Originally Posted By: Al
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: Phishin
Why get the front load model?
They clean better, treat your clothes better,
I doubt if anyone that has had both would agree with this.
Oh, I absolutely agree. They do the actual job of cleaning clothes a lot better, the dryer runs a lot less since the clothes come out of the front-loader a lot drier already (spin is > 1000 RPM), and our clothes last about twice as long- jeans in particular. You can tell the front-loader is tearing up the clothes a lot less because the dryer lint filter doesn't fill up nearly as much on a load done in the front-loader as it does on one done in the top-loader. This is using the same dryer- we have a front-loader, top-loader, and a dryer in the garage laundry room so its a direct comparison.
All that said, the front-loader was pretty UN-reliable until I went through it, cleaned and applied electronic grease to all electrical connectors, and fabricated a new internal drain hose out of tougher material. The top-loader (80s Whirlpool) has been bulletproof and parts are super cheap, in comparison. The front-loader cycles are also a lot longer than the top loader, but that's OK for the most part. There is a "quick wash" option, but when you use it I don't think it cleans as well and it still takes a little longer than the top loader. If speed is a consideration, top loaders win.