Washing Machine Buying Guide | Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports breaks down the different types of washing machines, from HE top-loaders and front loaders to laundry centers and combination units, to help you choose the best one for your home.

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[Theultrazombiekiller]

I use my parents KitchenAid washer/dryer set that they bought brand new in 1994 right after I was born. They still work perfectly and have not been serviced a single time. 28 years. All my childhood dirt was washed off in the same washer I use today. I tell my wife we will get brand new ones when they break. They wont die!!!

[GFS]

I miss when I just threw whatever in washer, turned on and it washed with no issues, these washers lasted twenty years, now these HE washers last five years and constantly have problems.

[MountainHomeSupplyCoowner]

i used to have a landscape business and and had a problem with one brand of front loader not even getting my socks clean. went to the old top loader with agitator and clothes are always clean. Welder now and will always have one with a top load and agitator as long as the keep making them.

[kennyc]

Bought myself a second hand Whirlpool dryer to match my ten year plus washer. Simple three mechanical dials, no motherboard, no digital crap.

[znrctrnn]

Efficiency: how efficient is it when you toss it in the landfill at 5 years when the board goes out and you decide that $500 to repair is too much?

[hitabo]

I only care about long term reliability and durability. As a former subscriber, consumer reports didn’t even cover speed queen or Miele, and didn’t do anything for us. Five years later our speed queens are running like tops. I don’t care about features... I just want stuff that works. Consumer reports needs to focus on what matters to many buyers: what’s lasts long term? All the focus on features doesn’t matter to our family at all. More crap to break. I was disappointed in my subscription because of the lack of information and coverage of higher-end, more durable brands. Until good organizations start testing companies for quality, reliability and long term durability, washer and dryer companies will keep focusing on short cycle products that have more features than a luxury Mercedes but break down in less than 5 years. Hold companies accountable for quality!

[rogerwhiting]

I stopped listening to Consumer Reports when they began top rating Samsung appliances. As an appliance repairman it makes zero sense to buy those products.

[tomshaw]

After my divorce, I bought a new Estate (Whirlpool Canada) top loader with old fashioned agitator and dials. I also bought a matching dryer with the old fashioned dials. Cost me $550 in total. After 14 years of constant use, I've never had an issue with either appliance. My clothes are clean and not chewed up.

[winston]

I bought Consumer Reports high rated HE top load washer, an LG CW1101.
It was absolutely horrible.
It never cleaned the clothes as well as the traditional top-load machine.
It took anywhere from three hours to all night to run a regular load, and often had stopped mid-cycle because it couldn't balance a load that had been placed in accordance with the instructions.
It filled brim-full, drained, refilled, drained, and sometimes never even ran the impeller plate before going into its electronic sulk, full of wet clothes.
It wasted huge amounts of water, detergent, and time.
It broke down after only five years and the estimate to repair was more than I had paid for it originally.
I went to a local furniture and appliance store and bought a SPEED QUEEN 'classic' model AWN632SP116TW01, product code TC5000WN, a traditional agitator washer essentially identical to the workhorses in the corner coin laundry.
My clothes are cleaner, my water bill is down by about 40% over the time I had the so-called HE machine, and a full load is done in under 40 minutes, including the extra rinse cycle.
SPEED QUEEN OR NO MACHINE!

[Proer]

I find it curious that CR says that machines with agitators are the least effective at cleaning when most people who replaced one with an HE machine say the just opposite.

[MonicaRobinson]

My husband and I in 1998 bought a front load washer and dryer due to space and we needed to stack them bought in 1998 Sears Kenmore HE3 they still works great. Just know with a front loader you have to leave the door open on the washer as they can get moldy and have an odor. We leave ours open and clean it often so it is a little more maintenance, but takes a lickin and keeps on ticking.

[tosin]

There was no mention of mold issues w/ front load washers

[robertmontgomery]

Durability? Repair costs? The new washers suffer in these areas

[nancydrew]

I just bought a GE top loader with agitator and option for deep fills. At the advice of the person in Home Depot who used to work for Sears and sold Kenmore and who's dad repaired washers and dryers back in the day. She told me.
Appliances with all these bells and whistles are fun, look sleek and nice, but when that motherboard goes, so does the washing machine. You want something that is as close to basics as possible. She also said to not overload washers, wash in cold, whenever possible.
She has seen more people back after spending thousands of dollars in washing machines after 3 to 5 years returning to get a more basic model.

[nayanmipun]

Best washing machine are the manual top loaded machines 30 minutes of washing 15 minutes rinzing 15 minutes rinzing total 1 hour is much better than the front loaded automatic machines

[car_junkie]

My parents bought the top rated LG top load washer and dryer based on consumer reports recommendations. Each unit costing more that $1k. They've had nothing but problems with the washer. Agitator broke soon after being out of warranty and just yesterday something broke causing the washer to flood their house. Thanks LG and consumer reports for building/recommending the biggest piece of crap washer I've ever seen.

[lala]

I have been using front load washing machine for 10years now. Before that I had a top load manual . I never felt any problem with it. If I read this comment section before buying it, never would have 😂 i will only buy a front load when my current one goes out of order. I personally feel it’s most efficient and cleans better.

[rkgsd]

Your tests of top-loaders with agitators didn't include the Maytag Commercial unit (which is available at several big box stores) or the Speed Queen washer. Both units are considered to be as good as the old school top-load agitator washers.

[alq]

I'm going to buy a commercial front loader. Tired of imported junk which doesn't use enough water. If I want to save water in the future I'll take less showers, install a urinal, or collect rainwater. But I want my clothes clean.

[flexjay]

I been in the business for 37 years, and here is whats going on. First, energy consumption drives EVERYTHING. Second, marketing sells features, not quality. Then, accounting wants to make money, by saving money and so engineering suffers and so does the consumer. Satisfying World governments and ecology is more important than individuals, according to Big Brother.