I am considering getting a new clothes washer and dryer and I'm looking at
the front loaders for the energy savings. When I purchase, I'll probably
get the extended warranty to 5 years.

I have looked at various brands. At this point, the Bosch washer/dryer from
Lowes seems to be the best price. The Lowes 5 year warranty (actually 4
years added on) is $140.

I kind of ruled out Maytag Neptune because of reliability; also understand
there was a class action lawsuit against the Neptunes.

Sears Kenmore might be OK, but 5 year warranty costs are pretty high.
Kenmore reliability seems to be good.

For some reason, I haven't seen too many Whirlpool front loaders. I wasn't
sure about the LG brand; Home Depot sells them. I don't know how reliable
LG is. The Sears salesman said that GE washers/dryers are made by LG.

Does anyone have experience with the Bosch brand? The Bosch front load
washer and dryer at Lowes both had stainless steel drums. I have noticed
that most front load washers have stainless drums, but not all dryers.

Is it really worth the extra costs associated with front load washers? In
about a year, our household will just be my wife and I, so I'm not sure we
really need a front load washer. Maybe a conventional top loader will do
for us.

Thanks for any replies and/or opinions.

Bosch is very big in Europe and considered an excellent brand for most
of their products. I have heard they more costly to fix and to get
parts for in the US.

stevie wrote:
I am considering getting a new clothes washer and dryer and I'm looking at
the front loaders for the energy savings. When I purchase, I'll probably
get the extended warranty to 5 years.

I have looked at various brands. At this point, the Bosch washer/dryer from
Lowes seems to be the best price. The Lowes 5 year warranty (actually 4
years added on) is $140.

I kind of ruled out Maytag Neptune because of reliability; also understand
there was a class action lawsuit against the Neptunes.

Sears Kenmore might be OK, but 5 year warranty costs are pretty high.
Kenmore reliability seems to be good.

For some reason, I haven't seen too many Whirlpool front loaders. I wasn't
sure about the LG brand; Home Depot sells them. I don't know how reliable
LG is. The Sears salesman said that GE washers/dryers are made by LG.

Does anyone have experience with the Bosch brand? The Bosch front load
washer and dryer at Lowes both had stainless steel drums. I have noticed
that most front load washers have stainless drums, but not all dryers.

Is it really worth the extra costs associated with front load washers? In
about a year, our household will just be my wife and I, so I'm not sure we
really need a front load washer. Maybe a conventional top loader will do
for us.

Thanks for any replies and/or opinions.

Hi,

These may help...

http://www.epinions.com/Washing_Mach...--front_loader
http://www.epinions.com/Dryers

jeff.
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.applianceaid.com/

Appliance Repair Aid wrote:
stevie wrote:
I am considering getting a new clothes washer and dryer and I'm looking at
the front loaders for the energy savings. When I purchase, I'll probably
get the extended warranty to 5 years.

I have looked at various brands. At this point, the Bosch washer/dryer from
Lowes seems to be the best price. The Lowes 5 year warranty (actually 4
years added on) is $140.

I kind of ruled out Maytag Neptune because of reliability; also understand
there was a class action lawsuit against the Neptunes.

Sears Kenmore might be OK, but 5 year warranty costs are pretty high.
Kenmore reliability seems to be good.

For some reason, I haven't seen too many Whirlpool front loaders. I wasn't
sure about the LG brand; Home Depot sells them. I don't know how reliable
LG is. The Sears salesman said that GE washers/dryers are made by LG.

Does anyone have experience with the Bosch brand? The Bosch front load
washer and dryer at Lowes both had stainless steel drums. I have noticed
that most front load washers have stainless drums, but not all dryers.

Is it really worth the extra costs associated with front load washers? In
about a year, our household will just be my wife and I, so I'm not sure we
really need a front load washer. Maybe a conventional top loader will do
for us.

Thanks for any replies and/or opinions.

Hi,

These may help...

http://www.epinions.com/Washing_Mach...--front_loader
http://www.epinions.com/Dryers

jeff.
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.applianceaid.com/


I think it's very questionable if the energy savings of a front loader
will justify the difference in cost, which is considerable. A family
of two isn't going to use it that much. The main savings is in the
amount of hot water used and that depends on what your cost of heating
water is.

The other advantage that front loaders are supposed to have. The most
interesting one is that they are supposed to clean better. Just
looking at how they work, I would think that is likely true, as the
clothes are constantly moved around more. For that reason, I might
consider one next time, however I also don't really have any complaints
about how clean the clothes come out of my top loader either.

I have a Sears Kenmore front loader (for the record, it's almost 5
years old and has been completely trouble-free so far). Front loaders
definitely get clothes cleaner. They are also much gentler on your
clothes, which results in not only fewer snags and tears in the wash,
but less fading (surfaces aren't roughed up as much). As a result,
there is probably some savings in clothes over the long run. They use
much less water and accommodate much larger loads, so the water savings
is not only on hot water but on amount used, which could represent
significant savings if you do a lot of laundry and pay for your water.
They also run much more quietly, which might be a factor if your
laundry room is near your living areas.

However, they also use HE (high efficiency) detergents which, in my
market at least, are not as common (3 brands), rarely go on sale, and
don't come in the jumbo money-saving sizes. And, as pointed out, there
is a sizeable difference in initial cost.

Balancing everything, I like the front loader enough that I will
probably never buy another top loader.

Jo Ann

the costs saved in water, fuel to heat water and sewage will never
equal the upfront costs Plus front loaders are less friendly to load
and unload, often require a extra cost pedastal, and even with the
extended warranty at 5 years repair costs can be @#$ how old is your
present washer and dryer?

whats repair costs been for them?

I have a bosch DISHWASHER, quet cleans great and has broke down twice
in 3 years both requiring expensive parts replacement Bosch
dishwashers are rated dead last for reability by consumer
reports....dont know about their clothes washers

LG has a interesting unit its a washer dryer combo. load clothes, push
button they come back washed and dried, no moving of stuff from one
machine to another. Very convenient but I have never talked to a owner

The push to energy saving appliances is wonderful if its at least close
to being cost effective. Sadly front loaders arent there yet

EXCEPT for the marketing department... rather than spending 700 bucks
for a laundry pair they get 2 or 3 times that out of you, and higher
cost products usually have bigger profit margins, let alone the
downstream income on parts and service once the warranty expires....

for the manufacturer its wonderful!

sears has some top load no agitator models that use less water you
might investigate that.....

let us know what you finally select i am curious...

Just bought a new clothes washer...bought a Fisher and Paykel which is made
in New Zealand. Good thing about this one is that it uses about the same
amount of water as a front loader, and when it spins, it spins at 1000 RPM
where as other top loaders spin at approx. 600 RPM. The clothes come out of
the spin cycle pretty dry. And, what used to take an hour of dryer time
now takes less than 40 minutes. Take a look at this washer before you drop
money on a Bosch....still using the same old Maytag dryer.

Mark


"stevie" wrote in message ...
I am considering getting a new clothes washer and dryer and I'm looking at
the front loaders for the energy savings. When I purchase, I'll probably
get the extended warranty to 5 years.

I have looked at various brands. At this point, the Bosch washer/dryer
from
Lowes seems to be the best price. The Lowes 5 year warranty (actually 4
years added on) is $140.

I kind of ruled out Maytag Neptune because of reliability; also understand
there was a class action lawsuit against the Neptunes.

Sears Kenmore might be OK, but 5 year warranty costs are pretty high.
Kenmore reliability seems to be good.

For some reason, I haven't seen too many Whirlpool front loaders. I
wasn't
sure about the LG brand; Home Depot sells them. I don't know how reliable
LG is. The Sears salesman said that GE washers/dryers are made by LG.

Does anyone have experience with the Bosch brand? The Bosch front load
washer and dryer at Lowes both had stainless steel drums. I have noticed
that most front load washers have stainless drums, but not all dryers.

Is it really worth the extra costs associated with front load washers? In
about a year, our household will just be my wife and I, so I'm not sure we
really need a front load washer. Maybe a conventional top loader will do
for us.

Thanks for any replies and/or opinions.

I bought a Maytag Neptune front loader washer 8 years ago. We used it 5
years then gave it to my parents when they moved to the area. We bought a
Kenmore Whirlpool front loader to replace it. It is slightly bigger and
that is why we bought it. We wash a king size comforter often.


I see one model of the Maytag Neptune front loaders selling for around $650
at Lowes and Home Depot. The one we gave to my parents only broke once in 8
years so at $650 I would definitely buy it again now. We paid about $1000
when we bought it. I would not be too concerned about the repair issue.
Like I said we had only one repair in 8 years. Some people had mildew
problems and some had control panel and door lock problems. Those issues
were all redesigned long ago and most people who complained to Maytag got
theirs upgraded for free. We did. The lawsuit actually screwed things up
for people. It set cut off dates for the free upgrades.

The first Kenmore Whirlpool washer we had was replaced by Sears because of a
bad welding job at the factory and bad pump. They are very vibration prone
and if you don't have a strong floor, forget it.


At the cost of repairs these days, I am now buying appliances at Lowes
because of their cheap 4 year service agreements.

"stevie" wrote in message ...
I am considering getting a new clothes washer and dryer and I'm looking at
the front loaders for the energy savings. When I purchase, I'll probably
get the extended warranty to 5 years.

I have looked at various brands. At this point, the Bosch washer/dryer
from
Lowes seems to be the best price. The Lowes 5 year warranty (actually 4
years added on) is $140.

I kind of ruled out Maytag Neptune because of reliability; also understand
there was a class action lawsuit against the Neptunes.

Sears Kenmore might be OK, but 5 year warranty costs are pretty high.
Kenmore reliability seems to be good.

For some reason, I haven't seen too many Whirlpool front loaders. I
wasn't
sure about the LG brand; Home Depot sells them. I don't know how reliable
LG is. The Sears salesman said that GE washers/dryers are made by LG.

Does anyone have experience with the Bosch brand? The Bosch front load
washer and dryer at Lowes both had stainless steel drums. I have noticed
that most front load washers have stainless drums, but not all dryers.

Is it really worth the extra costs associated with front load washers? In
about a year, our household will just be my wife and I, so I'm not sure we
really need a front load washer. Maybe a conventional top loader will do
for us.

Thanks for any replies and/or opinions.

i should mention that my present washer & dryer are 22 years old. they are
maytags and still running ok.

service on these units has been minimal, but i don't believe that will be
the case with present day maytags.

my thinking (which might be flawed) was to sell my present machines while
they still work ok. it would be difficult to sell them if they had
problems. then use what money received from old machines to apply to new
ones.

several sales persons have said that present day machines will last about
10-12 years. i know that almost all manufacturers have reduced warranties
to 1 year. i guess retailers persuaded them that reducing manufacturer
warranty would result in greater sales of extended warranties.
wrote in message
oups.com...
the costs saved in water, fuel to heat water and sewage will never
equal the upfront costs Plus front loaders are less friendly to load
and unload, often require a extra cost pedastal, and even with the
extended warranty at 5 years repair costs can be @#$ how old is your
present washer and dryer?

whats repair costs been for them?

I have a bosch DISHWASHER, quet cleans great and has broke down twice
in 3 years both requiring expensive parts replacement Bosch
dishwashers are rated dead last for reability by consumer
reports....dont know about their clothes washers

LG has a interesting unit its a washer dryer combo. load clothes, push
button they come back washed and dried, no moving of stuff from one
machine to another. Very convenient but I have never talked to a owner

The push to energy saving appliances is wonderful if its at least close
to being cost effective. Sadly front loaders arent there yet

EXCEPT for the marketing department... rather than spending 700 bucks
for a laundry pair they get 2 or 3 times that out of you, and higher
cost products usually have bigger profit margins, let alone the
downstream income on parts and service once the warranty expires....

for the manufacturer its wonderful!

sears has some top load no agitator models that use less water you
might investigate that.....

let us know what you finally select i am curious...

One of the more important aspects of buying laundry equipment is checking
the length of warranty. Some manufacturers are lessening their warranty
length on parts such as transmissions and motors and pushing extended
warranties.
If you're considering a front load washer, first ensure that your laundry
room floor is rigid enough to handle the higher spin speed and horizontal
force that a front load distributes.
Foreign machines are fine but first check with repair shops to verify that
you will be able to get factory authorized service for in warranty
problems. Also check on parts availability. It's no fun to wait a month
or more for hard to get parts. Haire is terrible for this.