Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We looked at washer / dryers last week and had been looking at front loaders due to the ability to handle more and the water usage. Our only concern was the vibration on the washer spin cycle as the hookups are on the top floor. We were able to see a few "in action" at Best Buy and the Samsung one, with their "vibration reduction" technology was really impressive - it barely vibrated at all after about 20 seconds or so to correct itself. If anyone has the Samsung front loaders, we'd love to hear your opinions.
We looked at both front and top load. We wanted to conserve water with the front load but didn't want to have to stoop over (bad backs) and buy the required special detergent. What we ended up with is a New Zealand manufactured top load called Fisher and Paykel. It uses much less water than the normal top loader, has all of the options that I require and washes very well. I think we paid in the neighborhood of $600-700 for it. It got a good rating from Consumer Reports at the time. The one thing I don't like about it is that it has a slanted top which makes it difficult to rest your detergent, softener, etc on it.The new models may have changed. I'd give them a look before I bought.
Ha, that's what I ended up buying as the best compromise after much research as well! The best part about this brand is that the machines are engineered in totally different way and if I'm not mistaken, I was told they're missing about 70% of the parts likely to break!
I remember walking past them in the store thinking they were kinda pricey for being so plain-looking. After asking hundreds of questions about other brands, it finally hit me to ask the guy what he has at home! Duh! I did read afterwards that Fisher and Paykel pay higher commission, but he didn't push it on me... I asked. So far (only about 5 months), I've been very happy with them. They're very quiet and the washer doesn't walk around the laundry room when spinning. They're huge, too. I also like the lint container in the dryer - so easy to clean.
Got the LG - love it. As for bending over.... don't you need to do that for both types? I don't have a back issue, so maybe I can't relate... but I'd think the top loads would be harder (especially if you're short) as you may not even be able to reach to the bottom.
And the HE detergents are usually right next to the "regular" ones.... its not like you have to go to a specialty store to buy them.
We have the small Sears front-load washer and dryer, my wife is from Ukraine and in Europe you mostly see these small-footprint front-load washers. Have had no trouble with them, they are more gentle with your clothes, the washer's high spin speed means they dry quickly, while it's a smaller-looking washer, it has plenty of capacity.
You normally leave the door open or ajar on these if you are not actually using them, and it helps to leave the wash-powder drawer open as well.
Don't forget your local used-appliance store and/or want ads. You can definitely avoid paying full price by buying used.
Unfortunately the "small" Sears Kenmore is discontinued by Sears, but a very similar Frigidaire is still available last time I looked.
Don't think these "Euro-size" washers are not big enough for you, unless you are washing clothes for a football team, they are plenty big enough.
I just bought a new kind of top loader. It's by GE Profile & there is no agitator, so there is more room & requires a hi-efficiency detergent (less detergent). There is a see through glass top. It's really large as it fits a king size comforter. Bought it at Sears on sale for somewhere around $700 give or take, i don't recall. Nobody has it in the store yet b/c it is brand new. I had researched it on Consumer Reports. Previously I had a GE profile & loved it, never went off kilter or made much noise. Only buying a new one b/c I'm moving to Charlotte in 2 weeks (haven't tried it yet)!
We bought a GE front loader. I like the preformance. But it grew mold, that you can NOT get ride of. After three techs coming out, they tell me that I must leave the door open to prevent this. Door open! I have small kids, what if one climbs in? They actually said it was in the manual, I never found it. They also refussed to replace it or fix the mold issue.
We bought a GE front loader. I like the preformance. But it grew mold, that you can NOT get ride of. After three techs coming out, they tell me that I must leave the door open to prevent this. Door open! I have small kids, what if one climbs in? They actually said it was in the manual, I never found it. They also refussed to replace it or fix the mold issue.
This whole mold in front loader washer issues is perplexing to me. We purchased our first front loader about 5 years ago. When I took the first load of cloths out there was some moisture in the rubber gasket around the opening....so obviously I thought, geez, maybe I should leave the door open for a few hours so it can dry. Well whattta ya know...it worked ! No mold in my machine.
I've seen literally hundreds of complaints from owners of front loaders about the mold/mildew smell and it just seem to me that it's a no brainer how to fix it. We generally used to leave the lid up on our top loader as well for a few hours to make sure it was dry inside. However, top loaders have lids that do not seal air tight so it's not as important.
As far as the kids climbing in.....well first of all it probably isn't going to hurt them or your machine. If one of the kids is tall enough to power up the machine....he/she should be old enough to know better. Kids crawling in the washer would be one of my least worries in life....right before making them wear bike helmets on the list of things I worry about most.
i don't have mildew inside of my front loader, but there is definitley mildew in the rubber ring and it stinks like hell.
After researching online it appears that i need to replace the rubber ring.
this CAN be done---by my father, and it is a drawback that is greatly outweighed by the benefits, for one the fact that it only uses 13 gallons of water compared to 30-something.
Have a Friend who works on appliances and has for 40 years. He says that he gets more complaints from the front loaders making clothes smell especially towels and musty smell after waqrds. He also says that people with the no agitator machine complain of twisted cloths.He also advises for cost reasons to buy a appliances with as Little electronic controls as possible because they are a costly part.
I got the front load Frigidaire GLTF2940F (apparently a Consumer Reports pick) from Sears. So far no problems after 6 months. Cleans well enough for me, though I don't stain clothes that much. I also got 20% off with free delivery and install, and a $185 rebate from the water company.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
After asking hundreds of questions about other brands, it finally hit me to ask the guy what he has at home! Duh!
