[finsup]

I have a Samsung front-loader purchased in 2007 whose electronic board has gone bad.  My [very] reliable appliance repair guy has not been able to locate a replacement.  I'll probably have to live with mismatched colors for the washer and dryer so color isn't important.  More problematic perhaps will be finding a front-loader that fits the pedestal for a machine purchased 10 years ago.

While not exactly a first-gen machine, it still suffered from some of the problems common to them, mainly obnoxious odors and mold along the gaskets.  Even though I was told it was high efficiency and it would clean clothes, I am old-school, I guess, and never really did trust it put enough water into the tub.  This was further reinforced by the fact that I had to give up completely using bleach because, no matter how many rinse cycles I ran without clothes after running a load of whites, there was bleach residue that ruined the color loads that followed.  There goes the efficiency argument.  I don't remember having that issue with top-loaders.

Performance (removing stains) is top priority followed closely by reliability.  I know the arguments in favor of front-loaders:  Efficiency - less water used, lower water retention due to faster spin cycles so drying times are shorter, and front-loader do a better job of cleaning clothes using less water. 

Still, I am leaning toward getting a top-loader BUT am willing to consider the arguments in favor of the new-gen front-loaders.  Has anyone recently gone from front-load back to top-load?  Or, has anyone taken the other route recently, especially if you have gone from front to top back to front.

I have heard negative things about LG, Haier, and to a lesser degree, Samsung although this is the first problem I have had with the washer.  The Samsung Fridge?  Don't even get me started. My appliance guy recommends something in the Whirlpool family.

Price range is $600- $1000.  I have a gas hot water heater.  We are a family of 4 so lower-capacity machines are out.

[avta]

We'll be buying a new washer soon. I've decided that Speed Queen is the one I'll try.

[finsup]

Why?  Thanks.

[avta]

did some online researches as well as heard from a friend that a dealer she knows who sells many brands suggested Speed Queen because of their reliability.

[restrav]

I will be buying a pair washer dryer in two months and I was thinking of buying maytag just like the ones that they had in my college dorm. They seem to take shower very well

[Tomy2Tone]

Careful now, it all starts with an innocent request for a recommendation and then you end up like these guys....

https://youtu.be/jmmmxI-Y_6U

[DaveC113]

I've had a middle of the line LG front loader since '09 or '10, it's been excellent and performs perfectly. I love the high speed spin cycles, I don't use a dryer. Here in CO it doesn't take long to dry on a rack and it makes clothes last MUCH longer. 

[JohnR]

Has anyone recently gone from front-load back to top-load?

We have, a couple of years ago. Honestly the top loader was like a quarter the price of replacing the expensive German machine with the current model, and it works just fine. Water usage of top loaders is nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

We mostly air dry with the top loader, even in winter.

[DaveC113]

We have, a couple of years ago. Honestly the top loader was like a quarter the price of replacing the expensive German machine with the current model, and it works just fine. Water usage of top loaders is nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

We mostly air dry with the top loader, even in winter.

A friend got a top loader a few years ago too and it seems to perform a lot like a front loader, it's nothing like the older machines.

[Brettio]

Mid level LG front loaders here almost 9 years old.  They've worked flawlessly and aside from having to keep the washer door open when not in use (an odor if left closed, I'm assuming from the tight seal) I recommend them.  I think the odor issue has been resolved through evolution...

Another plus for me was when I called LG customer support (an error on my part led to the call), I was quickly connected to a very helpful person that stayed on the phone until she was sure that the problem was resolved.  I also appreciated that she was located in the United States and spoke fluent English.

I have also purchased two French door LG refrigerators and had an excellent experience with them as well.
Brett

[Russell Dawkins]

We got LG front loaders in 2012 and have been really happy with the performance of both washer and dryer. The washer gets things discernably cleaner than the old top load Maytag it replaced. Caveats are the seals around the door and the filter near the floor are not so easy to clean. The dryer is excellent, too, in the degree to which it dries clothes when left to its own devices. They are as perfect as I can imagine a sensor-based system to be—almost, but not quite, bone dry.

Not so happy with the LG fridge we got at the same time. It works well, even if it is running too great a percentage of the time, but the mechanism on the french doors which holds them closed has failed twice in rapid succession; the first time under warranty, the second time out of warranty but fixed free by a sympathetic service man who knew of the design flaw. It failed a year after that. We have learned to live with the fact that if you close one door, the other opens slightly and you have to nudge it closed again. Newer LGs with french doors use the same mechanism everyone else does, do the problem is now fixed.

[mcgsxr]

+1 on the Speed Queen.

Had Maytag V1 front loaders for 10 years or so.  Should have repaired it but decided to replace it.

Went through 3 sets in a month trying to replace the Maytag.  Ended up with 5 unsatisfactory years with a Samsung top loader.  Repaired 2x under warranty.  Once it died earlier this year I asked my wife's cousin who repairs appliances what to buy.

He said Speed Queen.  Pricey but actually worth it.  5 months in and it does everything.  Not quite as large as the older Samsung but it is excellent.  We kept the Samsung dryer as it has not caused any issues. So I am living with the mismatched colour but that's ok for now.

[twitch54]

New Top Load LG HE, mama's happy .......... that's all that matters  ...

[JohnR]

mama's happy .......... that's all that matters  ...

 

[JLM]

Front loading technology works well in the commercial market (35 - 100 pound loads), but are expensive marketing hype in residential machines.  Tried to follow the happy wife - happy life axiom, with a high efficiency top loader.  We're on a new well/septic system, so really don't need to worry about water use.  Maytag washer/dryer both failed.  Top seal on washer drum failed within 2 years, after 10 years the bearings went, and it was cheaper to replace than fix.  Dryer fried the logic and relay boards after 10 years, would have been $700 for parts, when factory got around to build more, plus labor.  Sales people said 10 years is "about right", I said hell no. 

When shopping for top loaders check to make sure you and wife can reach to the bottom of the tub (high capacity means deep tubs).  Check with a reputable repair guy as to what brands he'd recommend.  Some companies (like LG) do a very poor job stocking replacement parts.  Some just aren't reliable. 

Wife likes electronics, I like simplicity, so we bought entry level Speed Queen washer and dryer, both rated for 10,000 loads (which should last the two of us 50 years).  No plastic, no electronics, simple and well made in the U.S.  This doesn't have to be rocket science.  Washers and dryers don't need to be reinvented, the basic function isn't complicated.  The extra features can all be ignored with a little common sense.

[Russell Dawkins]

I didn't know any washers and dryers were made in the USA! That's good to know and I'll keep it in mind next time I buy. I sure agree about simplicity. It's getting harder and harder to find.

[Don_S]

I looked up Speed Queen and all I could find were commercial products and a "local" distributor that is at least 2 hours away.   

[Bemopti123]

LG front loader washer owner here.  Have had it for about 6 years, impeccably reliable and washes well with minimum water.  The only issue I have had is that the electronic latch sensor sometimes does not engage when wash cycle begins giving an error signal...I just use my knee to keep it a little closer to the latch when the wash cycle begins and no problem.  I do not use a dryer....making clothes last much much longer.  Dry rack everything either outside or inside with a foldable dry rack.  10 year direct drive motor warranty.  It cannot be beat for the price I paid which was $399-for a floor sample. 

Samsung washers and appliances are very unreliable.  This from the mouth of a Korean born person. 

LG technology has always been much more reliable than Samsung's.

 

[thunderbrick]

I didn't know any washers and dryers were made in the USA! That's good to know and I'll keep it in mind next time I buy. I sure agree about simplicity. It's getting harder and harder to find.

Just bought a Maytag FL dryer to replace a Samsung that lasted only 4 years.   The Maytag is made in the U.S.

[bummrush]

We have a Whirlpool. Works great. Super quiet . Seems plenty sturdy.We went from kenmore front loader,that died on us after 8,9 yrs. Also developed mold on rubber seal. Plus the kennmore would get down to a minute left on cycle and still run for like 10 more minutes, that got old quick. Service person couldn't give answer.Dont know what else i can add.