It depends from person to person...you may find lots of people that switch as soon as they can from a front loader because they says it does not wash as good as a toploader., the same way you may find people that are satisfied with them.
"I thought they washed better"..... I don't know who told you this..but often this thought is because of a tricky suggestion given by the tricky name (High efficiency) and advertisements for such machines:
You must keep in mind that despite the High efficiency name (in the USA) was given also because of this...to "trick" and make people think at something better performing along with baloney told in advertisements, this does not mean it necessarily must be and so is in the reality though, efficiency want only means efficiency in consumption, that very often equals in poor wash since there is a race to use less water possible, thus not getting good results because of this also...
Front loaders and top loaders...well it changes also from model to model, for example I could say that maybe a front loader may wash better than a newer GE top loader, but it will not wash better compared to a Speed Queen or older Ge filter-flo or Whirlpool belt drive..for example..
It also much changes from models and brands of the same kind...you can only go with a general speech...
On the Speed Queen facebook page they also recently brought up a kind of "survey" asking if people had front loader or top loaders, speaking in results the most people commented that they won't own a front loader as they won't wash as good as top loaders, and so do many other people elsewhere...
The same way you can also find people that are happy with front loaders in other surveys , as you could find many in this community also...
For us, as washer appasionate the TL vs FL matter has always brought heated discussion on here from people of the two school of thoughts... so is never nice to discuss...
You must take my suggestion as a singular one as you have to do with each one of the others you'll receive...
As I was saying you may recive very different suggestion from different people...
Then it will be anyway up to you...
I say, and again, this want to be shared now as a my opinion, generally, and that's because of their tumbling washing action, I don't think that front loader washing will ever be as good as a wash of a top loader agitator, and that's what I could personally find out and experience...then as I was saying it depend from type to type....
So I suggest you to seek for someone that already owns one and if possible look at the washing ability if it satisfy your canons in person...
This will better than any opinion and suggestion by a stranger...including me of course...unfortunately when it comes in such an argument like front loader vs Top loader you'll always find many conflicting opinions, experiences and thoughts...
[this post was last edited: 9/24/2013-14:41]