Used Washer and Dryer Should You Buy?
Buy the pair that passes the test and has parts available, then pick the brand that fits how long you plan to keep it.
- You want the safest pick: Whirlpool or Maytag top-load washer with a basic electric dryer.
- You want the best machine and it's under seven years old: LG front-load pair.
- You want the cheapest pair that will just work: Amana.
- The Samsung pair is priced right: buy it, after checking the recall list and running both machines.
- You're on a tight budget: read my breakdown of washer and dryer bundles under $500.
For a deeper inspection checklist that isn't brand specific, my guide to buying used washers and dryers goes machine by machine.
The part that stops most people isn't the inspection. It's moving two 150-pound machines down a set of basement stairs. When you buy through Commonplace, our drivers inspect the pair at pickup, haul it, and carry it into your laundry room, and you pay when it's delivered. You can see the full process on our how it works page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a used Samsung washer and dryer worth buying?
Yes, if it's under about seven years old and priced below an equivalent LG or Whirlpool pair. Check the model against the 2016 top-load recall and run both machines before you pay.
Which washer and dryer brand lasts the longest?
Whirlpool and Maytag top-loaders, by a wide margin. They're simple, and parts are available for decades. LG front-loaders are the most durable of the front-load brands I see.
How much should a used washer and dryer set cost?
About $350 is the median on the open local market, with most sets between $200 and $600. Newer, inspected front-load pairs from Samsung and LG run higher.
Should I buy a used front-load washer?
Only after checking the gasket and the drum bearings. A well-kept front-loader is a better machine than a top-loader. A neglected one is a mold problem with a door.
Is Amana the same as Whirlpool?
Amana is owned by Whirlpool and shares many parts with Whirlpool and Maytag machines. That's a big part of why Amana is such a good budget pick used.
Upgrading or moving and need to clear out your old pair? Sell your washer and dryer on Commonplace and our drivers handle the pickup.
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