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I have followed the instructions

since I've had the washer. Now, it is almost 6 years old, and fills half full with water regardless of the cycle. It also does not slowly spin the load as it fills anymore.
Gear case and mode shifter were replaced two winters ago. As I stated earlier, it is a pile of scrap now. If I do get another he top loader, it will be one with a hall sensor gearless drive system, like Samsung.
Otherwise, an Alliance Speed Queen, or a front loader, or a reconditioned vintage machine. Of course, there is always the laundromat. No head aches there.
 
I don't feel sorry for front load owners who say "they are sick & tired of not being able to get a hot wash."  They're the ignorant ones who don't know to buy a model with a heater.  In fact, models without heaters should no longer be sold.  There are cycles and options on those models that do engage the heater to supplement or boost water temp in the washer.  THAT'S why I will use s front loader over an He top loader.  Even the He top loader with heat and steam cannot get a hot as front loaders.   
 
That is also why Speed Queen needs to start putting heaters on their front load machines. I think they might capture more of the market that way, since that is a big selling point. I do know that when Frigidaire came out with their first washers owners either liked them or HATED them. They did tangle things severely and even worse if you did not follow the loading instructions to the letter. But some people stayed loyal to Frigidiare and would have nothing else but and others would NEVER EVER touch another Frigidaire product. I think that the new HE top loaders are similar in that respect. If you watch some of the video's people have made, it is interesting what they think about it.
 
Why?

out of curiosity - would an HE TL washer with a built in heater not get as hot as a FL with a built in heater? - this shows how much I know. I didn't realize any HE TL washer even had a heater at all. But if they do, isn't a heating element a heating element? Maybe HE FL washers have to use a little more water, thus it takes longer to heat, thus not getting as hot? I'm just guessing. I've never used an HE TL washer myself.
 
 
There were/are many HE toploaders with heating elements.  Oasis, Cabrio, and Bravos models over the years.  I find four current Maytag/Whirlpool models have heating, and I imagine some Samsung and/or LG.
Whirlpool WTW8700E parts list shows an element, #20 on page 6.
WTW8500D
WTW8510F
MVWB855D

The TOL Neptune TL FAV9800 had a heating element.  I've rarely seen them in the wild so apparently didn't sell well, probably too expensive.

Calypsos unfortunately do not.  They'd be perfect if so.
 
HE top loaders can get hot as well. Their cycles times, however, may reflect how long it takes to heat a large amount of water up. Some manufacturers will also drastically limit the amount of clothes the Sani cycle can wash. Here's LG's Allergene cycle with default settings on the large top loader.

(c) AutistiVision on YouTube

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The BravOasis I have fills with only hot as long as a cycle other than Normal is used. Even the Bulky cycle will use true hot tap when selected.

@vacerator - I actually never use the Bulky cycle for anything. Uses too much water, and the agitation is too aggressive, so it's ironically counterproductive to how well the other cycles perform.

My machine is one step below the TOL model, with the only difference being that mine doesn't have the heating element. Looking back, I should have thrown in the small difference in cost to upgrade, but I really don't miss it because my laundry room is a few feet away from where the water heater is in the garage on the other side of the wall, so my hot washes are always adequate.

Also. I haven't posted much, but we're in Brisbane Australia until the end of July and THIS is what we have to live with. If you want to talk about horrible HE/impeller top loaders, THIS machine is the one you're looking for. The dryer isn't much better. I thought it might be condenser, but it's merely a traditional that doesn't vent out, and instead makes the room humid and the walls drip. Blegh. But, it's still better than not having a machine in our apartment at all, so I can't complain.

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I got a really good deal on a closeout model LG at Lowes, less than $375, so I couldn't pass it up.  My curiosity had the better of me for some time with the front-control models and I finally gave in.  

 

I've been using this washer for about four months now and have to say that with no modifications, no water level cheats, I've been pretty impressed with the capabilities of the LG.  Bulky bedding, small to giant loads have been no trouble and with proper detergent use, the rinsing has been very adequate.  

 

Of course, I've played with the water level and washing cycles and have found that more water isn't necessarily better.  Smaller loads tend to float and get little or no agitating and larger loads get agitated but not as aggressively as when the "logic" is allowed to run it's course.

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Well, I have to admit that I am sort of surprised to know that. I also know that you have no reason whatever to say that if it were not the case. I have had great success with my front loading LG made machine as well. How does it compare to a traditional top load washing machine though? Does it wash and rinse as well as, say your old speed queen or Kelvinator washers? You don't sell appliances for a living or have any reason to be bias about it, so I would trust your judgement.
 
You're right, I can't imagine how clothes could get clean in a pint of water either. Good thing HE top loaders use wayyyyyyyyyy more than a pint of water. Seriously? :-/
 
Gansky-- I love the look of your LG. Reminds one of the earliest top-loaders with controls along the front edge-- Maytag, Whirlpool, Frigidaire and Blackstone come to mind.

As mentioned upthread, the newest HE top-loaders appear to do a much better job than did the first generation of these machines. Your LG is rated highly by CR after the correction of a software issue that had to do with handling unbalanced loads.

Using an HE Top-loader:

1. Load the machine according to instructions in the manual.
2. Use the proper amount of a high-quality HE detergent.
3. Select the proper cycle for load being washed.

# 3 seems to be the most difficult issue for many HE users. Some are always looking for the cycle that uses the most water, which, as you pointed out actually decreases the machine's effectiveness. While it is counterintuitive to many, using more water causes rather than solves problems concerning cleaning power. If you can't bear to watch a washer that uses comparatively little water, then set the controls and walk away until the cycle is completed. 
 
HE Top Loading Washers

Don't use a pint of water, or anything close to it, in fact they use more water than most FL washer cycles, so if its MORE water you want you guys should be trying out these interesting washers.

 

We have had several Samsung and LG TL HE washers come through the shop in the last few years and we have always resold them after a lot of testing and playing with them and they do a pretty good job overall.

 

I do think with HE TL washers it is more important to select the correct cycle for what you are washing and sort the clothing for best results, FL washers are more forgiving about what you throw in a load.

 

Greg I am glad you are having fun with your new washer, I will be interested in hearing a full report, is the one you got Chinese or Korean manufactured ?
 
Apparently you have to pay strict attention to HOW you operate these machines, but a front load machine still has it all over a top loader now for lint and sediment removal and they do not create any lint either by agitating or in this case with the impeller. Just easier for them to get rid of any lint or sediment of any kind than a top loader. I may not have used the one we had nearly 20 years ago properly. It did tangle badly with a big load of jeans or cotton pants. I know it was a foreign brand and the case and top was all plastic. It may work ok, but I still say a traditional top loader like a speed queen would have to do a better job and a front loader even better with less water. I hope LG got the off balance problem under control. LOL I would hate to come home to find my washing machine had caved in the sheet rock! LOL
 
OTOH, gimme a top-loading dryer any day!

I'm enjoying this thread. For the most part, it has confirmed what I have believed all along: plain old physics suggests that a front loader, using gravity and a comparatively small amount of water, keeps the dirty laundry moving and soil emulsified and suspended without a lot of idiotic mechanisms and BS. Even better if the machine has an internal heater.

 

These arguments also connect to a previous thread that indicates that Americans have a strong preference for anything Top-Loading, most probably because that's what their parents had. I know one friend who's no dummy who chose an inadequate contemporary Top-Loader because "that little porthole that I'm supposed to stoop down to load and unload the machine would drive me crazy". I think for most consumers you put the clothes in the machine, add the prescribed products, push the button and at the end you've got clean clothes. I don't think most people these days really care if their laundry is as clean as it could be.

 

To paraphrase Crystal Allen: " If you throw a blouse into a working washing machine, what's to keep it from getting done?"

 

I must admit, even though I collect and covet all my vintage Top-Loaders, I use them less and less as daily drivers, especially now that I have the Miele hooked up and working. It's superior in every way except capacity, although, for my needs, there are very few loads that need to be done in the 1-18 and it's beginning to show signs of age. I can load the Miele with laundry and all the additives needed and walk away from it knowing that in 24 short hours (kidding) my laundry will be as clean and as damp-dried as can be.

 

 
 
A couple years ago,

these had a max. capacity of 3.6 cubic feet. They were belt driven, with a celcon splutch gear drive case. A mode shifter actuated the springs engaging the gear case to agitate or to spin, so the entire basket doesn't also agitate back and forth. The motor reverses for agitation.
The new models elimninate the belt, but have the same drive system. Now the motor mounts directly to the bottom of the gear case and input shaft rather than a pulley for a belt.
Mine failed after four years. The seals wear, and water gets into the gear case and bearings.
 
All I can say is my LG made front loader holds more than any washer I have ever had and cleans it magnificently with no lint, sediment or wear to the items being washed and spins it nearly dry.
 
That was part of the reason of getting a Filter Flo because I have 2 cats and lots of hair! That thing collects most of the hair/lint even before it goes in the dryer. I got better results from the Kenmore 28102 with that than the LG front loader I used for 2 years. It didn't get rid of the hair very well at all.
 
I cannot attest to "hair" problems. I do have a dog, but the reason I picked that breed is because they don't shed. I don't have a lot of hair in my laundry, so it isn't a problem I've ever had to deal with. I can see how a machine with a lint filter might be helpful if you have animals that shed.
 
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