Front loader clothes washer

[rickg]

Figured this is a good group when you want an opinion on anything So here goes. The wife and I are shopping for a new clothes washer, and have been looking at the front loaders. Most reviews say they are great, blah, blah, blah. But have found a few that say save your money and just buy a standard top loader.
Pro? Con? Anybody?
BTW, have narrowed it down to the Maytag and Whirlpool units, mid-range models for around $1k.

[engatwork]

Whichever one you get make sure you get the largest capacity washer you can afford.

[cbdo]

From what I read--Advantages for the front loader: easier on clothes so they last longer, uses significantly less water, quieter. Wouldn't it be nice never to have to make the mad dash to deal with the wham-wham-wham of an out-of-balance spinning toploader? The larger machines in the laundromats are all front-load; have you ever had to open one to redistribute clothes in the spin cycle?
Disadvantages--more expensive up front, smaller capacity, longer cycle.
I know a few people who've switched to the front loader, and none would switch back.
I'd do it myself if I were in the market, no question.
Best reason to stay with the top loader--You've got a lot of laundry every week and don't want to invest any more than you have to.
Besides, the front loader provides something for your dog or child to watch!

[JCE]

We have had one of the earier Maytag Neptunes for 3 years, and do 3-5 loads of wash every other day (2 year old boy in the house ). Our observations are as follows:

Front loader holds more, not less. No central agitator means a larger tub capacity, even though the tub looks smaller. We can do a sleeping bag or double bed comforter in the Neptune, couldn't in either of our old top loaders.

Clothes come cleaner. The first normal soil wash removed the yellowish tinge on a pair of old levis that had just been washed on heavy stain cycle in the top loader. Everything else we wash has come cleaner as well, and it is a lot easier to remove spots and stains.

Clothing lasts longer, much less wear on the clothing articles, and much less wet when coming out of the washer - less dry time needed. (very high speed spin cycle, and ours is no longer particularly fast compared to the newer front loaders).

Less soap used (but liquid recommended), a LOT less water used, and lower electric use noticed.

No more out of balance loads, normal washing is extremely quiet.


The only negatives are:

No glass door to see condition of wash load.

Often need to use extra rinse to get all the low allergen All soap out (but still save water over 1 rinse in top loader). This isn't a problem with some of the other soaps we tried, and we never tried the All in a top loader, so I can't compare.

Adding clothes during wash cycle means waiting a few seconds for electronic door latch to open, then to re-latch and start up again - very minor quibble.

All told, despite the high price, no way we would ever go back to a top loader, especially as there have been a lot of new features added to the Maytag (and new front load competitors) in the last 3 years, improving on already great performance.

Hope this helps.

[LK1]

You're in luck. Consumer Reports has a review of front and top loaders this month.

[Mark V]

Ditto everything JCE said. it was a great move for us, my wife is somewhat fanatical about laundry so she does a lot of it. Good news with the front load is it decides how much water to use, not her. It measures water use by wieght. Very little soap is required, even less if you have softened water. My wife still doesn't believe me on that one, so I have her use the extra rinse if shes going to insist on filling the cups to the lines.

I bought the Frigidaire at about 900 cdn, I really don't know if spending more is better. I think returns diminish quickly after the initial step from top to front load. The features the extra money get you are more convenience I think rather that cost saving. My only complaint with ours was the timer unit, replaced under warranty. To do again I would probably go to a model with an electronic timer rather than the traditional mechanical unit.

[KenSilver]

Is it men that do the washing these days? Soon we'll be doing the cooking too!

As it happens, my wife and I do our laundry separately... (something about me not knowing when to put in whites with coloreds that came up about 30 years ago. Yes, we were married back then too!).

When we needed to buy a new machine a couple of months back, I wanted a combo washer/dryer to match all the other automatic and timesaving gizmos in our place (light sensors in the garage, kitchen, hallway and front door; timer light switches; Roomba vac, Beam internal vac system; time and message-speaking computer through external speakers; etc)

It was a complete failure. Here's some of the numerous problems I found:

- Front loading meant squatting down to put in and take out washing. Bad for knees and back.

- Took up to 5 times as long to wash as a top loader. When it didn't, the clothes weren't washed as well.

- Clothes actually WORE out in 3 weeks! The collars on my polo shirts had fray marks. This I figured was a combination of the lack of water and friction against the drum. I cannot work out how the manufacturers claim that the tumble/falling action on clothes is going to be gentler than those sitting in a large body of water being agitated against the water more than each other.

- Half to a third the clothes volume of a top loader. This was a killer - trudging back and forth 2-3 times for the same wash we had previously. Our wardrobe is upstairs and we don't have a laundry chute.

- No access to clothes while in the wash cycle. You know - you've forgotten something at the last minute. Nope - you can't get in till after the cycle, which really means you're locked out until the end of the wash.

- Noise. Boy, was that sucker loud in every cycle! Our laundry backs on to our kitchen, and we could hear the labored groaning and whirring (not from overloading - just normal, and some of it was me ) from there right through to the upstairs bedrooms. And it isn't just this machine. I use front loaders often when I'm overseas, and they're all the same.

- Restricted washing detergent selection. Because front loaders claim to wash more thoroughly (equiv of Arnie banging your clothes on a rock in a river for 20 hours!) you have to use low foam powder or liquid. Choice on our supermarket shelves? A lousy one of each. And they gave the clothes a funny smell too.


I'll not go on about the drying cycle typical of this machine. The weird part-dry smell that stayed permanently in the clothes, the huge creasing problem, the small selection of materials that could be put together... the tale of horrors went on and on.

We finally arrived back at the shop 3 weeks later, shock-haired, wild-eyed and violently gesticulating (except my wife, who always looks composed), and after coughing up a loss of $250 - for it now was a secondhand machine, we replaced it with a top loader and separate dryer.

Magic! Finally we were back to civilisation. Our clothes looked and smelt better. And the weird thing was that we used most of the top level controls as the front loader, like high spin, extra rinse.

There was a big difference. It was much gentler!

Now, I won't go on about learning to drive it either... how two intelligent people, one a RTFM obsessed, the other goodlooking and a sharp dresser with exquisite features (not me if you were curious) could NOT figure out how to make it work properly after three weeks of twice daily washing and experimenting.

I won't mention the machine brand, but it was one of the dearest models in Europe. American machines may be quite different, but I suspect not.

If you're worried about saving $50 a year in washing powder and extra water, then this is all a front loader is good for in my opinion.

Oh, and I do all the cooking in our place too... the advantage of working from home while my wife chooses to work out in the real world. But I'd never wear an apron (Tool Time grunt).

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening triple black, xenons: http://www.kensilver.com/SL
~1999 SLK 230 Kompressor, silver/black leather, CD, immaculate (my wife's)
~1991 Daimler, shiny grey/grey leather, best in country!
~ex 350SL, 230E, 280E, MX5 and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice.

[mikemover]

Originally posted by KenSilver
Is it men that do the washing these days? Soon we'll be doing the cooking too!

As it happens, my wife and I do our laundry separately... (something about me not knowing when to put in whites with coloreds that came up about 30 years ago. Yes, we were married back then too!).

When we needed to buy a new machine a couple of months back, I wanted a combo washer/dryer to match all the other automatic and timesaving gizmos in our place (light sensors in the garage, kitchen, hallway and front door; timer light switches; Roomba vac, Beam internal vac system; time and message-speaking computer through external speakers; etc)

It was a complete failure. Here's some of the numerous problems I found:

- Front loading meant squatting down to put in and take out washing. Bad for knees and back.

- Took up to 5 times as long to wash as a top loader. When it didn't, the clothes weren't washed as well.

- Clothes actually WORE out in 3 weeks! The collars on my polo shirts had fray marks. This I figured was a combination of the lack of water and friction against the drum. I cannot work out how the manufacturers claim that the tumble/falling action on clothes is going to be gentler than those sitting in a large body of water being agitated against the water more than each other.

- Half to a third the clothes volume of a top loader. This was a killer - trudging back and forth 2-3 times for the same wash we had previously. Our wardrobe is upstairs and we don't have a laundry chute.

- No access to clothes while in the wash cycle. You know - you've forgotten something at the last minute. Nope - you can't get in till after the cycle, which really means you're locked out until the end of the wash.

- Noise. Boy, was that sucker loud in every cycle! Our laundry backs on to our kitchen, and we could hear the labored groaning and whirring (not from overloading - just normal, and some of it was me ) from there right through to the upstairs bedrooms. And it isn't just this machine. I use front loaders often when I'm overseas, and they're all the same.

- Restricted washing detergent selection. Because front loaders claim to wash more thoroughly (equiv of Arnie banging your clothes on a rock in a river for 20 hours!) you have to use low foam powder or liquid. Choice on our supermarket shelves? A lousy one of each. And they gave the clothes a funny smell too.


I'll not go on about the drying cycle typical of this machine. The weird part-dry smell that stayed permanently in the clothes, the huge creasing problem, the small selection of materials that could be put together... the tale of horrors went on and on.

We finally arrived back at the shop 3 weeks later, shock-haired, wild-eyed and violently gesticulating (except my wife, who always looks composed), and after coughing up a loss of $250 - for it now was a secondhand machine, we replaced it with a top loader and separate dryer.

Magic! Finally we were back to civilisation. Our clothes looked and smelt better. And the weird thing was that we used most of the top level controls as the front loader, like high spin, extra rinse.

There was a big difference. It was much gentler!

I don't think he is talking about one of the all-in-one combo machines. I think he's talking about a stand-alone front-load washer. I don't think I'd trust one of those combo units either.

Mike

[Kuan]

Originally posted by KenSilver
As it happens, my wife and I do our laundry separately... (something about me not knowing when to put in whites with coloreds that came up about 30 years ago.

Ah, the definition of separation anxiety!

[Glen]

Two years ago we bought the then new Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer. Sears sells the same machines under the Kenmore brand with slightly different controls.

These machines are amazing! You can stuff a king size comforter in the washer without worry. Or as little as a few socks and underwear if you want. The water level is automatically set by the machine so you don't have to worry about wasting water. The washer is extremely quiet during wash cylces and quieter than most top-loaders in the spin cycle. And with it's high-speed spin, the clothes come out of the washer almost dry!

As stated, you don't need as much detergent, however, if you do happen to put in too much, the machine will sense this and run an extra rinse cycle automatically.

Wash cylces do take longer than a typical top-loader, however, it's roughly 2 times longer, not 5 times.

To combat having to bend down to put in and take out clothes, we purchased the optional pedestals with ours. The pedestals raise the machines about a foot off the floor and also give you more storage space with pull-out drawers.

In "Normal" mode, it's so simple to use, my daughter has been doing her own laundry since we bought them. (She's 14 now)

For extra-whitening or sanitizing, the built-in water heater will heat the wash water to 160 degrees.

Unlike the Neptune line, the doors to both the washer and dryer are see through so you can watch the machines in action! Trust me, when you first get it, you'll stand there in front of the machine mesmerized by it's efficiency! LOL

Because the machines were so new when we bought them, we got an extended warranty, however, in just over two years of almost daily use, they have not given us any problems at all.

These machines are awesome...well worth the extra cost in my opinion. Lowes now sells them for significantly less then we paid...check them out!

[Gilly]

Not speaking from personal experience, but my older brother got a pair of Neptunes (washer and drier) and he HATED that SOB washer. Said that when he called and complained to the dealer, he said yeah, that the warehouse was full of returned defective units and it would be awhile before they could pick his up, NO space for it!! I think he still has the drier, but got a top loading washing machine.
I found this out, luckily, just before we were looking to replace an absolute CRAP GE top loader that at the time was only around 5 yrs old. My wife was kind of interested in the Neptune until we got wind of this stuff from my brother, although I think his was also an early model, and may be better now. I can't even remember what was wrong with his, sounds like it was a real work of art though....water leaks come to mind, and other stuff.
We decided on a nice big top loading Amana with a stainless steel drum.

DON'T buy GE though, I will NEVER own another GE appliance.

We're in the middle of a kitchen remodel, and are getting an Amana fridge and range, and Amana "Radarange" microwave above the range, and a Kitchenaid dishwasher.

Gilly

[KenSilver]

Originally posted by mikemover
I don't think he is talking about one of the all-in-one combo machines. I think he's talking about a stand-alone front-load washer...

Mike,
I know. But they all work the same at the wash end. I've also used several front loaders in UK, and now know why the British Empire hasn't succeeded in overthrowing the rest of the world

[KenSilver]

Guys talking about washers... never thought I'd see the day!

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening triple black, xenons: http://www.kensilver.com/SL
~1999 SLK 230 Kompressor, silver/black leather, CD, immaculate (my wife's)
~1991 Daimler, shiny grey/grey leather, best in country!
~ex 350SL, 230E, 280E, MX5 and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice.

[blackmercedes]

Frigidaire Gallery.

Go front loader, you'll never go back. Prices are coming down and features and quality have gone up. If you want to free up some room, look for a stacking set. You can have a full size washer and dryer, but they have the option of stacking. Perfect for opening up some real estate.

Some people swear by Bosch, but I've heard mixed things...

[Gilly]

I know what you mean Ken, they never did much for me either. But they DO have motors and some neat looking controls. Not sure about this whole "water" thing though. But they are mechanical devices, so eventually when there is a problem, or the talk turns to buying something NEW, you start taking note eventually.
That GE we had was out of balance EVERY time she used it, I could hear it jumping around in the basement. Eventually the gearbox BROKE and had to be replaced (just out of warranty, naturally) and was well on it's way to breaking a second gearbox when we decided to "pull the plug" on it. If we would have decided to buy a good machine in the first place (and I'll admit right now, the GE was the cheapest we could afford in the size range we wanted) then I may not know the first thing about washers and driers or would even have read this thread.
We sure like the Amanas we have, no problems whatsoever, and they're just good basic washers and driers, just the stainless steel drums are the only fancy things about them, plus being quite large capacity.

Gilly