New front loader washer? - Page 2

[Katie T]

I had a Kenmore that we bought brand new in 06 and hated it so much that I sold it off 2 yrs later for a tl.

Clothes came out still stinking (bug spray, sunscreen, poopy diapers) and I had to run so many cycles to get things clean and free of detergent (I was not using too much unless 1 t is considered too much) I played around with it a ton trying to love it as I just HAD to have one when we bought our house.

Clothes were a tangled mess, I was constantly dropping clean clothes on the (not always) clean floor. Once I had 2 in diaper and would spend 2 full days getting the dang things clean I got the cheapest tl I could find and have been a happy camper ever since.

No difference in our water or energy bill as I was having to rewash most cycles a bazillian times anyways.

Long story short research and maybe stay away from the kenmore ones unless they have improved over the last 4 yrs. Good luck I hope you love what you get!

[Essie]

Originally Posted by enkmom

Do you know anyone with a front loader who would let you do a load in their machine to see how you liked it? I wish I had tried before I bought, because the little things that annoy me are magnified x1million with daily use. My clothes are clean, last longer, and are spun much drier in the front loader. On the other hand, if you forget an item or drop a stray sock, you can't just open the door and drop it in. The clothes tend to wrap up in knots in my machine, and I drop things on the floor every single load as I am trying to untangle them. I also should have purchased the riser. Trying it out could have showed me that a front loader was not for me, or could have pointed me toward a model that didn't have these issues.

I have the Kenmore that was the newest model in 2008. The 3, maybe?

Good advice. My MIL has one and gave me a demo. I liked it! I'm not too worried about the missing the sock thing.

[Thyme Mama]

fwiw, i *really* regret buying a fl. they truly DO NOT get clothes as clean. diapers? forget it! i even have an on-board heater and a sanitary cycle. our sheets and towels never smelled until our fl. trying to get the stink out of something? throw it away or take it to a laundrymat.

the electronic control makes me nervous too - if it goes bad you're lookin at a huge bill, or possibly replacing your washer.

if you're dead set on a fl, do some research on consumer affairs (?) and see which ones got good reviews. a few models/companies are simply absolute lemons.

good luck with your choice!

sta: like pp said, my clothes come out in tangles constantly, and i have to wash things a jillion times too. so any time/water saved in the initial load is negated. in fact, the fl becomes extremely inefficient when you have to rewash loads over and over!

KatieT: i told my dh i want a used tl off craigslist for our anniversary :LOL

[Thyme Mama]

btw, mine is an LG and it got some of theeeeee worst reviews and problems. their customer service is rude or non-existent. we will never buy another lg product again.

eta: the LG TROMM washer/dryer/pedestal combo was about $2700, so the "higher end " model. my dryer is just fine, and i really like the pedestal feature, because it saves my bad back. but the washer is truly junk.

[Katie T]

Originally Posted by Thyme Mama

fwiw, i *really* regret buying a fl. they truly DO NOT get clothes as clean. diapers? forget it! i even have an on-board heater and a sanitary cycle. our sheets and towels never smelled until our fl. trying to get the stink out of something? throw it away or take it to a laundrymat.

the electronic control makes me nervous too - if it goes bad you're lookin at a huge bill, or possibly replacing your washer.

if you're dead set on a fl, do some research on consumer affairs (?) and see which ones got good reviews. a few models/companies are simply absolute lemons.

good luck with your choice!

sta: like pp said, my clothes come out in tangles constantly, and i have to wash things a jillion times too. so any time/water saved in the initial load is negated. in fact, the fl becomes extremely inefficient when you have to rewash loads over and over!

KatieT: i told my dh i want a used tl off craigslist for our anniversary :LOL

Glad I am not the only one who hated the FL so many people seem to have really good luck! Also when I called to have mine looked at to see if something was wrong with it the guy told me flat out to go buy a new washer because it would be cheaper. With a basic tl it is easy to fix the most common problems yourself.

[mommy2maya]

We've had ours for a little over a year now. I do like it. My water bill hasn't really lowered much at all since getting it tho. One thing I really hate about it is how long it takes. I think it takes way longer than my old kenmore top loader. My new dryer is gas and super fast- 40 minutes for a super large load, faster for little things.

One huge huge thing with the front loader is to do the monthly basket wash with bleach. We had ours serviced and the service person said it is pretty essential in keeping the moldy musty smells down. Also, wipe out the front seal after every load. She also told me not to use liquid softener even there is a cup for it- she said it gunked up the whole insides and led to mold issues.

[Thyme Mama]

Originally Posted by Katie T

Glad I am not the only one who hated the FL so many people seem to have really good luck! Also when I called to have mine looked at to see if something was wrong with it the guy told me flat out to go buy a new washer because it would be cheaper. With a basic tl it is easy to fix the most common problems yourself.

exactly! you can get a really nice brand new tl for $300, and a good, used one for $50. and the parts to fix a tl are dirt cheap, $8 for a belt, motors are easy enough to repair at home.

i am normally very frugal. dh and i believe in spending more for a quality item the first time, so we theoretically don't have to but that item twice. we went way wrong with this purchase! and i feel totally duped.