Hi. We're in the market for a new washing machine and I've always had top loaders. However after looking at some it appears the front loaders take up less space, are more energy and water efficient and have a large capacity.

Basically they seem too good to be true having never used one but am now certainly interested in switching over.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't get a front loader over a top loader? Your opinions and advice would be appreciated. Taa muchly

Same as yöu I always had top loaders, until I got my new front loader a year ago.

The pros: a better clean (we use cloth nappies, so this was VERY apparent), I get more control over the temp and wash cycles (my old TL was quite basic), and it is more water wise and energy efficient.

The cons: a quick load takes an hour. The Eco cycle takes double, and I'm unlikely to use it because it takes so long! I have a 7kg FL and I'm pretty sure I fit wayyy less in it than my TL. I can't chuck 'forgotten' items in the wash once it's started- a real PITA because I am terrible at getting all the dirty laundry in one place, and I am anal about separating colors etc..

HTH!

I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate front loaders.......i cannot be adamant and hate a household item more than those things. I lived in rentals in the UK for years and had them and recently have moved into a ff rental interstate for 6mths which has one. Yep, i still hate them. Heres why:

They take so flippin long. Top loader at home, basic wash 38mins, front loader 1hr4m. Try and get your weekly washing done in one day with over an hr every wash.

They lock once turned on......and yep you drop a sock every time you carry the washing down or find a dirty teatowel. Sorry, i am a machine but i am not going to let you open me.

Door is on front and you have to bend down, just one more thing to bend over and hurt my back on.

They ruin your clothes, i can make a direct comparison on how my clothes and towels feel when i come home witth the things washed in my top loader, all hard and yuk. Have tried every combo of softner, spinning speed to no avail. They spin the crap out of everything.

They dont wash as well imo. They use less water, well maybe they need to use more!

I know they are all the rage and water efficient etc etc but i would never ever buy one. I almost feel like bringing all my washing home every month.

We've always had top loaders, but then we lived somewhere for about 10 months with a front loader, so I got to compare. Yes, they're good for size and water efficiency and are gentle on your clothes, but I prefer top loaders because:

(i) the washing cycles can be REALLY long eg. 1.5 hours for a basic wash;
(ii) your towels end up dry and scratchy, even when you follow instructions to try to avoid this (include vinegar in the wash). They stayed dry and scratchy even after we moved and went back to using a top loader;
(iii) you can't add something in that you've forgotten, the way you can with a top loader.

I love my front loader. It has a 30 minute quick cycle which is handy. When I first switched I hated not being able to throw in extra things after it started, but you get used to it.

Not all front loaders are equal.

Ours is an Asko and it's brilliant. Nine times out of ten, I just use the quick wash. It takes 35 minutes and washes everything really well. Can't argue with that for speed!

When stuff is noticeably dirty, I use a cycle that takes an hour and 20 minutes.

There are a heap of other cycles, depending on what you need. I wash all my 'handwash only' clothes on the hand wash cycle, which takes 35 minutes and is so gentle on my clothes.

My machine allows you to open the door soon after the start of the cycle, in case of 'forgotten sock' incidents.

It's quiet, it's efficient and it runs like a dream.

Love my front loader too. Do not have any of the issues Ehill posted.

Frount loaders have a come a long way. Many now have short wash/time saver options and can add things to the wash. The shortest wash cycle is 30 minuets on mine. I also have 'time saver' which cuts the time of long washes. And can also add things to the wash.

Mine also has a timer so I can set it to wash overnight and ready first thing in the morning. Handy when I want to do a really long wash. Though we do not use the long wash options very much so it's really not much of a problem for us.

We have no problems doing several loads in one day. Can fit a lot more in than the old top loader.
Clothes come out so much cleaner.
FL is much more gentle on clothes because there is no agitator bashing them around. .
Spins so well that drying time is less.
Towels are still soft- never needed to us FB. Sometimes I might give them a quick 5 minutes in the dryer.
Love the there is no fluff on clothes and tissues don't end up on everything.
FLs are energy efficient (they heat their own hot water) and do save on water.

Front loaders come with lots of different wash options. So when looking check out the wash options/length of cycles/if you can add things to wash/timer/time saver options.

If you do a search you will find several threads on EB about this topic.
Good luck with your dession.

I think front loaders have come a long way, sounds like the first posters used front loaders a while ago!

Our washer is a front loader, it is water efficient, power efficient, clothes come out cleaner, less damaged, can fit more in, I'll never get a top loader again!

Fwiw, our everyday cycle takes 28minutes, hand wash cycle is 45 minutes and wools 50 minutes. There are longer cycles but they are for 'heavily soiled' clothes which the manual states are grease/oil stained, grass stains, paint etc, so we dont use them. We can also open the door once a cycle begins

Agree with pp that all front loaders are not the same. We thought our old fl was broken ( we relocated it to new room and it would to work) so upgraded and whilst I could of saved the money (turns out old one was ok just dh did something silly) the new one is great. It was cheaper, has a 30 minute wash and we can add last minute items.

We are on tank water so the water savings are vital for us.

Love love love my fl.
Clothes come out so much cleaner, less wrinkles and creases so less ironing.
Mine has a quick 35min cycle and can also stop it to add things.
Def recommend a fl

Top loader for sure.