"Rick" wrote in message
ink.net...
"William Brown" wrote in message
news:OoEne.5375$rb6.2399@lakeread07...
Red Cloudİ wrote:
On Wed, 1 Jun 2005 06:06:39 -0400, "Ian"
wrote:
What is it about the front load washers that makes then twice the price
of
the top load units?
I'm trying to cut through the sales talk. Are they actually "better"?
If
so, what do they do that the top load units don't?
Thanks,
Ian
If you are looking for "better", check out a Fisher & Paykel machine.
They are top loaders, but have all the advantages of a front loader.
They also have a direct drive, which means no transmission to break.
The final spin-dry cycle spins at something like 1000 rpm, leaving the
clothes almost dry when they come out, which means you run the dryer a
lot less, saving further energy.
http://usa.fisherpaykel.com/model_ov...E5C08AD4C89AAE
This isn't some new company, either. These machines have been around
for many years in Europe and Asia. The price is comparable to a good
conventional top loader.
rusty redcloud
They still have an agitator, don't they? I had understood that lack of
an agitator was one of the big advantages of the front-loaders, as your
fabrics suffer less wear without the agitator, so they last longer.
That's a lot of hooey. There's nothing gentle about being
dropped 2 or 3 feet hundreds of times (and spun at 1000
RPM) every wash cycle.
My machine rotates the drum very gently, almost to the point where, when I
first got it, I wondered if it would actually get things clean. It does.
And, the spin cycle is adjustable. For towels, I select warp speed. For
pretty much everything else, normal or gentle. No problems with clothing
showing premature wear.