Mrs Danvers

In part, this is why I've kept this machine as long as I did. My mother in the UK seems to replace her front loader every 5-7 years. I didn't want to get on to some white goods buying treadmill. When I bought this house I inherited this washer and dryer set and had it in mind that they were the first things I'd have replace. Then all that happened is they worked fine and didn't seem to need replacing. The washer still has done three loads of laundry today. It's just beginning to make a noise. The first time it did it I thought one of our cats was puking in the basement so it's not a very loud sound.

I don't remember using stain sticks when I had a front loader in the UK, and my main reason for thinking of having one is possibly only nostalgic. All in all its only some machine in a room you hardly use and don't have to sit looking at. So long as the darn thing washes clothes, I suppose it's not a big deal.

Thanks so much to those who have given input. It was important because I did want to ask a group of people who had grown up with the small UK front loaders and then moved over to the U.S. A lot of the reviews on sites I was looking at had Americans giving views of the first generation front loaders and saying never again. I'm either going to go with an LG top loader or front loader and that will be between me and the American other half.

I'm terribly sorry for those who might be bored with the thread. For what it's worth, I either don't click on or stop scrolling down on threads that bore me on BE.

username.exe

Are you kidding? I've been F5ing this thing all day in anticipation of hungryhorace's next post.

MMcD

But will they give you the bang for your buck of a free loader?

Epilogue
It all comes out in the rinse

stay tuned......

Beaverstate

I remember my dad taking tubes from the TV to the drugstore to be checked on a machine in front. New tubes were available (that is if a good pounding on the side of the set didn't fix it).

Nutek

Well...

Nutek

I enjoy these threads too.

The LG front loaders are fine. (That's why we just purchased a new set, having left our previous ones in the house we moved out from).

Never had any issues with them at all. I would suspect the Samsung's are pretty much the same.

Nutmegger

I bought my LG (top loader!) washer and dryer a couple of years ago when they were rated a Consumer Reports best buy. I have had no problems, other than the washer seems glacially slow in comparison to the antique it replaced. I should say that there are just two of us, and I don't do a vast amount of laundry, so it doesn't get a workout day after day.

Yorkieabroad

We bought a Kitchenaid (I think) top loader when we first arrived, mainly because it looked huge compared to the UK sized front loader we had in Singapore* - it was pretty useless - used a lot of water and was very slow, so, after about 4 or 5 years, when a hose let go, even though it was easily repairable, I used that as an argument for a new washer and we went for the front loading LG Tromm Steamwasher thingy which was a CR Best Buy at the time. Had it 8(?) years now and no problems. Big capacity, low water use, washes well, not a single maintenance issue (yet), can do long wash, speedwash, hot wash, cold wash, pre wash, whatever - I can't imagine what other "flexibilty" we would need. Apparently we can do a steam wash as well, according to the title, but the manual is so crap I don't actually know what that means


*to be fair, the washer in Singapore never got used, cos our washing was done by Alimah, who insisted on hand-washing and ironing everything. Even the smalls. Boy, I miss that lady......

Nutek

It's easier to use a top loader as a hot tub.

If that is a consideration.

moneypenny20

This makes me very nostalgic. We've not had a washing machine thread in the Aus boards in years.

Mrs Danvers

Do Australian expats favor top loaders or front loaders?

Pulaski

Front-loaders, duh! ..... If you used a top-loader in Australia all the water would run out!

Nutek

That's where the magnets come into play.

Guindalf

It'll all come out in the wash.


..errrr, what?

Nutek

It's certainly nothing to get steamed up about.