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Is anyone out there happy with a front-loading washing machine?

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luv2sparkle

luv2sparkle

Ideal_Rock
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My 5 year old washer died and I set out to purchase a new one. Did tons of research and ended up ordering a Samsung. The reviews were pretty good, but there were people
who had problems. I really wanted to buy the Electrolux set but it was just about double the cost of the Samsung. (5K) I couldn''t get myself to spend the extra since
I wasn''t all that sure it would be twice as good.

I am so nervous about this purchase, that I am going to get stuck with a lemon. Does anyone have any experience with Samsung? How about Electrolux?
 
I don''t have the samsung, but in general I''ve been really happy with their products and and I love front loading washers. They typically use less water and I think they get clothes cleaner.
 
I've had a Samsung front loader for a year and it is in perfect shape, it cleans our clothing better than any other washer I have used!

The only thing, which is with all front loaders I believe, is that you have to leave the washer door open after a load to allow it to dry out or else it smells a little musty. Also, when I switched to HE detergent I got hives all over my body (and I know some others this has happened to) so I just use a little less of the regular detergent and it is fine.
 
I don''t have a Samsung, we went with a Whirlpool, but I LOVE it. The only thing I would change if I had the chance to, is go for the one that had a little more capacity. Other than that, I really like the front loader....I also leave the door open for a while after a wash to let it dry out and use a tab monthly to keep it fresh.
 
We have Samsung front loaders (I think the cheapest models they make actually they were only like $1000 regular price for the set) and we love them. Had them since July and they are really fantastic. They get out stuff that I am AMAZED came out in the wash. I have twin boys who are a year old so we really put them to the test too.

No matter what kind you buy people will complain about something. There are a lot of complaints about the super expensive Electrolux ones too-so I don't think any of them are immune.
 
Consumer reports rates the Samsung no. 1 and Electrolux no. 2. I have a front loader but it isn't a samsung; you will have to tell us how you like it once it arrives. They are pretty cool looking and sound like they have lots of great features.
 
We''ve had the whirpool front-loader set for about 2 years. No problems at all. I think this would be a mid-range set price-wise. You use less detergent, less water and it gets clothes clean while not damaging fibers so much. Love it.
 
We've had a front loading Kenmore for 10 years.
Love it.

Instead of pulling and twisting the clothes to get the soapy water to go through them front loaders just lift them out of the water and let them drop back into the water.
This make clothes last longer.
I think they do a better job wringing out the clothes so it takes less energy to dry them.

I hear the #1 problem is the door hinge getting tweaked when people bump into the open door.
Be careful, that door must seal perfectly and that hinge is very sensitive.
 
we are on our 2nd set of front loading w/d and i love them in general.

however, our first set was a very affordable kenmore set for about 1200 for both and we had it for 5 years and LOVED IT. never had issues with having to air out the inside or getting the mold smell or anything like that which a lot of people complain about. the dryer did have some issues with the ''auto dry'' after 2 years, but we just never used it.

the 2nd set we have now is a bosch set which we have had for 1 year, and i HATE them. i would give them away if i could and get another set of kenmore if my husband would let me.
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they were more expensive and supposed to be larger capacity but the washer doesn''t seem to hold very much. the bosch tangles ALL my long sleeved clothes into a big ball which then thumps around like a dead body in the washer, AND if you don''t remove the clothes immediately when wash is done, they smell like mold for months. literally if you even leave the clothes in there for 30 min after washing they smell. oh and also there is no ''quick'' mode on the washer, i have to use a ''delicate'' cycle which doesn''t always work for me. the shortest cycle on regular wash is over one hour long.

i have read that the bosch tangling issue is not rare. and in researching front load in general, a lot of people seem to have the mold and musty smelling issue across various brands (LG, bosch, etc). but our kenmore were NOT like that. and trust me i never bothered to air out the drum and i also left clothes in the washer for hours afterwards with no issues.

i don''t know if they changed how they were being made or what, we had one of the earlier FL sets in 2004 and we bought the bosch in 2009, you''d think that they would have improved on some of the overall FL issues but it seems like they are worse.

my bottom line is that in general i love FL w/d for ease and capacity, but definitely do the research on what you buy. i found it really hard to compare online with reviews, so many people seemed to have issues with EVERY brand so it made it hard to find something everyone was happy with. but knowing what i know now i''d go back and get kenmore in a heartbeat if i could.
 
We have never smelled mold in our Kenmore and we sometimes leave a load in there for a day or so.
 
I''d agree with this - best to keep the door closed when you aren''t actually loading / unloading it. The only problems I''ve had with front loaders (no other type where I live) is that the weight of the insulated glass door pulls the hinge out of shape over time if you leave it open.

Also, be very careful to remove things from pockets. Anything sharp or hard can damage the door seal.

I would go for the biggest capacity you can get, as they don''t like to be overloaded. The drum inside them ''floats'' on bearings and it won''t be happy with too big a load.

Jen
 
LG front loader for 5.5 years now and wouldn''t go back to top load.

musty moldy smell: clean the filter periodically.

mz
 
I am in the UK and we can only really get front loaders. We have a Samsung and I have to say I don''t like it at all. I find that it gets smelly and if I don''t take the washing out straight away, then the washing smells stale. I''ve tried leaving the door open to air it out, cleaning it with special products, putting it on boil washes, nothing really works. If you Google "smelly Samsung washing machine" then loads of other people have the same problem.

I don''t think it looks after clothes that well either. I have noticed tshirts get teeny tiny holes in and I am convinced it is the washer.

I secretly can''t wait til it dies so I can buy a new one. I''d get a Miele one if I had a chance. I wouldn''t get a Samsung ever again/

Sorry to not be the most promising of reviewers!
 
I don''t have experience with either of the two brands you asked about, but I have owned a Whirlpool Duet set for over 5 years now and love the frontloader set-up.

I haven''t had mold or musty smell issues and I often have had loads sit overnight.

About 2 mos ago, i had to replace the door seal gasket; it became punctured by something that left a large slice in the seal. Since the replacement, no problems at all.
 
I think Kenmore is made by Whirlpool, or vice versa.
IOW, same product with a different name on the front.
 
We have a Samsung front loader set and we LOVE it! Have had it a little over a year and it''s the model with the ball bearings suitable for upstairs laundry (most front loaders are not due to noise). It''s quiet, has a zillion settings, has the silvercare, which is great, and is an overall wonderful set. I cannot recommend it enough! We do leave our washer door cracked open between uses so that it can properly dry out, and no problems with mildew at all. My parents have the same set and love it as much as we do ours. We have the pedestals and they do not (their above washer cabinets are not high enough) and the height with pedestals is just perfect so you don''t strain your back. I enjoy laundry anyway (as far as household chores go) but having these great machines really makes it that much more enjoyable.
 
We have Asko.
I like the set, but if you use bleach it will void the warrenty.
So, I often use a little borax or Arm and Hammer washing soda (not Arm and Hammer baking soda) to keep towels fresh smelling and prevent mold.

I had a Bosch set before, and the spin cycle was very loud, like a jet engine. There was a choice of motors, and I got the stronger (louder) one. I would not get Bosch again.

Also, you can order Charlie''s Soap for detergent if you have problems with moldy smells. They have a website that explains all about how it works. I buy it at Whole Foods sometimes, but they don''t always have it. It does not irritate my skin, even though I am sensitive due to taking autoimmune supressants for a medical condition, so I highly recommend it.
 
Electrolux is great if you have a large family, we are talking washing 3 blankets at once! loved 'Add an Item' function and bubble animation, indoor lights where cool, the silver buttons felt a little flimsy, unfortunately the dryer was too loud for us...my parents own our set now.

HUGE ditto MZombie! Filter MUST be cleaned once a month.
Turn any front loader on, fill clorox dispenser, press TUB CLEAN [or extra rinse in most] for 3 seconds until wird character comes on [or PreWash on some] then Start your washer....Warning, all kinds of creatures will come out gushing, leave the house.
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I second that the Bosch spin cycles are loud. We thought something was wrong with it originally. And there are like 3 spin cycles. Fun! I will have to check into the filter thing.

My Mom has Miele and she loves them...she had Bosch before and apparently it tangled her clothes like it does mine. I didn''t know she had Bosch or else we could have saved ourselves a hassle.

Kenmore is owned by Sears I think, not sure about Whirlpool. Also we had space constraints for our washing area so that is partially why we got the Bosch and not The Duet...I think they were a little deep for our space. Can''t recall correctly. But a lot of people love the Duet.
 
Have an LG, love it. We do leave the door open for awhile after a load though.
 
Date: 1/3/2010 3:27:11 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Have an LG, love it. We do leave the door open for awhile after a load though.
Click to expand...
Ditto!!!
 
I have a GE. Like it. Clothes do seem cleaner, but it takes an hour to wash one load. I keep a Sham-Wow in the laundry room to soak up all the water that settles in the door, then I just hang the sham-wow to dry. Leave the washer door open too. Keeps it from getting musty. I would like one with more capacity.
 
Thank you so much for your replies! It makes me feel a little better. When you read the reviews that people post to consumer reports you begin to feel like every front
loader is bad, and they all have major problems. I think more people are tempted to post when they have problems than when they don''t. Thanks Erica for your comments
about your Samsung. We do have 4-5 kids home at any given moment-so I do need a large machine. Plus I want to wash my king size bedding weekly due to my
dust allergies. When we moved into our house 5 years ago, I couldn''t get myself to buy a front loader because we were doing so many other things to the house. I have been
looking at the Electrolux for about a year and really that was what I wanted. But when we were at Lowe''s they had 20% off the machines, then they discounted the pedestal''s
from 228. to 150. for us and then took off another 10%. There was no way I could justify the extra cost to myself, even though DH told me to get whatever I wanted. GRRR.....
I just couldn''t do it and I have been having second thoughts ever since!

They will arrive in about a week. In the meantime hubby is going to paint the laundry and install new cabinets. He is also going to take the stainless tub out of the washer
for a fire pit when we go camping! He''s wanted to have one for years and we haven''t been able to find one.

Lowe''s has a 30 day return policy so if it breaks right away, like some stories I have read, I will return it and get the Electrolux. Hopefully, not. I hope it lasts longer than my
previous Maytag top loader. I''m keeping my fingers crossed!

I will let you know, thanks so much for all your responses.

Valerie
 
I've had my samsung front loader for over a year and I love it!
 
I''ve had the Whirlpool Duets for about 3 yrs. Love ''em, absolutely no problems.

5K ??? whew!
 
Another UKer here...

We ONLY have front-loaders.

I have a Bosch Logixx 7 and it''s great.
 
Date: 1/3/2010 1:27:10 PM
Author: movie zombie
LG front loader for 5.5 years now and wouldn''t go back to top load.

musty moldy smell: clean the filter periodically.

mz
Click to expand...
HI:

Love our LG''s also. My sister had GE''s that are 5 years old, have already needed repair, and she will replace them soon with LG''s.

There is a clean cycle that I use--splash of bleach and it is good for months. I leave the door open when not in use, and use only power soap (I read there was something in the way the lqiuid sopa was made that aided in the lingering smell....and when I stopped using lquid soap the smell dissapated)

cheers--Sharon
 
Date: 1/3/2010 6:32:06 PM
Author: Pandora II
Another UKer here...

We ONLY have front-loaders.

I have a Bosch Logixx 7 and it''s great.
Click to expand...
I would love to try out a top loading machine; they look cool.

But I don''t think I could live with one. I imagine it would be difficult to reach in and pull out and over the wet/heavy laundry.

So although I do not have a comparison I vote for front loading.
 
We have front loading machines that came with our apartment. I think they''re frigidaire brand. We''ve never had any problems with them. I find them much more convenient than top-loading machines, especially since they can be stacked one on top of the other.
 
We''ve had the Kenmore HE4 set for 5 years and have had no issues whatsoever. We love them!
 
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