Advice on Best Washer or Dryer

We have an LG/HE front loader, HATE IT! We bought it about 3 years ago. It broke about 6 months after we got it. It has some sort of humidity sensor in it that breaks about twice a year. Then it stops spinning. We now have a permanent black marker X on the spot to hit when it stops working. It is actually a great stress reliever to beat the washing machine :) The dryer works great though.

We got ours recently through Home Depot and went with the Maytag Centennial line because it got great reviews and was moderately priced. I would recommend doing your research online on the sites for various stores. Most allow reviews now and you can get a good sense of the pros and cons of particular models.

I have the Maytag Bravos system and couldn't live without it! I love it (still hate doing laundry, though... ha ha).

My sister had a front loading machine and hated it. She has replaced the front gasket four times and it still leaks.

The Bravos has all of the benefits of a front loader, but is a top load. There is not agitator in the middle, so you can fit more in and your clothes don't get torn up. I even wash things that say hand-wash only in this machine. It's great.

The best part is that the dryer is done in about the same amount of time as the washing machine. The dryer also has a sensor in it, so even if you have it timed for 40 minutes, if the clothes are dry after 30, it shuts off automatically. No more frying your undies!!

The only shock in my system was the first time I had to buy laundry soap, it uses the HE (high efficiency) formula and it can get pricey. I buy it at Walmart now.

Good luck and happy shopping!

we have the Samsung steam washer and dryer set, and love it. had the repair guy out once cuz the gasket was leaking, but it ended up that it was only a buildup of hair on the bottom of the door, so I just have to wipe it down when I notice there is hair stuck to the door - not a big deal. Also, to the others who said they have a buildup of soap in the washer, you need to use less soap and also make sure you are using HE soap. The other thing I have noticed is that after I do the last load of wash, I leave the washer door open so that it can dry out inside and not get all moldy, stinky smelling, whatever - once again, not a big deal. I only leave it open till the last load is done in the dryer then close it. I would definitely recommend getting an extended service plan with a front loader cuz of all the electronics built into them.

Whatever you do DON'T get a front loader! We got a Kenmore Elite set after reading all the reviews at Consumer Reports. I was all excited to have it till one of my children puked and when I started cloth diapering. I noticed that it doesn't clean the clothes very well and I ended up with soap build up on them as it doesn't rinse very well either since its a high efficancy. Even just washing every day stuff like towels they would come out reeking because they had soap build up on them. I can't wait till we can afford to switch back to the top loaders so I don't have these problems anymore. Its not just this brand either its all front loaders as I go to alot of family websites and people started noticing the same thing but never knew WHY their clothes were coming out stinking or not clean. Sorry I can't tell you an exact TO BUY but I can tell you what NOT to buy from my experiance here! As for where to buy from Lowes and Home Depot are great and so is Sears. We got free delivery and my mom just bought from Lowes and she got free delivery too!

You should probably include your budget. There is a HUGE variety in prices.

I have the LG Washer/Dryer that does steam cleaning. Mine are a few years old, bought new from Home Depot. I love them. They are huge - so I have to wash less loads. They are HE, front loading. I use the steam cycle for sanitizing my wash cloths, lowering allergens, I can also see how cloth diaper using Moms would love it. It also keeps the tub from getting any funky smells. I've been drooling over the more recent version of mine - but they aren't cheap. Even with a sale, 0% financing and a coupon I had.. I think I spent $1700 on the pair.. which was nearly $1000 less then the normal price. (I got an extended service warranty as well)

My brother has the Samsung front loader and is very happy with them as well -- and they go on sale at Sear's fairly often.

I watch the sales. Like I mentioned, I got ours for nearly half price because I was patient and didn't just pay retail. I waited for a sale and used a coupon on top of that.. AND got the no interest financing so we didn't put the cash out upfront.

You should also check to see if Sears has an Outlet around you. They send all their "scratch and dent" to the outlet. Best Buy stores will also have manager mark downs that have scratches on them. Personally, I've never cared what my washer looks like - as long as it works. I did that for my first new washer/dryer. I got a scratch n' dent and it was great for about half price. If you're not married to buying new... Craigslist is great. Lots of people are having to move last minute, or are just wasteful and get rid of washers that are practically brand new.

Good luck :)

EDIT:::: To the Mom that said the front loader had soap build up. That is not the washers fault. That is human error from using too much soap. Read the directions on your washer, many people seem to think "More soap means cleaner" but that is NOT the case. Lots of people use too much soap in their laundry and on their dishwaher. It's one of the reasons why people have issues with film on dishes as well.

Wall Street Journal article on it http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870380890457...

I got a Samsung from Lowes andI love it!!!!! My old dryer would have to go through it's cycles for 2-3 hours before drying the clothes. I love a front loader washer, my clothes look so much better, and they use a LOT less water and saop. Some don't even need bleach as an additive because they work so well.

I posted on Facebook a few days after I got my machines that "I just didn't know how I felt about that"...then I commmented: My dryer dryed JEANS, yes a full load of JEANS, in less time than it took for the next load to wash...less than 30 minutes.

We just bought a new washer and dryer and just went through the same thing. I ended buying a consumer magazine on it. It stated that dryers have not really changed much over the years. It also stated that front loaders had a bad tendency of developing mold. We ended up getting kenmores and love them.