Greetings all!

When my wife and I bought our home around 8 years ago, we inherited my
mom-in-law's 20-year-old washer and dryer...presumably, so we thought
at the time...as a stop-gap measure until we bought our own. Well, the
truth is, these old Kenmore appliances worked great, and were very
capacious and never harmed clothes, so we just kept them. But my wife
has always been waiting for the point when one broke, so she could buy
us a fresh set.

Well, she finally got her wish. The dryer stopped working, and though
I reckon I could fix it (or have it fixed), this event signaled the
moment at which we commit to getting a 21st century washer and dryer.

After some research on the matter, I am frustrated and stumped. The
wife really has coveted a side loading washer for ages, but as soon as
we started researching them, all kinds of negatives appeared. Can
anyone address any of the following?:

(1) Putting holes in clothes. A search on the web suggests that lots
of people seem to have had this experience. My old Kenmore, with the
old-school agitator, has never harmed a single garment. I think if I
got one hole per thousand garments, that would be one hole too many for
me. I have zero tolerance on the whole hole issue.

(2) Water spilling/leaking out of the front. That's a deal breaker
too.

(3) User-overide of preferences? I love Best Buy, and this is not a
slam at them, but the person I spoke with on this matter had absolutely
no idea about the products he was assigned to sell. They seem to
market these front loaders as having all kinds of presets -- for
instance, the washer adjusts the amount of water for the amount of
clothes I put in; also, somehow the washer monitors the dirt in the
water and keeps running until until the dirt presence is sufficiently
low.

Suppose, JUST SUPPOSE, I want to wash one sock with the maximum amount
of water the washer can hold. I am not saying I would do this...but
CAN I tell the washer I have put in a huge load, even if that means I
have to lie to the robot?

Also, we do loads of wash with dirty, junk towels we use for cleaning
up dirt in the basement, etc...and we don't really care that these
towels get ultra-clean. I don't want the washing machine to continue
washing these nasty towels for hours trying to reduce the dirt presence
to zero.

What side loading and front loading washers do people recommend. I am
very keen on high capacity washers.

If anyone just wants to tell me what to buy, please do...I have had to
make a million important household decisions over the last 8 years, and
one million is apparently my limit. I'm spent. I feel like Ingrid
Bergman in Casablanca..."You think for me, Rick."

Chuck

On 20 Aug 2005 21:44:46 -0700, wrote:

Greetings all!

When my wife and I bought our home around 8 years ago, we inherited my
mom-in-law's 20-year-old washer and dryer...presumably, so we thought
at the time...as a stop-gap measure until we bought our own. Well, the
truth is, these old Kenmore appliances worked great, and were very
capacious and never harmed clothes, so we just kept them. But my wife
has always been waiting for the point when one broke, so she could buy
us a fresh set.

Well, she finally got her wish. The dryer stopped working, and though
I reckon I could fix it (or have it fixed), this event signaled the
moment at which we commit to getting a 21st century washer and dryer.

After some research on the matter, I am frustrated and stumped. The
wife really has coveted a side loading washer for ages, but as soon as
we started researching them, all kinds of negatives appeared. Can
anyone address any of the following?:

(1) Putting holes in clothes. A search on the web suggests that lots
of people seem to have had this experience. My old Kenmore, with the
old-school agitator, has never harmed a single garment. I think if I
got one hole per thousand garments, that would be one hole too many for
me. I have zero tolerance on the whole hole issue.

(2) Water spilling/leaking out of the front. That's a deal breaker
too.

(3) User-overide of preferences? I love Best Buy, and this is not a
slam at them, but the person I spoke with on this matter had absolutely
no idea about the products he was assigned to sell. They seem to
market these front loaders as having all kinds of presets -- for
instance, the washer adjusts the amount of water for the amount of
clothes I put in; also, somehow the washer monitors the dirt in the
water and keeps running until until the dirt presence is sufficiently
low.

Suppose, JUST SUPPOSE, I want to wash one sock with the maximum amount
of water the washer can hold. I am not saying I would do this...but
CAN I tell the washer I have put in a huge load, even if that means I
have to lie to the robot?

Also, we do loads of wash with dirty, junk towels we use for cleaning
up dirt in the basement, etc...and we don't really care that these
towels get ultra-clean. I don't want the washing machine to continue
washing these nasty towels for hours trying to reduce the dirt presence
to zero.

What side loading and front loading washers do people recommend. I am
very keen on high capacity washers.

If anyone just wants to tell me what to buy, please do...I have had to
make a million important household decisions over the last 8 years, and
one million is apparently my limit. I'm spent. I feel like Ingrid
Bergman in Casablanca..."You think for me, Rick."

Chuck

Honestly, I think you should let you wife decide with just some gentle
help from you. She probably wants front loading and will not be happy
if she doesn't get front loading. My sister got a set of front
loading Whirlpools and seems to like them. They do use a lot less
water. She compared a couple brands and thought the Whirlpools had
the best options. We used them while visiting and they worked fine
but not really any better or worse then our top loading Kenmore at
home but at a couple hundred buck premium per machine !!

For the few extra real benefits of a front loader I would not spend over
double what a top loader costs. On average a front loader will not last any
longer than a top loader.

Front loaders hold more clothes and bigger comforters or bed spreads.
Front loaders use less water---water is cheap in most areas so you are not
likley to see much if any difference in your water bill.
They say your clothes will last longer. I don't see it with my front loader?

A front loader will not save you enough money over it's lifespan to recover
the extra cost over a top loader, but it might get you an extra night of
romance with your wife :-)

When our front loader wears out I will nudge my wife towards a top loader
again.

cm


wrote in message
ups.com...
Greetings all!

When my wife and I bought our home around 8 years ago, we inherited my
mom-in-law's 20-year-old washer and dryer...presumably, so we thought
at the time...as a stop-gap measure until we bought our own. Well, the
truth is, these old Kenmore appliances worked great, and were very
capacious and never harmed clothes, so we just kept them. But my wife
has always been waiting for the point when one broke, so she could buy
us a fresh set.

Well, she finally got her wish. The dryer stopped working, and though
I reckon I could fix it (or have it fixed), this event signaled the
moment at which we commit to getting a 21st century washer and dryer.

After some research on the matter, I am frustrated and stumped. The
wife really has coveted a side loading washer for ages, but as soon as
we started researching them, all kinds of negatives appeared. Can
anyone address any of the following?:

(1) Putting holes in clothes. A search on the web suggests that lots
of people seem to have had this experience. My old Kenmore, with the
old-school agitator, has never harmed a single garment. I think if I
got one hole per thousand garments, that would be one hole too many for
me. I have zero tolerance on the whole hole issue.

(2) Water spilling/leaking out of the front. That's a deal breaker
too.

(3) User-overide of preferences? I love Best Buy, and this is not a
slam at them, but the person I spoke with on this matter had absolutely
no idea about the products he was assigned to sell. They seem to
market these front loaders as having all kinds of presets -- for
instance, the washer adjusts the amount of water for the amount of
clothes I put in; also, somehow the washer monitors the dirt in the
water and keeps running until until the dirt presence is sufficiently
low.

Suppose, JUST SUPPOSE, I want to wash one sock with the maximum amount
of water the washer can hold. I am not saying I would do this...but
CAN I tell the washer I have put in a huge load, even if that means I
have to lie to the robot?

Also, we do loads of wash with dirty, junk towels we use for cleaning
up dirt in the basement, etc...and we don't really care that these
towels get ultra-clean. I don't want the washing machine to continue
washing these nasty towels for hours trying to reduce the dirt presence
to zero.

What side loading and front loading washers do people recommend. I am
very keen on high capacity washers.

If anyone just wants to tell me what to buy, please do...I have had to
make a million important household decisions over the last 8 years, and
one million is apparently my limit. I'm spent. I feel like Ingrid
Bergman in Casablanca..."You think for me, Rick."

Chuck

On 20 Aug 2005 21:44:46 -0700, wrote Re Desperate
for front-loading, top-loading washer advice:

After some research on the matter, I am frustrated and stumped. The
wife really has coveted a side loading washer for ages, but as soon as
we started researching them, all kinds of negatives appeared. Can
anyone address any of the following?:

Check out

http://groups-beta.google.com/groups...=2005&safe=off

--
To email me directly, remove CLUTTER.

wrote in message

(1) Putting holes in clothes. A search on the web suggests that lots
of people seem to have had this experience.

Never been my experince in 39 years of Maytag and Amana ownership.



(2) Water spilling/leaking out of the front. That's a deal breaker
too.

Never experienced that either.

(3) User-overide of preferences? I love Best Buy, and this is not a
slam at them, but the person I spoke with on this matter had absolutely
no idea about the products he was assigned to sell.

Then don't go to Best Buy. YOu can get as good pricing from the local
dealer. Most belong to buyers co-ops like Brand Source and compete on price
and outdo the big stores on service.


Suppose, JUST SUPPOSE, I want to wash one sock with the maximum amount
of water the washer can hold. I am not saying I would do this...but
CAN I tell the washer I have put in a huge load, even if that means I
have to lie to the robot?

I can do that on my Amana top loader.


Also, we do loads of wash with dirty, junk towels we use for cleaning
up dirt in the basement, etc...and we don't really care that these
towels get ultra-clean. I don't want the washing machine to continue
washing these nasty towels for hours trying to reduce the dirt presence
to zero.

Hours? We do have an extra time, but minutes, not hours.


What side loading and front loading washers do people recommend. I am
very keen on high capacity washers.

We've had two Maytags and now have an Amana and they have been very good.
The reaso we bought Amana was the dealer did not have one in stock (on a
Saturday) and he could deliver the Amana within the hour. It had all the
features we wanted and a very large capacity. First Mayatag we left inthe
house when we moved. Second one lasted 21 years and I chose not to repair
it.


If anyone just wants to tell me what to buy, please do...I have had to
make a million important household decisions over the last 8 years, and
one million is apparently my limit.

I'd do what I already did. Buy Maytag or Amana. Very satisfied with them.
Top loaders are nice, but rather expensive for what you get.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

Some notes from Consumer Reports:

On some top-loaders, an automatic lock during the spin cycle keeps
children from opening the lid. Front-loaders lock at the beginning of a
cycle but can usually be opened by interrupting the cycle, although
some doors remain locked briefly after the machine stops.
Front-loaders and some top-loaders set water levels automatically,
ensuring efficient use of water. Some top-loaders can be manually set
for four or more levels; three or four are probably as many as you
would need.


Front loaders
Pros: Best washing and largest capacity. Use least water and energy.
High spin speeds reduce drying time. No risk of loads becoming
unbalanced. Gentler and quieter than many top-loaders. Many are
stackable.
Cons: Price. Many cost $1,000 and up. Fewer brands and models. Cannot
soak laundry. You must stoop to load and empty laundry. Work best with
special detergent.

We just bought Maytag Neptune front load Washer and dryer. For one the
washer dose hold allot more, uses about 1/4 the water, suppose to be
gentler on your cloths and clean better.They also said water level never
goes above door. Now as for energy saving compared to a new top load well,
I guess the only savings would be on water and gas to heat water.( I don't
think that will be a greet dereference) The dryer (gas) is pretty nice
works great, it's a dryer. They both have more settings than I need to know
about but that's the new way and we all love those little LED lights. Are
old washer and dryer were Amana and about 10 years old. 10 years pretty sad.
My wife can't believe how nice the set is so I would say thumbs up. I would
say get away from Best buy , they always throw in " wear not on commission"
But I bet they get a bonus for high sales. In this area they gone in the
craper. We bought at lowes, lady was knowledgeable, Next day delivery ( try
that at best buy, next 3 days until we load the right one) rebate on
delivery $00.


wrote in message
ups.com...
Greetings all!

When my wife and I bought our home around 8 years ago, we inherited my
mom-in-law's 20-year-old washer and dryer...presumably, so we thought
at the time...as a stop-gap measure until we bought our own. Well, the
truth is, these old Kenmore appliances worked great, and were very
capacious and never harmed clothes, so we just kept them. But my wife
has always been waiting for the point when one broke, so she could buy
us a fresh set.

Well, she finally got her wish. The dryer stopped working, and though
I reckon I could fix it (or have it fixed), this event signaled the
moment at which we commit to getting a 21st century washer and dryer.

After some research on the matter, I am frustrated and stumped. The
wife really has coveted a side loading washer for ages, but as soon as
we started researching them, all kinds of negatives appeared. Can
anyone address any of the following?:

(1) Putting holes in clothes. A search on the web suggests that lots
of people seem to have had this experience. My old Kenmore, with the
old-school agitator, has never harmed a single garment. I think if I
got one hole per thousand garments, that would be one hole too many for
me. I have zero tolerance on the whole hole issue.

(2) Water spilling/leaking out of the front. That's a deal breaker
too.

(3) User-overide of preferences? I love Best Buy, and this is not a
slam at them, but the person I spoke with on this matter had absolutely
no idea about the products he was assigned to sell. They seem to
market these front loaders as having all kinds of presets -- for
instance, the washer adjusts the amount of water for the amount of
clothes I put in; also, somehow the washer monitors the dirt in the
water and keeps running until until the dirt presence is sufficiently
low.

Suppose, JUST SUPPOSE, I want to wash one sock with the maximum amount
of water the washer can hold. I am not saying I would do this...but
CAN I tell the washer I have put in a huge load, even if that means I
have to lie to the robot?

Also, we do loads of wash with dirty, junk towels we use for cleaning
up dirt in the basement, etc...and we don't really care that these
towels get ultra-clean. I don't want the washing machine to continue
washing these nasty towels for hours trying to reduce the dirt presence
to zero.

What side loading and front loading washers do people recommend. I am
very keen on high capacity washers.

If anyone just wants to tell me what to buy, please do...I have had to
make a million important household decisions over the last 8 years, and
one million is apparently my limit. I'm spent. I feel like Ingrid
Bergman in Casablanca..."You think for me, Rick."

Chuck

"higgins" wrote in message
oups.com...
Some notes from Consumer Reports:

On some top-loaders, an automatic lock during the spin cycle keeps
children from opening the lid. Front-loaders lock at the beginning of a
cycle but can usually be opened by interrupting the cycle, although
some doors remain locked briefly after the machine stops.
Front-loaders and some top-loaders set water levels automatically,
ensuring efficient use of water. Some top-loaders can be manually set
for four or more levels; three or four are probably as many as you
would need.


Front loaders
Pros: Best washing and largest capacity. Use least water and energy.
High spin speeds reduce drying time. No risk of loads becoming
unbalanced. Gentler and quieter than many top-loaders. Many are
stackable.
Cons: Price. Many cost $1,000 and up. Fewer brands and models. Cannot
soak laundry. You must stoop to load and empty laundry. Work best with
special detergent.


Mine has a soak cycle. Kenmore brand.

Many of them offer a platform as an option, so you don't have to stoop
as far to load and unload them, but it does add to the higher cost of
the front loaders.

wrote:
Greetings all!

When my wife and I bought our home around 8 years ago, we inherited my
mom-in-law's 20-year-old washer and dryer...presumably, so we thought
at the time...as a stop-gap measure until we bought our own. Well, the
truth is, these old Kenmore appliances worked great, and were very
capacious and never harmed clothes, so we just kept them. But my wife
has always been waiting for the point when one broke, so she could buy
us a fresh set.

Well, she finally got her wish. The dryer stopped working, and though
I reckon I could fix it (or have it fixed), this event signaled the
moment at which we commit to getting a 21st century washer and dryer.

After some research on the matter, I am frustrated and stumped. The
wife really has coveted a side loading washer for ages, but as soon as
we started researching them, all kinds of negatives appeared. Can
anyone address any of the following?:

(1) Putting holes in clothes. A search on the web suggests that lots
of people seem to have had this experience. My old Kenmore, with the
old-school agitator, has never harmed a single garment. I think if I
got one hole per thousand garments, that would be one hole too many for
me. I have zero tolerance on the whole hole issue.

(2) Water spilling/leaking out of the front. That's a deal breaker
too.

(3) User-overide of preferences? I love Best Buy, and this is not a
slam at them, but the person I spoke with on this matter had absolutely
no idea about the products he was assigned to sell. They seem to
market these front loaders as having all kinds of presets -- for
instance, the washer adjusts the amount of water for the amount of
clothes I put in; also, somehow the washer monitors the dirt in the
water and keeps running until until the dirt presence is sufficiently
low.

Suppose, JUST SUPPOSE, I want to wash one sock with the maximum amount
of water the washer can hold. I am not saying I would do this...but
CAN I tell the washer I have put in a huge load, even if that means I
have to lie to the robot?

Also, we do loads of wash with dirty, junk towels we use for cleaning
up dirt in the basement, etc...and we don't really care that these
towels get ultra-clean. I don't want the washing machine to continue
washing these nasty towels for hours trying to reduce the dirt presence
to zero.

What side loading and front loading washers do people recommend. I am
very keen on high capacity washers.

If anyone just wants to tell me what to buy, please do...I have had to
make a million important household decisions over the last 8 years, and
one million is apparently my limit. I'm spent. I feel like Ingrid
Bergman in Casablanca..."You think for me, Rick."

Chuck

wrote in message
ups.com...
Greetings all!

When my wife and I bought our home around 8 years ago, we inherited my
mom-in-law's 20-year-old washer and dryer...presumably, so we thought
at the time...as a stop-gap measure until we bought our own. Well, the
truth is, these old Kenmore appliances worked great, and were very
capacious and never harmed clothes, so we just kept them. But my wife
has always been waiting for the point when one broke, so she could buy
us a fresh set.

Well, she finally got her wish. The dryer stopped working, and though
I reckon I could fix it (or have it fixed), this event signaled the
moment at which we commit to getting a 21st century washer and dryer.

After some research on the matter, I am frustrated and stumped. The
wife really has coveted a side loading washer for ages, but as soon as
we started researching them, all kinds of negatives appeared. Can
anyone address any of the following?:

(1) Putting holes in clothes. A search on the web suggests that lots
of people seem to have had this experience. My old Kenmore, with the
old-school agitator, has never harmed a single garment. I think if I
got one hole per thousand garments, that would be one hole too many for
me. I have zero tolerance on the whole hole issue.

I have had a set of Neptunes for 2 years now. Never a hole in the clothes. I
would like to see the documentation on the hole issue.

(2) Water spilling/leaking out of the front. That's a deal breaker
too.

Olden days the front loaders did fill above the bottom gasket. Now days the
drum is angled and the water level does not go up to the lower gasket. Not
including slashing.
Sure it is possible for the gasket to leak. So can the gasket in your
dishwasher.


(3) User-overide of preferences? I love Best Buy, and this is not a
slam at them, but the person I spoke with on this matter had absolutely
no idea about the products he was assigned to sell. They seem to
market these front loaders as having all kinds of presets -- for
instance, the washer adjusts the amount of water for the amount of
clothes I put in; also, somehow the washer monitors the dirt in the
water and keeps running until until the dirt presence is sufficiently
low.

Mine are the bottom of the line Neptunes. The settings did take a bit of
getting use to. Select heavy soil and it runs for ~65 minutes add in extra
rinse and it goes to ~73 minutes. I always use max extract so the clothes
are dryer when they come out.

Monitoring the dirt in the water. I wonder what that would cost?


Suppose, JUST SUPPOSE, I want to wash one sock with the maximum amount
of water the washer can hold. I am not saying I would do this...but
CAN I tell the washer I have put in a huge load, even if that means I
have to lie to the robot?

Also, we do loads of wash with dirty, junk towels we use for cleaning
up dirt in the basement, etc...and we don't really care that these
towels get ultra-clean. I don't want the washing machine to continue
washing these nasty towels for hours trying to reduce the dirt presence
to zero.

What side loading and front loading washers do people recommend. I am
very keen on high capacity washers.

My washer will do a king comforter with out any problems. That is the max it
will handle in my opinion



Your post full of negitativity. Listen to your SO. Who washes most of the
clothes in the home? You can LEARN to use the washer that she likes.

I recommend the stand that they sit on to raise them up.

Sacramento Dave wrote:
We just bought Maytag Neptune front load Washer and dryer. For one the
washer dose hold allot more, uses about 1/4 the water, suppose to be
gentler on your cloths and clean better.They also said water level never
goes above door. Now as for energy saving compared to a new top load well,
I guess the only savings would be on water and gas to heat water...

One US DOE study found a 56% energy savings with horizontal axis machines.

Nick

"FDR" wrote in message
...

Cons: Price. Many cost $1,000 and up. Fewer brands and models. Cannot
soak laundry. You must stoop to load and empty laundry. Work best with
special detergent.


We paid about $1600 for our Maytag Neptune dryer and washer at Lowes

Sacramento Dave wrote:
"FDR" wrote in message
...

Cons: Price. Many cost $1,000 and up. Fewer brands and models. Cannot
soak laundry. You must stoop to load and empty laundry. Work best with
special detergent.


We paid about $1600 for our Maytag Neptune dryer and washer at Lowes




I paid a little less than $600 for a Frigidaire frontloader a couple of
years ago, and immediately got a $100 rebate from the power company.
There was no need to get a new dryer; you almost don't need a dryer with
a frontloader if you use the hi-speed spin cycle.

Bob

The Fisher and Paykel top loader combines the best of both worlds. It's
typically more expensive than most top loaders and less than most front
loaders. In 2004 the going price was $600.

The normal wash cycle starts with slow tub rotation while the machine
fills with just enough water to saturate (not submerge) the load. Then
soapy water is recirculated through the load to cut through the dirt.
Then it fills with more and cooler water and goes through shorter and
gentler agitation than a standard washer. Then comes a high speed spin
followed by a three shower and spin rinses. The high speed spin
extracts more water from the load so not as much drying is required.

The physical design is much simpler than that of a typical top loader.
The Fisher and Paykel uses a variable speed DC direct drive motor. When
the tub fills with water it floats up about half an inch disenganging
the agitator from the inner tub. So there's no transmission.

The Fisher and Paykel top loader also has the top Energy Star rating. I
was able to get a $125 rebate from the electric utility. Also, the
cabinet is slightly smaller than most top loaders giving an advantage
where space is at a premium.