I'm shopping around for a washing machine right now. Do the front loaders save you enough money on electricity and water to be worth their initial upfront cost? Do clothes come out better than they do with the old style top loaders? A Sears salesguy told me they pay for themselves in 6-10 years, but I don't want to take his word for it because he's working for a comission. I can't get the information from Consumer Reports because I don't have a subscription.
Ours saves a ton in water usage and wear and tear on the hot water tank; uses very little electricity. (Compared to the conventional top loader we've always used) Great purchace.
Our front load washers are also very economical and quiet. They do the job much better than a top load washer does. I think it's because the barrel is turning at higher speeds because it is upright, not lying down like a top load washer. So the washer is moe balanced.
A typical top-loader uses 40-55 gallons of water per cycle. A front-loader uses around 20. I've the Maytag Neptune washer and dryer, and am pretty happy with them. That being said, I'd be wary of getting any front-loader with the drawer on the bottom. This tends to make the washer vibrate and have unstable spin cycles. Also, make sure you have a solid foundation/floor for the washer and dryer to sit on, as not having one will only make them vibrate all the more.
We replaced our traditional washer with a front loader about 3 years ago. We really do use a lot less water, and they also use less detergent (less than half), so that's another savings. As far as less electricy I can't say -- I haven't noticed a difference there. The clothes DO come out cleaner, though, also. I noticed it with the kids' socks with the first load!
What other types of washing machines are there apart form front loaders? Do you live in america?
