Front loader vs. top loader opinions?

[fakereadhed]

The thing I don't like about my front loader is that you have to wash smaller loads of heavy stuff like towels. The balance gets really thrown off with the drum spinning sideways with more than 3 towels or pairs of jeans per load. I can throw other lighter stuff in with them, but it's a pain. Also, I have seen no cost savings for energy or water bills. Mine does get the clothes clean though.

 

[Keara'sMom]

We have heard a lot about front loaders and were considering buying one until our friend, who recently bought a new front loader, convinced us otherwise. One day hers just stopped working in the middle of a cycle and needed to be repaired by someone more qualified than my friend. Unfortunately, the repair person was not available for a couple of days, and the clothing had to stay in the washer because if she had opened the machine, water would have poured out all over her floors. Just wanted to put that out there.