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About 10 years ago, my wife & I bought a top-end front load LG washer & dryer pair. Both were Energy Star, so we got a sizable rebate on each one. The washer's spin-cycle is 2,000 rpm, so the clothes come out damp, not wet. Less dryer time. I paid $1,400 for the pair, and have had absolutely no problems or issues whatsoever. I'm glad we bought them.
If you need to buy a new washer and/or dryer, the front-loaders are probably a good option. They don't cost a lot more than conventionals, and seem to be more efficient.
About 10 years ago, my wife & I bought a top-end front load LG washer & dryer pair. Both were Energy Star, so we got a sizable rebate on each one. The washer's spin-cycle is 2,000 rpm, so the clothes come out damp, not wet. Less dryer time. I paid $1,400 for the pair, and have had absolutely no problems or issues whatsoever. I'm glad we bought them.
If you need to buy a new washer and/or dryer, the front-loaders are probably a good option. They don't cost a lot more than conventionals, and seem to be more efficient.
1. Hold more laundry and you can stuff them nealy full without compromising cleaning ability.
2. Do not beat up your clothing as much. Conceptually, your clothing should last longer.
3. Use less detergent, but you need a more expensive "low sudsing" detergent.
4. Use less water, but the difference is not enough to make anyone but the most extreme greenie care.
5. Stackable. You cna put the dryer on top of them with many brands. This allows more room for a folding table, storage or whatever, or if you have a huge family you can stack two sets side by side (that was our plan but we ran out of money and actually we never really needed a double set even with 7-9 people living in our house).
6. Spin faster as noted so drying time and washing time are the same and you do nto end up with wet clothes sitting in the dryer growing mildew. However part of the reason the time is equalled out is washing takes longer ad partly becasue drying takes less time.
7. Entertains your cat.
8. No out of balance problems during the spin cycle. Washer never tries to commit suicide during spin.
Negatives:
1. Cost. Considerably more expensive. (Sears scratch and Dent warehouse is your friend)
2. Maintenance. Requrie more repairs IME.
3. Some people get a bad smell in them if they do not leave the door open between loads.
4. On ours, the pump screen tends to plug up a lot and requries me to open it up and clean it monthly. However we generally run 3 plus loads a day, so maybe that is not that outrageous.
5. Once the cycle starts you cannot open it up and drop in something you forgot to put in.
Overall I like them a lot better. I wish they were available with manual instead of digital controls. The control panels tend to die or just malfunction occaisionally and you cannot repair them, just replace.
I like the simple top loaders and with less clothing to wash when the kids are gone I can't see myself investing in a front loader. What I can see is not having a chioce when the time comes for me to buy a new set though, hopefully many years from now. I rarely see top loaders anymore in the stores.
There are front loaders that are designed as top loaders. Open the top and there is no agitator. Only a small one on the bottom. I have had one for a few years and they are awesome. The drum size is huge and you can fit lots of clothes in at a time. I like them better because you don't have to spend an extra $275/each for the bottom part to raise it up. I also bought the extra warranty. These machines are not made like they were 40 years ago. There are a lot of plastic parts that could break and a service call is expensive after a year. Good Luck!
I got a frontload washer 10 years ago for the following reasons: 1) to not have the washer walk across the floor if it became unbalanced, which mine did frequently, and 2) to be able to wash really big items like blankets and comforters. The only thing I do not like is the 'molding' near the door gasket, which occurs because the inside never has a chance to dry out. The seals are too good. Leaving the door open when it is not being used would solve this, but who wants to do that?
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