high efficiency washers top load vs. front load

We're in the market for a new high energy eff washer. Ours is going kaput, and it's not worth it to repair. Any pros and cons on the top vs. front loaders? DH and I are looking between the whirlpool and Kenmore washers. And is it even worth it to look into the LG's? They're very pricey. Also, what's a good capacity that can wash queen size comforters? The appliace repair man told me that washers "just aren't made the same nowadays." and that the new ones last an avg of only 10 years. Yikes! You'd think putting in a grand for a washer, it would last the rest of your life, WYT?
He also mentioned that top loaders should last longer than front b/c they typically have 3-4 bearering surrounding the drum, vs. the front loaders that have only 1. Any one else hear anything like that?


Ann

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As you know, we don't have our own washer (don't I wish!), but back when we thought we might, we were looking at front loaders. I use my mom's washer to clean Dora's lovey, and it does a much better job getting out the grime and smell. I think it's much gentler on clothes that need handwashing, and it really appears that they use less water.

If you haven't already, check out what Consumer Reports has to say about washers:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/a...oose/index.htm

We have a front loader (a ~3yo Whirlpool Duet) and I absolutely love it. It is gentle on clothing, pretty quiet, and allows me to use a lot less detergent (and almost certainly water, although I can't measure that).

We have the Kenmore HE3 washer and dryer and I love them. The washer does a great job getting our clothes clean. My only complaint (and this may be something that's been corrected since we bought them 4 years ago) is that the time remaining on the washer is not very accurate. It will say that there's 1 minute left, but continue spinning for easily 5 or more minutes. Not a major problem, just annoying when you're anxiously waiting for the washer to finish so you can put the clothes in the dryer before you leave the house. :)

We use cloth diapers, and the washer has been great (and super easy) for getting the diapers clean and fresh. My dad was recently staying with us and he even commented on how well our washer cleaned, as he had a shirt with stains that had been there forever and our washer got them out!

I think the front loaders tend to have a larger capacity than the top loaders. I've washed our queen size duvet and cover with no problem. I regularly wash our sheets and towels together (queen size top and fitted sheet, two pillowcases, two bath sheets, two regular towels, and a couple of hand towels and washcloths), and it all fits!

We just bought a front-loader from Lowe's. It's a Bosch Nexxt 500. I think it was a Consumer Reports best buy. The list price was $998. We received a 10% discount by asking the salesperson. Then there's a $100 rebate from Bosch (through the end of March), free delivery/install rebate from Lowes, and rebates from our water company ($100) and utilities company ($75). So the washer will end up costing about $625!

We received the washer on Tuesday and are very happy with it so far.

This web site was helpful to me when I was researching washers: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/laundry/

Good luck with your search!

Mom to a spunky toddler (3/04) and a new spunky Christmas baby (12/06)

We have the HE3 too -ditto on the inaccurate time remaining thing. I do love the "delay start" function; I can start a load in the middle of the night and throw in the dryer first thing in the morning.

I love the large capacity of the front load and the absence of an agitator, but probably wouldn't buy another. I miss being able to run the water and soap first, before adding the clothes, and also feel it gets a little stinky since the door is often closed while the interior is still damp (vs being able to leave the door open on a top loader) -but our washer is in the high-trafic area kitchen, so the door is always closed.

Yeah, ours gets a little stinky too if the door is closed, but since we have a laundry closet, I just leave the door open after a load and it totally takes care of the problem. I can see that it wouldn't work very well if your washer was in an area accessible by kids though. :)

We just got a front loader and so far I love it. I have heard about the washers not lasting as long as they used to, but I think that goes for all appliances. I got alot of info from gardenweb.com landry forum, which I read about here. It's actully more info then you probably want to know.

Mine is a 3.8 capacity and I can fit my king comforter in it no problem. It is not ultra puffy though. But a salesman told me a 3.5 is sapposed to fit a king.

There are alot of quirks to get used to. But it does save on water and the clothes come out drier so less time in dryer. I think the clothes seem cleaner and fluffier too. BTW, I think water here is relatively inexpensive so I am not sure how much of a savings I'll see. I think I read you have to be billed by the gallon in order to save (I am billed by the cubic foot or meter or something).

As far as the stinky issue. It is reccomended that you leave door open and wipe down any large drips left in machine to avoid stinky smell and possible mold/mildew growth. I am totally freaked out by this and often let machine air out. I have a door to the laundry area I can latch so I don't have to worry about kiddos. I just let it air out periodically since the door to our yrd and garage is in the laundry area.

HTH

We have had an LG front loader for three years, and I love it! It cleans the clothes very well, getting out baby stains with no problem. It also fits a lot of clothing in each load, and uses less water and energy. We bought it at Best Buy, and purchased the extended warranty just in case. We also have the matching dryer, which is great too. We are currently in a new house for a few months, and the washer wouldn't fit down the stairs into the basement, so we have a regular (cheap) top loader. It doesn't come close in terms of cleaning ability, and getting out stains. I can't wait to get our front loader back!

I agree with PP about the mildew smell, but ours was in the basement, so I would leave the door open to let it air out. I have heard other people complain about the noise that the machine makes when it is spinning when the machine is not in the basement. One thing that bothers me is that once a cycle starts, you can't add more clothing (the door locks and stays locked until the end of the cycle). I always forget something!

Overall, I would definitely get a front loader again. My sister just bought one last month, and she is happy with it too!

HTH!

Kathy

>We just bought a front-loader from Lowe's. It's a Bosch Nexxt
>500. I think it was a Consumer Reports best buy. The list
>price was $998. We received a 10% discount by asking the
>salesperson. Then there's a $100 rebate from Bosch (through
>the end of March), free delivery/install rebate from Lowes,
>and rebates from our water company ($100) and utilities
>company ($75). So the washer will end up costing about $625!
>



Thanks so much! We hadn't considered the BOSCH, that's a great deal.

>We received the washer on Tuesday and are very happy with it
>so far.
>
>This web site was helpful to me when I was researching
>washers: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/laundry/
>
>Good luck with your search!
>
>Mom to a spunky toddler (3/04) and a new spunky Christmas baby
>(12/06)


Ann

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We just bought an LG and I really like it. It's so quiet and has so many different cycles! (My laundry room is right off my kitchen, so quiet was a real priority!) One thing I read about HE top loaders vs. front loaders is that since the HE top loaders are sort of new technology, those of us buying them would be the guinea pigs. Since my last washer was a lemon, I didn't feel like being a guinea pig with this washer. Happy shopping!

Yeah, I think after all the responses, we're going to nix out the HE top loaders. Not into being a guinea pig. Our washer will be the basement, so I guess I can also leave the door open on a front loader without worrying about the children getting into it.

I think we've narrowed our choices to the top three as listed in the CR guide: BOSCH 500 (though I can get the 300 today, have to wait 2 weeks on the 500, and I don't think we can hold out that long) the WP Duet (since it's like the Kenmore), but a little less $$$ and the LG. At this point, I think we're just trying to find the best price, as it seems like any of the three would be just fine. Unless anyone has had any problems with their Bosch/WP/LG's?

It would be fun shopping for a new washer except I've got like 10 loads sitting in my basement waiting to get washed, and DS has the stomach bug and has thrown up twice...thank goodness for the internet for price shopping!

The funny thing is I was just using my aunt's front loader and loved it! I was thinking about how much more pleasant laundry would be with a brand spankin' new HE front loader with all the bells and whistles. Maybe I was wishing too hard....LOL!


Ann

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We really like the Bosch so far. I hadn't considered it either until I read the posts on the garden web site. I understand what you mean about not wanting to wait for a washer. Our washer broke on Friday night, and we went shopping on Saturday afternoon. (I stayed up really late Friday night reading about washers on the Web.)

We were lucky; our Lowes had the Bosch in stock. If you're still interested in the Bosch 500, you may want to check other Lowes locations (or other appliance stores) to see if you can get it any earlier.

Mom to a spunky toddler (3/04) and a new spunky Christmas baby (12/06)