Washer & Dryer - What Kind to Buy?

Hi C., I didn't read any other responses, but my brother has a appliance repair business and has to service a lot of front loaders. He says to go with Bosch, that they cost more but you will save money in the long run NOT paying for parts & repairs.
~A.

we have the the LG front loaders.. love them they use less water.. saves money. also I like the steam cycle for dress clothes that I want to freshen.. I use the wrinkle setting in the dryer daily.. they hold so much :) yes I would buy them again.. owned them 3 years.. also after each wash on any front loader the salesman told me to leave the door open so the seal doesn't mildew b/c they seal so tightly.
Lenc

My appliance repair guy highly recommends the Whirlpool Duets. They are front loaders with allot less repair. Lowe's carries them. Good Luck!

LOVE LOVE LOVE my LG front loaders....I did get the one that has all the steam options and rarely use it, so the model down would be perfect......can't say enough great things about this set!!!! I did not get the pedestals and now I have a place to fold the clothes (on top of the set).....

I don't know which is best, but can say that you should read the on-line reviews before buying. I know this because I bought an upper end LG dishwasher. Although it looks good, it doesn't perform well. To determine what was wrong, I read the on-line reviews AFTER I found it didn't do a good job and there were many complaints from other buyers.

I absolutely love my Whirlpool Cabrio machines. I have the gas dryer and it dries clothes faster than my washer can wash them.

We have a Bosch washer and dryer and love them!

After much research & before my 15 year old set gave out, I bought the new LG front loader that has a short wash cycle, a steam cycle, an allergen cycle, etc. Love it, love it, love it!!! I have them in red:) And I can add clothing after I start, you just push pause.

I have the Maytag Neptune set, front loader washer with dryer.

I've had mine over 5 yrs and I love them, NEVER had any issues, no mold, no gunk in washer. I've read where others say they have issues with the front loaders but we have had none. The only negative I can come up with is IF you leave a piece of clothing out, you can't open the washer and throw it in. That is not such a big deal here since I run the washer daily.

Would I buy Maytag again....No, BECAUSE I feel Maytag has cheapened their quality over the years. I had a top of the line Maytag dishwasher that was DEAD within 3 yrs and a top of the line Maytag fridge that was DEAS within 5 yrs. I am not rough on my appliances.

I have since switched everything out to a higher end Kitchen Aid and I love them.

As for wazsher/dryer...I will certainly go with front loader again, just another brand because I have lost all confidence in Maytag products based on experience with kitchen appliances.

I bought the Whirlpool Duets 6 years ago when I moved to South Carolina. Water in SC is very expensive and so I wanted to use as little as possible. I have been here in Texas 5 years and we had a small laundry room, so I stacked my washer and dryer and I loved that. We put a freezer in the space where a dryer would normally go.

I love that they are more efficient and use less water. however, I have noticed that they are also gentle on our clothes. The clothes seem to last longer and don't fade as much.

The only negative thing I have about the washer is that the rubber seal can get mold on it. I did some research and whirlpool says to leave the door open after you do the laundry to allow the chamber to dry out. Then, you can close the door. However, since we bought our set, they have upgraded the machines and now have a "wash" cycle strictly for the machine itself to clean the chamber. They also recommend monthly cleaning of the chamber (that's all no big deal, but just something to keep in mind). we recently sold our house and sold the w/d set with it. But, we are planning on buying the same thing again (with the upgraded wash cycle for the chamber). I don't feel like we need the steam cycle, so we are not planning on going for that.

Look on USAppliances.com. They ship to anywhere (often for free) and their prices are lower than the stores.

If you are on a serious budget, you can find used ones on Craigslist.com.

Good luck!
L.

C.,
We just had to replace our washer too. We were interested in the front-loaders, because that's what everyone's doing now but after looking at them, we couldn't justify paying over 2x as much for the "in" thing. The energy savings stickers on them make it appear they pay for themselves, but we just didn't have the money. Whatever you go with, I would recommend not buying anything with a finish on the inside drum of the washer. The inside finish on our last washer chipped and it would leave rust stains on our clothes if they sat in the washer.

Our last 2 appliance purchases have been from Lowe's and I'd highly recommend checking them out. They're offering a 6-months same as cash payment option right now and we've been able to get our past two purchases delivered to us quickly.

If you have the time to research, I would check out consumer reviews. One thing we read on-line was the higher-end washers with the lights in the control panels have more computer parts to go "out" and it's better to buy a simple unit with knobs for controls.

i'm kind-of a cheapo. Here's my thoughts:
If you buy the traditional type of washer, you will get more washer & more features for your money. If you buy the newer models, it will be gentler on your clothes but you will pay more. I recently bought the Maytag Bravos W&D. they are traditional-looking, but they are HE and the washer has no agitator. We got them REALLY cheap at Home Depot during the Black Friday sales.

The washer does get my clothes really clean, but I don't like that I didn't get a "soak" feature (it was on the next model up, just more money I couldn't see myself spending). And, the dryer seems to not get the clothes as dry as my last dryer, but maybe I just never paid as close of attention???

So, long story short, I'd say that the new technology is here, and it is good, but it's expensive. If you're looking to save some money and get more features, stick with a traditional w/d and get top-of-the-line.