front
I bought front loaders the last go around.........best buy ever.
Front load has the fastest spin. Your dryer will work less.
Front loader.
Also, if a front loader is placed on an ‘unstable floor’ (read NOT a concrete slab) then you may have quite a shimmy in nearby rooms.
We have a Whirlpool Cabrio set which is top loading, but is energy efficient and uses the HD detergent.
Works great.
BTW - you really need to use HD detergent.
My $.02.
Good luck!
Top loaders use a lot more water. Front loaders are great for houses on septic systems. Front loaders , though have a tendancy to tear holes in clothes. Also I hear that direct drive is better than belt drive. We have gone through 2 belt drive front loaders with shot bearings.
My BIL has a top of the line front load, high efficiency washer that I've put blue jeans through 2 or 3 times and still wasn't happy with the results.
New model top loaders can also be HE and spin just as fast as FL, so your clothes need less drying time.
Our top loader bit the dust after many years, and we bought a Sears front loader a couple of years ago. It works great, cleans better, saves a lot of energy.
My friends who sell them (several brands) have Maytag top loader washer and front loader dryer...which might be the only kind.
Stay away from the Whirlpool Cabrio. We paid $999 for it and spent $650 on repairs. After three miserable years, we dumped it and got a SpeedQueen top loader. Check out SpeedQueens: they’re simple to use, no “motherboard” and made by a company which makes rugged, commercial washers.
Also note that with the Cabrio, you cannot control the water level (check out the many blogs mentioning this shortcoming). If I want to wash a single pair of socks on the highest water level, I’d like to have that choice.
We purchased Bosch front loader washer and dryer six years ago and they’ve been great. Our washer model does have the shimmy/shake issue during the spin cycles, but the newer ones have reduced that problem. The aggressive spin cycle really helps on the drying time though.
The washer I own has problems with mold build-up around the door gasket but I think this issue has been addressed too.
I would recommend getting the largest front loader you can afford. They might cost more up-front but they will pay for themselves in the long run. I would stick with a more popular brand and get the service contract.
My part-time job in the winter months when my business is dormant is selling appliances. Avoid the new HE top-loaders. They are mostly unproven new technology. Older style top loaders are old tech that is pretty well time tested. Whirlpool are my favs there. Avoid GE and frigidaire. But they use a lot of water.
Front loaders I like are the higher end Whirlpool/maytag. Avoid low end whirlpool/maytag. Also like electolux and Bosch and samsung. Avoid GE, frigidaire and LG. I don’t like them at all. If you get front....always use HE, if you use regular detergent it will screw them up.
That is my observation from selling them and seeing what comes bakc as junk
Top loaders get the clothes cleaner; front loaders are a passing fad.
My Wife wanted a Front Load, I wish I hadn’t.
The thing needs service constantly. The gaskets on it get ripped up all the time.
Bought a Maytag Bravo top-load a few years ago. Just like a high-speed front load only from the top :)
Does great. However, the drain pump likes to break. Twice now in the span of three years. Each repair is $250.00. Next time one of two things is going to happen:
1. By the pump (around $70) and try to fix it myself.
2. By a new plain-jane washer that costs $250. And so on, and so on. If each repair sets me back the cost of a new washer, I’ll buy a new washer.
They've gotten a lot cheaper too.
Front loader, Samsung from Sears, get the pedestals too.
Make sure it’s leveled by the installer and it won’t shimmy during spin cycle. Also, when completed, leave the front door open and wipe out the excess water off the door seal to prevent the musty odor that will show up if you don’t....
We bought a front load GE. Worst machine ever. Does not clean grime or grease or stains, shakes and rattles itself right out in to the hallway or bangs against the back wall. Light loads are fine, but big load of jeans or towels or blankets, and it just can’t seem to balance out the load. Smells if you don’t keep it open to dry out, squirts water out so fast it spews back up out of the drain. New jeans won’t soften up in the front load, they just wrinkle stiff. Drain catch has to be checked every load or will leak all over the place. Towels smell bad and are stiff. We gave up after a year and and a half and put in a plane jane Maytag topload.
His recommendation - Top loading only. The front loaders put too much weight on the bearing that spins them and you will be repairing it sooner than a top loader. The seal gets wet and unless you take special care to keep it dry, it will mildew and smell awful.
Buy a name brand such as Whirlpool, etc. DO NOT buy LG. He buys broken appliances to repair and resale, says he will not touch a broken LG. You cannot get parts or the parts are so expensive it's ridiculous. Hope this helps :)