Discussions

Hi everyone,  
 
Im in the market for a new front loader washer and dryer. Honestly going out and looking at different ones Im a bit lost. Ive never bought one before...  
 
Was wondering what brands people are happy with and also which local stores have provided the best service if something was to go wrong and also for delivery and setup. Any advice is appreciated.

My front load washer, and was thrilled when it died recently so I could get a new one.  
 
It was a Maytag, commercial quality one (supposedly). Each cycle took about 15 minutes longer than estimated. The clothes always came out smelling musty - except when I did a bleach cycle. The arms and legs always came out so tangled I could not separate them to get them into the dryer.  
 
I am happy with my new top loader - my clothes are clean again and not damaged due to tangling.  
 
I can't speak to service where I got any of my appliances right now. I am in the middle of waiting and excessively long time to have my dishwasher repaired that is only a year old - not because the place I bought it does not care but the company they keep sending out to fix it is scattered and apathetic. I am holding out hope the store makes this right, either by getting a different repair place or replacing the faulty dishwasher. And soon - I am sick of hand washing dishes.  
 
BTW the same company that is not trying very hard to get my dishwasher fixed is the same company that I could not get to give a damn about my awful washing machine all those years.  
 
So ask wherever you buy it who does their warranty work then ask around about THAT company. Nothing is built to last any longer, so expect you may need service during the time you have your appliance.

Use 'search' in discussion section "front load washer and dryer".  
My feelings are still the same as I commented there - great cleaning ability. I've since switched to all liquid product & use a Tbsp of stain remover & of detergent.

Yes, do a search for this topic and you'll find lots of good information. I have a three year old Samsung front load pair that we bought from Future Shop and I love them. There's no reason for clothes to be musty smelling if you just leave the washer door open when not in use for air flow. It's a simple thing yet so many people don't know that this is the most important thing to do when you have a front load washer.

buy a top load washer. Front load do a crap job. I spent $3500 on my set. biggest mistake ever on a front load washer

I found Janelle at Leon's the most helpful for explaining how front load and top load (there is no such thing as an agitator anymore) work and the difference between the machines. You can then base your decision on consumer reviews, price between stores etc.

Getty said "buy a top load washer. Front load do a crap job. I spent $3500 on my set. biggest mistake ever on a front load washer "

That's too bad, as my experience is the exact opposite. Couldn't be happier that I got rid of my top load washer. I'm now saving about $25 per water bill and now that the clothes are coming out of the washer drier than before I'm also saving on the hydro bill and my clothes are just as clean as ever. And a big bonus is that I only paid $1,800 for my set.

L4593 said "    Getty said "buy a top load washer. Front load do a crap job. I spent $3500 on my set. biggest mistake ever on a front load washer " That's too bad, as my experience is the exact opposite. Couldn't be happier that I got rid of my top load washer. I'm now saving about $25 per water bill and now that the clothes are coming out of the washer drier than before I'm also saving on the hydro bill and my clothes are just as clean as ever. And a big bonus is that I only paid $1,800 for my set. "

Was that the front load was just not using enough water (some things in the middle of the bunch came out dry). SO I never saw the savings.  
 
It never worked on the Eco settings, only on the hottest water and longest settings (unless I did small bleach loads) - so I was obviously saving nothing by using a so called energy efficient washer. Especially when I would have to re wash the same load twice or use hot water. No wonder my hot water tank also bugged out sooner that it should have.  
 
I am looking forward to seeing my next couple of months' utility bills. Looks like they will all be down for me.  
 
And BTW - I always left the washer open so it would not get stinky. The machine itself was not smelly - it was the fact it was not washing the clothes adequately.

Would never buy a front loading machine - too many issues from people - my daughter had one that got stinky and slimy around the seals. Door was always left ajar.

Front loads....always had them but I would not recommend buying any LG appliances. I have had nothing but problems with mostly 2 of them....one being the washing machine....it took me a 1 year to get them to replace the one I had with a new one because the first one just kept dancing and bouncing around. First they blamed it on my floor because I had a new house and the contractor who built my house. Needless to say I won and received a brand new more expensive washing machine and to this day it hasn't bounced around....knock on wood. I'm still having issues with the stove/range and we won't go into that as the subject was with the washing machine. My daughter has top load Samsung Washer and Dryer and she has not had any problems with her's other than having to step on a stool to get the clothes out as the washing machine is very deep and I'm only 5 ft. tall. I would also recommend buying the extra 5 year warranty which I did...it has come in very handy as I have had problems with lg from the time I bought them which was 5 yrs. ago....good luck in choosing your washer / dryer....

Had a front load and could not get rid of it quick enough. Top load for us is by far the better washing machine.

We bought a large capacity High Efficiency top load set and we have been very pleased with it. They offer the best of both worlds - low water usage and the clothes come out of the washer clean and very well spun out. The top load washer eliminates the problems with mustiness and unbalanced loads. I had heard of too many unhappy front load owners and figured this would be best compromise, we have not been disappointed with our choice.

L4593 said "    Getty said "buy a top load washer. Front load do a crap job. I spent $3500 on my set. biggest mistake ever on a front load washer " That's too bad, as my experience is the exact opposite. Couldn't be happier that I got rid of my top load washer. I'm now saving about $25 per water bill and now that the clothes are coming out of the washer drier than before I'm also saving on the hydro bill and my clothes are just as clean as ever. And a big bonus is that I only paid $1,800 for my set. "

The new top load work in the same manner. New top load vs the old ones is night and day.  
 
Have fun having with smelly clothes once the seal goes bad on those suckers.

We have had a front load maytag maxima pair for about a year and couldn't be happier. Excellent job cleaning and definitely less water used. Big thing is to keep the door open to let the inside dry.  
 

Right now I have an LG front load set the washer is more work than use really. Prior to this we had frigidaire set for 7 years which went with our house when we moved and were " blessed" with this LG set which is a let down, clothes are not clean, we have tried pods, liquids and powder all he type and still have residue issues. In fact pods didn't always dissolve fully and the " plastic" was stuck to the clothes . The door seals stink and yes I clean them after use we leave the door open between uses. Our clothes all smell expect the bleach loads the only way to clean the seal is with peroxide to remove mildew fully. I spend 30 minutes a week cleaning the washer never had to do that with frigidaire set. When this lemon dies it's back to a top load for us.

This seems to have turned into a front load vs top load debate.  
 
My experience: Hotpoint appliances did not cut it. The washing machine and both dishwashers required repairs before they were off warranty and it only got worse from there. I avoid Hotpoint (and sister brands) like the plague. Maybe they’ve gotten better; I have no urge to find out.  
 
Our Frigidaire fridge and stove have been excellent for well over a decade. Our front load washer/dryer set is 11+ years old as well. They’re a Kenmore Elite T3 set...which is a Whirlpool duet with Sears’ modifications. They’ve been outstanding. We wash a tremendous amount of laundry and whether it’s a large load or a small load, they always perform well. The only issue we’ve ever had with it was our fault; my son washed his backpack, a loose pen got missed, it got through one of the holes (what are the odds) and jammed the pump. I never knew about the smell issues until I read about them on ebrandon. I never shut the washer door because I thought it might be hard on the seal.  
 
We’ve also purchased a Kenmore elite dishwasher (also made by Whirlpool) that must be 7+ years and it hasn’t missed a beat. The office has a Whirlpool fridge that must be 7+ years and a Whirlpool stove we purchased in 2013 and we couldn’t be happier. Based on the above we’ll probably look at Whirlpool/Frigidaire (or Kenmore if Whirlpool/Frigidaire made it) for our next purchase.  
 
We have a top load washer that was almost new at our office and I hate it with a passion. I think the quality of any machine is probably more dependent on the company that made it than whether it’s top load/front load. The rim and underneath the rubber on the top loading machine was just completely nasty. Our front load has never gotten like that and I don’t look at it very often.  
 
As far as delivery/setup, we picked up the washer/dryer/dishwasher from Brandon Sears and installed ourselves. Everything else was from the Brick except for the stove from Leons; both delivered, I set everything up. Repairmen: I have no comment because we haven’t had to have any work done other than the pen incident and it was under Sears’s warranty. I don’t want to have to see a repairman…we live over an hour away from Brandon.

I haven't had any problems with my front loads. Either you guys purchased them a long time ago or you got economy appliances. Either way, washers today are much better and you get what you pay for.

Ours was within the last 10 years and we did not cheap out on the washer, we paid less for our top load than the front load and it is twice the washer.