Washer - Ames,IA

I LOVELOVELOVE my Whirlpool Cabrio. It's HE, meaning it doesn't have an agitator. BUT, it's top-loading, so it doesn't have the issues (water collecting, not being able to open mid-wash, etc.) that front-loaders do. It washes an amazing amount of clothes. And last week, I forgot to put detergent in the load (of 2yo's clothes) and they still came out clean. I've had mine for almost a year and am thrilled with it.

I bought a LG front load set with my tax return 3 yrs ago. I love them... yes they were a bit more then the top load, but I wanted to stack them on my bathroom. If I couldn't stack them, they would have to go back in the damp basement & I was having troubles getting up & down the steps carrying laundry w/ being pregnant. Plus, with the big belly it was getting to hard to reach the bottom of the old one.

When we got the new set, our water bill went down about $15 a month and the electric bill went down almost $30 a month. Which means we saved about $540 a year x 3 years = over $1600 in utility saving so far... so all in all they have paid for themself. So, you know we are a family of 5 (6 is on it's way)... and we usually have at least 7 - 8 loads of laundry a week. I do know that if I was to use cold water I would save even more, but I don't.

With you being a single income family - you should get a pretty good tax return this year with all the new credits & changes to tax laws... now is the best time to get it - if you can use your taxes that is.

Also, all washers & dryers are even more efficant then they were even 3 years ago when I got mine. But at the time I got mine it used the least amount of water then any of the other ones... LG is made in Europe where they have strickter use regulations then anywhere else in the world.

Good luck finding the right set for you... it took me about 3 weeks of looking before I bought my set. I hate spending that much money on anything - lol my washer and dryer cost more then my car.

I did find a GREAT deal on Craigslist for a front loader with a matching dryer. We are a family of 5 and we do laundry often. I feel our clothes are a lot cleaner and we use WAY less detergent. We bought our first bottle of detergent the end of August and just threw the bottle away last week.

We replaced our washer about 3 years ago and picked an LG front loader. I LOVE it!!! It wasn't even their top-of-the-line model, but it was energy star rated and we were able to combine a sale with a coupon, and get a couple rebates as well. Our water bill went down noticeably, and I think it does a better job of washing and caring for the clothes than my old top loader did. I am never going back to a top loader, if I can help it.

We got a new front-loader LG set w/steam 2 years ago! I LOVE it! We had a Frigidaire front-loader before which did a good job too. We too are a one income family and the price was steep, but we negotiated the price AND was able to buy on a no-interest plan (1.5yrs) on our Best Buy card! The monthly payments were affordable! I would recommend LG!

DON'T BUY A GE!!!!! I bought this GE top loader just a year and a half ago. It began making funny sounds. I called my repairman and he came out to look at it. The fix will be $400! Apparently GE knew about the lemon of a part and had a % year warranty. Instead of fixing the problem, they lowered the warranty to one year! I sent the a letter about how pathetic I think it is that they don't show any pride in their name or their product. I am not sure how it will all turn out, but I know they would have to give me a totally different product for me to ever purchase or recommend them for a purchase and I don't see that happening. My repairmen recommended a Kenmore or a Whirlpool. They are both made by the same company. I feel sorry for the salesmen when I really get down to purchasing another.

We purchased a Whirlpool Duet about 5 years ago. We've had to have service on it twice (one was a major rebuild). We've generally liked it, but the Sears technician who serviced it said to buy a top loading washer the next go around.

If you have access to Consumer Reports online, I'd recommend looking into it to see what the service histories are on various machines.

When we were looking, we were told that washers are only built to last ~8-10 years at the most. So, if you're going to go the used route, I'd try to get as new as possible.

As an FYI - we learned what Kenmore and Whirlpool are essentially the same brand, too, if that helps.

Good luck.

We bought LG washer and dryer. The washer is a front load. I realize that the energy star rated and top load cost more but we looked at it in the long term; use about a quarter of the water as a top load, and uses less electrisity. That means lower water and electric bills. I love our LGs and have had no problems with them in the two and half years we have had them.

Hi E.! My in-laws have a top loader set from Fisher and Paykel. It's the most amazing washer and dryer I have ever seen. Waaayyyyy better than a top loader.
Good luck in your decision!

Hello E.,
My father in law has been an appliance repair technician for 40 years. Call your local repair center (not a store that sells appliances...just a repair man...not sears, etc) and ask which brands/makes he likes best.

I didn't read all of the responses but I did see someone say to NOT buy a GE...Very good advice.