My existing GE toploader just broke after only 3 years - I paid a repair man $85 to tell me I'd be better off buying a new washer. I know the front loaders are really nice, but I don't know if I can get over that whole stooping thing - but I do like the idea of these top loaders without the agitator. Oh, and I want something that won't crap out after only a few years! Thanks!

Katie

Only you can decide if it's worth the difference in money or not. The one thing that might be worth investigating is the heater. Find out which cycles it works on, how much control you have over it, etc. That might be worth getting but there too, it'll depend a lot on your needs too and I have no idea what those are.

The Cabrio/Oasis/Bravos models have been out for a while but long term reliability is still unknown of course. The early units had some issues that were resolved. There's no guarantee that anything will last and a lot also depends on how it's used and maintained.

What was wrong with the washer you have? Sometimes repairs are a simple DIY job if you don't have to pay for labor. There's a couple good techs around here that could guide you on it if you give some more info.

There is a bit of a learning curve. Have done a couple of loads where there is still detergent powder remaining on the clothes (Kirkland). I think we used the cold/cold and from what I have read, it will not disolve well in cold. Thinking about switching over to liquid. Our clothes get twisted up during the cycles, jean legs especially. They go into the dryer very wrinkled, but come out fine. My comparisons are based on the set of Speed Queens "top loader" that lasted 16 years ! This new set is so much quieter, which is good for us based on LR location.

We are getting used to them. No one at any store is confident that they will last for 16 years, too bad because the set was around $2000.

I bought a Maytag Bravos 6700 model about a year and a half ago -- a model with the internal water heater was not yet available. If it had been, I would have definitely bought it, as I love that feature on my dishwasher, and I could have lowered my home hot water temp to 120.

I absolutely love my Bravos washer. It holds huge loads of laundry, including king-size comforters, and spins them so well, they dry in much less time than much-smaller loads in my former washer/dryer. Everything comes out very clean. I have not had a problem with jeans legs tangling, any more than I did when I washed jeans in my former washers w/agitators.

There was definitely a learning curve in learning how to use the washer, since my former washers had all been traditional ones; I read the manual thoroughly a couple of times before I used it the first time. Once I had washed one load of each type, I knew what I was doing.

The guy talked me into a clearance set (washer and dryer, which I hadn't planned on) of Samsung front-loaders. I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse since I didn't research those, but now I don't even want to look them up for fear I made some huge mistake (I'd rather live in ignorance!!). Hopefully this works out...

Thanks again,

Katie

Just the warning I give to all new front loader owners: Measure your detergent carefully! And start with using less than you normally would in case you have a buildup of detergent in your clothes from before. Top loader users seldom see if they're putting in too much detergent and then complain of troubles. It can even be a good idea to run your clothes without detergent the first time and see if there's any sudsing from them that suggests residue.

Happy holidays!
Katie