We need a new washer and dryer for our house and SWMBO had us looking at these Whirlpool units that would be around $1500.
http://www.sears.com/whirlpool-4.6-cubic-foot-top-load-high-efficiency/p-02632402000P?prdNo=20&blockNo=20&blockType=G20#reviewsWrap
I don't know anything about these things and the reviews were pretty bad on sears and amazon.
SWMBO wants to get a large capacity washer so we have been looking at the 4.+ cu ft washers. Any suggestions?
HE's suck. JMO.
Ranger50 wrote: HE's suck. JMO.
Yeah thats what I am worried about, the reviews have been really bad. The one we are looking at is a top load HE.
jonnyd330 wrote:Ranger50 wrote: HE's suck. JMO.Yeah thats what I am worried about, the reviews have been really bad. The one we are looking at is a top load HE.
Don't get me wrong, they "clean" your clothes, but give me the old water and electricity wasting top loader anyday.
My mom's front load washer has the stanky unless the door is left open all the time. That right there is enough to turn me off on those completely.
I've had a Kenmore front-loader for about 10 years. It was "Top Rated" by Consumer Reports back then.
They use less soap as well as less water, too. And by less soap, they mean "use about a table spoon of soap."
Too much ~powdered~ soap will leak past the seals, and cake themselves around the bearing, and then rot. An unpleasant job to fix.
Stank (as mentioned) is an issue, too.
I'd likely buy another front-loader, but you gotta make that call for yourself.
Datsun1500 wrote:Curmudgeon wrote: My mom's front load washer has the stanky unless the door is left open all the time. That right there is enough to turn me off on those completely.so you leave the door cracked open, is it really that much of a pain in the ass?
When your options are either closed or the door is 90 degrees to the washer to block everything in your path, yes it is entirely too much of a pain in the ass.
Front loaders are fashionable now, but have more problems, including the stanky (they never fully drain), seals, etc.
We had a Whirlpool Cabrio top-loader, though, that we spent a lot of money on and it was terrible. It didn't have any maintenance issues, but it literally tore stuff to pieces. It is the kind without an agitator. It was so bad we were relieved that the buyers of our old home wanted it and we left it behind.
The next purchase was a bottom-of-the-line toploader, don't recall the brand offhand. Has an agitator. Works fine. Clean clothes fine. No maintenance issues. Only drawback is that it is LOUD.
I think a lot of the stuff they build into these things today is hooey. Fancy electronic circuit boards and computers. Sure, you can select a different setting for grandma panties vs. lingerie, but who really does that in real life? The simple, mechanically controlled washers and dryers clean just as well and last forever.
My 10-year old Maytag top-loader is still wasting water, electricity, and soap and working flawlessly and that's the way I like it!
Datsun1500 wrote:Curmudgeon wrote: My mom's front load washer has the stanky unless the door is left open all the time. That right there is enough to turn me off on those completely.so you leave the door cracked open, is it really that much of a pain in the ass?
Actually it is, at least at her house. The laundry room is also the entrance from the garage and is pretty narrow, meaning the door and its handle partially blocks the entryway. She says if she had to do it over she'd get a top load.
Around my house, Binky the Wonder Cat would probably hide out in there as well. He used to jump in the clothes dryer if the door was left open so we had to make sure it stayed closed. Always sorta wondered what would happen if I closed the door and hit the 'Start' button, but I don't have enough extra blood to take a chance on that. 
An unrelated issue is that it occasionally 'locks up', all the warning lights come on and it won't go into any sort of cycle. Have to unplug it and wait for a while, then plug it back in. That happened once while there was water in the drum, meaning if for some reason she'd had to open the door it would have gone everywhere. I'm gonna stick with my old fashioned top loader, thankyaverramuch.
My question is... what is so wrong with a top loader that the front loader came to exist?
Swank Force One wrote: My question is... what is so wrong with a top loader that the front loader came to exist?
It's way easier to be lazier with a front load washer and dryer.....
About front loaders being fashionable: how true. Like cars they are marketed as fashion accessories. Walk through any appliance store, the top loads are all white. The front loads are shown in stainless, blue, green, red, white, black etc.
In 5 years there will be another flavor of the month/year/whatever and the HGTV shows will all have the hosts holding their noses standing next to those impossibly old fashioned and out of date appliances. That's what happened with avocado green, harvest gold and whatever that yellow was from the 1970's.
I love our front loader. You do need to leave the door cracked, but I can deal with it. The big thing is that it uses way way way less water. Washing clothes (I have four kids) was the single largest stress on our septic system. With the front loader things are happy. Were it not for that, I never would have switched out our old Kenmore top loader. My wife got it from her parents for college graduation and it was a workhorse. We moved it to our cottage.
Swank Force One wrote: My question is... what is so wrong with a top loader that the front loader came to exist?
you can still make them a pretty huge capacity and stack them?
just guessing. the stacking top loaders ive seen are smaller.
we've had LG front loaders for about 2 years. just leave the door open when not in use on the washer (its never in the way for us so no issue there)
I agree on the fashion statement. I went looking for an in-stock dishwasher when ours took a dump. Everything in our kitchen is stainless steel. Everything in the appliance stores is black. Black is in fashion. Good luck finding anything else.
Just recently (december) got an LG set from the orange box store. I cringed at the price (total was about $1500), but that was delivered, stacking kit, and installed. Ours is in the kitchen, and with the recent high efficiency boiler install needed to go to stackable units.
The ones we went with were a 4.0 cu ft capacity washer and 7.3 cu ft dryer. Top rated by CR and so far I have no complaints.
As for keeping the door open, many of the newer washers have features for that. Ours has a magnet that keeps the door open about an inch at the side opposite the hinge. Not at all intrusive.
I have used a botton of the line Maytag top loader for the past 5 years. No issues yet and it works just fine. I think you should save yourself the coin and get a basic top loader. Top loaders or front loaders they all seem to wash clothes equally well.
Datsun1500 wrote:Curmudgeon wrote: About front loaders being fashionable: how true. Like cars they are marketed as fashion accessories. Walk through any appliance store, the top loads are all white. The front loads are shown in stainless, blue, green, red, white, black etc. In 5 years there will be another flavor of the month/year/whatever and the HGTV shows will all have the hosts holding their noses standing next to those impossibly old fashioned and out of date appliances. That's what happened with avocado green, harvest gold and whatever that yellow was from the 1970's.Actually after a little research I find this: Bendix Corporation introduced the first automatic washing machine in 1937, having applied for a patent in the same year. In appearance and mechanical detail, this first machine is not unlike the front loading automatic washers produced today. Doesn't sound like its the flavor of the month/year/whatever.....
My dad owned 3 laundromats back in the 60's and 70's, they all had front load washers and dryers, when he sold the laundromats the newer places in town were going to top loaders. It's a cyclical fashion thing just like everything else, same as how peace signs are now all over the place again. 
EDIT: Come to think of it, I don't recall the old type frontloaders having the stanky problem the new ones do. Wonder what the difference is?
I have a new LG top loader that picked me...I have been happy with it.
My story from 4 months ago can be found here:
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/wtf-cr-awards-lg-best-washer-and-dryer-of-the-year/55337/page1/
Do a search for Speed Queen. Lots of happy users here. They are mostly commercial, but have a residential line. Made in the US as well. Should be able to get both for well under what she's wanting to spend at Sears.
Get the Speed Queen 400 series, like a AWN412.
Yeah I started looking at those. They are still pretty expensive what is the warranty on those?
The one I bought wasn't too expensive at all. About the same as a mid grade anything else, and a lot cheaper than the wiz-bang digital crap. About seven bills out the door, and a happy momma. Dunno about the warranty. I'd have to look it up. Far as I know, they never break. How many warranty trucks do you see at the laundromat?
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