Although front loaders are more water/energy efficient anything else in regards to pros/cons. What are the best brands? We've heard LG or Samsung.
I have now had my new front loader and matching dryer for a year now----LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!! Quicker, cleaner and yes way more energy efficient. I have always loved Kenmore appliances--that is what I have Kenmore HE5T. I was going to see about LG (Sears sells them all) but they said it is harder to get the parts for LG if and when needed.
Scientifically front loaders are better because the garments get more mechanical action from the rising and falling as the drum turns. This action helps the soaps to work better and the clothes to get pounded a bit more. Also, rinsing is better and spinning is also better. As for detergents, you can use normal detergent in a front loader and do not need to buy HE (expensive) soaps. Just use about 1/2 of the normal dose of soap. If you ever use too much and the machine has to much sudsing, add some liquid fabric softener to the soap dispenser and flush it down with a glass of water during the cycle.
I've had a front-loader for about 5 years and I've been very pleased with it. Some of the pros, other than the water/energy efficiency you mentioned, are: - The spin cycle is much faster, so your clothes come out closer to dry. This saves you money on the drying cycle, or time on the clothesline. - You can stack the dryer on top of the washer, so it uses less space. - The action of a front-loader is much gentler on the clothes, because there's no agitator stirring them up and rubbing against them. The clothes and water just fall and slosh around due to gravity. As far as brands, when I was shopping for one I discovered that most of them looked alike but had different combinations of features. It turns out that almost all of them are made by the same manufacturers (probably in China) and that each major north american brand (Kenmore, Inglis, Frigidaire, etc.) just orders machines with different combinations of features. I think the intent is to make it really hard for consumers to compare apples to apples. But basically if you are shopping and you see two dryers from different brands that look similar but have different combinations of features, they're made by the same manufacturer. I've provided a link to some information on saving energy on your laundry, from my little energy saving website. I hope you find it useful. The article itself also has links to other websites with information on the energy efficiency of specific models.
I used to have the typical top loader with the agitator in the center but have now replaced it with an LG front-loader (no agitator). I have to say that my clothes are much cleaner and seem less worn/stretched without the need for the agitator. I can also wash a lot more in the front loader than I could in the top loader. The detergent and fabric softener drawer is awesome! The only negative points I've found is that the wash times are longer and the front loaders can be harder on the back if you don't get the pedestal/drawers that lift them up about a foot higher, but that's only an issue if you're worried about back problems. When we were shopping for them I saw a lot of reviews talking about a mildewy smell from the washer (which comes from water in the rubber seal area not getting to dry out) but I haven't had that problem...but I have an actual laundry room and can leave the washer door open for a few hours after I finish washing clothes to let it dry out. You can also check out the different brands etc. on consumer reports. You can sign up for a month for about $5-6 and get all kinds of reviews on washers and dryers. Hope it helps!
I have a Matag Neptune. It is a front loader and is awsome. It uses little water and spins most of the water from the clothes, making drying a very easy task.
