Which Washer to Buy?

[HappyDance]

My front-loading Magtag Neptune is dying (bad cylinder). I am looking at the top-loading Magtag Bravo or Whirlpool brand. Need a big size as our family is quite large and we do lots of laundry. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[workingToBeFit]

This is always such a major decision. We had a set of Whirlpool Duets for 7 years, and just got rid of them. For one thing they left brown streak marks on many of our white clothes - google that, you'll find a LOT of people complaining about it. We had other problems with them as well and also just never liked the front loaders for a lot of reasons. Whirlpool and Maytag are now the same company. We did a lot of research, Consumer Reports, I read a million reviews online, etc., and we ended up getting a pair of LG top loaders, washer and dryer. We LOVE them.

 

[HappyDance]

Thank you, Ann. I didn't consider the LG's - I will look into them. I always noticed a moldy smell with my front loader, even if I left the door open to air. Thank you for replying to my post.

 

[workingToBeFit]

Sure, we just went through this so I am happy to comment. Re front loaders, there may be reviews that list all the problems better than I will, but this is what we had: (1) constant moldy smell; we tried running bleach and commerical cleaners through, cleaning all the parts that we could reach, by hand with a toothbrush; nothing got rid of it, (2) you can't add clothes late, even when the "add clothes" light is on, when we opened the door, water would always leak out onto the floor and make a mess, (3) they were so TALL - they take up so much space, it felt like our laundry room was a cave, (4) brown streaks on white clothes - I can't tell you how many white shirts we had ruined, (5) spots on clothes where the detergent took out the color, and we used the detergent dispenser, completely as directed, and (6) clothes never seemed as clean, I think due to not enough water per load. I will never buy another front loader, and I will probably not buy a Whirlpool either - but that's just me. We found it was worth paying for a temporary membership to Consumer Reports on line, to read all the reviews, but you can also find very good machine reviews on the sears.com web site. Happy shopping!

 

[FabAbs]

I have a GE front load washer and dryer for about 5 years now and I truly do like it alot. Our clothes don't have a moldy smell when washed, although if there are alot of towels especially bath size towels it doesn't spin all of the water out and I have to "rinse and spin" again - I miss the spin only option like my old top loaded had. I use bleach to wash it out about once every other week or so.

There are things about the washer that the salespeople don't say and that aren't in the manual for example the washer has to be drained from the bottom once a year in our case the bottom piece of the washer has 2 screws that have to be removed to remove gunk that accumulates there - found this out when I called the repair service because our washer had a water sound when the drum turned. The repairman had a fit because I was suppose to know this saying that this wouldn't be covered by our extended warranty - I said where in the manual does it say this because I couldn't find anything regarding it. My husband read the manual before I called for service.

Other than that I would definately buy another front loader.

Cheryl

 

[CommittedtoFitness]

I've had a front loading LG washing machine for 2 years. The instructions that came with it are completely inadequate. I've been fortunate not to have the musty/moldy smell that a lot of people have encountered even after carefully wiping excess water from around the front door gasket after each load. A problem that I did enounter was bleach stains on items in loads in which I did not use any bleach. I think there must have been residue left from a previous load in which I used bleach. This is distressing. I use color-safe bleach but if you read the label carefully, you'll notice that you are supposed to dilute the bleach in a full load of water before adding the clothes. This is not possible with a front loading machine. I promptly gave away my bleach when I realized that I cannot use it safely with my front loading machine. One of the reasons I bought a front loader was to avoid problems with the machine getting out of balance. However, my front loader has on occasion gotten out of balance and "walked." If I had to make a purchase today, I might go back to a top loader.

 

[burritamcdoo]

We just purchased the Maytag Bravo washer and dryer (in RED!), and even though I've only used them for a few months, I have to say that I love them. Granted, I was using a 25 year old Kenmore washer and dryer meant for a household of one (we are a family of five), so anything would have been an improvement, but right now I am in love with our new additions. I can't believe how much they hold - sometimes I'm looking for more things to wash just to make a full load, and the washer does a great job getting the multitude and variety of stains out of our clothing (I have three children - 8, 6 & 3...enough said). I don't think I've had the washer long enough to encounter the moldy smell that some folks are talking about, but the manufacturer does recommend running a load with Affresh tablets once a month to keep that from happening. I've also read that tossing in a half cup of Borax with a couple of towels will do the same thing, but I'm not positive that that will work as I haven't tried it yet.

Good luck with your purchase - I hope you are satisfied with whatever you decide!

P.S. We bought them in red only because they were half the price of the same model in 'liquid silver', which was my first choice. Research online before you buy - we didn't know this when we were in the store, and thankfully waited and did our own sleuthing before we made our purchase. And I have to say, the red is beautiful...

Karen

 

[HappyDance]

I am curious, which Bravo model did you buy? I know, when I saw the red and thought "Ohhh, how pretty!"

I am leaning toward the Maytag Bravo and have been reading the reviews in Consumer Reports. The one store I went to, the saleslady steered me over to the Magtag's rather than the Whirlpool because she said the Maytag's were made with "heavy duty" parts.

Thanks again for all the informative comments!

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

I have this one and have owned it for about 6 months now and LOVE it! Maytag MVWX500XW 4.3 Cu Ft He Top Load Washer

Overview - Online stores - Nearby stores - Reviews - Details - Related items

$467 online, $550 nearby
34 reviews
#1 in Maytag Top-loading Laundry Washers »
Maytag - 4.3 cubic foot - Top-loading
This high-efficiency EcoConserve washer features a low water wash system and uses 70% less water and 70% less energy than conventional pre-2004 washers. Using the IntelliClean impeller rather than an agitator delivers increased wash action and better cleaning performance and creates more capacity for larger loads. Plus the 2X Life** drive system features long-lasting components for your home. **Based on time accelerated, 20 year simulated testing, normal cycle and average consumer use

My front-loading Magtag Neptune is dying (bad cylinder). I am looking at the top-loading Magtag Bravo or Whirlpool brand. Need a big size as our family is quite large and we do lots of laundry. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[burritamcdoo]

Hey again...This is the model that we bought Maytag Bravos 5.0 IEC cu. ft. High-Efficiency Top Load Washer in Crimson, Model # MVWB750WR. It is on the Home Depot website, but I think Sears has it as well. It's a little pricey, but for the amount of laundry that we do, it was worth every penny. We also got a great deal on it back in November (Black Friday!), and bought it for almost half the retail price. Watch for sales and do your own research before purchasing - do not trust the salesperson at the store for the best deal!

Good luck...

Karen