Duncan Roberts

That's funny. Must just have got a duffer. It's just a fact that in general front loaders are better than top loaders because of the way they fill and drain and the way the drum spins. A top loader covers the clothes and drains from the bottom so as it is draining dirt and soap in suspension is absorbed into the clothes compared to a front loader that only covers a small amount of clothes. A good few top loaders also drain the dirty water and pump the clean water through the same holes, some front loaders do as well but it's not as common. The screw thing in most top loaders can really damage clothes compared to the front loader tumble action. Front loaders also tend to have more drainage holes and spin faster than front loaders so your clothes are dryer and cleaner.
There are a lot of things to consider for each but overall I think front is better in the long run.

If you do buy a front loader I thin the top things to check are that the drum is not at an angle, is not painted or covered in something and has a lot of holes. Check that the clean water comes in via a different way than the dirty water get pumped out. The water heater is good if you live somewhere that gets cold at any point in the year, and an automatic temperature controlled one is even better.
I have this and so far has been excellent, especially as I can get over 100 loads from the washing liquid I use with it!
http://www.frigidaire.com/products/l..._GLTF2940E.asp

krizzy

I think you get duff ones of all kinds......my last front loader in England was crap...in fact I think it had a staring roll on a TV show because it ripped so many peoples clothes...........the one before that was OK...but only lived a few years......for the cost of repair it was cheaper to buy new..........before that one I had a cheap front loader...that lasted the longest........before that I had a twin tub...great little machine.......years old.......but friends made me buy the front loader....and I was never happy with it.........
My first buy in the USA....a top loader....more than happy with the clean......the only thing I would not buy again is a gas tumble dryer.....it takes ages to dry...........

krizzy

I've never watched my washing machine before.......but I just did.......it empties the water....then spins fast letting in a little clean water to rise off..........it then fills again......spins the washing around lightly...does the same as before again..the water this time looking very clear.......the clothes are up against the side of the drum .........it does this one more time........before doing the last spin....I would say it takes in more water than a front loader........but my water bills is $80 a year in MA........washing only adds a few $$ in FL when we are down there...........so I don't think I would buy a front loader to save money...I would need to own it for too many years to see any savings.........both my top loaders use different ways to let the water in and out.......

fatbrit

Front-loaders use less than half the amount of water. You also need to take into account the power cost of heating less than half the amount of water into your calculations.

krizzy

I don't have to use hot water..........I wash in cold to cool.....

HunterGreen

Lesley,

Thanks for mentioning that one! Seems like a good washer and priced very nice. I'll be headed to Lowe's to check it out.

Elaine

HunterGreen

Now of course you need to tell us which it is....

Elaine

Russ&Jayne

Yep - our old top loader, piece of utter shite that it was, used 60 litres of water per wash compared to 21 litres for our front loader. Every lil bit helps the planet I've never seen any decent washes come out of top loaders, and believe me, we've used a fair few in our time. As for front loaders - I had mine in the UK for 10 years with very little repairs (which were under warranty) and not once did it rip the clothes. I've had to throw out nearly new stuff through using top loaders.