Washing Machine!? Front or Top Loading?

[edro]

If you have a fairly new washing machine, what is it and do you like it?
I have heard the following benefits/drawbacks to both types.
Have you tried both types?
Preference?

I think it just comes down to you get what you pay for.
If you get a good top or side loader, it will work well.

Top Loading
Cheaper, more tried and true
Less efficient, less capacity

Side Loading
Better efficiency, less water, less rough on clothing, more capacity
Mold smell? More expensive.

 

[IronWing]

Think outside the box. Buy her one of these:

 

[sjwaste]

In my experience, the front loading ones take a lot longer to do a load.

 

[Kelvrick]

I bought the washer/dryer set in this thread on slickdeals:
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1641034

Love not needing to set the size as it detects everything and don't have to worry about putting things around the agitator. Throw in clothes, detergent, press power button, choose what cycle, hit go. I leave a small tower on the top of the washer and wipe down the inside of the door and soak up any leftover water along the seal and leave the door open when I'm done with loads for the day. No mold smell yet.

Takes about an hour a load though, plus or minus depending on the options. Partially makes up for it in drying time because the spin takes out almost all the water.

Steam gives me piece of mind washing dirty stuff and the dryer is nice with wrinkles.

 

[dfuze]

I don't think the front loaders are worth the extra cost. Even if they are more efficient, the number of years it would take to pay for it would be around the time to replace them again.

As a side note, does anyone know if they have leaking tendencies with the door on the front?

 

[CallMeJoe]

I bought a front-loader and shall never go back voluntarily. Faster wash, cleaner clothes, and I can wash things (quilt, bedspread, delicate fabrics) that would make me worry about agitator damage. When I run the "hand wash" cycle, I have confidence that whatever is in the drum will not be shredded.
Besides the water savings, everything comes out of the spin less wet than with a top-loader so they spend less time in the dryer and save energy (and time) there as well.
I've had mine for about seven months; no leakage to date. No worry about mold/mildew smell either, since I read the instructions and know to wipe dry the part of the front seal that holds some water after a wash.

 

[nickbits]

My mom has front loading washer and hates it. The reason being it vibrates a lot. It is balanced as much as it can be but it is on the second floor. If it was in the basement. I'm sure it would be fine.

 

[edro]

So you have to wipe out a seal after every wash on front loaders?

Also, I have had a top loader my entire life and have never had a problem with the agitator destroying clothes.

 

[tokie]

The front loader I have here takes 50 mins for a small load. Top-loader takes 25 mins for same load. Clothes come out with the same level of cleanliness.

I don't pay for utilities so I don't really care about the economics of it.

 

[DeadByDawn]

We bought one of those new whirlpool top loads (Cabrio) that does not have the agitator. My wife loves it, and you can put more clothes in it that a regular top load.

 

[lxskllr]

Also, I have had a top loader my entire life and have never had a problem with the agitator destroying clothes.

I have... I love the idea of a front loading machine, but I don't know what I'll get when mine top loader goes up. Maybe I'll just say screw it and get the washing board :^D

 

[CallMeJoe]

So you have to wipe out a seal after every wash on front loaders?

I don't know if I "have to", but it takes less than a minute and is a reasonable precaution against mold or mildew.

Also, I have had a top loader my entire life and have never had a problem with the agitator destroying clothes.

The agitator may not "destroy clothes" but it can stretch knits out of shape and had the potential to damage some things (like my 50-year-old handmade quilt) that I don't hesitate to put in my front-loader.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I have LG Frontloaders. Have had frontloaders for ten years and won't go back.

Use much less water, clothes come out cleaner and drier which makes the time that the clothes need to be in the dryer shorter and a lot of clothes I just put on the drying rack to dry. No agitator means the clothes are washed more gently too.

In regards to mold smell, just leave the front door open a little bit.

 

[Capt Caveman]

My mom has front loading washer and hates it. The reason being it vibrates a lot. It is balanced as much as it can be but it is on the second floor. If it was in the basement. I'm sure it would be fine.

Get a thick rubber mat to place under it. Mine are in my master bedroom and the vibration is minimal. I have gone to bed with it running.

 

[Tsavo]

I have GE profile front loader. I haven't yet found a detergent that I like for it. It doesn't get clothes any cleaner than a top load. Blankets and pillows it totally fails on. Cool that it's connected to the dryer and gets load info from the washer and sets itself accordingly. Loads dry in 20-30 minutes vs 45-60 minutes.

If I had to do it again, I'd get an inexpensive Whirlpool top loader.

 

[Engineer]

Samsung front loader FTMFW. That is all.

 

[jakuum]

Samsung front loader FTMFW. That is all.

Agree, <3 my Samsung front loaders.

 

[rivan]

I love out front loader, too.

It might just be newer machines, but clothes are as absolutely as dry as a spin can get them when they come out. They dry in about half the time our old combo did.

 

[lupi]

got a pair of samsung front loaders from sears about 18 months ago when they had them on sale for about 50&#37; off. washer uses an amazingly small amount of water which means really quick dry times. have never bothered with the wash with just water and bleach stuff, just leave the door open when done with th elast load of the day and give the seal a quick wipe out.

 

[PhineasJWhoopee]

Front loader all the way. Less water useage and cleaner clothes. At least that's what my wife tells me. I don't do the wash.

 

[HomerSapien]

Kenmore Elite 5t Front Loader. 2006/7 model. Great for us so far.

They do a really good job keeping the water in. I worried about that at first, but it really is an after thought now. The capacity is a bit greater, but it really wont make that much of a difference as we still cram it full.

As for the cost of water, it does make a slight difference where I live. Water is a bit pricier where I live now than when in college and electricity is definitely higher. While it takes longer to clean, it can actually use less electricity, depending on the cycle selected. As for vibrations, the feet need to be adjusted to be level. The thing weighs 300+ pounds.

 

[zerocool84]

The reason why you get that mold smell is cus water will sit on the bottom. Most front load washers need will need to be run without any clothes in it to clean it out at once a month depending on usage.

 

[jteef]

i have a samsung front loader. My used $50 kenmore top loader was faster, got clothes cleaner, and handled large items / massive loads much better in my experience. i had a really expensive whirlpool front loader in europe that was pure trash.

my samsung is definitely quieter and i can dry non-cottons pretty quickly though when i run towels or my queen size down comforter, they barely fit in the washer and takes 3 cycles in the dryer to finish. Still never gets as clean as the top loader i used to have. the samsung uses a lot less water, but water is pretty cheap here. That said I'd probably still buy a front loader as that's where all the engineering and innovation is these days.

 

[PowerEngineer]

We bought one of those new whirlpool top loads (Cabrio) that does not have the agitator. My wife loves it, and you can put more clothes in it that a regular top load.

Timely question as our old Maytag washer bit the dust last Friday. We also ended up buying a Whirpool Cabrio top-loader. Sears had a 30% off sale on Whirpool/Maytag last weekend, and we saved another $200 though utility and state 'cash for clunkers appliances' rebates.

We wanted to stay with a top-loader because it worked better in our narrow laundry room. This Cabrio has a 5.0 cubic foot tub (compared to the 3.2 we had); I think it's as large as most front-loaders.

The real issue (whether front-loader or top-loader) is how high efficiency do you want to go. These new washers use half the water (can not set the water level yourself) and require special HE (low suds) detergents to avoid leaving residue in clothes. They also spin much faster to remove more water from clothes before going into the dryer. My wife is not so sure about all this...

Just delivered today. I hope she comes to like it :$

 

[Stifko]

In regards to mold smell, just leave the front door open a little bit.

Thats what I do too. I like my LG front loader and would not get another top loader again.