Front loaders or HE top loaders - Which would you choose?

[ea56]

Re Reply #18

The worst washing machine out of the 19 I’ve owned was a 2010 Cabrio! What a POS! That constant rebalancing was a real PITA! With the refilling over and over with rinse water in its futile attempts to balance, what a waste of both water and time. I agree, though with Brendan, when it worked properly, it did wash very well. But I don’t expect to have to babysit an automatic washer, a wringer washer would be way less hassle than one of these Cabrios. The only good thing that came out of owning that
Cabrio is that I discovered AW.org while searching the net for an explanation on why that washer couldn’t balance properly. I always loaded it as directed with the clothes distributed evenly around the tub edge, but the loads never stayed that way during the cycle.

I really believe that the main cause of the balancing problem was the lack of a center post to keep the load distributed around the outside edge of the tub when it began to spin. I have a Maytag Centennial now that I’ve owned for 2 years. It has an agipeller, and that bad boy NEVER goes out of balance, washes and rinses beautifully, and completes every load in about 50 mins.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 12/4/2018-23:30]

 

[aquacycle]

This is the type of toploader that’s available here. I think you can manually select the water level. The 3 I’ve seen in action have at the very least covered the load.

 

[aquacycle]

I managed to get a sneaky snap of my partners grandma’s washer. She’s just turned 100 and still does all her own laundry.

 

[askolover]

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">"If you owned a front loader and suddenly inherited my back I guarantee you put the machine on it's back and see if it would work properly."</span>

 

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I put my washer and dryer on custom pedestals...solved my back problem.  No bending at all now.</span>

 

[washerguy02]

Hi Chris

Nice to see you back posting here on auto washer. Been a while since you last did. My grandparents and relatives in India have HE top loader washers. My opinions on them is they seem quite fun to use. But what I think about them is they can waste water. The ones in India fill from cold only. They don't heat water. I think it would be better if they had a hot fill aswell. They do spin stuff quite well spending quite a long time on low speeds which give them quite good results. I think with cold fill only they could just build up mould inside the machine and cause bacteria on towels and bedding to grow and lurk. If they had hot fill it would have high chance of less mould and keep the machine clean. The good things are the cycle times are nice and shorter. I think even a Hoover Logic wouldn't waste as much water as a top loader.

I prefer front loaders because they don't waste as much water (even old 80s Hoovers), have heating elements which heat water to higher temperatures especially for towels and bedding and stuff that need higher temperatures so there is less grime, the hot and cold fill on my two older FLs save time and mean shorter times tho cold fill only is for if you have blood stains on clothes.

Janak

 

[aquacycle]

Hi Janak,

I’m still here . I don’t post so much these days, mainly because I don’t have much interesting to post about lol.

The market here in Mauritius seems to be fairly evenly split between front loaders and toploaders. My mother in law has an LG front loader and her sister has an Ocean front loader, but other relatives and friends have top loaders like the one posted above.

These do seem to heat the water though, as they have different temperature options and “tub clean” hot cycles.

Strangely the detergent advertising seems to aim liquid detergents at TL’s and powder at FL’s. There’s also no non-bio or colour protect. The choice is either powder or liquid.

 

[mrsmokey]

Is There anyone company that sells a powdercoated, or carbon composite inner drum spider?

After tearing apart my miele that otherwise looked perfect to find a dissolved spider, I am now weary of any of the front loads. Especially one that does not have the spider available as a spare part. Miele seems to require one to buy the whole drum for just short of a USD grand shipped. Others seem to sell the spider by its self for a reasonable sum.
After all the advertising hype that gets thrown around by the whole industry, there seems to not be much concern by the manufacturers to solve this problem that is inherent in what seems like all of the current front loaders. Also It literally is the deepest part in these machines, and not inspectable aside from looking for corrosion deposits in the drain.

I speak from limited experience and knowledge, but this is where i am at with the situation myself. I might end up getting a maytag commercial grade residential top loader.

 

[twintubdexter]

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">I never though about pedestals. They make good sense. I do use the tops of the washer and dryer for folding so they might get a little too high. I didn't bother to mention the orthopedic doctors want to replace my left shoulder...and I'm left handed. Still in my 60's and I'm already going to seed. </span>

 

[spinspeed]

Interesting thread. If I could only have one washing machine I would always go for a front load washer. Cycles are longer but they wash and rinse really well and I would say use less water than the HE top load washers. I just think that the HE TL washers don’t move clothes thru the water as well as the revolving drum of a FL washer. FL washers are also more gentle on the clothes. As already mentioned FL washers spin much faster too.

 

[mayguy]

Front loaders for me.. I just cringe when customer say they HAVE to have a top loader due to issues from Front loader! lol . I never had issues with my front loader.

 

[sudsmaster]

I think the HE toploaders have got a lot better over the past 15 years or so. But I also follow Consumer Reports and according to them, even the best HE top loader doesn't clean as well as the front loaders.

However, the main laundry closet in this home is situated so that the washer must go on the right. No problem with the Neptune front loader, the door is easily reversed. But, AFAIK, the only other front loader washer made these days is the Electrolux, and I'm not even sure the latest ones allow reversing the washer door. So.... if i found myself in a spot with an expired Neptune and not other option, I might spring for a TOL HE top loader.

But only after I've tried at least one other FL alternative...

BTW, I first used an HE style top loader washer in Japan around 1996. I was working for an American company that had products made by its Japanese partner. The Japanese company thoughtfully provided a small laundry area for the American engineers. The washer had no agitator, just an impeller at the bottom of the tub. My colleagues were fascinated by it, crowding around to watch it in action. I was not so impressed, and four years later got the Neptune set.

 

[twintubdexter]

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">Sometimes I use these to get small items like socks out of my front load dryer. My spine degeneration continues to make normal and once easy tasks very difficult. Peeling wet clothes off of a front load washer's drum after a high speed spin would be a very painful experience. As you age you'll understand.</span>

 

[mayguy]

Yeah, that's the downfall of Frontloader if it's not up.. A co worker has a HE Top loader and she's short, and she can't reach the bottom of the top loader, She said the first time she reached in she went in too hard and hurt her breast., ;-(

 

[foraloysius]

I have a little stool in front of my frontloader. No problem of reaching into the drum.

 

[sudsmaster]

I bought a bunch of those claw grabbers in the past couple of years (Costco was selling a good version, 2 for $10.). I use them at home and at work to pick stuff up off the floor, so my knees don't get too stressed. I've not thought of using them in a front loader, but I do use them at work to retrieve small parts that might get loose in an enclosed CNC mill.

I suppose I could try using them to get those small items that try to hide in the back of the washer (or dryer) drum. Not there yet, though ;-).

 

[appnut]

I too have used a step-stool to sit on in front of my washer for several years.  

 

[twintubdexter]

Falling apart in my tarnished golden years...

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">The stool in front of a front-load washer or the dryer is a good idea and works for most people. Unfortunately I'm sort of a special case. In addition to my back problems, doctors want to replace my left shoulder (I'm left-handed) so even using that grabber thing is difficult. Getting up and down from a stool or chair is no picnic. The cleaning ladies will do laundry but are only here every 3 weeks and they're too expensive for poverty-level me to afford as it is.</span>

 

<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">There is a bright spot on the horizon. I'm scheduled for spine surgery at the end of February. The shoulder will remain a problem until I decide if a replacement is in order. The new Speed Queen top loader will still be in the garage waiting to be moved to my laundry room after surgery. I guess I'm stuck with it for awhile. I do sort of insist on a washer I can use with it open full-time. That might get messy with a front loader.
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