Duet9400; nominal 3.8cf; 2 1/2 years.

1) Holds about twice as much as top-loader it replaced and about twice as much as my mom's older Maytag TL that I still use from time to time. Longer cycle times overridden by this increased capacity. Also handles mattress pads, comforters, pillows and sleeping bags that I used to send out.

2) Cleans better than either of the previous TL's using less water and detergent while accomplishing the task.

3) It's gentler to my fabrics and provides action and temperature options not available on my previous TL's -- and I use them.

4) It does what it says it will do. I can select the cycle I want and just walk away and forget it. I've learned I can depend on it. Clothes come out better spun-out than with previous TL's so take less dryer-time

Overall I'm spending less time getting better results while saving water, and energy. I resent the expense and there was a "learning curve", but I'm entralled with the performance. Only unanswered question is durability. Neither I nor anyone else can answere that one yet.

FLs since the early 90's (European brands - original machines still working just fine).

I would never go back: much better cleaning, significant water and detergent savings, more energy efficient. Mine which are about the physical size of dishwashers hold more than the large capacity Amanna machine I had before; there are much larger FL machines available all over the place, now.

Cons: more expensive upfront; some wash cycles are longer - but if you use a dryer it generally evens outs as the drying is so much faster, I only hang out so no time savings for me; you may have to change to another detergent because not all work well in FLS and in some cases (second floor installations, mostly) the floors may need beefing up because these machines need to be firmly planted on a non-bouncy floor. Some European brands require a separate 220V line for the washer (though most can be combined with the service for an electric dryer.)

The most important thing to look for, IMO, is getting one with a beefy heater, even if you've never had a washing machine with one before. With the smaller volume of water in a FL, heaters that can raise the temp quickly and keep it constant during the entire wash cycle (but not necessarily rinse cycle) is very important to getting the best washing performance from a FL. Yes, you can live without one, but you will always be missing that extra help in getting clothes cleaner. No, you don't have to "boil" everything, or even anything, but you will be surprised at what a difference warmer, or even hot, water makes in getting things clean.

A good heater also allows for a profile wash cycle which is a champion for getting really dirty things clean. Not all FL do have good heaters, nor do all do profile washes (start with cold or cooler water, then gradually heat it to the desired temp.)

I love my machines so much that I stop strangers in appliance showrooms who are just thinking of buying one and recommend them.

HTH,

Molly

It sounds like you do a very large amount of laundry. You might want to consider a HE TLer. I briefly had a 3.8 Cu Foot FLer and aside from the vibration problems, I was actually very disappointed with the capacity of the washer. Many people state, as Asolo did, that a FLer will hold twice as much as a TLer. That is only true if you have a basic size TLer. I owned a Kenmore Super Capacity Plus that I replaced with the FLer. Yes, I could do less loads with it than the TLer... 2 less loads per week! That is not going to save me any time since most cycles were at least an hour, without extra rinses that I had to use (skin problems). So I went from doing 15 loads a week to 13 loads a week. After two exchanges, I ended up with the Cabrio HE, and I love it. I can now do 8 loads per week! Unless I need something in the wash (or my hampers start to overflow :-) ) I only have to wash actual clothing once a week! And I finish it in the time it would have taken to wash and dry the laundry on one of the days I washed with my old TLer. With the old machine, I did laundry three days a week. I have not had any problems with the washer, and it is very easy to use. My teenage son, who washed cloths in the old TLer (when forced to) but was afraid to go near the FLer, can use it with ease. Best of all, since it is an HE machine it uses less water and adjusts the water level automatically. As it washes it senses whether there is enough water in the drum and adds a bit more as needed. It is nice to be able to throw a few thing I need right away in the wash without having to sort through both hampers to make a full load, knowing the machine will not waste a lot of water. I don't do that very often (dirty cloths are not hard to come by) but I have on occasion.

The Cabrio HE is not the only TL HE out there, but some seem to have more problems than others. Some people have complained about wrinkling with the Cabrio, but I have not had any problem with that. I have heard more complaints than good things about the Kenmore Oasis, and with a TL HE you will probably want an extended warranty, Sears will charge a fortune for that! Plus their service leaves something to be desired in recent years. The GE Harmony is also the same, I have not heard a whole lot about it, no complaints, but I don't think as many people have them. I have never even seen one in any of the stores in my area, and I own a GE range and fridge! Fisher & Paykel (is that close? Most people say F & P.) make a TL HE also, but I don't know much about that either. I have only seen their regular machines. Good luck!

I do not have one of the larger FLs, but my experience may provide you with another datapoint.

I have a FridGEmore, and Kenmore branded Frigidaire (similar to the model in the helpful link below) with the smaller capacity (3.1 cubic feet) compared to 3.5 in most of the current Frigidaire FL models.

The FridGEmore replaced a 18 pound load "heave duty" TL. I can fit about 1.25 times as much laundry in the FL, but remember that my FL is *not* a high capacity machine, just "normal". It has no heater, no bells and whistles, pretty much the same type of cycles as the old TL: delcates, pre-wash, "normal" wash, and heavy duty (longer) wash. Very basic.

What is more important is that the laundry actually gets much cleaner than it ever did in the old TL. It is not a miracle-worker, but the clothes turn out much cleaner than with the old TL and they don't wear out as quickly. Much more moisture is removed on the final spin and the clothes dry faster. I am very pleased with my FridGEmore.

Loading a FL is visually deceptive in comparison to a TL. In a TL, when you look into the tub, you need to leave some visual "space" and not load clothing above the top line of holes in the tub. A properly loaded TL tub looks sort of "half full". In the FL, if you can look into the drum and see space on top of the clothes, then you don't have a full load. With both TL and FL, you don't want to compress the clothes when you put them in the washer, and in a FL you want at least a fist-tall space between top of the pile of clothes and the top of the drum (you'll have to reach inside to test this; you won't be able to see it). When the clothing becomes wet, it compresses to a smaller volume that allows the FL wash action to take place, where the wet clothing repeatedly moves up the side of the spinning drum and falls into the pool of water at the bottom.

I think a large capacity FL might work well for your family.

To test out capacity when shopping, for either a TL or FL, you can take two typical current TL-sized loads of (clean) clothing with you. See how much you can fit into various machines. That will give you the best real-life idea of how big a load you can do at one time, TL or FL.

CMC

Here is a link that might be useful: Frigidaire

Hi picea,

We have a Cabrio with the agitator. It is a huge machine. We too have children and are always doing alot of laundry. This machine cleans VERY well and so far does not have any of the problems that it's sister Cabrio HE has. This machine handles comforters and quilts easily.It spins at 1000 rpm and when you dry it takes about 45 minutes to dry a large load of jeans (8 pair). No wrinkling problems, no twisting of clothes. It senses the amount of water it needs or you can select your own water level.
If you like a TL this may be the one for your large family.
It is a great performer so far.

The only thing I would have liked is a glass lid! Not available in Canada.

Hope this gives you some more options.

David,
I don't think that the F&P holds more clothes than the large FLs. If you look at the energy star website, their capacity is actually a bit smaller. A 3.8 or 4.0 cuft FL should definitely acommodate a family of five. Growing up in Germany we always had the small European size FLs (5 or 6 kg capacity) and it also worked for five people. Of course that would mean a few extra loads, but once you start sorting the laundry, it turns out to work pretty good.
The WP Cabrio that has been mentioned before has a higher capacity, a little less than 20% more than the large FLs and it is also a little faster. But it needs significantly (100%) more water and (50%) more energy than FLs do. It all depends on what is most important to you. It all comes down to a trade-off...either time savings or water and energy savings. I don't know if you even considered the Cabrio, you didn't mention it in the OP. Between the FLs and a F&P, the FL has the larger capacity, but longer wash cycles. FLs are always more energy and water efficient than even HE TLs.