Front load washers

[Deebs]

So, now that we are finally almost out of residency, we are able to maybe spend more money on some items. The house we found in Columbus has everything but a washer/dryer.
As a background, we bought a washer/dryer when DH was in medical school. We literally found the cheapest model we could and bought it (really, we had no other options other than go to the laundromat). So, now that we have some money that will be coming in, I am not moving my old washer/dryer, but buying new.

My question:
Are front loaders worth their cost? I know a couple of people who have them that love them, but they are significantly more than most top loaders. Also, if you have any experience with them, do you have a good brand recommendation? I can get a great deal on the Kenmores (I have a family member who works for Sears), but I am open to suggestions.
Thanks.

We have one and I love it. Consider my perspective though -- this was after having an old washer that didn't work great in our previous house. I think it evenly redistributed the grime over clothes.

Our front loader ended up costing about the same as a top loader after the energy credit and rebates. It uses a lot less water and because it spins so much water out of the clothes, IMO it reduces drying time. The water and sewer fees here are expensive so I think it is worth it.

However...I wish the capacity were greater. We have a Frigidaire Gallery or something like that. Given more money to spend and more space, I would get a nicer one that holds more. I think I've heard good things about the LG? Consumer reports usually has fairly current reviews (their quick picks from Dec '06 are Bosch, Whirlpool Duet, LG). I would have cycle time as one of my criteria. Some are up to 95 minutes. That would seriously throw off the laundry flow around here.

[samssugarmomma]

We have this one - White Kenmore HE 3.1 cu. ft. Extra Large Capacity Front Load Washer and we absolutely love it! It is on the smaller end but it works great for our family of 3. It does a really good job of spinning the water out of the clothes. I think that the cycle time is about the same as our old top loader - about 30 - 35 minutes.


Here is the link: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product. ... Cookie=Yes

[fluffhead]

We have this one - White Kenmore HE 3.1 cu. ft. Extra Large Capacity Front Load Washer and we absolutely love it! It is on the smaller end but it works great for our family of 3. It does a really good job of spinning the water out of the clothes. I think that the cycle time is about the same as our old top loader - about 30 - 35 minutes.

Ditto. We have had the Kenmore extra large capacity for 4 years, no problems, and we love it. We got some kind of energy star rebate when we bought it, and rebates from sears too.
I could sit and watch this thing for hours - my nasty laundry room is my favorite place in the house.

[alison]

They're great for energy conservation and they get clothes so much cleaner! My parents have a Miele washer and dryer and I bring all my stuff to them - whites get whiter and stains come out. What a novel idea.

[mommax3]

We*just* got the Kenmore Elite Oasis Canyon Capacity. It is high efficiency, but a top loader.....no agitator, though. It holds a TON of clothes. The cycle length is a little longer, but since it holds more clothes, I don't really spend any more time doing laundry. We just got the matching dryer, too. I would recommend this one highly, although we have only had it a couple of weeks.

Sally

[Deebs]

Sally,
I'm glad you replied about the Oasis. I think that's what we're going to go with. After looking more at the dryers (which I always thought were really all the same), DH and I found out that Oasis makes the only dryer on the market with two motors - one to blow our the vent. Since our house is pretty new, the vent run is very long. We decided that it's worth going with the Oasis to ensure (we hope) that we won't have a fire in our vent run. Glad to see you're happy with the Oasis - hopefully we will be, too!

[Michele]

We have the LG front loaders. It holds our queen down comforter (it's washable down)...but it's supposed to hold a king and our friend's have the same one and she says it doesn't hold their king comforter.

That's great about the vent motor. In this house, the dryer vent was re-routed to the garage b/c it was too long and the risk of fire was so high. It sucks having the vent in the garage....I have to make sure to open the garage a little and to make sure there is water in the little bucket thing so I don't blow lint all over our garage.

[DCJenn]

I had the Neptune two houses ago and it pained me to leave it behind. I've been hoping that the washer goes soon but it seems that the A/C, Heater and the Water Heater will go first. and precisely when we have NO money left, the Washer and Dryer will go.

We had the stackable and I LOVED both the washer and the dryer.

Jenn

PS- it is totally habit forming to watch the stuff wash and dry.