So I've been real happy with the new HE dryer we bought, it has cool technology like it only runs until the load is done with a nifty timer. We recently bought a well reviewed higher-end high capacity HE washer a few days ago and did a few loads. Seems it only fills water to about the halfway point of the height of the clothes and takes quite a bit longer to get the wash done. On some recent loads there were some pretty dirty clothes in there and they still were dirty after it was done. With the 8 year old version that it replaced it probably would not have been a problem.

Is it just me or are these "HE" machines a downgrade?

I feel like an old man saying I'm sticking with my 2008 washer for a while, but damn, that thing lets you set the water levels, if clothes are super dirty you put the water level on "large" even though it is a medium sized load and can be sure it will get clean.

Is it a front loading washer? I don't have any experience with "HE" washer but we have a newish front loading washer and I can't stand it. It never gets clothes clean and we end up having wash things several times.

We just ditched our front loader HE and went with a top loader and like it a lot better. The reviews will all say go with front loader but came down to convenience for us and we really like the top load.

These "new tech" washers are an advance right into the stone age. When we had to replace our boring, old, low-tech washing machine a few years ago, did some reading and listened to experience from others, we replaced it with another boring, old, low-tech, CPU-free washing machine - and it's been great. Huge capacity, monster enameled tub, and it does nothing but just wash our clothes first time through. No electronics, no special soap, no smelly seals, no multiple washes. I wouldn't trade for one of these "improved" machines on a bet.

The electronics is what will get you.

Had to have mine repaired several times and the service guy said, "Don't ever buy a washer or dryer with electronic controls. Fortunately for me, they are putting my kids through college."

I've had really good luck with it being efficient (much less water) and getting clothes clean but it's been a hassle to maintain. Plus, you've got to get down on your knees to unload it.

That's why we went with top loader this time - much more friendly to our old knees Pete.

The electronics is what will get you.

Had to have mine repaired several times and the service guy said, "Don't ever buy a washer or dryer with electronic controls. Fortunately for me, they are putting my kids through college."

I've had really good luck with it being efficient (much less water) and getting clothes clean but it's been a hassle to maintain. Plus, you've got to get down on your knees to unload it.

One option I got with mine was "pedestals" which firmly attach to the bottom of each machine with several bolts to raised it up to a comfortable height for loading/unloading and is usable as storage space.

We've had front loaders for years. I have a general rule about appliance purchases--always buy the top of the line and you will never be sorry. I haven't regretted those purchases at all.

We've had front loaders for years. I have a general rule about appliance purchases--always buy the top of the line and you will never be sorry. I haven't regretted those purchases at all.

That's what my wife does. She will go to buy a washer/dryer,freezer or whatever and looks for the most expensive. Bingo,it shows up and I am like,what the !!!!. But we have the top loader top of the line Maytag and they seem to work fine and haven't had any issues with them in a little over a year since we purchased.

Midtowner is right, especially with dishwashers, but when this front loader I have dies, I am going back to top load. They have really stepped up the performance of those. The top load in our apart while we waited on our new house was way better than our six year old front load.

Midtowner is right, especially with dishwashers, but when this front loader I have dies, I am going back to top load. They have really stepped up the performance of those. The top load in our apart while we waited on our new house was way better than our six year old front load.

Bradh,
Personally, I like the top loaders, but they are harder on your clothes. The tumble wash is much easier than the agitator. As far as how the front loaders clean, my son hasn't had any complaints at all. By the way, what does "HE" mean, high end?
C. T.

Bradh,
Personally, I like the top loaders, but they are harder on your clothes. The tumble wash is much easier than the agitator. As far as how the front loaders clean, my son hasn't had any complaints at all. By the way, what does "HE" mean, high end?
C. T.

High Efficiency

The top load we had was agitator-less. Had a little knub in the center of the tub at the bottom. Big stainless steel tub with that white plastic bump in the bottom.

^Right..new ones done have the old agitator and also don't have that rim/rubber dealy whopper in the door which get grimy and need to be cleaned.

Bradh,
Personally, I like the top loaders, but they are harder on your clothes. The tumble wash is much easier than the agitator. As far as how the front loaders clean, my son hasn't had any complaints at all. By the way, what does "HE" mean, high end?
C. T.

Out top loader doesn't have the agitator like the old ones. I assume it works like the front loader only better IMO. Everyone should get one of the top loaders over the front loaders IMO. I think they are much better from the people I have talked to.

High Efficiency

The top load we had was agitator-less. Had a little knub in the center of the tub at the bottom. Big stainless steel tub with that white plastic bump in the bottom.

Well, that was pretty stupid, in this day and age, what else but "High Efficiency"? I can't believe I asked. I should have googled it, but thanks for the answer. Does your washer "agitator" go up and down? I have seen those and they probably are a little better on the clothes. By the way, I did say I prefer the top loaders, regardless of wear and tear on clothes. When the reviews mention that, I wonder if that means my skivvies will only last four years 11 months instead of five years? Who knows. One very good things about the tumble units, they conserve water. I don't think you can buy top loaders in the U. K. I won't say they are against the law, but I have not seen one in my many visits.
C. T.

^Right..new ones done have the old agitator and also don't have that rim/rubber dealy whopper in the door which get grimy and need to be cleaned.

Okatty,
That's a new one on me, what is a "rim/rubber dealy whopper in the door"? I feel cheated, I have never had one of those.
C. T.

C.T. - they are not all they're cracked up to be!:)

Pretty happy with the HE front-loading wash/dry COMBO machine I use. Clothes go in dirty, come out clean AND dry. It measures all sorts of things like weight of the load and somehow supposedly also senses material type (not sure I believe that one).

There was a bit of a learning curve, but as long as you don't put in too many clothes it cleans every bit as well as standard washers, if not better. And, did I mention the clothes come out DRY?! There is only one machine. Also, requires no venting.

Apparently I'm in the minority here but we have no issues at all with our front load HE. Cleans fine. It's quiet. And since our W/D are across from each other vs side by side we just take the clothes out of one and toss them a couple of feet into the other.

I bought a top of the range see-through-glass top loading Samsung 5 years ago and followed up with the matching dryer, albeit from the new line, 2 years later. They've been phenomenal. I switched from a 30 year old whirlpool handed down from my parents that the motor burned out of. I doubt these will last 30 years but the end product is soo much nicer. Heavy duty takes 80 minutes, regular takes 50, there's a plethora of temps and soil levels, etc. it's all stainless on the inside, and it just about covers the load in water, the load is massive, even though it's the same size as my old whirlpools it can wash more because I don't know it just can. The dryer is the icing since it hooks up to a small plastic water line just like the fridge and it can fluff and keep warm up to an hour after the cycle, steam, wrinkle release, all that jazz. Really pleased.

Btw mine has this stainless bit in the bottom that looks like a citrus juicer, it spins one way and the other rapidly while the tub jiggles around. I also noticed that my top of the line top loaders were much less expensive than the high end front loading stackable units. I paid around $1000 each that included delivery and install.

C.T. - they are not all they're cracked up to be!:)

Okatty,
Now we need a "boo!" or "bad" button along with like and share.
C. T.

Pretty happy with the HE front-loading wash/dry COMBO machine I use. Clothes go in dirty, come out clean AND dry. It measures all sorts of things like weight of the load and somehow supposedly also senses material type (not sure I believe that one).

There was a bit of a learning curve, but as long as you don't put in too many clothes it cleans every bit as well as standard washers, if not better. And, did I mention the clothes come out DRY?! There is only one machine. Also, requires no venting.

Urbanized,
That's what my friend in London has, one unit. But it requires good planning, you really can't have a "laundry" day with a family because you can't wash and dry at the same time. I'm sure some folks here will doubt me, but that's what my mother had when I was a baby till about seven or eight (in the 40's). The problem is, when one piece goes out (as it did with my mother's machine), it's kind of worthless.
C. T.

^^^^^^
Agreed about needing to plan. Really I've found the best thing is to just do a small load of laundry pretty much daily. The good news is that if I get a backlog the place where I live has a laundry room downstairs with free washers and dryers for residents.

^^^^^^
Agreed about needing to plan. Really I've found the best thing is to just do a small load of laundry pretty much daily. The good news is that if I get a backlog the place where I live has a laundry room downstairs with free washers and dryers for residents.

Urbanized,
Funny you mention the "laundry room", when Dianna and I moved into our military quarters, we didn't have much money, so, I took our clothes to the barracks where I lived before we got married. After a couple of times washing my wife's underwear in front of other guys, I decided we had to buy our own washer and dryer.
C. T.

One option I got with mine was "pedestals" which firmly attach to the bottom of each machine with several bolts to raised it up to a comfortable height for loading/unloading and is usable as storage space.

True, but then you end up taking up a huge amount of space for two appliances.

I actually stack the dryer on top, which put it at the perfect height, and just deal with the low washer.

Using the space in this way -- or putting them under a counter -- is the biggest advantage of front-loaders IMO.

When we moved we went with new HE units. The washer is a top loader and seems to work very well. The only difference for us is that we can't pack it full any longer. It does much better with smaller loads. Which is fine with me. There are only two of us and I prefer to micro-sort my clothes to keep them lasting longer.

Another thing we have to do is always select the 'extra rinse' option to make sure all the soap is out of the clothes.

When we redo our master bathroom I'm installing a small older style stacking unit recessed in the bathroom walls for towels and such. I'd like to do small loads as needed in there and save the larger HE units for weekend washing of laundry and bedding.

Its also nice in the winter to pop a towel and robe in the dryer in a bathroom and get them nice and warm while showering.

I wonder if those new top loaders that have what is like a stub for an agitator can get clothes as clean as a big old fashioned agitator? Common sense tells me it can't.

http://youtu.be/jmmmxI-Y_6U

Probably the kinkiest club I've ever seen.

I wonder if those new top loaders that have what is like a stub for an agitator can get clothes as clean as a big old fashioned agitator? Common sense tells me it can't.

That's how our's is designed. Like I said, cleans clothes well. We live on 2.5 acres and we maintain the property so we often have pretty dirty clothes. The only issue we've ever had is not selecting 'extra rinse' and having some soap film we had to rinse off. That may also be the fact I tend to put more soap in than probably necessary. Those HE units needs very little soap.

They use a lot less water, but ours has settings to force it to use more water. When we have really dirty clothes I set it to fill the tub up further and let the items soak a bit.

Never had to rewash because the clothes were not clean.

I also think our clothes last longer without the large center agitator. I'd often have a sweater extra get stretched out after getting wrapped around that thing.

Plus, smaller loads mean less rubbing of clothes together - which can also wear your clothes out faster.

My favorite though are the HE dryers. Love the stationary stand inside that allows me to set sneakers, a sweater, etc. in the dryer and not have it bounce around. Also has a functions to that utilize steam to sanitize items (like baby or dog's toys, etc.). I use the 'refresh' setting a lot for dress clothes that just need to be freshened up and not completely re-washed. Really confused our plumber when we had some work done. He'd never seen a dryer with water lines going to it.

We bought a really nice, new W/D set when we bought our last home (18 months ago). They are GE front-loading HE units with the "built-in" pedestal (a must) and while I have no problems with how clean they get our clothes, I had to replace a system board on the washer when it was just past a year old (and out of warranty). Fortunately, we purchased these with a credit card that provides extended warranties and got the part replaced under warranty (I did the work myself - its pretty easy). I'm a little worried at how well they will hold up in the future.

Pretty happy with the HE front-loading wash/dry COMBO machine I use. Clothes go in dirty, come out clean AND dry. It measures all sorts of things like weight of the load and somehow supposedly also senses material type (not sure I believe that one).

There was a bit of a learning curve, but as long as you don't put in too many clothes it cleans every bit as well as standard washers, if not better. And, did I mention the clothes come out DRY?! There is only one machine. Also, requires no venting.

Urbanized, can you provide an example? or name? and how does it compare with electricity usage or time involved?

My favorite though are the HE dryers. Love the stationary stand inside that allows me to set sneakers, a sweater, etc. in the dryer and not have it bounce around. Also has a functions to that utilize steam to sanitize items (like baby or dog's toys, etc.). I use the 'refresh' setting a lot for dress clothes that just need to be freshened up and not completely re-washed. Really confused our plumber when we had some work done. He'd never seen a dryer with water lines going to it.

We have had a "stand" on every dryer we have owned since 1966, so it's not just a feature of the HE units.
C. T.

Dubya, it is an LG. Essentially this model: LG washer-dryer-combo WM3477HW | LG Electronics US (http://www.lg.com/us/washer-dryer-combos/lg-WM3477HW-washer-dryer-combo) , though the one in the link has a separate dryer control knob instead of a button like mine, so that is probably an update. It generally takes around an hour for a standard size load including dry time, so you can see that saving up for laundry day is not the optimal strategy. If you wash a load every day or so you're golden.

Regarding power I'm not sure, because electricity is not broken out in the apartment lease. It is included in the rent.

Front loaders on pedastals.. love them.. have had them for 4 years no issues.. get clothes clean.. love love love em.

We have had a "stand" on every dryer we have owned since 1966, so it's not just a feature of the HE units.
C. T.

Growing up with my grandmother she had a great stand on her dryer. It was called a clothes line. Worked great in Texas!

Growing up with my grandmother she had a great stand on her dryer. It was called a clothes line. Worked great in Texas!

FTGF,
Oh yes, and did you ever get whupped for hanging clothes on the line without washing the line with a wet rag? Well, maybe I didn't get whupped, but my mother sure let me know when she saw the stripe on the bed sheets and other other items. In 1966, I was an adult (young) in the Navy, newlywed, and living on base when we bought our first washer/dryer.
C. T.