I am interested in buying a front loading washer and am wondering if anyone here uses one. If so how do you like it and what brand and model would you recommend. I would like to keep the cost under 1K. One reason for me looking at these is the report that they use a lot less water. Being on a septic system I figured it would be beneficial to look at these types of washers.

Thanks folks.

A friend of mine just got a Samsung she's pretty happy with.

I just went through this Ricky. I posted the same question too.

I ended up buying Kenmore HE5's. No steam. Although I'm not allowed to use them (clever use of said machines on my part which resulted in some garmet abuse that was not well recieved), I have to say that they get the job done nicely.

I have been using front load washer and dryer from Frigidaire (Infinity Model- a fairly basic line was about cdn$1100 for the pair)for about a year now. The washer takes a little longer than the old top loaders do to wash a load. 40 minutes for a normal load but they use less water,detergent and are more energy efficient.
So far they seem to be doing the job quite well.

Oh yeah, when I do my laundry, I can cram it full and it still washes it very well.( My wife cringes when she watches me do laundry)

Midrange LG/Tromm washer & dryer, bought maybe 2 years ago. Very happy with them, no problems other than :

1. My water supply has a lot of sediment and the filter where cold water goes into the machine gets plugged fairly often; a bigger filter would be nice but I haven't seen that in any other machines either.

2. If you raise them up (which everyone except a Hobbit really should do) then make sure the stand is really really really really really really really really really solid.

My stand is 2 layers of 3/4" plywood over 2x12s 18" apart. Not solid enough.

On the other side, they've had one at the farm (LG I think?) that they've had complaints about. That if you have sensitive skin, it doesn't rinse out well unless you underload it, the seal got torn by a zipper pull, and most annoying for them is it unbalances at the drop of a hat.

YMMV. We just talked about it this weekend, before that they seemed to be happy with it. I guess it took time for the complaints to come to the surface.

Bren R.

IIRC we used to have the Kenmore Elite. I really like those. Because it doesn't have the agitator, you can put a little more in the load.

We moved to a house that had a top loader and I hate it. Almost impossible to wash blankets/comforters.

I would pass on the extra features that let you pre-soak clothes or allow for a delay before start. We NEVER used those things.

I do like mdrew's method of avoiding laundry though.

I am using a Frigidaire "Heavy Duty". It is great! Best washer I ever had.

As an added bonus, I can wash my "Kanuk" winter coat (which needs front loading or speacial dry cleaning) home instead of running for special dry cleaners (rare and expensive) and have saved thus about 50$ a year (2 cleanings) for the past 10 years!

Sear Kenmore all the way, for oven, washer, fridge, and dryer. Since we first got married Kenmore is always rated as one of the best in Consumer Reports. Have never failed us...

I think in all cases, Kenmores are rebadged from other manufacturers (GE, Frigidaire, Whirlpool, Maytag, etc). Sometimes that helps the feature/cost quotient, sometimes not.

We wore out a cheap Frigidaire front loader in about 8 years. Great machine, though. We now have a Whirlpool - also great. +1 on bridgman's comment. Our Whirlpool is on the manufacturer drawer thing and it bounces around like crazy. I am considering bolting the stand to the floor.

Whirlpool is about a generation ahead of everyone on front-loaders.

Someone I trust told me that parts/service for LG in the US has not caught up to other manufacturers yet.

We noticed an immediate and significant savings in energy when we switched to a front-loader. It not only saves water, but also does such a superior job of wringing the load that the dryer doesn't have to work nearly as hard.

Riding on top of them during the spin cycle is expressly NOT recommended by the manufacturers!

Kenmore products are made by Whirlpool.

I have to respectfully disagree, Randy. Not ALL Kenmore products are made by Whirlpool. Some of them are clearly Frigidaire and other manufacturers. It just depends on Sears' manufacturing contracts for that product cycle.

Front-loaders are the most efficient washers, using the least water and energy. What’s more, their high spin speeds reduce drying time, further increasing energy efficiency. (from consumer reports)
We have a Maytag Neptune and have never had a problem with it in 10 years, although they are not rated as high as they used to be.
Here is the top rated washer under $1000.00 from consumer reports. GE King-size Capacity WCVH6800JWW Washer

A relative of mine has a front loading LG washing machine. They are cool machines. Those models are supposely also conservative on water if that matters at all.

We've got these Frigidaires. Bought last summer for about $1800. One word: outstanding. Not only have we not had any problems at all, but they work really well too. Win-win.

As mentioned earlier, the washer spins so fast there's not much to dry. We noticed utility costs dropped immediately. They replaced a pair of lemon Kenmores. We know of others that have had great Kenmore laundry appliances. That really wasn't our experience. 'Nuff said.

Family of four and we go through about three cups of HE powder detergent a month, one tablespoon full per load.

It might cost a bit more to buy front-loaders than top loaders, but it's worth every penny. You'll make it up, and then some, over the long run.

Lots of great info guys, thanks.

Peter, would you mind compiling a list of the recommendations?

Your right Tom, I was referring to washers for Rick's question, sorry for the grammer. I know some of their Fridges come from Frididaire, LG, etc.. as well as many other products from GE, Roper, yada, yada, yada...

They may have a few other washer/dryer manufacturers, but Whirlpool is the main one. Over the years, the Whirlpool company has gobbled up Admiral, Amana, Jenn-Air, Magic Chef, and Maytag, and makes appliances for Ikea (ovens, ranges, cooktops, microwaves, refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers) and Kenmore (some of the brand's refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, and dryers). Gladiator and KitchenAid are two "Whirlpool bred" brands.

Kenmore. Apparently they just slap a logo on something else and call it their own.

I had a look at my user guides for my Frigidaire Affinity's and they are made by Electrolux. A quick look at my Fridge which says White-Westinghouse and it is also Electrolux . They seem to be into all the major appliances.

Thanks for all the advice guys. We went out shopping again today and picked out a washer. The one we picked out was the GE WBVH5200J . After a couple of trips to the appliance shop and some haggling I ended up picking it up for $599 plus tax. I think we did ok.

A special shout out to Mark for the help, thanks again.

Awww....Yeeeaaaahhhh!! I'd like to thank my publicist, my attorney, and God who favored me over you other suckas. Peace Out!

(Getting ready for "Award Season".....)