It's not clear to me why front-loading washers are more efficient than top-loaders. Is there something inherent in the design? Or is it simply that top-loaders are "old"?
But no matter how efficient they are, I hate front-loading washers. A top loader can wash a load in 20 minutes; front loaders takes hours. That means extra noise for many hours and inability to do multiple loads quickly. And usually front loaders have a much smaller capacity than top loaders. Furthermore, once a front loader starts, it locks the door to prevent water spillage, but this prevents you from throwing in extra items that you found or taking items out part way through. And front loaders cost more, are harder to repair, and end up smelling bad (probably because of the rubber gasket--needed to waterproof the door--that accumulates gunk).
My front loader can complete a load in 15 minutes on its fastest setting, it can take hours, but only if you ask for it. There is no magic, the longer it takes, the better it cleans, no matter if it is a front or top loader. You choose the setting according to your needs. Also, with regular clothing, it makes very little noise except during the spin drying cycle. If it is behind a closed door, you can't hear it at all.
It is a rather recent model from Indesit, one of the most, if not the most popular budget brand in Europe. I paid 330€ for it, which is a typical entry-level price. Top loaders are almost non-existant here, so I can't say much about the price. The rest of the points are right.
This doesn't seem accurate. The regular permanent press cycle on my front loader completes in about 40 minutes. There's also a "quick wash" cycle that takes about 20 minutes.
The last top loader I used also took quite a bit more time than 20 minutes. This was a good 25 years ago, so maybe they were just slower then.
But they do have 30-minute (or less) quick wash option too.
Even if you ignore the European top-loaders with a horizontal drum (which are basically just like US top-loaders except more efficient, smaller, and that don't destroy clothes with elastics) that's not been true for decades.
Front loaders only have a few periods where water goes above the level of the door opening, and at any other moment you can pause the washing and open the door.
They might cost more in the US, I guess, new front loaders in the EU are cheaper (200-300€ for the base models that work fine and don't have WiFi or whatever) than what I could find when I lived in Canada though (which were more around 500-600 CA$ iirc) but nothing is really comparable.
And... they don't smell bad?
Frankly the most important difference to me is this central axis in American top-loaders and which clothes wrap themselves and which always ends up destroying elastics. But I think it's necessary for mixing the clothes, sunbed unlike frint loaders gravity hinders mixing rather than helps it.
If you do not regularly clean the rubber gasket _and_ leave the door open to dry out the rubber completely, you end up with a smelly, slimy mixture of clothing lint-infused mildew.
> Frankly the most important difference to me is this central axis in American top-loaders and which clothes wrap themselves and which always ends up destroying elastics.
You can buy modern top loaders do not have an agitator that destroys clothes.
https://www.bhg.com/impeller-vs-agitator-washing-machine-748...
I wish the energy efficiency regulations would be updated to ban designs that leave standing dirty water inside appliances.
To prevent mould growth around the gasket, leave the front door ajar after use.
Do you never clean them or something? 2 tablespoons of bleach and run the auto-clean mode, wipe the gasket, and there zero issues. I do this like 4 times a year.
On capacity, do you need much more than 9 kilos?
The positives obviously outweigh the negatives for most buyers, considering front-loaders are almost universal now days in much of the world, even in non-EU countries which aren't bound by that market's energy-efficiency requirements.
The "Quick Cycle" for my front loader is 35 minutes. The regular cycle is 45.
Usually you have a few minutes before that happens, and there are designs (from Samsung I think) where you have a small door in the door to add more.
I like front loading washing machines because you can still put things on top of them, they waste less space.
I'm not sure how much an impact that actually has these days.
It is the rinse cycle, not the wash cycle, that needs to be run twice.
I know people who never wash their jeans to reduce wear, and they seem to have no problem with it. (They do occasionally put their jeans in the freezer overnight to kill germs).
Works well for people who don’t sweat and in colder climates I guess.
And isn’t the “don’t wash” just an indictment of the quality of the garment? I guess if people want to trade less clean clothes for “brand new dye” colour that’s up to them.
Yes clothes need to be clean. Bit of an odd question
Do you wash yourself with no soap and a cold single small cup of water once a week?
A cool rinse uses minimal water and very little energy, so feel free. The tradeoff of a top loader using 1x water in the wash and 1x water in the rinse vs a front loader using ~2/5th water in the wash 2 * ~2/5th water in the two rinses is still a significant net savings.
Assuming you have a setting for the rinse the biggest issue for me is remembering to keep the door open so it dries.
Front loaders get mold too, fun fact, mold eats soap. So vinegar helps here too.
Downside? Clothes wear and fade faster.
Is this anecdotal or based on some real-world evidence/statistics? I can't recall having a single front-load washing machine break down in the past 20 years or so, or need any maintanance beyond cleaning out filters and replacing drain hoses. And I've used many in the various different households I've lived in. They all seem very reliable!
Keep in mind they are both running basically the whole day with only small breaks for years.
(I know all this because I recently had to replace our 17-year-old washing machine and I wanted to know which brand to buy)
Tl;Dr less water has to exist to pass clothes through it if it's a horizontal rotating cylinder of clothes. Plus the tumbling is mechanically beneficial to cleaning. Top loaders are being scraped and agitated, front loaders tumble.
OTOH top loaders can take larger loads. At a cost of more water.
I believe the spin cycle may also distribute better horizontally. Less likely to become a disc around the centre so more efficient centrifuging.
(Have had both btw. Currently a front loader from LG which plays a typically korean perky "I'm done here" tune at the end)