It's all about marketing. There's definitely a perception in the US that machine must be large and splashy to have a big capacity. While, I think in Europe we're more fixated on making sure the machine is the right size to fit under a counter in a kitchen / laundry room into a standard "Euro cabinet slot". Hence in the US you're getting monsters that don't really have THAT spectacular a load capacity as they're not able to be fully stuffed. While, in Europe we're now getting monster capacities i.e 8 and 9kg into a standard cabinet and achieving excellent washing results with clever engineering. - It's entirely down to market expectation. When the big machines i.e. the likes of some of the Bosch models and the LG Tromms launched here they were niche market as people didn't like the idea of a non-standard shape machine. However, when the big capacity standards arrived, they sold like hot cakes!
While some new FL machines can be a little harsher than their predecessors, I would worry more about the agitator machines that are being tweaked to use very little water. A front loader can only tumble the clothes around, while an agitator machine can cause a lot more friction as it's actually moving the clothes against other surfaces / against themselves.
The wash action in a front loader is generally one of moving the clothes through a small amount of water, rather than actually agitating them too much at all. Hence, on a long european style wash you can pack the drum tight and the clothes will come out very clean as they've had detergent laden water passing through them. Rinsing is done the same way.
However, on a low-water agitator based machine, you're using direct force on the clothes i.e. physically turning/twisting them. Older toploaders both with agitators (US Style) or wash plates (Asian style) or old European-style machines like Hoovermatic all used the 'active water' concept. i.e. you fill a large tub with water and create turbulence. The water was then forced through the clothes and there wouldn't have been THAT much wear and tear on the actual fabrics.
In newer top loaders, the water volume's drastically reduced, which seems to expose the clothes to much more mechanical action. I would have serious concerns that these machines, over long periods of use, would do a lot more damage to fabric.
There's no question but, TLs do produce a lot more lint than FL (at least European FL anyway). E.g. I washed shirts and towels and a general mixed wash in a Whirlpool TL in the US and the shirts came out covered in lint. While, I could do that in a European FL without any issue. The action is simply not harsh enough to dislodge much lint from the towels.
While some new FL machines can be a little harsher than their predecessors, I would worry more about the agitator machines that are being tweaked to use very little water. A front loader can only tumble the clothes around, while an agitator machine can cause a lot more friction as it's actually moving the clothes against other surfaces / against themselves.
The wash action in a front loader is generally one of moving the clothes through a small amount of water, rather than actually agitating them too much at all. Hence, on a long european style wash you can pack the drum tight and the clothes will come out very clean as they've had detergent laden water passing through them. Rinsing is done the same way.
However, on a low-water agitator based machine, you're using direct force on the clothes i.e. physically turning/twisting them. Older toploaders both with agitators (US Style) or wash plates (Asian style) or old European-style machines like Hoovermatic all used the 'active water' concept. i.e. you fill a large tub with water and create turbulence. The water was then forced through the clothes and there wouldn't have been THAT much wear and tear on the actual fabrics.
In newer top loaders, the water volume's drastically reduced, which seems to expose the clothes to much more mechanical action. I would have serious concerns that these machines, over long periods of use, would do a lot more damage to fabric.
There's no question but, TLs do produce a lot more lint than FL (at least European FL anyway). E.g. I washed shirts and towels and a general mixed wash in a Whirlpool TL in the US and the shirts came out covered in lint. While, I could do that in a European FL without any issue. The action is simply not harsh enough to dislodge much lint from the towels.
