Good deals on front loading washer and dryer?

[Camping Griswalds]

My dryer is making hideous noise. Our house is 18 years old, so the washer and dryer are more than ready to be replaced. Anyway I want the new front loaders. There are five of us, DH, myself and kids all wear uniforms, and sports clothes, and casual clothes. We do at least one load of clothes every day, and that does not include any towels, sheets etc. So we have rented a home that had the front loading washer and dryer, and fell in love. So any advice on different products, or where tosearch for a good deal?

Thanks

 

[mom2aredhead]

So this is more like advice about what to stay away from...
I do not have a basement or laundry room so I have to have my washer/dryer are in the kitchen under the counter kind of like a dishwasher. Very few to choose from that would fit. We have this Kenmore from Sears which can also be stacked.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...&subcat=Front-Load+Washers&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

Anyway, front loading washers do not completely drain/dry the way top loading ones do...gravity I guess. There is a rubber ring around the door to seal it (called a bellows - I know because I've had mine replaced) and the just water sits in it. Between that and the detergent build up (becuase of the non-draining) it gets...well...gunky is the only word I can think of that's descriptive enough. I have tried wiping it out after each use and leaving the door slightly open to dry it out but it doesn't help much...it just stays damp and musty smelling. Can't throw a load in and forget about it overnight - it would all need to be re-washed (probably twice) because of the musty smell. I've been told that this was a "design flaw", so perhaps the newer (or more expensive/better ones) do not have this problem.

There is a cleaner called washer magic that seemed to help a little, and using the super-concentrated HE detergents helps because you use so much less, but overall I HATE my washer. When you shop, look at the seals around the door and see if you think water will get trapped in it, and ask the salespeople how it drains.

 

[A&CsMom]

We have the Frigidaire Gallery Series front loading washer and matching dryer (stacked in our 2nd floor laundry "closet") and haven't had any of the above problems. We got ours at a scratch and dent type place and got a good discount. Ours weren't actually scratch and dent, they were actually demonstration models at home shows. They have the same waranty as new appliances (we also got our fridge, stove and dishwasher there). They won't sell appliances at these places that are damaged function-wise, only cosmetic damage.

 

[shelly3girls]

Definitely check out reviews before purchasing any front loader. We have had a Maytag and now a Kenmore (made by Whirlpool) that both ended up stinking like mold/mildew. It is so bad that DH wants to replace the washer and it is only 1 yr. old (which says a lot given how cheap he is!). I started searching around for others with similar problems and I found MANY reports of people complaining about the same thing.

Also, we have ours in a second floor laundry and the vibration is horrible. It sounds like a train is going through the house. We had a contractor come in and try everything including padding underneath and nothing worked.

We plan to try out the new top-loader that does not have a center agitator. DSil just bought one and she said it fits an enourmous amount of clothes and has none of the problems of a front-loader.

 

[latexscooter]

Another fan of the Frigidaire Gallery. We've had ours for 2 1/2 years and its fabulous. The year we bought ours it was a Consumer Reports best pick. It was also one of the more affordable front loaders that was out there at the time. It washes things so well. My mother came and stayed with us a couple weeks on vacation and when she got home she went out and bought the same set because she loved it so much. The wash cycle takes longer (nearly an hour) but because the spinning is more thorough the drying time is less.

I've never had to clean the rubber gasket in the front of the washer machine as other posters have said. The only thing that happens is every once in a while DD3's sock might get stuck in there and I just pull it out and toss it into the dryer.

The one thing that can be a chore is that you must use a High Efficiency detergent. For awhile there our local store carried many brands but now they only care the Tide HE which is a bit pricey. We got around it by buying a big container at our local wholesale club.