Front Load Washing Machines?

We bought a new washing machine several years ago after our 3 year old GE model died. We decided to stay with a top-loading machine after doing some research and we chose a Fisher Paykel brand machine that we purchased from Abt.

Fisher Paykel is a brand based in New Zealand, but their appliances are very high quality and energy/resource efficient. (http://usa.fisherpaykel.com/)

For instance, my washer is "smart" enough to know what size load I have so it never wastes water by overfilling as I don't have to select a load size.

It also spins the clothes at a "super fast" spin at the end, so the clothes actually come out of the washer not needing to dry in the dryer for an hour. So, we save natural gas with less drying time needed for the clothes.

I absolutely LOVE my Fisher Paykel washing machine and would buy another one again. My sister-in-law also bought one a couple of years ago after talking to us/seeing ours and is very happy with hers. I also cannot wait to remodel my kitchen and fill it with other Fisher Paykel appliances like their dishwasher drawers, fridge and cooktop!

Good luck!

Hi H.!
My husband - after many years - convinced me to buy front load when our washer went about 7 years ago. Frigidaire makes a smaller version front load that works great. We moved from our townhome and left the front load behind but we purchased a Frigidaire set for the new home with the platforms -- without the platform -- a little harder on the back. Yes, uses less water, yes load is done quicker and yes easier on the clothing since top load has that arm in the middle that does wear and tear on the clothing. I did not want to make that huge Maytag investment or other bigger machines that are $1400 just for the washer. Frigidaire ran us around $600 - we bought that one at Best Buy. May be a little more, depends on the features you want - I think there were 3 models. The washer/dryer set with the risers was $1300 @ Grant's. I am very happy with them. And I have used all types of detergent in the washer -- makes no difference.
You can always check out Sears Outlet and get an overstock OR a slightly dented one for cheaper!
Good luck!
S.
Lisle, Illinois

I don't know much about the front loading machines, so my response may not be totally relevant, but we have a 3 year old Maytag top loading maching and I would strongly recommend avoiding Maytag at all costs. I bought this one because we live in Naperville, there is a Maytag store in town, our machine died and we have kids so laundry backs up fast and they could deliver and install on the same day. But, the machine is not good and since I've bought it I've heard a lot of bad things about Maytag. I would echo the comments about researching via Consumer Reports and also shopping at a place like Sears (or ABT) where they stock lots of different brands to compare. Our machine was missing a piece that holds the drain hose still inside the machine, so it flopped around during the drain cycle, and developed a hole. So, water started to leak, but mostly it trickled down outside the drain hose. Since the leaking water was following the hose, it mimicked the look of a burst pipe. Long story short, major water damage, opening up walls to find leak, only to discover that 1) it was caused by washing machine and 2) not covered by homeowners insurance. Arrrgh.

I have had top of the line Whirlpool Gold series top-load washer and a matching dryer that did what I had considered was a great job on getting my family's clothes clean and in a good dry time. Then a few years ago we moved into a home that had a new washer / dryer set by Whirlpool, but the washer was a front-load and I was a little skeptical until I did some research and boy, I am sure glad I did. Our clothes experienced none or very little wear on them, unlike what we saw with our clothes in the top-load washer - this in itself is a huge savings as well as being able to wash large comforters and other large items. The water savings was also great and I also realized that the clothes came out of the front-load washer much dryer than the top-load washer, so there was considerably less dryer time and gas cost! I think the front-load washer's wash time seemed to be less as well and bottom line, my time was saved because I could get more laundry completed in less time and I was always amazed! Now that we moved to another new home, we now have another top-load Whirlpool (the pair came with the home), but we wish we had the front-load washer as it was truly the BEST machine by far. We still talk about what a difference it is to do laundry with the top-loader now and how much extra time it takes to get through the loads compared to the "old days."
The extra cost on this machine saves money, money, money as well as time!

We are buying a new machine as well. The con of the front loader is you can't open it up and throw something in once the load is started and we do that all the time! Good luck.

I just got a front load set and I absolutely love it! I still use dreft, you just have to use a smaller amount so there are not as many suds! I think the elevated price was completely worth it as Iuse less soap,it is much quieter and my water bill was 13 dollars less last month!

H.,
We have a front load also purchased from ABT since we live in Glenview and convenient and our builder had a tie up with them. My sisters overseas have had it for years and love it and based on their experience we bought it and I absolutely love it. Yes they are more expensive but I feel mine does a fabulous job. Please let me know if you need more details. You can email me directly at
____@____.com

Nitya

We have front load machines and could not be happier. May I suggest before you buy any appliance that costs that much, that you do research online? We did and found that the biggest bang for our buck was at none other than good ol' Sears. We went to Consumer Reports online. While it did cost us about 20 dollars for the subscription, it has paid for itself over and over. We have never been more satisfied and two of my sisters bought them also and are thrilled. And, bring these expensive machines with you when you move. They will certainly be worth it. Oh, and by the way, the new Sear's ones have a table top "thing" to put on top to fold your clothes.

We bought top loading washers that do not have the agitator and LOVE them! The ones we bought are made by Whirlpool and have a kingsize capacity to them - meaning we can fit a king sized blaket or comforter in there. It's nice because you can wash more at a time and everything gets clean. These are just as energy efficient as the front-loaders because they only use the amount of water they need (the washer determines it) and only dry until the clothes are actually dry.
Yes, they do require HE detergent, but as our sales rep told us (and the man who came to service them - we had an oops, thankfully covered under warranty) you can use regular detergent, but only 1-2 tablespoons full because then the water would be to sudd-sy.
With having the top-loading we do not loose the area on top to fold or store anything & they do not take up a lot of room (with the fron-loading the door in front sticks out & then you still need space to swing it open). I know it soundes weird that we do not have an agitator, but what happens is, there are water jets that come from the bottom of the washer to push all of the soap around and get to everything. A common misconception is that you can only get the big space with the front-loading machines, but with the machines we purcahsed, since there is no agitator, we actually get more space than most of the front-loaders.
We know that we're moving within a year or so, but plan on taking them with us, for the shear fact that these will be perfect for the amount of laundry a household with children will need (& we paid for the extended warranty through the place we purchased them).
If you have any other questions, let me know.

Rethink your cons!! A front loader is awesome. It takes half the time to dry your clothes because they spin so fast that they are almost dry when you take them out! Also, you WON'T lose the space to fold laundry. You fold right on top. DON'T get the stands/drawers. My back has been just fine without them. I find them totally uncessary.

Here's the biggie. The HE detergent is not that much more expensive. Also, you use much less of it so it actually save more. And a quick word about Dreft since you mentioned it. If you want to talk about wasting money--stop buying that stuff. It's a total scam. It's unecessary--and actually contains perfumes. Use dye and fragrance free regular detergent instead.

We love our machine! Our clothes are definitely cleaner--our last house had traditional machines and they did not do nearly the same job.

We have a Maytag Neptune front-loader and love it. We have never used "HE" detergents, just less of the regular (I use All Free and Clear). I think it get clothes cleaner, is quiter, and you can put more delicate things in, since there is not really an agitator.
E.

I see that you’ve had a lot of responses and haven’t read them all but here are my thoughts...

When we bought our new house we got a front loader washer and dryer, Kenmore. I also got the draws so that they would be higher since they are much lower without them. I use the HE detergent that is recommended. However, since I wash my son’s (4 mo. and 18 mo.) clothes together, I first wash them in Tide HE (that way I know I’m getting the them clean) and they I was them again with the dreft. The only thing you need to be careful of is the amount of dreft detergent you put in. I only put about half the amount recommended since to much makes to many suds.

Consumer Reports recently did reviews on both front and top loading washing machines. If you're considering spending multiple hundreds of dollars on these, I suggest spending the $26 for an online membership so you can see what they say. I just looked through the review recently because I am not satisfied with our front loader. (Incidentally, we have the cheapest front loading Kenmore machine that Sears sells. Don't waste your money.)

I believe there were several Whirlpool Duet models that scored really well. They also said that ALL of the front loaders cleaned better than top loaders. This is because of new water saving standards that are now in place. Anyway, check it out at www.consumerreports.org

We have a maytag front loader and would never buy one with an agitator again. We love it. Also love ABT.

I also love my front loading machine - only thing, though, is that you can't soak items. Unless I'm wrong about that - anyone able to do that with a front loader?

I bought a front-loading Whirlpool Duet at ABT in Feb. after our Kenmoor washer of 11 yrs. died a week before my baby's due date. She was born Feb. 8th on her due date. My fourth baby! I was in a panick because the laundry was piling up within a day or two! We needed large capacity, efficiency, etc. I got the drawers mostly for the height, but also the storage. Ilove these. It helps me so much to have these. I do laundry every day. You can on most cycles "add a garment" for the first 8 minutes. You pause it and it unlocks the door and voila! I can wash and dry pillows and such on the bulky items cycle. I use cloth diapers, and they're great for that too! I wouldn't trade them for the world! I love the time delay as well. I can get started first thing in the morning by loading and setting it the night before!
Any other questions? Let me know!
40 minutes for the normal wash cycle, sometimes less to dry!

I believe the current issue of Consumer Reports has rated washing machines. You should pick one up and see what they have to say.

We have the Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer and love them. We have had them for about 4 years or so and would never buy a top loader again. We use regular detergent(not HE), just about half as much. You can fit so much more in your washer and dryer with the front loaders. And, our clothes are really clean. I also love being able to fit a king size comforter in the washer and dryer without having any issues. You won't regret a front loader. We have the pedistals, which I love. I don't store anythingin them, but I have back issues and it does raise them to the perfect height so I don't have to bend over at all.

For what it's worth I love my front loading washer and dryer. We got the Kenmore brand from the Sears outlet in Melrose Park and save a bundle. They have minor scratches on them but other than that are brand new. We saved a bundle. They are wonderful and worth every penny in my opinion. They have cut my loads in half, get the clothes cleaner, are more efficient, I could go on and on. Also, Method makes a great HE baby detergent. I have three kids and lots of laundry.

Good luck with your choice. Oh, and I did not buy the pedastals and don't find it that arduous to bend down.

Hi there H.. We had a top loader before and when we moved to Naperville we bought a front loader. I will never go back. All the reasons the previous people listed and then some. We got the LG brand and I could not be happier. They are a bit cheaper than the Whirlpools with more features. check them out at www.lge.com .They area well know European brand and have a great customer service track record. We got them at Best Buy and if you enroll in their rewards program for $10 you get get p a but load of points that turn into $ you can use on future purchases. Also a lot of times they give you delivery and installation for free. I hope this helps.

Hi H.,
I would advise you to go with the front loader. I respectfully disagree with Keely. I, too, moved here seven years ago from Europe and couldn't believe that USA only sold top-loaders with agitators that are very harmful for your clothes. The temperature in the front-loaders can increase more than the top loaders which will make your laundry a lot cleaner without having to use harmful agents such as bleach. The spin cycles are spectacular, like someone else already said: the clothes come out practically dry so you save $$$ on dryer time too. And I, too, use the regular laundry detergent, just a lot less of it. I get everything clean and I have one messy 3-year-old!
In terms of size (Keely's biggest concern): the front loaders on the American market are a lot larger than the European versions. I can easily fit all my bed linnens in one cycle.
We bought a Bosch but I think I would have preferred the Whirlpool had it been available then.
Hope this helps!
Good luck!
M.

PS: we can add clothes during the cycle. You just have to press "pause".

Hi H.. Until i moved here from England almost two years ago I had never even seen a top loader. All the machines I had ever seen or indead heard of had been front loaders. Now I doubt I will ever change back. Unless there are some super new models around it takes way longer to run a cycle and im talking an hour maybe. I couldn't get any where near as much stuff in as i can now. As for being more economical? I couldn't really say to much about that. The side loader will probably use less water but the time it takes to do a wash has got to counteract that! Like i said maybe they have some super duper new hi-tech models that blow my theory out of the water, but unless they do Top loader wins every time for me. Good Luck with your searchx

We have a traditional top loading machine, though we considered the front loader when we bought ours 3 years ago. I know front loaders are much better for the environment, however we have at least 4 friends who bought them and have all said the same thing - they do not actually get the clothes clean. Particularly friends with kids have had this complaint. I've also heard that they don't necessarily rinse the soap from the clothes very well - I think powders work better than liquids, from what I've heard from friends. Just something to research in your decision-making process.

We did buy our w/d and dishwasher at Abt and they were great on price and service.