OT: Shopping for a new, large washer and dryer....need advice?

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Shopping for a new, large, washing machine that washes good (my current one is a old Kenmore and doesn't wash too well). Needs to hold large loads, we are a family of five.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/tips/advice

 

[mlraabe]

I bought a neptune washer (maytag)last year and I love it. I can fill it full and it is front loading so it is easy on clothes. I have had the neptune dryer for 2 years prior. Now with both of them it takes no time at all to dry clothes since the washer spins so fast. The clothes are practically dry when I take them out of the washer! If I am doing a couple loads at a time, I don't have to wait for one to be done to keep going - they work together wonderfully!

 

[all4fun]

Just don't get the Kenmore Elite front loaders. We have had ours for just a couple of years and have nothing but problems with the washer. As a matter of fact, I'm so disgusted w/our experience with this particular item that I have pretty much sworn off the Kenmore brand.

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

I'll give a second vote for the Maytag Neptune! it is just wonderful! It's a front loader, so I don't have to worry about unbalanced loads anymore!

 

[shelly3girls]

We have owned a Kenmore elite and a Maytag front loader. I don't really like either. We have had mold/odor problems. After doing research I found this to be very common (yes, we keep the door open etc.). We also have a second floor laundry and the Kenmore sounds like a train is going through the house even though we have it on a pedestal and buffered it with padding.

I have my eye on the high efficiency Whirlpool top loader called the Cabrio. It is Ultra capacity with no agitator. I know two people who own it and they say it is the best machine they ever owned.

 

[torismom]

I have a set by Fisher and Paykel that I love. Very large , washes well, spins the clothes almost. The dryer is great as well.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

When we bought our new house I was all hip to get a front loader, but glad I didn't. I'm the type that may have to add another item to the load a minute or so into the cycle...if I'm right, you can't exactly just open the door on those things and toss something in once they are going. So that was out for me. We wound up getting the GE Profile Harmony washer and dryer. The capacity is 4.0 cubic feet and it can hold 24 bath towels in one load. Really cuts down on the number of loads & water usage. Its also nice to get a good 15 pairs of jeans in one load! I love it...all electronic and tons of settings...the washer automatically tells the dryer what cycle to be on and for how long and senses when the load is dry. I also like that it doesn't have an agitator to mangle and destroy stuff-it has a hydrowash system. I was skeptical of how it would clean, but it does a fantastic job. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. No service issues either.

 

[Manda]

When we bought our new house I was all hip to get a front loader, but glad I didn't. I'm the type that may have to add another item to the load a minute or so into the cycle...if I'm right, you can't exactly just open the door on those things and toss something in once they are going.

You can stop it and add things. On some older models (and maybe cheap models), you can't - but the two I've owned, you could. It uses so little water, the water level is never above the edge of the door.

I've had the Maytag Neptune and now, the Kenmore He4t. I loved that Maytag Neptune. The buyer of our house requested it on the contract and it seemed like a simple concession, so we left it and bought the He4t to replace it at our new house. It's a pretty good washer, but not as great as the Neptune. I had a baby in the house and we used cloth diapers and I swear, not a single item of his baby clothes ever was stained. EVER. Since I'm domestically challenged, I didn't realize what magic that was until I moved away from that washer. I have to work harder to ensure that there are no stains now. And it's not as obvious/easy to set the washer to your custom requests. It prefers it's preprogrammed stuff. I don't think it holds as much as the Neptune either.

That being said... I would never buy anything but a front-loader again. Soooooo much better on the clothes, clothes come out cleaner, less water is used, never off balance, and uses less detergent.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

You can stop it and add things. On some older models (and maybe cheap models), you can't - but the two I've owned, you could. It uses so little water, the water level is never above the edge of the door.

I guess things have changed since we bought our new set. We got ours at Sears and the salesman told us the front loaders could not be opened mid cycle. That deterred me 100%. I think the front loaders were just coming out...so maybe that was the reason...there really was only a few models out at that time so I don't think price was a factor. Hopefully I won't have to buy another washer for a very long time...and by then they'll have some other new handy dandy novelty!

 

[LilGMom]

We bought the Whirlpool Cabrio set this year and I absolutely love it!!! Really can't say enough about it. It is the first washer/dryer that seems to be able to handle my king sized comforter easily and it only takes one time in the dryer before I can put the comforter back on the bed.

 

[all4fun]

We have owned a Kenmore elite and a Maytag front loader. I don't really like either. We have had mold/odor problems. After doing research I found this to be very common (yes, we keep the door open etc.). We also have a second floor laundry and the Kenmore sounds like a train is going through the house even though we have it on a pedestal and buffered it with padding.

Supposedly the mold problems were fixed on the newer Maytag models (there was a class action lawsuit and settlement over it)

and yes, our Kenmore Elite front loader also sounds like a rocket ship is about to take off when it spins. It is also on a pedestal. I actually wondered if not having it up on a pedestal would help it rock less. Thank goodness we have a single level home and it's actually pretty quiet during the wash cycle (actually much quiter than our top loader was). Another thing I do like about it is that you schedule it to run at a later time if you want. There is also a short period of time at the start of the wash cycle when you can "pause" it and open the door to add clothes.

 

[dyna]

I have been eyeing the Kenmore Oasis top loader I think it's called without the agitator washes the same as a front loader but is a top loader. They pretty pricey right now but hopefully by the time my washing machine goes out it will be down in price. I'll replace the dryer when I need a new dryer and get the matching dryer to the washer the prolly.

 

[shelly3girls]

Supposedly the mold problems were fixed on the newer Maytag models (there was a class action lawsuit and settlement over it)

and yes, our Kenmore Elite front loader also sounds like a rocket ship is about to take off when it spins. It is also on a pedestal. I actually wondered if not having it up on a pedestal would help it rock less. Thank goodness we have a single level home and it's actually pretty quiet during the wash cycle (actually much quiter than our top loader was). Another thing I do like about it is that you schedule it to run at a later time if you want. There is also a short period of time at the start of the wash cycle when you can "pause" it and open the door to add clothes.

We owned a post lawsuit Maytag and still had problems. We sold the machine with the house just to be rid of it. If you google it you will find many people are still having a mold problem.

I completely agree, the Kenmore has some great features that I will be looking for when I replace the machine. Hopefully I will not have to do that for quite a while though even though DH wants to replace it now. He hates the thing.

 

[lilyv]

Another vote for Fisher Paykel. They are wonderful!!!!

 

[ZPT1022]

I just bought a GE Adora in February/March and I love it. My only gripe is that the loads take a long time to wash but I can fit so much in at once that it works out the same in the end. When we finally decide to get rid of our old dryer I think we might buy the Adora dryer since we can stack it on the washer and save a ton of space.

 

[jama]

I also have fisher paykel.

 

[belle&beast]

I love my Whirlpool Duet with pedestals. We have had it 3.5 years and have had to have it services once, but it was nothing major. We leave the washer door open a little after using to let it dry completely which eliminates the moldy smell. It uses very little water and the clothes are so much cleaner with very little detergent! It is really saving us money now. The matching dryer is great, too! Both washer and dryer finish at just about the same time and I get things done so much more quickly! I am really happy with them.

 

[GoingtoWDWagain]

I'm very interested in a front loader, except I too was concerned about having to throw in more items at the last minute, can you still do that with a front loader?

Thanks again