OT: Buying a new washer and dryer

[pitcrew]

So, my washing machine needs more in repair then makes sense to spend. The wife has had plans for a new washer and dryer for a while, but I've been holding out. Looks like we are going shopping tonight....

She thinks she wants the front loading style for the washer as well. Any recommendations or comments from anyone who has purchased a washer/dryer relatively recently? Either good or bad. Also, what make/model do you have?

Thanks

[fourflys]

I bought an pair of the LG high efficiency front loading set a few months back and really like them... be aware the high efficiency cycles take longer than what you're used to... not a bad thing, just something to get used to.. got mine at Sears on sale...

[leooooo]

From what I've heard from a close friend and a few neighbors, do not buy the washer/dryer combos. Absolutely terrible across a range of brands/prices.

[AngryScientist]

happy LG HE user here too. actually everything i have made by LG has been very reliable.

i had a GE washer that had a 1 year warranty. exactly 13 months after it was purchased the transmission went, essentially totaling it. the GE tech came to my house and took pity on me and didnt charge me for the service call out of warranty. he was a straight shooter (so it seemed) and told me that the new GE stuff is junk, not made well. he also said that the guts are essentially the same throughout the product line, the more expensive units just have better cosmetic features and more buttons/displays. i would steer clear of GE...

[97CSI]

We've been using a set of the original Maytag Neptunes for over ten years. As usual with older Maytags, they keep on ticking. We almost wish they would die so we could get a new set of GEs. Everything else we have is GE and has also been bullet-proof and made here. Something we like. While I hate to shop at the big-box stores, it is tough to beat the deals on appliances at Home Depot. With the various sales and discounts, we got 30% off on our new oven a couple of months ago. Free delivery, install and haul-away of the old appliance is very helpful, as well.

[AngryScientist]

so we could get a new set of GEs.


dont do it (see above)

[R2D2]

happy LG HE user here too. actually everything i have made by LG has been very reliable.

i had a GE washer that had a 1 year warranty. exactly 13 months after it was purchased the transmission went, essentially totaling it. the GE tech came to my house and took pity on me and didnt charge me for the service call out of warranty. he was a straight shooter (so it seemed) and told me that the new GE stuff is junk, not made well. he also said that the guts are essentially the same throughout the product line, the more expensive units just have better cosmetic features and more buttons/displays. i would steer clear of GE...

I've had good /bad luck with LG.
My dishwasher actually caught on fire. It was designed poorly and had a wiring harness that flexed back and forth until it broke and shorted out.
Much happier with my Bosch dishwasher.
LG washer and dryer have been much better than the Maytag POS frontloader we had.

[FlashUNC]

In moving to our new apartment, we had to put our Whirlpool W/D side-by-side set in storage. (New place came with Bosch stackables.)

We pine for our Whirlpools just about every time we do laundry. The Bosch's have a terribly small load capacity, are loud and don't really wash or dry all that well.

I'd recommend avoided them if possible. We're in love with the Whirlpool stuff however.

[Bruce K]

LG HE user also plus my wife insisted on the steam option.

Pricey but the clothes seem to be cleaner and the steam option has saved us sending some items to the cleaners.

We only bought the washer due to price/budget but the clothes are so much drier than with the old machine that it has breathed new life into our old dryer.

BK

[Steve in SLO]

We went Samsung Steam W/D. Couldn't be happier.

[Ken Robb]

research this through Consumers' Union i.e. Consumers' Reports. They test them and list repair history by brand/type. We are cool bright people who have one set of laundry devices every 15 years except for the occasional lemon so what do we know?

[97CSI]

dont do it (see above)We put GEs in our rental unit several years ago and zero problems.

[vqdriver]

+1 for LG HE front loader
CLEAN but yeah, cycles are long as are all HE washers

[AngryScientist]

We put GEs in our rental unit several years ago and zero problems.

it's probably just luck of the draw, but after seeing how poorly the guts of the GE machine was made, combined with zero back-up from GE (I was one month out of warranty, and the washing machine was totaled !!), i'll never buy another GE appliance.

[pitcrew]

Thanks for all of the comments and feedback. Much appreciated!

[William]

We went Samsung Steam W/D. Couldn't be happier.

Same here, good ratings and it has worked great. Also what Bruce said on the dryer. The washer is so efficient at spinning the water out that the dryer times have been just about cut in half.

The floods last spring killed our washer. Our dryer came back to life.




William

[torquer]

You know it must be winter when an OT thread gets 15 replies in 90 minutes.

Consumer Reports 2011 Buying Guide just happens to be lying around (and I don't think they post the info on the web, except maybe for subscribers):

Front loading washers: Kenmore 4027 ($800), LG WM2050C ($700) and GE WCVH6800J ($750) are rated best buys. LG is rated most reliable, followed by Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Kenmore, Bosch, GE & Maytag.

Top-load washers: GE WDRR2500KK ($450) is best buy, Maytag Bravas MVWB750W ($900), Whirlpool Cabrio HE WTW6800W ($1,000) and Amana NTW4800W are all recommended. Reliability (best to worst): Estate, Roper, Kenmore, Whirlpool, Amana, GE, Frigidaire, Maytag, Fisher & Paykel (never did trust Kiwi appliances ;) )

Dryers: Kenmore 800 series 6982 ($510) and GE Profile DPSE810EG ($600) are best buys; GE Profile DPGT750EC ($950), LG DLE2050 ($700) and Kenmore Elite 6703 ($680) are recommended. Reliability order is LG, Bosch, Whirlpool, GE, Frigidaire, Kenmore, Maytag, Roper, Amana, F&P for electric, LG, Whirlpool, GE, Kenmore, Maytag & Frigidaire for gas.

[Ozz]

We got the LG models a year or so ago and they work well. You need to keep the washer clean (dry rubber gasket, and run Tide cleaner thru it) or is starts to smell funky. My wife notices more than I do. This is not specfic to LG models.

Buying now, I would give the new Bosch a serious look....but generally happy with the LG models.

[Louis]

For about the same amount of clothes, does anyone know how much less water a front-loading washer uses compared to a top-loader?

TIA
Louis

[fourflys]

For about the same amount of clothes, does anyone know how much less water a front-loading washer uses compared to a top-loader?

TIA
Louis

well, my LG varies depending on the size of the load... it cycles to sense the weight of the clothes and then only uses enough water to wash...

[wc1934]

I bought an pair of the LG high efficiency front loading set a few months back and really like them... be aware the high efficiency cycles take longer than what you're used to... not a bad thing, just something to get used to.. got mine at Sears on sale...


Have a front loading LG for over 2 years and no problems and the clothes are easier to get in and out. An issue to consider is that the laundry detergent is more expensive to purchase - it is concentrated so in theory you are not using as much.
You will also be using less water, and some communities will offer a rebate on your water bill.
And as Oz stated, you need to make sure to dry the rubber gasket around the door and to keep it open to avoid the musty smell.

[Ken Robb]

when pricing front loaders don't forget to add several hundred dollars to buy the bases that are necessary for me and many others to use these machines.

[jeffinCT]

I just got the Samsung Steam washer and matching dryer at Lowes. We could not be happier.

[William]

I just got the Samsung Steam washer and matching dryer at Lowes. We could not be happier.


How do you like the little tunes it plays? :)



William

[Cinci Jim]

Currently I have an LG, which works well, but for just 2 of us it seems like overkill. I used to have a set of Askos which were truly great. Undercabinet mount & countertop depth - heated its own water and washed whites at 95c! I was selling my house and the new buyers saw it and wrote it into the deal.

For 2 it is the best option in my opinion.

[dogdriver]

+1 Maytag Neptune. Ours are so old that they have pushbutton controls. Never a problem. My bro has a set (slightly newer, they have the spiffy touch pad) with the same experience. I'm sure that there are other good ones out there, also.

I do, however, appreciate the brainless operation of a front loader-- if you can jam it into the washer and get the door closed, it will wash it (The owner's manual actually says this, albeit a little more eloquently). Simple water temp choices, twist the knob, hit the button, come back when the buzzer goes off. Boy heaven.

[oldguy00]

We had very bad luck with our front load washer (LG TROMM).
Do a search on 'front load washer mold', and you'll see tons of people had the same problems, with multiple brands. I believe there were even class action lawsuits in the US against various companies.
We left the door open after every wash, wiped the rubber boot, ran bleach cycles, afresh tablets, cleaned the filters, nothing helped. At the 2 year mark, it stunk of mold and so did our clothes.
We sold it and bought a new top load old fashioned style washer, and have been extremely happy since.

[SEABREEZE]

Lots of sggestions, so my comment will be your wife will love the new front load wahers on the market today, uses less water and the items being washed is practically dry when the cycle is over.

I do own a front load Maytag.

[jlwdm]

My experience from selling real estate is that there are lots of problems with all of the brands these days. Too many computer functions.

The last ones we bought had almost no computerized functions. Got rid of fancy ones that continually needed service.

Jeff

[John M]

6 yrs ago we purchased Kenmore (made by Frigidaire) front loaders. Very satisfied with no problems (doing about 10 loads per week for our family of 4).

With the front loaders, the water consumption is so much lower you will notice it in your water bills.

[vqdriver]

fyi, my local water and power had promotional rebates on efficient appliances. i received 200 rebate on the washer and another 200 for the dryer. they have a preapproved list and the rebate amount varies with the particular model.

the list wasn't 100% current so you could submit a request if you go rogue and buy something that wasn't on there.

check with your local utility first. if you can't decide between two comparable models, the rebate is a nice incentive.