Mine is needing a bullet in the head. I'd like to know which washes clothes better.
Performance wise Front loader does a better job than the top loading counterpart. Efficiency wise also its better.
I have had a front loader washer for about 6 years. I love it! Front loaders not only are more greener with water and soap, but they are also quieter, which is important to me because it's not that far from my bedroom. Also, your clothes don't come out in a big knot. I think the cycles may be a little longer, but not much.
I used top loaders for about 30 years and now have a front loader. I think the front loader does a much better job because of the fact that it tumbles the clothes while washing them rather than just swishing them around. BTW, someone has posted that you can't stop them once they've started if you need to add something and that's totally untrue. You can pause them at any time.
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.
Consumer Reports does a review of both on their february issue this year. I think a lot depends on what you do with your machine and what you want from it. I dye a lot of clothes, do many soaker loads and often have to pull delicates before they reach a certain part of the cycles, all of which you aren't able to do with a front loader. Some front loaders have had problems with mold and mildew in the gaskets, recalling them, but a couple are being sued for their lack of action on the issue. Hands down the energy savings for a front loader may be worth it, but they do require special detergents, which do cost more and need to be factored into the operational costs. They are making more energy efficient top loaders in recent years with more cycle options as well.
