In article , "Ian"
says...
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?

We have an LG Tromm front-loader that's both washer and dryer in one
unit. We first looked at it to save space, which it certainly does,
but it has other benefits, too.

It uses very little water, especially on less-soiled cycles. Unlike
some front-loaders, the water level never gets above the door seal,
so you can stop it and add something mid-load.

It uses a different drying system than a standard tumble-dry machine,
the clothes aren't continuously tumbled and don't fray off gobs of
lint in every load. The other advantage of the drying system is that
it doesn't need a blower vent, the water vapor is condensed and goes
down the drain.

It has a range of spin speeds -- on the slowest setting it's gentle
enough for heirloom patchwork quilts, at 1100RPM it gets towels
almost dry enough to use without the dry cycle. And it's direct
drive so it's very quiet. Ours is on the second floor of a 100-year-
old house, simple wood plank flooring, 2x8 joists on 24" centers
spanning 16 feet, so the floor is limber by modern standards, but you
can't hear the washer running immediately below it in the living
room.

It's extremely energy efficient compared to the traditional top-load
washer and front-load dryer it replaced. It doesn't even use 240V
for the dryer, a standard 110/10A outlet is plenty.

It has a "sanitary" cycle, with an internal heater that boosts the
wash water to 167F. Great for my clothes after working in the
crawlspace that used to be infested with stray cats ;-)

My favorite feature is that, since it's washer and dryer in one, you
don't have to come back after the wash starts and put everything in
the dryer. Load the washer, start it, and come back to a load of
clean, dry clothes ready to put away.

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Updated Infrared Photography Gallery:
http://www.phred.org/~josh/photo/ir.html