Looking for Best Options on Front Loading, Steam washer/dryer..large Capacity..

I just wanted to say that I rue the day I bought a front loader. I've struggled with a funky smell in the clothes ever since. If I leave them in there for five minutes after they're done washing, they are ruined and have to be rewashed one or more times. I have a Kenmore, but I have talked to people with all different brands, and they have the same problem. I bought it to save water, but rewashing clothes all the time is not really helping.

We bought the LG set four years ago. Guess what? We've been waiting for three weeks for a new dryer drum because the stainless steel weld cracked. They've finally got the part and are coming tomorrow to fix it, but it will set us back $500 and the warranty is only 90 days. Irony of ironies? Our 12 year old basic Kenmore set we got as a wedding gift is still going strong--so says the co-worker we gave them to.

Consumer Reports still rates LGs high, but I noticed reliability of W/D is not a part of these reviews. I like the idea of calling around to repair shops and seeing if they have experience with the reliability of models with the features you are looking for.

Good luck on your search!

I have the Samsung - it has been great so far! The laundry gets super clean, and it's very quiet (which is important to me since my laundry area is in the middle of the hallway... uggggh!).

Hey well to comment on the mold issue if you arent planning on washing for a few days leave the door cracked a bit it will help the area dry out and no mold. If you want largest cap that would be the electrolux which has the largest tub available right now i do believe.
LG and Samsung are great but you may want to ck around with local appliance repair shops and see if they work on them. I found out that in my area no one really works on them because lg and samsung make their own parts so you have to order from them and it is really expensive if one does break down. so that is something to consider.
I have a whirlpool duet which has been great only recently been giving me problems with the door lock but it has been 7 years.
With all the newer washer and dryer they have alot of electonics in them so repair costs can be expensive.
not what you want to think about when buying a new one but they do break so it is something worth cking into
good luck

If you must have a front loading do your homework on mold growing around the rim of the opening of the door under the rubber.
a. It's disgusting
b. there is additional cleaning required to keep it from growing
c. if I had known that this could even possibly happen I would have stayed with my top loading machine.

Good luck

We went through this about 2 years ago. We have a Kenmore with the steam/sanitizer option and have been very happy. LG makes a beautiful set, but was told that repairs are lengthy due to the parts being more difficult to get.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my LG! I've had it for two years, no problems, works great, is quiet, cleans good, especially my cloth diapers. I like all the choices in settings and I use them all. I really like the hand wash/wool setting. I've used it several times and the clothes come out great. And the steam setting on the dryer is great for getting out wrinkles (not all of them!) in a pinch. Well worth the $$$

I listened to a lot of good reviews on front loaders.. well let me tell you, I was highly disappointed, the water bill did not go down, the front loader holds less clothes than my last top loader did so doing more laundry. I did about 10 loads a week before the front loader and now do 15 loads a week. The steam setting was a big waste of money, you will still need to iron and not worth the extra few hundred dollars. I was told that I wouldn't have to iron with a steam washer, well it does not get the wrinkles out and I do have to iron although if I put the ironing clothes in the steam cycle before I iron them it makes it easier to iron them but don't buy into that you won't have to iron anymore, it is false hope. You can get the same results by misting the clothes with a water bottle. I also hate that the front loader smells moldy if the door is closed when not in use and will make your clothes smell like that when they are washed. Leave the front loader doors open all the time when not in use. You will also notice that you have to get the clothes out right away within the hour of them being washed or your clothes will smell sour. No more putting a load of clothes in the washer when you go to sleep and putting in dryer the next morning, or put a load in before work and put in dryer when you get home. We are on the go a lot and is hard to get the laundry done now because we don't put a load in the washer unless we have an hour to put them in the dryer and we mainly use the quick wash setting that takes 35-40 minutes because all the other settings are over 100 minutes. We have the LG 4.0 ultra capacity steam washer. If you have the cheap top loader washer than a front loader would make a huge difference but we had a really nice top loader Kenmore Ultra II/extra large capacity that got stains out of just about everything. It moved the clothes from top to bottom when it agitated and the clothes did not just swish lightly and keep the same clothes on top like other washers I have seen. The front loader doesn't seem to get easy stains out even when they are pre-treated with a stain remover.

You will also want the pedestals because they are very low to the ground. I am only 5'2 and got pedestals within the first year of buying them.

I do like the front loader dryer. It dries towels and jeans in less than an hour.

I have a front loading LG Tromm W/D that I purchased from Best Buy 3 years ago. I HATE these machines. Mold grows in the rubber door seal, even if you leave door cracked open (who wants to leave it open to start with?) the washer still stinks and smells musty. You need a screw driver to get to the drain hose which I try to do every couple of months to keep things from totally getting out of hand. LG has done nothing to repair the problems and a search online will tell you that there are hundreds (if not thousands) of other angry LG Tromm customers out there. I recently used a Frigidaire front loading W/D at a summer house I rented and I loved them.

I have an LG - had it for 3 yrs - no problems - I love it! Couple of things that were different for me (coming from a top loader) - the wash time is significantly longer, and you have to be sure to leave the door open when not in use to avoid the moldy smell problem that I've heard about (but never experienced). The dryer totally rocks, too!!! But, I get my 7 loads done much quicker (even with the longer cycle times) because of the larger load size :) Good luck!

can't go wrong with a LG or a samsung...they are both top of the line.