Top Load vs. Front Load Washing Machine/Dryer

[Vision]

I need to buy a new washer/dryer set. Which is better? Top or front load?

Thanks

[Jolla]

front

[svcw]

I bought front loaders the last go around.........best buy ever.

[bmwcyle]

Front load has the fastest spin. Your dryer will work less.

[Vision]

Why do you like front loaders? Any brand and size you recommend?

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Front loader.

[Leo Farnsworth]

Front loaders are inherently dynamically unstable. Typically they add a 100 pound slab of concrete to diminish the shaking issue.

Also, if a front loader is placed on an ‘unstable floor’ (read NOT a concrete slab) then you may have quite a shimmy in nearby rooms.

We have a Whirlpool Cabrio set which is top loading, but is energy efficient and uses the HD detergent.

Works great.

BTW - you really need to use HD detergent.

My $.02.

Good luck!

[rickomatic]

Top loaders use a lot more water. Front loaders are great for houses on septic systems. Front loaders , though have a tendancy to tear holes in clothes. Also I hear that direct drive is better than belt drive. We have gone through 2 belt drive front loaders with shot bearings.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

I bought a top load, no center agitator washer. Has cleaned everything I've put in it and my husband is a farmer, which also means that he is a greasy mechanic at least once a day.

My BIL has a top of the line front load, high efficiency washer that I've put blue jeans through 2 or 3 times and still wasn't happy with the results.

[driftdiver]

“Any brand and size you recommend?”

LG front loader is what we have and have been happy. The last whirlpool I bought lasted long enough to get it home. My GE appliances are falling apart.

[Let's Roll]

It’s easier on your clothes - less pilling on knits. Uses less water and as far as I can tell gets just as clean. And washing in cold water with high efficiency detergent keeps your clothes looking newer longer than washing in warm or hot.

If you need to use warm or hot for some reason you still can of course.

Also, you know what happens when you overlook a kleenex in a pocket and you have shredded tissue all over your usually dark clothes? With the tumbling wash instead of the agitating, the kleenex just gets rolled up into a ball - much easier to clean up.

[Scarpetta]

Front loader washing machines have problems with musty odors. That's why there's products on the market for sanitizing FL washers. They get stinky and the smell permeates your clothes. Research it.

New model top loaders can also be HE and spin just as fast as FL, so your clothes need less drying time.

[Let's Roll]

Also, see #4.

[Cicero]

Our top loader bit the dust after many years, and we bought a Sears front loader a couple of years ago. It works great, cleans better, saves a lot of energy.

[Errant]

Front loaders use much less water, detergent and your clothes will last about 10 times longer.

Front loaders have musty smell issues if the door and seal aren't dried after use.

Stay away from duets as they have major issues with their drum spider cracking after only a few years.

Get a machine that has it's own hot water heater. This will allow you to turn off or put a timer on your home hot water heater and this will save you maybe 25% or more on your utility bill.

Check out the Samsung front loaders from Bestbuy. Read the owner comments.

[lonestar]

My friends who sell them (several brands) have Maytag top loader washer and front loader dryer...which might be the only kind.

[Salvey]

Stay away from the Whirlpool Cabrio. We paid $999 for it and spent $650 on repairs. After three miserable years, we dumped it and got a SpeedQueen top loader. Check out SpeedQueens: they’re simple to use, no “motherboard” and made by a company which makes rugged, commercial washers.

Also note that with the Cabrio, you cannot control the water level (check out the many blogs mentioning this shortcoming). If I want to wash a single pair of socks on the highest water level, I’d like to have that choice.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

A front loader uses less water (which means I can sneak water the back yard in the summer). A front loader holds more laundry, meaning less time spent doing laundry. Cuts the work load in half if you have kids. Now that is just my husband and myself, I was once a week. 2 loads.

I find you don’t need all the bells and whistles, but make sure it has a quick cycle for those times you need it done in a hurry.

I have an LG...am satisfied.

BTW, if you go front loader, get the stand. The bending gets old real quick.

[newnhdad]

We purchased Bosch front loader washer and dryer six years ago and they’ve been great. Our washer model does have the shimmy/shake issue during the spin cycles, but the newer ones have reduced that problem. The aggressive spin cycle really helps on the drying time though.
The washer I own has problems with mold build-up around the door gasket but I think this issue has been addressed too.

I would recommend getting the largest front loader you can afford. They might cost more up-front but they will pay for themselves in the long run. I would stick with a more popular brand and get the service contract.

[ohiobuckeye1997]

My part-time job in the winter months when my business is dormant is selling appliances. Avoid the new HE top-loaders. They are mostly unproven new technology. Older style top loaders are old tech that is pretty well time tested. Whirlpool are my favs there. Avoid GE and frigidaire. But they use a lot of water.

Front loaders I like are the higher end Whirlpool/maytag. Avoid low end whirlpool/maytag. Also like electolux and Bosch and samsung. Avoid GE, frigidaire and LG. I don’t like them at all. If you get front....always use HE, if you use regular detergent it will screw them up.

That is my observation from selling them and seeing what comes bakc as junk