New Toploaders vs Front Loaders

[pturo]

Are the new top loaders as efficient as the front loaders?
I had a neighbor whose front loader crapped the bed, and a mechanic said get a high efficiency top loader that does the same job, without the mechanical strain and leaking.

 

[appnut]

no

 

[vacerator]

Agreed, NO!

Mechanical strain? Most of both types use brushless reversing hall sensor motors. Some top loaders may still have a few gears for agitation, but no longer have a break, or clutch. A front loader may use regenerative current to slow the drum. Pick your poison. Top loaders can leak and wear out bearings too. Mine did. I've had both. I prefer the cleaning results and water use of my new front loader.
I've seen LG, Samsung, etc. top loaders explode upon spinning. So after sveral years the spider on a front loader fails from corrosion. Talk with an engineer. 8 years is the average life of a modern washer, or any major appliance today within the cost of repair vs. replacement apex margin.
I guess thats why so many here like vintage machines which submerge the entire load under water with vigorous agitation.

 

[golittlesport]

Some models of Speed Queen top loaders may be worth consideration. But personally I would choose a front loader with heater for best results.

 

[kb0nes]

I can't fathom why anyone would choose a modern high efficiency wash plate design top loader over a front load machine. These machines are only an attempt to more or less turn a front loader on it's back to placate American users that are so inflexible that they can't adapt to putting laundry into the front of a machine... A front load machine will outperform these handily especially on large loads and bulky items.

 

[frigilux]

Despite having grown to like my 2017 Series 9 Speed Queen top-loader, my vote goes firmly with front-loaders, as well. Various machines in that format had been my daily drivers since the mid-1980s. My favorite was a 2015 TOL Maytag pair. God, they were awesome in every respect.

I was tempted, a few months back, to get the new LG 3900 front-load pair--but decided that I'll probably just keep the Speed Queens for their full natural lifespan; or mine, LOL. Getting a little more tight with the wallet in my old age.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

my vote goes to...

Front loaders! I've seen them in action since the 1990s at the laundromat when I was a kid. We had top loaders - GE filter-flo and post filter-flo matching pairs. My mom got her lg front load pair in 2007. My dad got one a few years ago back in 2017 as a used pair from the people who got it brand new just 2 years prior. When I looked back, I realize front loaders aren't new. They're jus being seen in homes more since the 1990s and maybe in laundromats years before.

 

[jamiel]

Got my dad a GE HE toploader from the Sears Outlet in November. Played with it this weekend as we started closing up the house a bit--it has an augured center-post agitator and a glass lid. There's a learning curve to using it (my daily driver is a DD Sears)...mainly that you load it in wads rather than winding things around the agitator. One load that had several pairs of stiff canvas shorts didn't move around much (I didn't use the bulky cycle which I think fills higher) plus I kind of laid them on the top of the load. This unit has a warm rinse (either full-fill or spray) which I tried on one load; I didn't try the "softener" rinse. The caregivers we've had really liked using it; one who has a FL at home strongly preferred this one. As my dad passed away Saturday, we're going to be selling the house (which we bought in NOvember--long story) but I think I'm going to swap out the DD Sears for that one and switch here in Detroit.

 

[vacerator]

Yes, new

top loaders with a full up agitator only have vanes near the top. At least the ones I've seen. So unless you are doing a very large load and using a t least 2/3 tub of water, I don't see the advantage.

 

[gizmo]

Jamie
Sorry to hear your dad passed away.
best wishes to you.

 

[jamiel]

Thanks--it was not unexpected (Parkinsons).

 

[agiflow3]

After using top loaders my whole life and then switching to a front loader last June I really love the benefits of a front loader. Also used an HE top loader for 2 years. Never again. Front load is the only way to go for HE as it's design is inherently efficient. GET ONE WITH A HEATER !

The Whirlpool WFW6620 I have has been a great performer. I found my drying time cut down significantly and the HUGE loads I could wash in that 4.5 cu.ft.tub. Though I personally don't find the cleaning any better than my Speed Queen. You still have to pretreat some stains just like with a top loader.

Even though the Whirlpool doesn't have a "rinse and spin" setting I found that by using "drain and spin" and selecting extra rinse the machine will do a high water level rinse for about 5 minutes or so. I don't know if that trick is in the manual or not but I have used it and it works great. Almost like a commercial front loader with all the splashing.

Jamie even though I don't know you I am sorry for the the loss of your dad. My dad passed away last year at 87 years old. I'm now in the process of selling our family home. Lots of stress but thank the LORD I am able to cope and he done what needs getting done.

 

[appnut]

-Agiflow, I've now pretreated one stain since I got my Duet December 2011.  As an example, last night, had white sweats that had significant blood, and other stains, set for over a week.  Using comparable settings, that for your machine would be Whites, Heavy Duty,Heavy Soil, Warm wash, and steam all the blood and other stains were gone.  I use Persil Stain Release formula, but due to it producing excessive suds, will be returning to Tide Ultra Stain Release Liquid.  

 

[agiflow3]

That's great Bob. I haven't used all the options on the Whirlpool yet together. Sanitize on my machine falls into the "how to wash" it.

In addition you could also use the steam clean option as well as the presoak option which will make for a long cycle.

Overall I like this front loader very much. I haven't measured the temperature with sanitize but the water gets very hot. At a certain point the door locks and the machine continues to heat. The spray jet for recirculation wets the biggest loads down thoroughly.

Unfortunately I'm not going take it with me when I sell the house as I have it sitting in a corner of my basement. I'm not sure of

I find I get through laundry day just as fast because of the 1160 rpm spin. My dryer gets done a lot sooner compared to the speed Queen washer.

My ONLY real beef is the balancing before spins. Some loads go into spin just fine and some it takes what seems like forever to go into a spin. Very tempermental.

If l get another front load I would do any of the Maytag or Whirlpool offerings. They are great machines. At least my Whirlpool is.

 

[eurekastar]

If I were in the market for a new washer, I would stay away from an HE top loader.  I have one sitting in the garage.  While it still works, I put it out of service because it was just awful.  It is a Whirlpool built Kenmore.

 

[agiflow3]

I guess the only real decent HE top loaders were when Whirlpool was sourcing F&P smart drive motors. The first generation that hit the stores in 2005 from Sears. Seems like yesterday and I remember being excited for these new machines.

 

[maytag85]

From my experience, I haven’t had the best luck with front loaders and the 2006 Kenmore front load set I used to have always had balancing issues and I usually selected a low speed spin, or would select no spin would go back to spin out the clothes manually after it was done washing.

In terms of washing performance it did okay with lighter loads but I never overloaded if for fear it would go off balance

 

[DADoES]

 
As we know, there were two excellent HE toploaders on the U.S. market ... both are NLA.

Whirlpool/Kenmore Calypso.

F&P AquaSmart (and reasonably the early Oasis/Cabrio/Bravos built on that platform).

AquaSmart can sometimes be found on the used market.  Calypso not so much any more.  Fortunately I have one of each (two Calypsos but one is in bad condition).

WP's VMAX toploader design still uses F&P-style motors (with a mode shifter instead of a floating basket) as do some other brands (Samsung, LG), and also many frontloaders incl WP.

 

[agiflow3]

Are the VMAX machines more reliable than the first generation machines Dadoes?

Whirlpool is wasting their time on all of these nonsense HE top loaders in my opinion.

Even the ones with a supposed "agitator" are pitiful. Between Lorraine furniture and Kirk Rivas testing these machines we can see how Whirlpool has lost their way.

It's a shame too because the new Maytag and Whirlpool top loaders with that one piece cork screw LOOK nice. Just wish they would perform like they look.

Yet their best top loader is the VMW design of the commercial Maytag. Their front loaders they do pretty well judging from the performance of mine and the testing organizations.