Depending on what you are trying to achieve, their top load machine is not a high efficiency machine and will use a lot of water. The front is gentler on the clothes and uses less water. The top load gentle cycle is gentle enough to handle your clothes with care, but there is an agitator than sometimes can grab clothing (rare but can happen). Either way you go would be a home run.

Thanks RiverBend! Great points!

I bought a Speed Queen top loader (and dryer) six month ago and have been very pleased. I've moved a lot over the years and have used many machines and this is my favorite. I've had less wear and cleaner clothes than any top or front loader. My model has both a delicate and hand wash cycle and the clothes come out clean from either cycle.

Thanks Bungalowmo and Retroearth! So glad to hear this too!

Yes, it likes to pull threads on my delicates. I now use wash bags and today it liked to destroy one wash bag. The bsg did protect the clothes. I have never had this problem with any other machine

We’ve had an SQ top loader for about seven years now. For most of this time I’ve been running a couple loads a day to keep up with DH and five teenagers. Clothes are consistently clean and odor-free (unlike the F-P top loader the SQ replaced). Not once have any clothes or laundry bags been damaged. I got a model with non-locking lid so can always toss in a dish towel, sock, etc after the load starts. I also like that I can manually set the water level to match the size of the load. No fancy bells & whistles, just a workhorse of a washer that gets our clothes clean.

I got a new model TR5 top loader. The drum spins as well as the agitator. I can't trust this machine any longer. They have a service man coming to check it out again.

My TR3 top loader tub was defective. The two replacement tubs sent to me by Alliance Laundry Systems were also defective. Why? The sharp edge at the bottom of the stainless steel cylinder eats fabric!

You can see how easy it is to destroy fabric in this 60 second video and read a brief summary of my contact with Customer Service. They never acknowledged or repaired the defect and I had to resort to self help to fix it.