wrote:

But should be avoided since they use several times the water and
electricity, and money to run. They are basically obsolete technology.

It is possible to get a decent top loader that is basically like
conventional automatic with a drum mounted on a horizontal axis, but
with a trap door in the side of the drum. Hence you open the lid, rotate
the drum round so the trap is at the top and open it. They have the
advantage of only being approx 400mm wide, and also the drum can be
supported on bearings on both ends of the axel. The downside is that you
can't have worktop over them.

Philips and Whirlpool did some... not sure who still makes them though.

--
Cheers,

John.

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