Also.....be sure to measure your space and the machine. The new machines (TL's and FL's) have different dimensions than those from 15 years ago. Many "closets" designed to accommodate the earlier machines don't have room for the new ones.

Hi Kathy- How much felting do you do? I used to do some felting in my top loader, but haven't done any in my front loader (we moved into a house 2 1/2 yrs ago that had the front loader). The front loader doesn't agitate like the top loader- it basically "tumbles" the clothing. I haven't tried felting in my front loader, but I personally don't think there would be enough agitation to easily felt something. I think it could work, but I think it would be much, mch slower than a top loader, and I believe the felting would be uneven within the piece, depending how large it is.

Do you have any friends that have a front loader that you could try a practice piece of felting in?

Barbara

I have tried felting in a frontloader and I couldn't get it to work at all. (I have felted successfully in a toploader before that.)

Thanks much. I just looked at Sears at the Maytag HE TL Commercial Tech 850. I think that's what I'll get. Anyone have one? Are you happy with it?? It has a 5 cu ft capacity and is made a little sturdier than the Elite or the other HE TL they had. Lowest price I could find on the net, too, but still close to $1000. I'm not sold on the extra cycles, but the better materials are what impressed me. I hope to be able to felt in it, if not, I'll got to the laundromat.

Kathy, have you looked at an HE toploader? There is no agitator, like a FL, but you can stop the action as long as the Add A Garment light is on. Take this with a grain of salt, as I do not do felting. My HE toploader is a Maytag Bravos.