I know three people with three different brands, but the front load is just too good for words. If they are on the base, you don't even have to bend over. And the clothes are cleaner and don't take nearly as long to dry.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

We bought Whirlpool duets with the add on bottom drawers a couple of years ago. We've never had a problem (although now that I've said that, I'm sure they will both go on the fritz!).

A friend bought the Maytag Neptunes and she had lot's of trouble.

We'd buy ours all over again. Love 'em!

1/3rd the water and huge loads. They don't beat up our clothes like the traditional "bucket" washer did. The bottom drawers are convenient and raise the W/D higher so it's even easier to load and unload

Hope this helps.

John A. Meyers

How do all the appliances know to go fritz at the same time? We have replaced two washers and two tv's in the last three weeks and now the dryer is making noises...

Creepy!

We bought a Kenmore HE 3t and love it. it's the same as a Whirlpool something or other. We got the Frigidaire for the Mom in law, mainly because it was a deal. Both are front loaders and both are wonderful, Quiet, and the clothes are almost dry when they come out of the washer's extract spin.

If you have any coin left, the lift cabinets are a wonderful thing. We're going back to get ours.

Ol' Factchecker here, at Mom-in-law's and via dialup (yikes!). We got the Duet washer (only) about 2 yrs ago, I think the GW-9150, the non-steam and non-hot water boost model. Fine machine and made in Germany, even! I figured that would go away as soon as Whirlpool could set up a factory in a cheaper country, but the last time I saw a newer model in a store it too was still German made. Anywho, the LGs had a little nicer controls, at least on the older models, but I got no regrets.

Also, I've talked to Whirlpool's regional repair expert about usage, and he offered some good tips. Ours has been totally reliable, but he was just fixing a bad trim piece to our new oven and saw the washer nearby.

It's important to let front loaders dry out between uses and not over-suds, which can overflow into the inner workings (electronics, etc.). We just leave the door slightly cracked when not in use and use vinegar in the fabric softener cup, so that it cleans out the machine better. To minimize suds we stopped using Oxy Clean as an additive and switched to HE detergent, which the rep strongly recommended. The rubber seal around the door needs to stay clean. (Think that was part of the problem with Netpunes, et al.) Given the above tips, our seal has been perfect, but you may need to wipe them out occasionally, if they get clogged or don't dry out thoroughly.

I agree the steam is a costly frill. Don't know about this silver ion stuff, but I'm leery about that too. I imagine you've researched the energystar data, which you can get at the EPA site. Last I saw these two makes had several near the top, including our 9150.

I bought an HE 3T pair with the pedestals from Sears a few years ago when my cousin and his wife were living with me. In addition to our loads she was doing the laundry for her dad who was in an assisted living center. Our water usage dropped dramatically. Electrical usage dropped as well since the clothes are practically dry when they come out of the washer.

Within about six months we had a catastrophic failure with the washer. During a high speed spin cycle shards of plastic filled the tub. The Sears tech came and ordered a boatload of replacement parts.

I got a call from Sears in a couple of days to tell me that there were no replacement parts for that machine in the United States and they didn't know when they would be available. If I wanted to rent a washer until mine was repaired, Sears would pay the rental fees.

I did not want the hassle of moving in a washer on a temporary basis and told her so. She then asked "What can Sears do to make you happy in this situation?"

I told her that, since the washer was only about six months old, I thought a replacement washer would be appropriate. She put me on hold a few minutes and then told me that her boss thought so too. They delivered the new one the next day.

It has performed flawlessly for about three years now, but this is one of the few times when I would recommend keeping up an extended warranty.

Another thing I have found about the High Efficiency washers. HE detergents are generally a bit more expensive than the regular and you use amounts similar to those necessary to do a load in a regular washer. Using regular detergent in greatly reduced quantities works just as well and is much cheaper.

Ditto that recommendation about leaving the door ajar on the washer. I noticed a funky odor that I remedied by running through a cycle with no load and then letting the machine air-dry.

If you do decide to get one of the new front loaders, I think you will love it. For the first few days you will catch yourself watching it work its magic just like watching TV.

Wearybottom Associates

Update: We really like one of the LG 3.5 cf models (WM2016CW without the steam cleaning, which as metulj notes seems superfluous) and the Whirlpool Duet.

The problem is the depth of the units. Allowing 4-5" for the dryer vent hose they will stick out approx. 36", which is way too tight for our laundry room (the back door won't open without rearranging the whole layout.) Guess we built our laundry room too small.

The Frigidaire 2140 (or 2940 with a couple of extra features we don't need) is only about 27"-28" deep which is about the same as our existing units and would fit fine. The price is a lot less, too.

Trouble is, Sears can't get one until Jan. 12th. We have wet clothes now! There's a Kenmore version #4810 which is supposed to be the same (made by Frigidaire, which is actually made by Elctrolux) that they can get by Monday, maybe, Wednesday next worst case.

Might look around some more for the Frigidaire version, which is what I reluctantly think we will have to get.

After all the horror stories I've seen, I think this is one time we will get the extended warranty, regardless of what brand we end up with.

Anyway, thanks for all the tips. Keep them coming....

P.S. Ran across this interesting brand while searching around:

(link...)

It's a top loading, horizontal axis washer with all the benefits of a front loader, and it's designed to be easily repaired by the owner.

Hmmmm.....

Fisher and Paykel model from Pattersons was our selection after a lot of research. Purchased the set back in the summer. Our laundry room is on the second floor so it kind of limited our options - you have to be careful about putting those big front load models upstairs, apparently.

Pattersons has a great reputation for service and lived up to it during our buying experience. They are local and have good inventory availability. Plus their delivery, setup and haul off was excellent.

I bought the Maytag Neptune front loader about a year and a half ago and so far (knocking on wood) they have been perfect. The only gripe I have is the length of time it takes to do a load, but that's not really that big of a gripe. The water savings was noticeable within a couple of billing cycles...but then the Knox County water/sewer rates went up 25%..so I'm back to where I was at with a top loader plus a little extra.

I would definitely check consumer reports, and although I don't usually buy an extended warranty, I did this time around. I figure if I paid $3000 for a washer and dryer, the extra $200 for the 3 year "bumper to bumper" would be worth it, even if I had only one break down.

OK, found my password. When you compare prices, might verify the Electrolux units have enough capacity. They used to have a series that you could get for about $600 and claimed something like 2.9 cu. ft., but (as I recall) the energystar data normalized the numbers (removed the marketing hype) and got something like 2.7 cu. ft. vs. 3.5-3.8 cu. ft. actual for the LG and Whirlpool big boys.

The F&P had a great rep, but I remember it to be considered a water hog.

That Staber thing is interesting. Of course you probably checked out the Calypso as Whirlpool's energy efficient top loader, but apparently the Staber is a much different animal. We have friends who love their Calypso, but it may be about as pricey as the front loaders.

We got the Whirlpool Duet Sport washer and dryer, too. Ultra-quiet. Uses very little water. Lots of cool features. The footprint of these machines is bigger than our old ones. They made our laundry room too small and we ended up using the stack kit - which ended up making the laundry room bigger than ever. We like them a lot.

I think the Bosch/Siemens would be a contender, though Consumer Reports does rate them a little lower in reliability/repairs. Believe they're made in the same North Carolina factory where they make the dishwashers. The only thing I wasn't crazy about with them was their plastic housings.

Also, now that I'm back home and have broadband back (ahhh!), I see the Electrolux I was referring to above was in the form of the Kenmore 4041 at 2.65 cf., while the Whirlpools list at 3.3cf. (link...)

A Maytag stack washer and dryer. They can be stacked for small laundry rooms without much floor space, but they don't have to be stacked if you don't want. We love them. They aren't the fanciest models out there, but they get the clothes clean and do it in a reasonable amount of time and don't use much energy or water.

_________________________________________________
"You can't fix stupid..." ~ Ron White"
"I never said I wasn't a brat..." ~ Talidapali

Unless you do a lot of laundry, I don't understand spending a fortune on these top of the line models.

I can see a daycare, a home with lots of kids, yes, but one or two people?

What is wrong with the regular old Maytag set?

It is like the stainless refrigerator thing. Everybody has to have one.

Why? Does stainless keep the food longer or colder?

UPDATE: We ordered the Frigidaire Affinity 6700 front-loader and matching dryer from Lowes.

We thought about the suggestion of stacking and getting either an LG or a Whirlpool Duet, but it would still require some minor remodel of the laundry room. We believe this unit will fit the space without any problems. We'll find out tomorrow.

We tried to buy it from Sears, but there were just too many hassels and delays. When we were finally able to get down to ordering it, we found out we couldn't get the dryer for two weeks. Lowes had both in stock.

Also, the Sears extended warranty was close to $500 for the pair (approx. 1/3 the entire cost), v. $129 at Lowes.