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What are the pros and cons of each? I've only had a top loader with agitator. The top loader minus the agitator looks intriguing to me. I like that the front loaders use less water though. I've also never had a digital console. I assume that costs more to fix. I'm trying to at least prepare myself in the event my washer will cost a small fortune to fix. I have not looked at washers for 8 years. I have no idea what is new/good/reliable out there now.
LG or Samsung
Front loaders are more efficient, can hold more, and are gentler on clothes.
Top loaders tend to be cheaper. There are top loaders that try and do away with the agitator and clean in a manner similar to front loaders. My parents have one. Heaps of trouble, and online reviews show it's common for that model (Calypso).
I have a digital console. I do worry about it breaking, but it hasn't broken yet. Mine's only about 5 yrs old though (I have an LG, altho right now, the Samsungs interest me more).
Well, I went with a top-loading GE recently to replace my 8 (9?) year old Kenmore.
The reasons I wanted top-loading:
- I sometimes felt knitted items and need to be able to stop mid-cycle to check on it or add more time. (This, admittedly, is probably an unusual reason.)
- I always walk back up from the basement and find 5 random little girl socks and a couple of used cloth napkins that should have gone in with the load I *just* put in, so I need to run down and toss them in. This is also why I had to search for a non-locking lid. Probably other families are less disorganized with laundry than mine, but I seriously have to go back and add stuff to almost every single load I run.
- I don't trust washers that use less water. If my clothes aren't covered in soapy water and then rinsed with more water, how can they come clean?
- I often don't leave the lid to my top-loader open, and I didn't want to deal with the possible mold/mildew issues with the front-loader door being left closed.
So, we've had this one for 3 months, and despite the fact that I doesn't have a mechanical dial for the load selection (grumble) I do love it. I'm glad it's in the basement, though, because when it spins out it sounds a bit like an airplane engine revving up. (It's not really loud, just...an out-of-place sound when it spins out. The wash part of the cycle is dead silent.) I have to say, we originally wanted the model down that didn't have the clear lid, but were limited to what was in stock and I *adore* the clear lid. But our problem wit the old washer was that it wasn't always spinning out, so it's a relief to see what's going on in there.
Sarah :)
FYI, you can add things to a front loader after it starts. It does add time back onto the cycle but it's not a problem. I do it all the time. I like our Bosch front loader okay, but I would research all over again before deciding now. The laundry forum at gardenweb is a source of tons of information, though they are a bit obsessive over there.
Catherine
I was going to suggest the laundry forum on gardenweb as well. That is where I did most of my research and how I ended up with my Miele (which I adore). Good luck!Quote:
Originally Posted by crl
I have a bosch front loader and I'm very happy with it. The front loaders save space- We put the dryer on top. That said, I dont know if this is true of all front loaders but the cycles are MUCH longer than top loaders- most of my cycles are an hour or more.
+1 to all of this. The Bosch Nexxt, which we have, gets very mixed reviews these days, but I will say that the only problem we've had in four years is a broken valve that was $15 to fix...and the only issue with it is that baby socks get stuck in the gasket. Some people get mildew in the gasket but we leave the door ajar or open and it's not been an issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by crl
Also, we wash cloth diapers in ours (with other baby clothes in the same load!) so I can vouch for the fact that at least some high efficiency machines get clothes nicely clean!
I have the top loader LG. Love it. I heard to many things about musty smells from the front loaders.
We have an old top loader right now that came with the house and I HATE it! At our last house we had an LG front loader that used barely any water but our clothes were always clean. I also cloth diapered full time and never had any stink smells and the "sanitary" wash cycle that it had was perfect for cloth diapers. They cycles are longer in general, but ours had a "quick wash" feature that would wash a load in 25 minutes. The new "steam" front loaders are supposed to be excellent at getting out stains. I was also able to go back and add in items after starting the load so that was never a problem. When we moved and started using a top loader, I noticed that my clothes started fading right away and I've been getting little holes in clothes. I think the agitator is just too harsh. I also had stink issues with cloth diapers in my top loader. I've also been getting mysterious grease-like stains on several items per load that we never had with a front loader. I like that you save a ton of money on water with a front loader and use less detergent as well. I loved that I could wash my queen size comforter in our front loader with no problem and that's not a possibility with the top loader w/ agitator. Our front loader was super quiet, while our top loader is loud and lately when it spins it's constantly off balance and is so loud I can't hear the tv! We'll be replacing it with an extra large capacity LG front loader in the next few months! We always left the door to the washer cracked open for an hour or so after washing and never had any must or mold smells or issues. Oh, and I only wanted a front loader since I plan to put a table top on top of my washer and dryer so I can use the entire length for folding clothes.
We have a HE top loader without agitator and I love it. It's a Maytag Bravos and we have the dryer too. Bought it last year from the Sears Outlet online. I chose it for child safety, convenience, price, capacity, cycle time and ruggedness. My ILs have a front loader and the capacity is sooo much smaller and it's much more of a pain to load and unload.
I got a new HE top loader this fall and I have been very happy. Its a whirlpool cabrio.
I have a front loader LG and although I love the convenience of it, I hate the musty smell that I just can't get rid of. We never close the door between loads and I clean it regularly. But I just can't conquer the stink. I wouldn't do another front loader because of it.
We have a front loader and no stink issues other than when my husband abandons a load for a whole day but we had that with top loaders and it goes away. I just leave the door cracked and wipe that rubber seal off periodically.
We have paid for one small repair (under $100) but realized it was just the filter getting gunked up with the stuff we left in pockets so we are more careful and learned how to fix that ourselves. It is only 5 years old though so it may start having issues in the future. We are happy thus far.
The biggest plus for me besides the water and energy savings is that a top loader lets me have a full sized w/d in a small space because we can stack them. There would not be room for a full sized side by side set up.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2105/2...2d19025ba5.jpg
we have a front-loader washer & dryer set-up, and so far, I prefer our front-loader (over the prior top-loaders that we've used in the past). It's an energy-efficient Frigidaire washer and it cleans a full load of clothing in about 45 mins. No stink issues with our machine. I just make sure to leave the front door slightly open to dry out any residual liquid after a cycle, and wipe any excess moisture around the door if necessary. The dryer is efficient as well and I like how easy both machines are to run and maintain. We have an automated fan in the laundry room, and that also helps maintain humidity levels, etc.
I love the idea of a front-loader for efficiency and space-saving ability but I'm so afraid of the stink factor!
I have a 13-year-old Kenmore set with a top loader that has been excellent, but I'm thinking ahead to its inevitable replacement.
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I love my very basic, over a decade old, Kenmore top-loading washer. My mother has very expensive and shmancy front loaders, and they're quite temperamental. I hate using her machines, and she admits they're a PITA compared to my basic machines. My washer just does the trick every time. I love the look of the front loaders and the idea of the energy efficiency, but my appliance repairman told me my machines, especially the dryer, are actually more energy efficient. He said the new models do use less energy, but you have to run them longer, so, in fact, they are less efficient. I don't know if this is true across the board, but in comparing my mother's machines with my own, it is definitely true! Does this mean I would replace my machines with top loaders again? I don't know. In general I think newer items are often made less well than older ones, so a new top loader may be just as temperamental as a front loader. I'm going to keep repairing my machines, though, and get as much life out of them as I can!
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Originally Posted by queenmama
:yeahthat: I am way too OCD about closing doors/shutting off lights kind of stuff to ever leave the door open like you are supposed to. Plus, my laundry room is small, long and narrow, and for front loaders it would be better to stack them and mean I would need to redo the shelving. So all in all, just not a good fit for me. My friends love their front loaders, but have had to do very minor repairs in relatively short amounts of time.
We also have the Bosch Nexxt front loader. I LOVE how quiet it is! The only time I even know that it's running is when it's spinning. Because it uses so little water, I can stop the cycle and open the door any time. I leave the door open all the time, but every 3 months or so I use one of those front-loader cleaners (Affresh, etc.). One little sock always ends up in the gasket area, soaking wet when the cycle is done. It's not a big deal to me, though.
One of the main things we were looking for was a washer that didn't have a drawer dispenser. My husband felt that was a recipe for disaster with our kids, who like to push and pull anything they can get their hands on. Our Bosch model doesn't have a drawer, it has a lid that you pull up. Because of that, it's not stackable. We don't have the space to stack, so it's fine for us.
I bought an LG front loader last year and LOVE it. It has a magnetic closure on the door that holds it cracked open so you don't have to leave the door swinging open. Have not had a musty smell problem in the year we have owned it. We have only run the 'tub clean' feature once and probably should do that more often but it doesn't seem to need it (I do wipe out the excess moisture on the door and seal after every few cycles). It has a "fresh care" feature where it will continue to spin the clothes every 15 minutes or so if you know you won't be around to change it out immediately they aren't sitting around. I also love the delay start feature, and have used it to load the laundry at night so it is done when i wake up. I also really like the 'hand wash' cycle in addition to the delicate cycle. Maybe you can find top loaders with these features? I didn't check because I hated my old top loader and wanted a front loader.
eta: I was a little concerned about vibration since my laundry room (closet) is on the third floor of my townhome. When it is on a high-spin cycle, you can hear it it, but it is not excessively loud. I did not purchase the special anti-vibration pads. The laundry closet is directly across from my DD's room and I do laundry all the time while she's napping.
We have a Whirlpool Cabrio set (HE top loader, no agitator) and I really like it! I was too afraid of a front loader because of the smell/mold issues I have read about and I don't really have a way (nor do I want to) leave the door open for long periods of time to air it out.
The thing that I love the most about it is the capacity. I can wash every single pair of dirty jeans all at once...plus have room to spare. It's huge!
My one complaint is that right out of the washer, the clothes are very wrinkled. I don't mind because I dry everything for a few minutes before I hang dry and the wrinkles come out, but I can see it being an issue if you strictly hang dry.
We have a middle of the road Kenmore front loader and I have not had any mechanical problems with it. It cleans well (including cloth diapers), has a variety of water temps, and wash settings, which is what I wanted. We bought the unit almost 7 yrs. ago pre kids (well I might have been newly pregnant and didn't know it yet!) so I didn't think about the controls being at a toddler's height (as we don't have room for pedestals due to overhead cabinets), and DD1 was infamous for trying to change the washer settings. The worst thing I hate about our model is that it is kind of loud during the spin cycle, and that the soap drawer has cracked, and the settings on the machine have rubbed off due to moisture and such. I have never had a stink problem. The only thing I wish it had was a pre wash drawer for Oxy Clean or Clorox 2 type additives.
With all of that said when we replace this unit I think I will most likely look at the non agetator top loaders, and maybe the Electrolux front loader because we have been really happy with our Electrolux dryer we just bought in January.
I know you don't need toddler entertainment, but both of my girls between the age of maybe 9 months and 3 yrs. loved to sit and watch the clothes wash in the washer. They also like to help me load the washer and because it is at their level they feel extra helpful.
I have a front loader (LG) that we bought a year ago. I had some hesitation because the front loader at our last place had smell issues, but I absolutely LOVE this machine. No bad smells at all and super efficient. I feel like my clothes come out so much cleaner than in machines I've had in the past (both top and front loading).
It also has 15 minute quick wash and quick dry cycles. That's come in really handy when we've realized in the morning that something isn't clean that we wanted to pack for a trip. The regular cycle is about 40 minutes for wash and 45 to dry. There aren't any cycles that are over an hour. No issues at all.
We got a great deal because we bought over a holiday weekend and there were a bunch of discounts.
We just bought a HE top loader (Samsung) for our new 2nd floor laundry room. The room isn't done yet so I haven't used it. The online reviews are great and it did really well with the Consumer Reports testing. I chose it over a front loader primarily because it was less expensive than a comparable front loader, and the vibration is less (which is a factor since our laundry room will be on the 2nd floor).
I also have a bosch nexxt and love it. We cloth diaper and have since we bought it 4 years ago. A load for two every other day.
I do felt stuff in my washer, it's possible. Also, ALL washing machines these days use much less water - it was a requirement starting in '08 so all those "new" top loaders were just a rushed attempt at complying. I went with proven front loaders instead of playing russian roulette with the newer stuff since F&P were the only ones who had the water saving top loaders out on the market for a while at the time.
Detergents have surfactants which means they suspend the dirt in the water and it doesn't have to be a ton of water. As far as stink, be careful you're not getting buildup on the inner drum. It's not the one you can see but when washing if your soap is causing tons of suds that stuff is accumulating at the top of the inner drum thus less likely to rinse off and producing funky odors. A cleaning cycle and revamping detergent use should help. We use charlie's and sport cleanser as needed.
I love that the capacity is large and the clothes super dry before even hitting the dryer. Plus I love the onboard heater which I think is an absolute necessity for a washing machine.
I had a front loading whirlpool duet HE washer/dryer at the at house we just sold. My current house came with a maytag Neptune top loading washer and traditional dyer with electronic panels.
The whirlpool front loader cleaned well, but the rubber ring at the opening constantly got mildewy/black despite regular bleach cleaning. It didnt smell...I just didn't like the idea of our clothes being washed with that. I always left the door open too.
My maytag top loader cleans well also. It's not HE, but I don't have a problem with mildew (still keep the door open out of habit). I like the top loader better. It's easier to put laundry into the machine, and there is no rubber ring that collects mildew.
If you would have to buy a new machine, I would suggest a HE top loader.
We have a front load electrolux. So far it has been a good machine. It does have a slight musty smell from the front ring but its not horrible. I love all the different setting choices.
We have a Samsung front loader like codex was mentioning. It's great! We have had it 3 years and so far no problems, and no musty smells. We leave the door open (it's in the garage). Other bonus, DD loves to help put clothes in and move them from washer to dryer!
can I butt in and ask which one?Quote:
Originally Posted by scrooks
Love the top loader without the agitator. No bending and big enough to wash a king comforter. We use HE 7th Generation detergent.Quote:
Originally Posted by HIU8
I have the top loading agitator less Cabrio too and love it. I use HE Era and it does a great job. It holds a ton stuff!