Need Help Deciding on a Front Load Washer/dyer or Top Loaders

J.,

We have to sets of front loaders LG's (newest set) which I love it has the Steam setting, I have used it several times and it works great and we also have a Kenmore Elite set which we have had for about 7 years, they have maybe been repaired once, so not too bad. Just has others have mentioned you need to leave the door and drawer open or you get a mildew smell or build-up. I have even taken the drawer apart and put it into the dishwasher every so often to give a good cleaning. We have one set stacked on the second floor and the other set side by side in the basement and have not really have a problem with either set. One suggestion is try Sears Outlet to get a better price and the second set we got at Best Buy it was last years model, so it was marked down!

I was in the same situation. My dryer broke and wasn't fixable. So I HAD to go shopping. It took me two good weekends, but I ended up buying Samsung frontloaders. And two months later I LOVE THEM!

Toploaders are being phased out actually. There are some still available, but don't have good reviews. I really wanted toploader also, but in the end I just didn't feel they were a good product. I have a friend who has a toploader Cabrio and hates the way it twists her clothing. Plus it goes off balance and is loud. That was the one I was going to go with. After lots of research I ended up with the Samsung, but also looked at Maytag and LG. All good models.

I really don't dislike anything about my new washer/dryer. I love them. The work great, use so much less water and are easier on my clothes. I wish I hadn't been so hesitant before. I probably would have stopped repairing my old ones and just gotten new. Good luck with your search.

Front loaders will save you SO much money. My water bill is drastically cheaper than my friends who have top of the line top loaders. Anyways...my husband has sold appliances for quite some time and always recommends Whirlpool (which owns Maytag), Bosch, and Samsung. Everything else has too many issues. He has dealt with tons of customers who have had to pay big money to fix their Kenmore, Fridgedaire (sp.), and GE ones. We have a Whirlpool set and LOVE it! Good luck!

P.S. If you leave the washer door open for a bit after you do your wash, there won't be mold/mildew issues. We have had ours over 2 years now and have never had a problem!

I have a front load Kenmore Elite pair that I have had for almost a year. I love it! You do have to wipe the seal (I do this after my last load of laudry each week) around the washer door and they told us that when they installed it. It also has a lint filter that has to be cleaned about once a month. I leave the door open and the detergent drawer open after my last load to dry for a few hours as well. This prevents the mold and mildew. One think I will say, if you get the front loaders, get the pedestals. It will save your back. However, the top load high efficiency machines seem to be just as good. If you have a Sears in your area, you can look there and ask them a ton of questions. The people there are very knowledgable.

I've had my front loading frigidaire stacking combo for a couple years. I have not ever had a problem with smells or mildew, but I always leave the door open. My biggest complaint is that it does NOT remove pet hair, either from our shorthaired cat or our golden retriever. The stacking feature was very helpful since it is up on the second floor in a closet, and takes up lots less space, but I often hit my head on the dryer door as I am loading from the washer. I had a repairman out to remove an insert from my daughter's bikini top that had gotten jammed in the drain, and he told me that it is much more expensive to repair the front loaders than the top loading ones.

Have had front load Samsungs for about a year now & I LOVE them!

I have the Whirlpool Duet set. I think it does a great job washing my clothes but it is sealed so tight that between loads you have to leave the door and the dispenser drawer open to dry out. Otherwise, your clothes will smell like mildew! There are washer "cleaners" now available and they do work, but I feel Whirlpool is making me pay to clean my washer because of their design. I do like the agitator free washer and you can wash much larger loads with this design, saving water and time in the end. All this being said, I would buy a front loader again, but knowing the tricks ahead of the game this time does help! I also have a friend that bought the top loader without the agitator and she hates it, says it doesn't get their clothes clean and that since it's an HE washer, it doesn't add enough water to even cover the clothes so she has to always use a second rinse cycle. We also now use consumer reports before buying items! Hope this helps and happy shopping!
K.

I have a Whirlpool Cabrio washer. It has no agitator, so functions in the same manner as a front loader, without needing a base or you doing a lot of bending. The inside is HUGE. You do need to run a cleaning cycle with a special Affresh tablet once a month, or you may have the same funky smell issues you can get with a front loader. You also need to use a special high efficiency detergent. Tide makes an HE detergent, not sure what other brands are out there. I would recommend that you leave the lid open when not in use. I saw another poster mention that the Cabrio goes off balance. I've had this happen a few times, and it was always when I was washing the same mammothy heavy blanket. For all general purpose wash and comforters, etc., I have not had a problem with an unbalanced load. In my personal experience I haven't noticed that it's loud. I just close the laundry room door and I suppose the noise just blends in with the rest of my household noise. I had a Whirlpool Calypso before this. Same concept, top loader that functions high efficiency without an agitator. I prefer this to a front loader.

I was at the same point 2 weeks ago. I ended up with a top loader. I didn't like how you had to leave the door open in a front loader and that it can get mildewy. I bought a LG top loader washer and dryer (it's high-efficiency (he)). I think it's called a WaveForce. It's supposedly a little easier on your clothes, too, because of the way the washer spins.

Hi J., We have a Kenmore front load washer/dryer and I would not spend the money. It may save water, but the clothes are continuously twisted and come out knotted together. Even if you adjust the spin speed, they still get all tangled. I do like that it uses less water and detergent, but again, the tangled clothes makes me crazy. And you need to keep the door open so the seal does not get moldy/smelly. It's not a problem for us, but I know some folks have space/animal issues.

I know a lot of people love them and swear by them, but I think I will go back to a top loader next time we are in the market for one.

Good luck!

C. K

Hi J.-

I just had this conversation with the guy who was out to repair my fridge. (actually he just had to update a control panel for the ice and water.) Anyway..... I asked him about washing machines and which type was better. He said he does a lot more repairs on the front load washers and that you can't put as much clothing in there either. I asked because my machines are 14 years old and I was just curious since I don't know how much longer they'll last. (so far.... so good with my MayTag washer and dryer.) I think I'll stick to the top loader based on what the appliance repair guy said and because when I really think about it, it seems easier to load and unload. (Not as much bending down to see what clothes I still have in there when making the transfer to the dryer.)

A good friend of mine just bought a set of Kenmore's from Sears that were on sale... it's a front load washer, she's had it about 4 days and is lovin it so far. The sale was pretty good, you buy the washer and you get the dryer for almost nothin.. but it was still pretty pricey, around the thousand dollar mark. She also got the drawer pedestal that goes under the set to give you room to store stuff, that was a nice invention.

Because of the height of my cabinets above my washer and dryer the top loader washers I looked at would not fit with the lid open. I guess washers are slightly taller now!?!?! Anyway I really did not want a front loader but I got one anyway about 3 weeks ago and I actually really like it. Also, the sales guy said that front loaders actually leave your clotburs cleaner than top loader despite using less water. He used the analogy of taking a bath vs shower. Do you want to wash your clothes in what quickly becomes dirty water or do you want to shower your clothes, clean, rinse , shower, clean, rinse repeat. (FYI... I got the Samsung)

My MIL says that she would not buy a front-loader again. She complains that the rubber seal gets water underneath it and it settles there, creating mildew and mold. So unless you fold back that rubber seal and dry it completely, you'll always have mildew in your machine.

I have always had a top-loader. The only reason I still kind of want a front-loader is so that I can washing our big King-sized blankets. I think they'll fit better since they don't have a huge agitator in the middle of the machine, like top-loaders do.