Washing machine, Front loader Vs Top loader

[davenl5l]

we only have rainwater had to sell our near new top loader for sweet f all and get a front loader for the water savings made a huge difference.only problem is it takes forever to do the washing on eco wash (or so the missus says)

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

So long as you don't do what I did when we first got ours.

Bought a huge box of detergent (on special of course,) after the first wash I found I'd bought top loader stuff instead of the front loader type

Hah! Hah! Hah!....I thought it was only me that did that sort of thing.......never send me shopping ......3 of them, 5 of those and I gotta have a dozen of them, ....LOL!

Davenl5l... fast wash for ours is 25 minutes.......thats all I use,

I have used the inbuilt heater once.....so power is a lot less than a top loader

if I wanted to do all my washing in hot water then it is a simple matter of undoing the cold water inlet and changing it to the hot water inlet

I can choose whether to use cold water or the actual water temp on all the settings

[Dusty1]

Originally Posted by cs123

I had a top loader and was convinced to get a front loader. What a PIA. Didn't seem to wash the clothes too well and took 3 times as long to do it. If you want to do a few loads that's 1/2 a day gone just waiting for the washing to finish.

Pulled it out and went back to a top loader.

Horses for courses I guess. With the timer, it's not a drama. Set it to finish in the morning then ang it out. No wasting time if it's running when you're asleep.

With a front loader you've just got to be a bit more organised. I've never lost a sock, hanky or other item of clothing in 20 years.

[Kevxr8Leexr6]

Having been in the industrial laundry equipment for over ten years. can say the front loaders are way ahead of the top loader machines . but common operator "forgetfulness " will cause all of the above i have read.
1) warm or hot wash, if no heater not valid without hot water tap connected. will wait till sensor reaches temp . wont
2) dirty clothes at end or fluff, etc , drain pump filter full o crap or water drain pipe times out before full empty.
3) with none of the above happening an cycle takes forever, unbalanced load , will fill with water and try again to spin 3-4 times depending on machine .
4) low water pressure to fill. rinse etc will drag the 25min wash out to perhaps an hour.

hope that helps

[Brent]

Used to have top loaders forever until about 3 years ago we moved house and bought a front loader Miele. It's a good unit, and certainly appears more gentle on your clothes than a top loader. Never had a problem with it not taking out stains.

Drawbacks? The capacity is less than a top loader, so if you had say 4 full size bath towels to wash, the front loader would have its work cut out for it.

However, the biggest drawback for me is the way the thing is programmed to use the minimal amout of water absolutely necessary. Yeah, I know, environmentally friendly blah, blah......but if you put in a heavy load that has a high density to it (towels are a good example), you'll still see some suds coming out of the washing as it goes through its final spin cycle. In other words, more water should be used in the rinse cycle. Even another 3-5 litres of water during rinsing would do the trick, but no cigar. Our Miele has a "water plus" feature on it which adds a bit more water to the wash and rinse cycle, and even this is just adequate. Also, this feature can only be seleted on certain programs and not on "Auto" when the machine reckons it knows how to wash & rinse clothes better than the operator does. Call me old fashioned, but I like the "manual override" switch to add extra water if I want it.

[davenl5l]

poppa quick wash uses too much water we use it in winter or else clothes would never dry(no dryer)

[brydie76]

Have a hairdresser in our household, so washing machine runs at least once a day with towels from the salon. Had top loaders for years, but as we went on they kept lasting less and less time (ain't built like they used to be!!!). So for the perceived water and detergent savings, got a front loader. Biggest mistake- use MORE water and detergent because we can't get as much in the machine (despite having the same load ratings!!!) and have to do double the loads, have issues with it building up mould and such as said (leaving door open doesn't help), nightmare to load/unload and the damn thing still leaves hair and crud in the towels and machine despite using the super duper heavy duty 3 hours and tonnes of water wash with a half load!

We are all just waiting for the damn thing to die (hopefully not too far away) and then we are back to top loaders. Thank god...

[GasoLane]

What Brand of machine brydie, my wife also has a Hairdressing salon and the towels get done daily here as well.
We do it on the fast wash (30mins) and the towels come out fine with no mould build up and we've had it for about 7 years.

[hawkgirl]

i went from a 20 year old toploader(still working but leaks) to a new toploader, it washes soo much better. This one has a turbo dry feature that makes them just that little bit drier - handy in winter as we dont have a dryer. One of my sisters has a front loader and it seems to be noisier, and tangles the clothes. Also, as pointed out earlier, you cant add a last minute lost sock.


whatever you choose, i will suggest that you look at Appliances Online. I got my singing samsung toploader from them at over $100 less than the best deal anyone else was offering or could offer, with free delivery & removal of the old machine.

[Charliewool]

Top loader by a mile.. Fisher&paykel are great.. Mine hasnt missed a beat in 7 yrs. front loaders? Wait til the door leaks, and it WILL when you least expect it!

[Yellow_Festiva]

Regarding buying the 'wrong powder' for front loaders I did a little research and I think the main difference is that front loader powder is less sudsy. I was gifted a 5kg tub of the wrong powder when I moved into my new place and just mixed it into a 3rd container with front loader powder 50/50 and saw no real ill effects.

Also, someone made a comment that at times their cycle runs too dry. The first front loader I had was an LG and no matter what cycle I chose there was always a healthy dose of water splashing around the bottom of the door window. The new machine I have is a Whirlpool and it is a little on the stingy side with the water it uses. When I jam in the load I allow it to start then just slide back the soap drawer and pour in the extra water. Generally a full 9L watering can is all I add, sometimes a little less. I don't know if this really makes any difference to be honest, I just like to see the water sloshing around! I don't add the extra water to the rinse cycle and have bever had any powder residue ever.

[Barnaby]

Front loading Miele here. Had it for 12 years, never missed a beat, never had a problem, would never buy a top loader.

[brydie76]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

What Brand of machine brydie, my wife also has a Hairdressing salon and the towels get done daily here as well.
We do it on the fast wash (30mins) and the towels come out fine with no mould build up and we've had it for about 7 years.

(sorry, only just remembered this!)

it's an LG Direct Drive 7kg. Would be at most 2 or 3 years old, which in the longevity stakes for us is not too bad. Prior to that we had Fisher Paykel top loaders, and just got the updated version of the broken one each time they needed to be replaced, but we kept getting less and less out of them, which was annoying.

[Sox]

This is a no brainer, front loaders without hesitation.

Less water, less power, less detergent, greater efficiency, gentler on clothes, the list goes on.

The only argument for a top loader is a small amount of convenience.

We've had our front loader for over 10 years and it's still working fine.
When it gives up, I won't even consider a top loader.

[ILLaViTaR]

We got a Miele frontloader (largest available), if you have more than 3-4 family members don't bother haha you'll be washing all day.

[2011G6E]

Depends on the washing you're doing.
Clothes get pretty grimy out here with the coal dust you brush up against.

The important bit is, if you have dirty clothes a lot, a top loader with a central agitator is the best. That's the tall tower thing that sticks up in the center of the bowl. It ensures that the clothes get a damn good, well, agitating, instead of just swirling around gently as with the ones that had a bowl that just has a ridged flat thing down in the bottom.

Talk to the staff at a big store and they'll usually be able to advise you on what to get, depending on how dirty the clothes you usually deal with are and how many people there are.
Given that there isn't a huge difference in price between, say, a 5.5kg and a 7.5kg, go for the bigger one...it's a "just in case" thing for if you have a big load, and also lets you wash things like blankets and even doonas if you want to.

Brands? We had a 7.5kg Simpson top loader for nearly ten years, and it copped a hammering with 3 kids at home and my dirty work clothes before finally giving up the ghost. Not sure what's wrong, but it has got corrosion under the center agitator which is pretty bad, so the old girl had to go.
Our current one is a 5.5kg Fischer & Paykal "Quicksmart" top loader with the big center agitator, and it takes everything in it's stride.

[ebxr8240]

Our upright Maytag is 15 years old. Replace centre bearing and seal a few years ago..
We wash big stuff so the larger the better.. Small loads it pays to adjust water level which helps big time with water usage..In summer the water goes into 42mm hose and waters front lawn..I think brands play here also ?? We had side loader before, it lasted 5 years.. Simpson TMK ?? I often end up buying the rubbish batch of a good brand on some of my household purchases..

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

Our upright Maytag is 15 years old. Replace centre bearing and seal a few years ago..

Years ago we had a Maytag, the household version of the Laundromat type. Solid as a rock, never broke down, brilliant machine.

Then we had to start paying for water........ It used to use about 150 litres per load!!

[Dusty1]

Issue can be that some manufacturers build certain models in Germany and other models in China. Bosch does this. Mine is German made, but my parents is Chinese. Theirs is a lot more basic.

I had a Simpson years ago as a renter, it was rubbish. Like most things, it does come down to how much you are prepared to pay. This would be the case with top loaders as well.

But I'll only ever get another front loader. Five person family, and I do all the washing, and it isn't a drama for me. Doesn't take all day, and with a 1400 rpm spin, takes no time to dry, in summer or winter.

Get a timer on any front loader and use it stop in the morning or when you normally hang the washing out (when you get home from work for example), really negates the timing issue that has been raised with front loaders.

[MercurySilver]

you know all this efficency and lower suds and better for clothes stuff is crap dont you
every single one is diff and its personal choice

ive had both
my clothes lasted about the same time using both
each type of one has good power consumption and bad
each type of one has good water usage and bad

we are top loader at the moment
its easier, was 400 off in a sale (floor model) uses less water and was the one the misses wanted
wtf do i care??? lol
tell me if and when it breaks, thats all i need to know

[ebxr8240]

Often wandered why the Mrs spent so much time in there ?? Lol...

[2011G6E]

Maytag is probably one of the best if you can afford it...they're well know for being very solid and almost endlessly rebuildable.

I've always wondered about these machines that advertise using very little water and detergent...how do they cope with truly grubby work clothes?

An interesting point with powders (and some liquids) is the measuring spoon or cap. They trick you into using way more than you have to. If you look at a measuring spoon that comes in, say, a box of powdered detergent, it will have a fine line marked maybe half way or less up the cup...it's hard to see, but it's there. This is where you need the powder for a full load...less is needed if a small load. They are hoping that gullible customers will just chuck in a scoop full, which can be up to two or three times what you actually need.
It's the same with caps on bottles of liquid.

[poppa smurf]

I get powdered tungsten ingrained in my clothes, the front loader copes very well and almost always produces top results

some need a presoak but thats to be expected and normal....we had to do a lot of presoaking with our old top loader as well

we had to muck about finding good detergent for cold water but once found......top job

[Benny D]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

ebay mate.......heaps of parts on there......I broke the door handle off ours not long after we had it, my fault, didn't wait for it to unlock and i was pulling on it

dead simple fix as well, undo the screws around the glass and the whole door comes off and the glass and handle separates and reassembles very simply

I think the new handle cost me about $6 or something similar

drove past one this morning. stopped real quik, jumped out and pulled the door lock sensor off.

back home whacked it in and all sweet

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by Benny D

drove past one this morning. stopped real quik, jumped out and pulled the door lock sensor off.

back home whacked it in and all sweet

Hah! well done......cant get them cheaper than that!

[Ford_The_Win]

I have a 9.5kg Simpson top loader, prior to that I had a front loader. The front loader was garbage, I'd never have another. It took three times as long to wash, the soap was more expensive, didn't get stuff as clean so I'd end up having to wash some things twice. The top loader can handle huge loads (can wash everything in one go) and does a great job. Water consumption isn't an issue for me, I just adjust the water level depending on what I am washing. The water savings from the front loader are cancelled out by the fact they don't do as good a job the first time. Plus, it's much easier to get stuff in and out of a top loader, and they come in bigger capacities.

[ebxr8240]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Years ago we had a Maytag, the household version of the Laundromat type. Solid as a rock, never broke down, brilliant machine.

Then we had to start paying for water........ It used to use about 150 litres per load!!

Set to correct water level they are fine..The rental type are designed to be used to full load as they're generally treated that way..
We have pool and spa and our water bill is about the same as investment properties.. We couldn't wash our linen properly with side feed ..

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

I have a 9.5kg Simpson top loader, prior to that I had a front loader. The front loader was garbage, I'd never have another. It took three times as long to wash, the soap was more expensive, didn't get stuff as clean so I'd end up having to wash some things twice. The top loader can handle huge loads (can wash everything in one go) and does a great job. Water consumption isn't an issue for me, I just adjust the water level depending on what I am washing. The water savings from the front loader are cancelled out by the fact they don't do as good a job the first time. Plus, it's much easier to get stuff in and out of a top loader, and they come in bigger capacities.

I've noticed that with our daughters front loader...it cost her a lot of money, but I can't remember the brand. Possibly Fischer & Paykal?
If clothes are really dirty...her husband is a farm consultant and salesman and always comes home covered in red dirt...you sometimes have to do them twice, and it seems to take forever to do a decent sized load.

To each his own...but it's good to ask advice from people who actually own them and also from the store salespeople...they're generally good about advising what you will need.

[Madaya]

Originally Posted by frd906

We have a front loader, and every time we go to was clothes it always leaves dirt stains on them, dont no what the hell is going on lol

I was told by a washing machine repair specialist that staining on clothes can be caused by a build up of Fabric Softener gunk residue. Use less FS and try the vinegar option for the occasional clean.

Front Loader for me, a Fisher Paykel 8kg, quiet.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by Sox

This is a no brainer, front loaders without hesitation.

Less water, less power, less detergent, greater efficiency, gentler on clothes, the list goes on.

The only argument for a top loader is a small amount of convenience.

We've had our front loader for over 10 years and it's still working fine.
When it gives up, I won't even consider a top loader.

I should have also mentioned, virtually all industrial machines and laundromats have front loading machines. This speaks volumes of the superiority of that style of machine.

I've never heard any test reports showing top loaders outperforming front loaders, it's always the opposite.

Europe have been using front loaders long before we even had them in this country.

As I already said, there's really no performance advantage to owning a top loader, except a small amount of convenience.

BTW, forget what a salesman tells, you, they're only interested in what makes the shop the biggest profit margin. They have not tested the machines.
Only use independent test results, use Google, it's all there in black and white.

The important facts are -
Front loaders use less water.
Front loaders use less power.
Front loaders are gentler on the clothing.
Front loaders wash better.
Front loaders use less detergent.