New washing Machine - Front Load vs Top

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Mad Scientist
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#803864 22-Apr-2013 19:10

if I didn't then the entire load gets wees and poo - yeah very very bad ... I don't understand how they rate 7.5kg washer and can't take more than 5kg unsoiled, or 3kg soiled (you can select intensive wash with prewash but the cycle is like 4.5 - 5 hrs!!!!)

if you don't select intensive or prewash then yeah it's called dry cleaning! *yuck*

Dratsab

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#803887 22-Apr-2013 19:49

Like so many of the other positive comments here, I'll put in a plug for front loaders. We've had our LG machine since mid 2007 and it goes really well. We noticed straight away our clothes felt cleaner. Washing powder is about the same price and although general wash cycles are longer than the top loader we had, there is a 30 minute cycle on ours. Ours also spins at up to 1400rpm so clothes dry really fast when they come out!

Edit: just a note on what joker97 says:

joker97: if you fill up clothes to the top it will not wash properly especially if some are soiled as it uses so little water and the water is not proportional to how much clothes you put, rather preset by your knob selection.

That's interesting to hear. Our machine spins the clothes gently back and forth a few times, senses the weight of the load and then adds as much water as it "thinks" is right.

lchiu7

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#803906 22-Apr-2013 20:26

We don't get the best selection here. We have a LG front loader that says it does 7.5kg. Well maybe it does. But on a recent US trip I saw some much bigger LG units like this.

http://lg.com/us/washers/lg-WM8000HVA-front-load-washer

Now one of those would be really great for us but for some reason LG doesn't sell them here. And the steam cleaning option looks like it would be really useful.

But getting back to the OP's point front loaders are much better in m experience. And the LG we do have both has a fast 30 minute mode and it can be interrupted during the cycle. You just had to wait a few minutes for the water to drain to the bottom of the drum before it allows you to open the door to add more clothes.

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richms

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#803915 22-Apr-2013 20:52

joker97: just one thing - there are five in our family.

top loader 6.5 kg fits all our clothes. we bought a 7.5kg front loader - it only takes half our load.

apart from that no complains

Probably you were overloading the top loader.6.5kg of clothes is not actually that much by machine maker specs. they weigh them wet or something.

Richard rich.ms

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#803918 22-Apr-2013 20:53

Me too on FLs. We got the F&P one, we find the sheets and towels are much drier, so dry faster in the drier...

Apologies for the dry(er) humour.

Jon

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#803949 22-Apr-2013 21:35

I'm another front load fan. I bought an LG 7kg machine last year and it's brilliant.

You won't end up spending more money on washing power. On the contrary, less water in the drum means that the powder is diluted less so you'll actually end up saving money there.

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#803964 22-Apr-2013 21:51

I only went for top loader as I wasn't planning to buy a new washer when the old one broke. Ended up with a direct drive TL LG which works well and spins fast.

My folks have been through three FL machines in 5 years, Bosch, F&P, and a Westinghouse. Previous AEG lasted 30 years. The latest Whirlpool has lasted 5 years so the pick of the bunch.

TL has nothing on a good FL in terms of cleaning ability, but is very light. FL washing machines have heavy weight to keep them from jumping around when you spin towels etc , making them a chore to move if you ever need to.

Batman

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#803975 22-Apr-2013 22:23

wm that lasts 5 years is a pick? that's too short ... I reckon :)

Elpie

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#804021 23-Apr-2013 00:56

Front loader all the way! I had a F&P (made in Italy) front loader that I loved. When it ended it's life budget talked me into getting a F&P top loader. That died last week and has been replaced with this: http://www.harveynorman.co.nz/bosch-7-5kg-front-load-washing-machine.html

A 15-minute fast wash for lightly-soiled items, a wool wash suitable for handwash-only woolens, and being able to open the door to chuck forgotten items in at any stage of the wash cycle sold me on this one.

The laundry detergent I use can be used with both top loaders and front loaders. In a top loader I needed two scoops. In the FL I use 2/3rds of a scoop - same scoop, same loads.

My F&P top loader showed up as spikes on powershop every time I used it. Two full loads added 3kw to a day's power usage. I can't see spikes with this washer but I will be monitoring over time to see how it compares. It's rare to find a top loader with an energy star rating over 3. It's common to find a front loader with an energy star rating of 4.

Front loaders are more expensive up front, but over their lifetime can save a lot of money, especially if you are in an area that charges for water.

LookingUp

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#804099 23-Apr-2013 09:22

Another advantage of a front loader is that you can stack a dryer on top :-)

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TwoSeven

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#804110 23-Apr-2013 09:32

Disrespective: We love our front loader. Although some of the wash cycles can be longer than a top loader, we primarily use a 'quick 60' mode which is actually more like 70min, but is plenty fast enough.

The biggest thing we like is that they washing comes out very very well spun. The amount of moisture is minimal which makes drying faster than anything we've had in a top loader.

There are a few tricks with any washing machine. One which stands out for us is because our front loader has a built in heater unit it only uses cold water. This is great as there are no more shocks in the shower when the washing is on however it means that the water is very very cold for the wash and can cause scum build up. As such we always set the machine to about 40 degrees water temp. This IS considered 'cold' by most manufacturers but without knowing this, and reducing the temps down to whatever the tap gave it, we inadvertently caused some of our early wash cycles to not be as good as we had expected. Increasing the temp slightly to 40 was enough to fix this. We also run a full bottle of white vinegar through the machine (empty) every 6 months or so to keep it clean inside where we can't see.

Sounds like you have the same type of machine as me.

Mine runs on cold water input, and I just use a power wash 60 minute cycle. Its relatively quiet, except for the beep at the end. I just use liquid detergent and fabric softener which seems to do the job. Seems to be more gentle on the clothes as well.

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#804111 23-Apr-2013 09:35

Another Front Loader convert here.

I always thought that Top Loaders were the way to go, and have had a few F&Ps and an LG TL. Because we are on tank water, we swapped out our LG 5.5KG toploader for this: http://www.panasonic.co.nz/products/home-and-living/washing-machines/na-140vg3/

It is a 10kg. It has a large door, takes a genuine 10kg dry weight (it takes a lot more than the LG top loader did) and uses about a third the water that the LG did (we collect the water in summer for the gardens and the TL was about 150 litres, the FL is about 50-60).

We usually use the 50 minute cycle, so it takes about the same time. We can pause it to add things that fell on the floor on the way to the laundry.

And, it's so quiet.

Plus, this summer, it has saved us from needing to buy water in, which at nearly $300 for 2000 gallons, has nearly paid for itself.

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#804124 23-Apr-2013 09:57

We bought a LG front loader about 5 years back and its been awesome. There is a knob to adjust the spin cycles & the clothes type etc.

The FL defiantly is a better option in my opinion.

I don't find it takes that much longer then the top load to be honest. I mean who sits there and watches the clothes get cleaned? We just put the clothes in and once its done we can hear the music we then put it on the clothes line or days like today when its raining we put it in the dryer.

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#804148 23-Apr-2013 10:33

Top loaders are great, they are fast and work well as long as you use warm water. Detergent doesn't work properly in cold water.

Unfortunately due to space restrictions we have a front loader. Yes it gets the clothes clean (as does a top loader) and spins well (as does a good top loader) but it has to be the world's slowest washing machine.

A good top loader can do a heavy duty wash in 45 mins, with a front loader that will get you a quick rinse with a bit of a wash. To was properly the front loader is more like 2 hours.

Top loaders are also much cheaper than an equivalent quality front loader.

nzkiwiman

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#804182 23-Apr-2013 11:16

We have a front loader in our house, and I am not a fan - however that is primarily from not being able to control the wash type of the machine. The 75 minute wash used does not clean my hoodies well enough and 'protests' to use the longer 125 minute wash has gone un answered.

For those reading between the lines - I live at home and my mother will not allow me to do my own washing after I broke the top loader in 2005

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