Will come to the point straight away. Front loading ones are the best thing. I used a top loading WM(Washing Machine) for few years and recently changed to a FL(Front Loading) one. The advantages I have observed in each are:
Top Loading
1.No need to depend on the water supply and can pour water in in case there is no water in the tap.
2.Made mostly of plastic so its very light and can be moved or transfered or shipped easily.
3.Can use normal detergents which are less expensive.
Now lets go into the advantages of the FL over TL WM.
Front Loading
1.FL uses the Tumble Action or Dhobi Wash and its easier of clothers then the Aggitator Action of TL WM.
2.Users a Floating Drum mechanism, its much less noiser then the top loading ones.
3.Relies on the water supply, the door gets locked once the program starts and there is no way to skip in between. If the water in the tap stops, then it will wait till the water supply starts again. I don’t find this a nuisance rather a blessing.
I never tried opening the door after the program started, in case am wrong do let me know
4.Dhobi Wash results in better wash quality, with lesses strain on sensite clothes.
5.Have option for hot wash which I think is not available in TL (At least the one I had was not available) and it results in whiter whites.
6.The stainless steel interiors of most of the FL WM are easier to maintain then the mostly plastic interiors of TL WM.
Some ’So-Called’ Disadvantages of FL
No product is perfect and I will put in some of the ’cons’ of the FL WM.
1.Since consists of the Steel Drum, its much heavier then then TL WM. The one I have (The smallest available from the company) weighs 80 KGs
2.In case you are in a hurry and need to wash something urgently, you get stuck if the power or water supply goes of in the middle. I always prepare in advance and this problem is not applicable for me.
3.The ’preffered’ detergent for a FL are the ones with ’Low Sod’ or ’Low Lather’, which are normally more expensive. A packet of Surf Exelomatic costs a whooping 170 /- Rs where as others can be procured for half the price.
What I Feel
I would prefer FL anyday. Its less noisy and more efficient in terms of Water consumption (That’s what I felt). In a top loading, I end up pouring water into it cos by nature am ’impatient’ which results in bad wash with lot more water consumption. The most striking feature of FL would be the ’low noice’ that it makes.
I have noticed that FL certainly cleans better then the TL ones, but people have their own experiences. I would recommend a FL one even though it means shelling out some extra money, cos end of the day, when you are spending money, spend it to get the best available product.
Now I am going to borrow another popular members phrase, hope its ok with her:-).
Hope this helped you in some way.
Long Live & Prosper
R
Note:The comparison I did was between a Videocon TL WM and a IFB FL one. I will be writing a review on IFB FL soon with some of its salient features.