We have an Electrolux front-loading washer and love it. It was on the expensive side, but we splurged because it had the biggest capacity we could find (my husband is 6'5" so his laundry is enormous, ha). The front-loaders are way more efficient on water, and gentler on clothes since they don't have an agitator. Everything comes out just as clean, from what I can tell. On ours you can specify things like "extra rinse" or "extra spin" - I use extra rinse for the baby's stuff, and extra spin for anything bulky. The only annoying thing is sometimes items come out twisted together a little, so it can be tricky to get things into the dryer. But that's a minor issue.
The other nice thing about the front-loaders is that you can also buy the little drawer that goes underneath. They prop up the washer and dryer so you don't have to bend over as far, and are great additional storage. Maybe you can get those with top-loaders as well but I've never seen them.
If you're in NJ, check out the appliance stores in New Brunswick and Plainfield; they generally have better prices and more knowledgeable sales staff than the big box stores, and lower sales tax.
ETA: Someone mentioned that the front-loaders lock when you start the cycle, so you can't throw in extra stuff you find after you started the load. Ours actually has a "pause" feature, so you can put stuff in if you need to, then start it back up again.