ISO: High Efficiency Washer Users

[ChefGirl]

Hi, anyone owns any HE washer? We are in the process of looking for washer to replace our old ones. Does anyone have any recommendations? Any suggestions? I'm clueless on this subject. We've had our Whirlpool washer forever. I would appreciate any reviews on any HE models.

Thanks.

[kayte]

I love my Maytag Neptune, but not everyone does. I have had it for about 5 years and we think it rocks. We did LOTS of research and found Consumer Reports online helpful as they took into account what you were washing the most --and for how many people--- to get your the right capacity, etc... Also too, it broke them down by top and front loading--depending on your space that may be a concern for you. IF you have the money, I highly reccommend Bosch, which is what I had when we lved in Europe before and is what prompted the Maytag Neptune purchase when we moved here. At the time, Bosch was not as widely available in the US as now and were consequently WAYYYY more expensive.

[DebbieJ]

You can't go wrong with a Kenmore He4 or the Whirlpool Duet. They are the same machines sold under different names.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[LarsMal]

We have the Kenmore Elite Oasis. It's a top load, but doesn't have the agitator pole up the center, so you can put a ton of stuff in it. I LOVE it!

[asha]

We just got this one (Kenmore Elite Oasis) a week ago. So far, we love it. It holds a ton like the pp mentioned and is really quiet.

[FiveLittleDucks]

I love our Whirlpool Duet. It is extremely quiet, holds a ton, washes the clothes soooo well, and is very energy efficient. Don't skimp out on the platform base if possible. It really saves you from a lot of hunching over, which is especially uncomfortable with such huge loads.

[ChefGirl]

Do you have the 3.6 cube size or the smaller? Does it hold a lot? It just looks very small to me. How high of a platform did you get?

thanks.

[lisams]

We got a Kenmore HE washer at Sears a little over a year ago and have been very pleased so far!

[missliss55]

I 3rd this one! LOVE IT!

[bostonsmama]

We have the Kenmore Elite HE3t (now the HE4's) set and are ravenously in love with them. We've owned our pair for over 4 years now with no quality or performance problems whatsoever, and I constantly switch back and forth between regular and HE detergent w/ ease. We skipped the pedestals b/c of the cost, and while I would have liked to have them, 4 years of laundry later my back is fine and I have a nice folding surface over both machines. Do a search of the Lounge and you'll pull up hundreds of threads on HE machines. For our particular model, my electric bill went down 20% and my water bill went down almost the same. The extra fast spin speed helps extract more water for quicker dry times. I dry everything on Low (Casual) and it takes about 28-35 minutes to dry most loads. And every kilowatt hour in electricity that goes unused saves valuable fossil and natural fuels, and using less detergent puts less into our waterways and soil. I love living green!

[tylersmama]

We also have the Kenmore HE3. We've had it for about 3 1/2 years and have been very happy with it. It does a great job cleaning, and really extracts a lot more water than a conventional washer, which speeds up drying a lot. We don't pay for our water (we live in a condo and our HOA pays for it), so I can't tell you how much it saves that way, but we did get a rebate when we bought it from our local water board.

My only complaint about it is that the time remaining indicator is not very accurate. It will say that there's one minute left, but it continues spinning for sometimes up to 10 minutes. Not a problem the majority of the time, but if you're in a hurry to leave the house and are just waiting for the washer to get done so you can put the clothes in the dryer before you leave, it's really annoying!

[drsweetie]

We have the Frigidaire FTF2140E (http://www.frigidaire.com/products/laundry/washers/front_load/prod_FTF2140E.asp) and have been pretty happy with it so far. The washing cycle is only about 45 minutes long, which is pretty cool. The only two things I don't like about it are that the detergent and fabric softener dispenser fills up with water during each cycle, so I have to empty it out after each load, and that the door won't stay ajar (i.e., it either has to be closed, which isn't a good idea after you've just done a load because the drum needs to dry out, or it's wide open) -- but that latter complaint may just be related to our wonky foundation and not the washer itself.

Ellen

[DebbieJ]

but that latter
>complaint may just be related to our wonky foundation

I am so glad to see that someone else uses the word WONKY!!!

People look at me funny around here when I say it.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[jhrabosk]

Another vote for Kenmore!

We've had ours for almost 1 1/2 years now. We don't have the fancier HE3 or 4, but just the basic model (space and financial constraints). Couldn't be happier!

[clc053103]

I second the Maytag neptune- but top loading washer over the front.

A lot of the front loaders have mold problems in the seal of the door. For that reason, you should leave the door of a front loader open between uses to air dry. Not a good idea with small children!

[amp]

We have the Kenmore HE2 set from Sears and have been very happy with them!