Washer Front Loader vs Top Loader Your Thoughts...

I do not have a front loader & wont for this reason: I am notorious for tossing one more piece of clothes in at the last second and you can't do that with a front loader. :)

I love the way the front loader looks, BUT, I know I always forget a sock or something, and with the top load, I can throw it right in!!

Personally, I will never own a front loader again. the first one we had (Kenmore HE2) was a piece of garbage. We ended up being able to return it under the Lemon law for appliances. We ended up exchanging it for a Samsung. It is a great machine, and well made. I just dont think they are safe when you have young kids. You have to leave the door open so it doesnt smell. Size wise it is nice, but they make top loaders that are larger these days too. The one advantage was we could stack them to save space.

Have not had a good experience with front loader....Would take the traditional one any day.

I bought a front loader washer / dryer set in 2006. I love the dryer part of the set. I HATE THE WASHER. let me say it again you might have missed it I HATE THE WASHER!!!! sigh...... we spent $1500 on the set. got the drawers that they set up on. love that option as the laundry stuff all stayes out of the way. but as previous poster said you can't stop it and throw anything in. you can't fill it with water to soak anything. once your laundry is in its in and goes till it stops. the rubber gasket around the door will mold if you don't remember to comepletely dry it after your done with the laundry. the place where the soap goes in will also mold if not taken apart and cleaned out regularly. just a major pain in my butt. we have had to have it repaired twice (well once really but the guy is coming again tomorrow so that makes twice) it is all electronic / computerized. if your load gets unbalanced (jeans / blankets etc) it will get an error message. this for those who have an xbox is otherwise known as the red ring of death lol. requires the guy to come out and reset it. it also supposedly only uses 3 gallons of water which is energy efficient but i always feel like maybe its not enough to get the clothing clean. when we replace it we will be going back to regular washer.

I bought atop of the line LG front loader set complete with pedestals when we built our new house.

Hated every second of them.I found it backbreaking to be bending over constantly going from washer to dryer.

This house I bought standard old top load washer, SO much better!

(5 people and two dogs=too much laundry!)

:)

We replaced our top loader with another top loader. Front loaders aren't safe with children and we couldn't assume the death risk right now ... our kids are the curious types who would climb in. Read enough horrible stories about kids dying in front loaders. That was reason #1 for sticking with a top loader.

I also started reading reviews online of various washers and front loaders had such mixed or bad reviews. Plus, I couldn't find information confirming any new safety features to protect kids.

Ended up going with a top loader that was moderately priced and had excellent reviews. No regrets at all.

I know we'll be needing a new washer and dryer sometime soon since our set is 12 years old - my mom had the exact same set and her dryer died a about 2 years ago. She has a front loader now and loves it. I have some concerns about mold and mildew with front loaders since you hear so many complaints about that though. I've been checking into some of the top loaders without the agitator.

I just read an article, a few minutes ago, comparing the two types. Here's the link: http://www.wickedlocal.com/wilmington/mysource/home_and_g...

I recently did alot of research on washers and dryers as we had to replace our set - we looked at tons of them, and finally decided on a HE top loader made by Maytag. Haven't had it long enough to say whether it is truly more energy efficient, but it has a large capacity and we are pleased with it so far. I like the "look" of the front loaders, but having to buy the base to raise it up added considerably to the cost - of course, you can buy it without the base, but they are SO low to the ground if you don't. Just something to think about!

I like our front loader but I don't know if it really is any better, (bigger maybe). The one thing I don't like and never had a problem with a top loader is smell. Our FL always smells like mildew and I can't figure out where it's coming from.

If you do get FL's buy the pedestals to sit them on-nice storage and saves the back!

My mother got a really nice front loader for about $400 at Sears (online) on black Friday. She loves it, and it saves her a ton of water. I think that's what we'll get when the time comes. Hers is digital and has lots of customizable settings.

Ok to all of those who don't like the front loader because of the risk to kids and you can't throw anything in, I have heard of a high effeciency top loader. I can't remember the brand but It was a big name. I saw the add for it a couple months ago. So I would search for it if you want a top loader but an H/E.

They are more efficient and gentler on your clothes, lots of cycles for appropriate washing i.e. jeans, gentles, hand wash, heavy load etc. Dryer has sensors so it drys only until, well, dry lol not wasting energy on a timed dry. I love mine and use waaaaaaay less soap as it uses on high effiency detergent.

I know the feeling. Went home last week and my mom was helping out with some laundry. Some important part fell out into her hand! No washer and dryer is on its last leg. My husband said we have to get the front loader. I wasn't to keen on the idea, way more expensive. He said that it has allergy cycle that helps with allergens and dander. With 3 dogs I finally gave in. Sorry they haven't come in yet so no advise on how I like them but that is why we chose the front loader.

EDITED: Posted this before seeing that you had already purchased!!! Good luck with your new set :o)

Funny, I just read an article in Money Magazine on this VERY topic! Specifically the article was referring to front load energy efficient washers vs regular less expensive washers. In the article they said it is supposed to take 5 years for it to pay for itself. However, many people complained that they had to wash their clothes twice in order to get them clean enough. By their calculations these people were using just as much if not more water than they would if they used a regular washer. Then they said something about the cost of HE detergent. While close in price the HE tends to be just a few dollars more than plain detergent and if you are one of the people who needs to wash twice then you are using twice as much detergent too. When factoring in THESE calculations the "pay for itself" factor jumped to 10 years.

I am keeping my eyes peeled because my washer and dryer are almost 30 years old and will likely need to be replaced soon. I was looking at the Cabrio (forget who makes it). I like them because they do not have that adjitator (white twisty thing) in the middle and have TONS of space inside. I find that the adjitator twists up cothes and sheets. Also, when it is not there you have a lot more space to wash a queen size comforter.

I do not want a front load because they tend to have a small drum and I like to do LARGE loads at a time.

Just my tought. Not sure if it's worth much :o)

I just got a front loader and i love it. It spins the clothes so much they are almost dry when they come out. They don't have the agitator in the middle so your clothes don't get stretched out. The only thing that sucks is how far you have to bend down to get to your clothes so those pedistools are probably nice I don't have one but I figure how long are you actually bending to get your clothes?! But when I am bending I think I should just quit being cheap and buy one..I think they have top loaders without the agitator though but I am not sure if they are the same as a front loader! Good luck and happy shopping and atleast you don't have a car payment and a washer/dryer payment at the same time! I am able to stop mine I saw this was a problem for some other posters and I can also just soak things.

I think it is a matter of preference although I believe high-efficiency may only come in the frontload style.

If you decided to go w/ the frontload style, I highly recommend getting the drawer or at lease a riser to go under and lift it higher. We have a front load and one thing I don't like is stooping to load/unload the washer. With little ones, you need to be sure they can't or don't mess w/ the buttons and knobs so the higher they are the better. The other thing I don't like is that once you start it, you can't add that one piece that you forgot to put in the load.

I loved my front loader at first. Until it broke and cost $800 to fix it, less than 2 years later. All that computer stuff is just more stuff to go wrong. It's broken again right now but if I push the clothes far back and really give the door a good slam, it will come on the second time. So I'll do that as long as I can before I face the next $800 repair bill.

OK I have had both top loaders and front loaders. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!! My husband bought me Kenmore Elite front loaders about 8 months ago. I love them. We spend about $1800 on the set. My mom had an older front loader Maytag and hated it so she got a top loading set to save on cost she paid about $1100 for her set and she has spent almost $1000 in repairs. So you can spend more up front and not have to pay for it in the long run. I wash atleast one to two loads of laundry a day my daughter wears cloth daipers. My washer has a sanitize cycle which I love for her daipers and stuffed animals.

I dont mind bending over to get cloths out of the washer and dryer it is really no big deal plus my daughter loves to help get the cloths out too. As far as a child getting trapped inside....... I dont know how that could happen without the child climbing in and someone shutting the door then turning the washer on. I know where my daughter is at ALL TIMES so I have never even thought about that happening. And the mildew smell like all other appliances you have to take some responsibility and clean your washer everynow and then. I take a hand towel and whipe out the drum then i dry the seal completely about once or twice a week. I hope this helps! GOD BLESS!!!!!

I HATE the front loader that came with our house when we bought it. It makes our clothes, especially jeans and towels, stink like you would not believe. Apparently, front loaders can get a mold problem that can cause stinky clothes. My husband took ours apart after we did the research online and however we didn't find any mold in ours (I guess that was a good thing!). So to combat the stinky clothes we have since learned to NEVER shut the door between washes (which is a huge pain because our laundry area is in a hallway closet with folding doors, so we have to leave the closet open all the time, which is just annoying!) We also have to wipe out the seal every wash, which collects nasty gunk, otherwise that will get all funky. And then we have to use Refresh every so often and run the washer with nothing in it to clean it out. I will NEVER buy a front loader and I can't wait for this one to die so I can buy a top loader. Ugh!

I was also thinking about getting a front loader and a stackable set. I talked it over with a friend and he said he did a lot of research and front loaders are mostly junk. The don't last as long, get that awful smell, and need a lot of repair. In the long run you are better off getting a big top loader and do laundry less. I currently have an old Maytag that is big enough to hold a king size comforter. My friend, single man -no kids, said yep that's what I have. If you look at how much water, soap and electricity a smaller washer uses over the life of the machine it actually costs more to run a smaller machine. One good thing I only have to do 2-3 loads of laundry every 2-
3 weeks.

i have a front loader and love it. as long as you take care of it they work awesome. you do like anyother washer need to leave the washer door open for 24 hrs after done with wash other wise it will get a smell but one load with just bleach gets rid of it or you can get the tabs that clean it too not a biggy. I have a family of 7 with 8 on the way.