Top-Load/Front-Load True or False?

1. Top-Loaders don't clean as well as FL. Some don't even get wet in the middle
2. TL user manuals state that you have to individually ball up clothes or they won't clean well
3. TL's are harder on clothes
4. TL's tangle up your clothes leaving wrinkles
5. TL's are noisier
6. Front Loaders will have mildew issues if even if you use the right amount of products and leave door open.
7. FL's boots often go bad and are expensive to repair
8. FL's motors need repair more due to stuff falling through the boot.
9. Front loaders are more expensive to repair than HE TL's

I want to spend under $1000. I looked at the new Samsung PowerFoam FL WF405ATPAW on hold but am leary due to their service reputation. Considering Electrolux IQ Touch but am open to Top Loaders. I see that many of you have done far more research than I ever will have time for so your help is appreciated! Hope to buy before the 4th of July sales are over so I'd appreciate your timely responses!

2. Proper loading of HE toploaders is important, but literally rolling each piece of clothing into a ball is an exaggeration.

3. FLs are generally gentler, but both can be more aggressive than expected due to the low volume of water and clothing items rubbing/abrading together.

4. Both types can tangle.

5. No reason for that to be the case. Washing & rinsing is typically quiet. Any washer spinning a load at 1000+ RPM may generate some noise & vibration.

6. TLs can also develop residue and odor if subject to poor usage habits.

7. A FL boot can be damaged (punctured) by foreign objects such as a nail or screw or pen/pencil forgotten in a pocket, but there's no evidence that they spontaneously fail on a frequent basis.

8. No relation between motor failures and boot failures ... and anything falling through a torn boot is unlikely to literally make contact with the machine's drive motor.

9. Pretty much all appliances are expensive for repairs nowadays.

There are excellent non-HE toploaders on the market, such as Speed Queen, that change the answers to some of your questions (especially #9).

1. My washer cleans my laundry very well. All laundry not only gets wet in the middle, it's saturated. Then it wrings out really fast (on the fastest spin speed) so that it dries quickly.

2. My user manual does not tell users to individually ball up clothes (does any manual really say that?). My washer is very easy to load.

3. My washer is not hard on clothes -- at all. My clothes last much longer now and look great.

4. My washer does not tangle up laundry or leave wrinkles. I never have to iron.

5. My washer is not noisy. It is much quieter than any other washer I've ever owned.

Hope this helps to explode those myths. :)

However, I do leave the door open when the washer is not in use and leave the dispenser tray out about 2 inches or so to allow air-flow.

I've also noticed that the Electrolux models rinse much better than other models, specifically Kenmore HE models (I know, I had one).