Front Load Washing Machine

[Pete]

How do you like your front loader?

 

[yakers]

My wife loves hers. We had one, a GE and it lasted only 5 years, cost to fix it too high. Recently replaced with a Samsung VRT Steam which is just remarkable. Cleans well, uses little water & soap and sings to us. All it has to do is last 20 years and I too will love it.

 

[TromboneAl]

Note that they can't be used for felting yarn.

 

[Ronnieboy]

I have liked ours, similar to yakers, our fist one only lasted a few years and the cost to replace the 'mutherboard' was prohibitive.
Liked it enough to get another front loader that has last >5 years so far.
Don't keep good enough records to notice any type of water/electricity savings, but I know it uses less (water that is).

 

[Martha]

Paging SamClem!

I'd just like a washer and dryer. Living 30 miles from a laundromat is tedious and I can only do laundry at my cousin's house for so many years.

 

[Westernskies]

I love my front loader, it makes doing laundry fun!

 

[73ss454]

We bought a new LG front loading washer and dryer about 3 1/2 years ago. DW says they are the best washer and dryer she's ever had, so I'm happy with them also. (heh)

 

[WB52]

We bought the Whirlpool Duet 1 year ago. DW and I love it! When we first got it, we watched it instead of re-runs on TV.
It cleans great, has steam and de-wrinkle features and is efficient.
Worth the outlay.

 

[ERD50]

Search "Staber" on this forum. Highly recc by samclem (edit, as Martha pointed out, but here's the washer name also).

-ERD50

 

[ronocnikral]

i love other people's, as it allows perfectly fine conventional washer and dryers to be picked up for under $300 a set. Ours was cheap and sister's was like $250 for washer and dryer.

 

[Texas Proud]

I don't like it... but since I do not use it much I did not have a vote in the purchase (well... I did, but the decision was already made we were getting a front loader)...

The reason is that my wash and wear clothes come out wrinkled... I even have the steam option on the washer and dryer and they still are wrinkled.. fortunately for me my wife irons...

I also can smell the difference in the towels... there is a lot written about this. It is not so bad all the time, but it is enough that I do not like it... I remember the top loader had wonderful smelling towels...


One problem that I have is that my wife sometimes wants to stuff it so full... I don't know how it can clean with that much junk in there...

Last... the cost is a lot higher than top loaders... I don't see you saving enough on water and electricity to make up the difference..

So far seems that I am the only negative voice... so YMMV....

 

[calmloki]

I don't like it... but since I do not use it much I did not have a vote in the purchase (well... I did, but the decision was already made we were getting a front loader)...

The reason is that my wash and wear clothes come out wrinkled... I even have the steam option on the washer and dryer and they still are wrinkled.. fortunately for me my wife irons...

I also can smell the difference in the towels... there is a lot written about this. It is not so bad all the time, but it is enough that I do not like it... I remember the top loader had wonderful smelling towels...

One problem that I have is that my wife sometimes wants to stuff it so full... I don't know how it can clean with that much junk in there...

Last... the cost is a lot higher than top loaders... I don't see you saving enough on water and electricity to make up the difference..

So far seems that I am the only negative voice... so YMMV....

As noted, mold smell from the washer is common - have to keep the door wide open to reduce mold growth. Wrinkles from overloading are common here as well. When we had the high dollar ASKO set that spun so fast the clothes came out of the washer before we started the load, we would set wrinkles big-time, especially in jeans. Also hard to do big stuff like comforters. Makes the Staber look like a good machine, but they ain't cheap...

* Oo Oo! The Asko spun out sooo much water we had to add a cup to use the dryer.

 

[HFWR]

We bought a new LG front loading washer and dryer about 3 1/2 years ago. DW says they are the best washer and dryer she's ever had, so I'm happy with them also. (heh)

If mama ain't happy, nobody's happy!

I like my 15yo top load washer, front load dryer set that cost $700...

 

[Katsmeow]

We love our front load washer. Have had it about 4 years with no problems at all. (We had lots of problems with our prior top loader - electrical panel kept going out). We do leave the door open when it is empty and have had no problem with mold. It is important not to overfill it and don't use too much detergent. Leaving aside the issues of whether it reduces cost of washing and does a better job (I think it does) I will also mention it is more comfortable to use. Ours came with a stand at the bottom so it is raised higher than a conventional washer/dryer (we also have a matching dryer). So it is very easy to take out the clothes without having to bend over and fish something out of a top loader.

 

[WM]

I love ours, we bought a Kenmore in 2001 and it's been great (knock on wood). I do leave the door open to avoid the moldy smell, but I don't particularly notice problems with wrinkles (then again, I probably wouldn't). I also don't overload it.

The other thing I really like is that it's not nearly as hard on our clothes as the old top-loaders. And it spins so much more water out of each load that the dryer time is cut dramatically.

I would definitely buy another one.

 

[DeborahB]

As noted, mold smell from the washer is common - have to keep the door wide open to reduce mold growth. Wrinkles from overloading are common here as well. When we had the high dollar ASKO set that spun so fast the clothes came out of the washer before we started the load, we would set wrinkles big-time, especially in jeans. Also hard to do big stuff like comforters. Makes the Staber look like a good machine, but they ain't cheap...

* Oo Oo! The Asko spun out sooo much water we had to add a cup to use the dryer.

Theoretically, there's less wear and tear on the clothes without the agitator - does anyone have an opinion based on experience? (Well of course you have opinions...) I like my top loader fine but it's 10+ years old so at any time it could go.

 

[Cruisinthru]

We have a Whirlpool Duet and have had them for four years. I love them. I have not had any of the problems others are talking about. My cloths are very clean. The towels are soft without softener sheets. I have noticed that cloths do not show wear like they do with the top loader. Colors are bright after years of washing. My white things are brighter also. I sound like a commercial don't I?

I will never have a top loader again.

 

[travelover]

Bought a Kenmore He2 front loader and loved it until the processor died just out of warranty. It still does work, but only on some cycles. Upon researching it on the internet, it seems to be a common problem. And of course, the processors that are purchased by the manufacturer for a couple of bucks are a hundred or two to the consumer. I even took the precaution of plugging it into a surge suppressor.

 

[Leonidas]

If mama ain't happy, nobody's happy!

Ain't that the truth!

I'm no longer allowed to touch the laundry, not since the great "pen left in the kid's jeans pocket" incident of '07, so I don't care except for keeping the Princess happy. The longer we owned our front loader the more unhappy she became. The disadvantages, in her mind, far outweighed any advantages, and the washer and dryer both went off to appliance heaven (she couldn't stand the dryer either) and were replaced with a top-loader and matching dryer.

Some of the problems we encountered were perhaps brand specific, and I will never own another appliance made by Bosch.

 

[JonnyM]

We bought a new LG front loading washer and dryer about 3 1/2 years ago. DW says they are the best washer and dryer she's ever had, so I'm happy with them also. (heh)

+1 on the LG duo, we call them the "magic machines" as the clothes come out far better in all ways then the old top load washer. The Dryer is just plain better. Yes I have to remember to leave the washer door open to dry out after use, and yes you have to clean the filters, no big deal, but the results are well magical

 

[Texas Proud]

As noted, mold smell from the washer is common - have to keep the door wide open to reduce mold growth. Wrinkles from overloading are common here as well. When we had the high dollar ASKO set that spun so fast the clothes came out of the washer before we started the load, we would set wrinkles big-time, especially in jeans. Also hard to do big stuff like comforters. Makes the Staber look like a good machine, but they ain't cheap...

* Oo Oo! The Asko spun out sooo much water we had to add a cup to use the dryer.

We do keep the door open and let the washer dry... and my wife continues to wipe under the rubber washer that seals the door... but the towels still do not smell 'fresh and clean' like they used to. I have not looked... but to me when you do a load of towels there is not enough water for all of them to get a good wash... a towel can hold a lot of water.. so 10 towels can hold that much more...

 

[samclem]

Washing Machines! I think this is our most oft-discussed appliance.

Here's one of the threads on the Staber washer. We still like ours a lot, it just keeps on humming. I know that there are probably a lot of good front-loading machines out there, but there have also been a lot of clunkers (issues with mold even when the door is left open, problems with bearings and seals, expensive proprietary circuitboards and membrane switches that fail prematurely, etc). This thing is simple, built like a tank, easy to fix, and seems to wash clothes well. After having a front-loader fail early due to poor design, I decided that I wanted a well-designed, sturdy machine if I was going to plunk down $1000 again.

Here's a Staber video SueJ found earlier.

Staber Video

 

[HFWR]

We do keep the door open and let the washer dry... and my wife continues to wipe under the rubber washer that seals the door... but the towels still do not smell 'fresh and clean' like they used to. I have not looked... but to me when you do a load of towels there is not enough water for all of them to get a good wash... a towel can hold a lot of water.. so 10 towels can hold that much more...

I avoid this issue by using $2 Wallyworld towels for everyday use. Keep the fluffy, oversized towels for "guests"...

 

[Nords]

i love other people's, as it allows perfectly fine conventional washer and dryers to be picked up for under $300 a set. Ours was cheap and sister's was like $250 for washer and dryer.

In 2006 we paid $600 on Craigslist for our 2004-model Kenmore front-loading washer/dryer set. (It was made by Frigidaire.) They've been chugging along just fine. Haven't had to do a thing with them other than leave the doors open for a day or so after a load.

The best part is that our teen does her own laundry.

 

[tmm99]

I hope nobody here has this washer...

GE recalls 181,000 washing machines - Jun. 10, 2010

General Electric is recalling 181,000 front-load washing machines due to a faulty wire that poses a fire and shock risk, the company announced Thursday.
The appliance maker said there have been seven incidents of minor smoke damage when flames escaped from the machines. No injuries have been reported.

The company, conducting the recall in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is asking consumers to immediately stop using the hazardous machine, unplug it from the electrical outlet and contact GE (GE, Fortune 500) for a free repair.
The recalled washers begin with model number WBVH5 and were sold nationwide from December 2006 through May 2010, retailing for about $700.