A front loading washer made my life EASIER, not harder! I wouldn't ever go back to a top loader. You have to learn how to use them correctly, just like any new item. But I guess it all depends on whether a person makes the choice to learn how to use their appliances to get the most efficiency out of them. I have no idea why you would think that using a tablespoon of detergent to clean a load is silly. The formulation of detergents in this day and age allow for decreased amounts of detergent. Top loaders use 1/4 to 1/2 the amount that was recommended even 10 years ago. A person used to have to use a LARGE scoop for a regular load-- and the economy sized box of detergent couldn't even be lifted without help! I am sure there are plenty of others on this forum that remember those days :) Please tell me how it is common sense that not enough water is used to rinse properly? If you had researched front loaders and followed the instructions properly, you would find that the decreased amount of water actually rinses MUCH better than a whole tub load of water. That is because the water is forced through the fabic as the drum tumbles and take the soap with it as it does. Compare it to rinsing your driveway off with a hose-- if you don't use a nozzle, the water just runs over the pavement but doesn't rinse it too well but if you use a high pressure nozzle, the dirty water is pushed off of the pavement. I love my FL and love the money I have saved all the way around by using it-- and that doesn't include my time and energy!

OK, I have an issue that does not allow me to purchase without over researching a product. So I did consider a few brands. I really like Miele, and they do have a larger unit. Nothing like the size of these, but I don't think you need something as big as these Samsung units to wash a comforter. Although I keep going back to Miele, the issue of their warranty and the lack of local people to sell and service the units takes them out of the running. I did look into Asko, but the small size and the bad reviews (over many years) makes them just an interesting read. I had a hard time deciding between LG and Samsung. I chose Samsung because of their Diamond drum technology. Although I was unable to find out much about it, it was similar to the honeycomb drum idea of Miele. That really closed the deal for me. I really felt that more manufacturers should have put more into their drum designs and make that information available. Sadly, only two lines have taken drum technology seriously and serious enough to flaunt it to the public. I ended up with the largest Samsung units because of the steam and the internet connectivity. (And frankly the deal I got.) I was hoping that if there was a problem, Samsung could just hook into the machine and tell me what is wrong. I'm not sure they can do that, but they can certainly update the units over the wireless. I would say that I was also impressed with the anti vibration technology. I wish they had explained the difference between the regular antivibration and the upgraded antivibration of these units. I imagine it is some computer sensing thing. I was also impressed with the warranty on the motors and the 2 year warranty. Oh, I just registered my units and got an additional 3 months warranty for registering. Thanks Samsung. I would add an extra year on my own by purchasing with Amex and eliminating the purchase of extended warranty. I looked into Speed Queen because they are American. Solid units but lack the modern technology and efficiency I was looking for. Rough sturdy brutes was all I could imagine from what I could find out about these products. I think the companies do themselves a disservice by not putting out all the information they can on their products. This is one case and point. I went as far as looking into purchasing commercial units, but when all is said and done, I felt that the Samsung units were a better deal. Service and warranty work is much different for commercial than on consumer models. Here is a really cool washing machine I found that I really wanted to get. I have a friend in CA who used to own Laundry Mats. He said, "That's a commercial unit. What do you need a commercial unit for?" Well, it looks so cool and is so well engineered etc. It was too much of a machine for my needs, but I really would have loved to have one. The Crossover Washer. (http://www.laundrylux.com/crossover.html) The world's first small chassis washer engineered to commercial laundry standards for your business needs. I think for the person who wants to have what no one else has, these units would be an interesting choice. Here is some more information on the Crossover: 3 Engineered to be superior to all competitors 3 15,000 cycle machine life design 3 3 OPL liquid chemical injection ports and signals 3 3 compartment soap drawer 3 4 professional wash programs + 2 cycle options 3 Field adjustable water levels 3 Top quality SKF bearings in heavy duty assembly 3 3 seals with 5 lips 3 Professional grade 8-point suspension 3 Pump-drain standard 3 Solid steel counter-weights�no concrete 3 Energy Star compliant The costs were about 2,000 a piece or less from what I remember. Stunningly beautiful beasts these are. They are made I believe by LaundryLux. I also looked at Miele Little Giants. Just amazing little laundry units, but way out of my price range for what I want to spend. I think these are made for people with yachts. These are also stunningly beautiful. The bottom line is I spent months looking at units. For me, with the space that I had and the money I wanted to spend, I settled on the Samsung. I had to use my Samsung units again tonight as the baby had an "out of diaper" experience. Not something for the faint of heart. Loved I could go and select sanitize on the computer screen and choose extra rinses and steams and prewashes and super hots etc. If they had nuclear radiation I would have chosen that too, but as of now, it is not an option on my units. I got a 3 hour cycle and trust me that is exactly what the job called for. I think I'm very happy right now with what I purchased. Look, as long as the darn units stay working without needing service etc, anything you buy will be fine. Again, I'm not happy about having to stand on a stool to see the dryer screens, but it really is not a big problem. The anti vibration on these really works great and the noise level is very good. The calming music the machines play to signal the end of the cycle is still OK with me and I'm not ready to beat the machine to death if it plays that tune one more time. Just if anyone wants to see how these machines do on a soiled white one piece baby garment, here is how it just came out of the washer. I don't think I can believe how clean and white this is. You cannot see where the mess was. I have had experience in the past with my other machine where the white clothing was stained yellow after such an incident. All I used was about 1/4 of the recommended amount of ECOS plus natural liquid from Sam's and a tiny amount of delft liquid softener. No bleach. I did hit it with some Oxy prewash spray before putting it in. Look, I have a laundry upstairs that I am doing. I decided to make it a "sound proof" room because of my experience with my old front loader. It was loud! Probably had gotten worse over the years because the bearings were going. So I double sheet rocked with green glue and put heavy clay on the backs of the electrical boxes. I put in a sound proof floor which I am waiting to tile right now. Well, I did all this because of my fear of the noise I would get from the front load machines. I think had I placed these Samsung units upstairs, the sound proofing would have been overkill. I'm hoping the GE unit I have for upstairs will be as quiet. I bet most of the better machines will be quiet. I think that the other companies caught up with Meile and have incorporated many of the concepts and bring these machines at a value price. Will they last the 20 years Miele says theirs will? I don't know, but these machines have a longer warranty then Miele and they can be found everywhere. This means that your chance of getting service should be good.

[This Appliances FAQ article was moved to the Laundry Room FAQ on 28 December 2004.]

[Information first posted in the Appliances Forum by Rich (spambdamn_rich) on 23 April 2003 - thanks, Rich!]: ------------------------------ Frontloading washer summary: Description: A front loading washing machine, or "front loader", or "horizontal access front loading washer", simply is a washer that you load the clothes through a door in the front of the machine, like most dryers. In all cases, a front loader has its drum's axis oriented in a horizontal position, rather than in a vertical position as in a "top loader". ---------- Advantages of a front loader: 1) Capacity: There is no central agitator, so the front loader is able to handle more of a load for a given drum volume than a top loader with agitator. 2) Gentle cleaning: A central agitator tends to beat the fabrics, sometimes harshly with tearing. A front loader's action is more gentle. A front loader tumbles the wash in a pool of water, rather than swishing it back and forth in a tub of water. 3) Better cleaning: Most people feel that front loaders clean better than top loaders. This may be due to the reduced water volume and more concentrated detergent solution, as well as longer wash times and higher temperatures. The tumbling action, while more gentle than a top loader agitator, may result in a more thorough wash action on all of the load, versus poor turnover in a fully loaded top loader. A front loader typically has several rinse cycles, versus just one for most top loaders. Despite the reduced water volume, these multiple rinses generally result in better rinsing away of detergent. Laundry cleaning is generally thought to be the product of three inputs of energy: Thermal energy (hot water), mechanical energy (agitation or tumbling), and chemical energy (detergent mixtures). A front loader can result in more even cleaning of full loads, and can maximize washing efficiency more easily and economically than a top loader, by heating a smaller amount of wash water for more thermal energy, extending the wash cycle time for more mechanical energy, and concentrating the detergent for more chemical energy. 4) Energy and water efficiency: Because a front loader uses about 1/4 the amount of water for the wash cycle, it uses less water, and requires less energy to heat that water. Overall, including the rinses, a front loader will use 1/2 or less as much water and energy as a top loader of the same capacity. Additionally, most front loaders feature substantially faster spin speeds than most top loaders. This means that more water is extracted from the laundry before it is put into the dryer. This in turn reduces drying times for further energy savings. 5) Better temperature control: Many front loaders feature internal water heaters to boost or maintain hot water temperatures. Contrary to popular opinion, hot water is the best for cleaning efficiency. Without a water heater, a front loader may lose about 1 degree F per minute. Because the front loader uses 1/4 the amount of wash water as a top loader, it is possible to include an internal water heater to boost or maintain the wash water temperature for the length of the wash cycle. 6) Reduced detergent consumption: Front loaders generally require less detergent than top loaders. This is simply because there is less wash water to dilute the detergent. Offsetting this is the need for low sudsing or "HE" (High Efficiency) detergents. Fractional amounts of regular detergents can be used, at the risk of over-sudsing and reduced cleaning efficiency. ---------- Possible drawbacks of front loaders: 1) Habit: Many American consumers are not used to front loaders. They are used to top loaders. 2) Time: A front loader will generally take longer to complete a cycle, due to the longer wash time and the multiple rinses. This may be offset by the increased capacity of machines such as the Neptune, or the HE3t/Duet, and the reduced drying time that a fast front loader spin speed will enable. 3) Fear of flooding: Many people may remember older front loaders that leaked through their doors. This problem seems to have been eliminated in standard front loaders, with better seals and door locks. Other machines, like the Neptune and HE3t/Duet, resolve the issue by tilting the tub backward, so that the water level never gets above the bottom of the door. These designs also use clever water traps to prevent water that splashes on the door from leaking out. Any washer can flood from a number of causes. 4) Locked door: Many consumers are used to being able to open the door and add more laundry after the cycle has started. Most if not all modern front loaders have door locks to prevent water from splashing or flowing out once the wash cycle has begun. Tilted tub designs like the Neptune may allow one to add more garments by pausing the wash cycle and waiting for the door to unlock. 5) HE Detergent: As previously mentioned, it is generally best to use a low-sudsing or HE detergent in a front loader. This is because the tumbling action of a front loader, coupled with its reduced water level, tends to whip the wash water into a foam more readily than a top loader will. Excess suds will cushion the load and reduce mechanical wash action, and in severe oversudsing, may even cause other problems, such as leaking out of the washer orifices or intefering with spins. Low sudsing or HE detergents have surfactants that do not create as much suds. Consumers may find they can use reduced amount of regular detergents for lightly soiled loads, but for heavily soiled loads these reduced amounts may not include enough of other detergent components, such as "builders", to result in adequate washing. Fortunately a number of good quality HE detergents are generally available throughout the country at supermarkets and other outlets, and there are low sudsing low cost detergents available at many discount and bulk food shops. 6) Loading position: Some people feel that their back conditions will not allow them to load/unload a front loader as easily as a top loader. This tends to gloss over the fact that most dryers require bending over to load and unload. In any case, some manufacturers have addressed this concern with riser platforms that raise the door level of the front loader to a more convenient height. Machines like the HE3t and Neptune also feature larger doors and a tilted tub to provide for easier access. ---------- Conclusion: A front loading washer is generally more energy and water efficient than a traditional top loader. It can deliver better cleaning results as well, with less wear and tear on fabrics. Although a front loader may cost more than a top loader of the same capacity, it may pay for itself in water and energy savings over time, in addition to rebates from water and power utilities that are often available. Additionally, a large front loader will better be able to wash large, bulky items such as comforters than traditional top loaders of same capacity. ------------------------------ [added to Laundry FAQ: 21 May 2003] [updated/expanded information pending]