K.G.
I love my Kenmore Elite front loader. It is fantastic! I have 3 kids and it gets everything clean.
My clothes washer is about to break down! Help!!!!! Does anyone have a washer that they love, is easy, reliable, etc. that can handle daily use??
I love my Kenmore Elite front loader. It is fantastic! I have 3 kids and it gets everything clean.
I have the matched GE front-loaders (washer and dryer). They were MUCH less expensive than the LG ones you see so heavily advertised (I got both for the price of ONE of the LG's) and they have survived over 2 years now with anywhere between 2 and 5 loads daily. They still work like new. I haven't had a single problem, they are easy to use, they have all of the features that I want without all of the super-expensive bells and whistles that I don't need and would never use. Plus the washer is high efficiency (HE) so I use less detergent with each load.
I highly recommend them.
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Edit: I also wanted to add that the GE's have a lock feature. You can lock out the controls so no little fingers can mess up your wash cycle. My 2yo could push the buttons all day if they're locked out and not make a difference. You do have to unlock it and relock it every time you switch the laundry around, but that's fine with me. :)
We also have the GE front-loaders. I LOVE them! We have two teenagers and a baby- so I do LOTS of laundry in a week (2 loads/day and then ALL DAY on Saturday & Sunday!). The clothes come out smelling cleaner than a top loader and save a ton of water & detergent. I can fit an entire king sized comforter in it (I've also done sleeping bags!) and it has never been "off balance". I've never had the mold issue as someone mentioned, but I do run an empty load with just a cup of bleach about once a month just to give it a thorough clean.
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We also have the GE front-loaders. I LOVE them! We have two teenagers and a baby- so I do LOTS of laundry in a week (2 loads/day and then ALL DAY on Saturday & Sunday!). The clothes come out smelling cleaner than a top loader and save a ton of water & detergent. I can fit an entire king sized comforter in it (I've also done sleeping bags!) and it has never been "off balance". I've never had the mold issue as someone mentioned, but I do run an empty load with just a cup of bleach about once a month just to give it a thorough clean.
I have a Whirlpool front loader. I've also heard LG's are great. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love it. I haven't need stain remover since purchasing 8 years ago. Since the water sprays THROUGH the clothes and nothing gets tangled on an agitator (there isn't one, the clothes are super clean. You will also save a ton of money on water as it uses very little AND you only use about 1/4 c detergent!
I highly recommend a front loader. They hold more clothes. They spin the clothes dryer. And they get the clothes cleaner. Nearly all the front loaders are manufactured by the same company and so brand doesn't matter as long as it's a recognizable brand that's been in business for a long time.
My front loader came from Sears. I buy most of my appliances from Sears. The salesmen are usually good at giving information and asking questions which help me decide which appliance will be most useful for me.
I bought a front loader a year and a half ago and I am somewhat happy. What makes me unhappy is that mold can grow under the rubber opening. You really have to be diligent about cleaning this or there is an odor. Next time I probably will go back to a top loader just to avoid this issue.
We also have an LG front loading washer and dryer. We have had it for 5 years and love it! It has a digital display and has error codes for things that are wrong with it so you know where the problem is right away. It doesn't have an error code often, but it's nice to pinpoint it right away if there is a problem.
For example, I'm in a condo, and the water was shut off. I didn't know it was and the code was for "Water Inlet" which told me no water was coming in.
Once and only once, the code was to call LG, I called and the problem was fix with some simple direction from the service rep over the phone. I had to run a rinse cycle a couple of times to clean things up. The problem was solved.
They are great cuz they take huge loads, so we do less cycles. And they are energy efficient which saves lots of water. I'll never have a top-loading washer again!
Hope that helps!
Beware of front loaders and the bad odor. It is common with front loaders. We had a Kenmore and would not purchase a Kenmore front loader again.
I have the front load washer and love it. It is amazing how much clothes fit into one load. I think if you stuff it too much is when the water cant drain all the way but your manual will tell you how much. I just know its more than my top loader was. It also gets the clothes very, very dry. I make sure I leave the door open when its not in use to prevent the mold problems that have been discussed but overall I love the front loader. I did break down and buy the pedastal for 2 reasons. I have lower back issues and bending too much is not good, also I am hoping I can have this washer for a long time and as I age I know it will be more difficult to bend.
We have the LG Steam Frontloading Washer and Dryer, (we bought last years models on sale when this years came out so we got a really good deal). We love them, they do large loads and small ones and ours are going pretty much every day. My husband is a paramedic and comes home with some pretty bad stains and the washer has gotten them all out. Also just remember to leave the door and drawer open until the dry so that you don't get any mold.
We just got an entry level LG washer and dryer that tell each other how much the load weighs and actually stops drying when the clothes are dry, instead of baking them for an extra 30 minutes like I used to do with my old one. I think it was a grand for the set, delivered. Great machines.
I have a Kenmore (Sears brand) front loading HE one and I *DON'T* love it...in hindsight I feel like the guy there pushed that brand over the others and I wish I would've gone with a different one. The washer can be turned off really easily in the middle of the load if any buttons are "accidently" pushed (by a small child, for example, who can easily reach them unless the washer is on a pedestal, which we couldn't afford). Sometimes the clothes are soaking wet at the end of the cycle, like it has skipped the spin cycle, but there's no option to just run a spin cycle. The clothes tangle really badly (like a 5 minute puzzle to untwist and separate wet clothes if you do a load with a bunch of pants...though this may be true of all frontloaders?). Also it seems kind of cheaply made, like there are parts that look like metal that are actually silver painted plastic. Weird things happen with the matching dryer too, for example it will randomly shut off in the middle of a drying cycle. I believe that there IS a difference in brands...some are probably made at the same place, but I find it hard to believe they all are!
Good luck finding a great one!
I'm another non kenmore person. We bought a kenmore oasis 4 yrs. ago and have almost put $675 into repairs. Almost what we paid. Do your research. Don't buy on the spot. Had we have looked online we would have seen 1000's of consumer complaints. My mom swears by Maytag. It's her second one, going on 15 yrs. no repairs.
I have the top loader Whirlpool Cabrio. I've had it for 6 months and it's a good machine. It doesn't have an agitator so it saves wear and tear on clothes. It's pricey, but worth it. I wouldn't buy a front loader with the seal because it gets moldy and pitted.
I have an LG Tromm front loader and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It was a bit on the expensive side for me, but the energy rebates helped, and you can always look for a used one on craigslist.
It's huge, does a great yet gentle job cleaning the clothes, is super quiet, and our water bill is noticeably smaller than with our old top loader. And I've got the matching dryer stacked on top (nice space-saver). I've had it for about 3 years and haven't had a problem yet.
We've avoided the mildew problem associated with front loaders by ALWAYS leaving the door open when it's not in use. That way it dries properly.