We need a new washer and dryer. Do you recommend top or front load? Anyone have ones they love? Thanks.
I have a Speed Queen gas dryer. It is amazing. (Knock on wood). When my Miele full size frontloader dies, I will be shopping for a Speed Queen front loader (because Miele no longer makes full size washers for the US residential market).
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Love my LG pair. I have a stackable because of space constraints but I’m not a fan of top loaders. I’m too short to get clothes out of the bottom.
I love my Whirlpool Duet top loaders on pedestals. But I will say that someone hates every machine on the market and someone loves it! Reading reviews will take you down a rabbit hole from which you will never return. I did it 9 years ago when I bought these and 2 of my daughters have done it in the past year. They ended up having to factor in what was in stock (shipping delays these days!) but are both satisfied.
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I’ve had both top load and front load - the front load is more effort. We have to keep the door to the washer propped open at all times or mildew develops. Next time I’d go back to top load!
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Our dryer died, so we just bought a heat pump condensation collecting dryer. Somehow it dries the clothes without baking them, so you can dry even delicate items and it is supposed to be better for energy consumption. I miss the extra warmth a bit, now that it is colder out, but it means I can run it in summer if I need something dry quickly. We can not vent to the outside, so this works very well for us. It is a front loader made by Electrolux.
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I also love my LG pair (front loader). My washer is over 10 years old, my dryer is 16. We just had the dryer serviced for the first time ever last week - it needed a pair of drum rollers. The repair man said it still looks new inside and that the most likely part to fail would be the circuit board. I asked him, since he sees all kinds of issues, what he would avoid buying himself in case I needed to think about it in the future. He said we couldn’t beat the longevity of LG (as evidenced by my geriatric pair) or something from the Whirlpool/Maytag family of brands.
I was told that you should keep your washer door open to prevent mildew. I have a top loader and do not have the right space to be keeping a front loader door open.
I find it increasingly hard to pick electronics and appliances by reading on line reviews. For everybody who loves the product, there is another person who believes that the product ruined their life. I do however trust reviews in Consumer Reports and would check out their site before deciding. Many libraries provide access to CR through your library card.
I just moved into a new home less than 2 months ago. It didn’t come with washer/dryer, so I had to buy new. I bought a LG pair, top loader washer and gas dryer. I’ve been very happy with them so far. The washer is very deep and can easily fit a king duvet. I’m short, so I have to use tongs to get the smaller items out of the washer.
I’ve had a front loader and I won’t get one again because of the mold issues. I also found it worse on my back to have to pull out the heavy wet items while bending over. The top loader has a “add garment” feature which allows me to add something once the cycle has started.
I ordered the pair in late July from Home Depot. I shopped Home Depot, Lowes, Costco and the local Speed Queen retailers. I had heard excellent things about Speed Queen. I checked 3 retailers who would deliver to my area, but no one had anything in stock and they had no idea when they would. I had heard bad things about Costco delivery. Home Depot was having a sale on appliances, so I went with them. I was able to schedule delivery several weeks in advance. They arrived exactly when scheduled and were installed immediately. I had heard from people who bought from other retailers in my development that they had had to have the gas company come and install the gas dryer, but Home Depot did it without any problems.
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I hated my front load, even though it did a good job. I had to leave the door open to avoid mildew. Switched to a top load HE machine and it took FOREVER to do a load of clothes. Finally got a Speed Queen pair - with an agitator. Does a great job, it is quick! Old-fashioned, but it works.
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I have front loader but they don’t seem to get clothes as clean as top loader. I’ve heard that same complaint from others with front loader too. If I got new again I’d probably look for top loader washer.
My LG front loader has a magnet in the door that pulls it part way closed when not in use. Air circulates into the drum and keeps mold/mildew from the drum, interior of the door and gasket. We just leave the detergent dispenser pulled out a bit, too, but no need to leave the door wide open.
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I don’t have an issue with my LG front loader with mildew either and I can’t leave the door open because it’s in a laundry closet. I do wipe it down with a bleach wipe and run an empty load with bleach now and then but it’s 13 years old and again, no issues.
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Is that ever correct. There are so many paid/fake reviews online etc, it’s nearly impossible to tell anymore.
However, as someone pointed out, Consumer Reports is still around and does annual reviews of appliances like washer/dryers, fridges, etc. And as the poster also pointed out, even if you don’t have your own CR subscription, many local libraries do, and you can access the reviews for free online.
Perhaps I may be mistaken, but a review from CR is as good as it gets.
I will look for a speed Queen washer too. Unfortunately their dryer won’t fit into the closet space where my washer and dryer are.
I did hear that a few years go, Speed Queen changed from mostly metal parts to a lot of plastic. Don’t know if this has affected their quality…they still get great reviews. @VeryHappy do you know?
We have an Electrolux pair of He front loaders in our house, and a brand new set of GE front loaders in our cottage. They are both good and reliable. If buying now, I’d get the GE. It has a fan feature that helps the washer dry out reducing the risk for mold and mildew that all front loaders are a little prone to.
We have a Bosch Front Loader and Dryer set. 2nd Bosch set for us and are very happy. 1st Bosch set was 10 years when we relocated with no issues and current set is about 1.5 years old.
We had an Swedish brand Asko for several years, but had a lot of trouble finding someone to repair them.
I have a new Speed Queen washer (front loader) and dryer, which replaced a 20-year old Maytag Neptune washer and dryer. The Maytag machines still worked, but we were doing home repairs (which included the laundry room) and decided to get a new washer and dryer. I also have a Miele washer and dryer in a vacation home. I like the Miele, but prefer Speed Queen. (Can’t put many clothes in the Miele.) We bought Speed Queen’s F7 (?) model, which has an electronic touchpad in front of the machine, a sanitizing cycle, and a 7-year warranty.
If you choose a washer and dryer that isn’t in stock, you may have to wait. I called 5 appliance stores before I found one that had the Speed Queen model I wanted because I didn’t want to wait 3 months. I have been waiting for a new Miele dishwasher since the summer.
Miele made a full-size frontloader for a few years specifically designed for the US market. We bought it when the model just came out, and it still does a great job for us. Can wash a king comforter easily. Unfortunately, when our old dryer croaked, we went back to the appliance store hoping to buy a matching dryer and learned that Miele discontinued the models because the US market has been flooded with cheap Korean appliances. Miele decided that they would shift their focus to Euro-sized washers and dryers. So hoping our washer would last a while longer.
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I’ve had some fancy frontloaders was, but was happy & lucky enough to score a 2018 model SpeedQueen. Very old school, no beep beep beep, no swishy clothes for two hours in minimal water, no lid lock. I choose the load size and toss the stuff in, it’s done so quickly! The SQ since 2018 are not quite as efficient at the have electronic controls instead of manual turning ones, so the lid locks and there is not really a way to see the progress of the load, but still quick.