smeakim

Well ours decided to die after only 4 years which sucks since it was new. We are thinking about buying a front load washer since we can get $125 rebate through our water company. We are strongly considering the LG WM1814CW. Its seems to get pretty good reviews from consumer reports and from some other sites I looked at. We were going to look at Maytag but it seems they are repair prone from what I read. It is pretty big 3.42 and the cost is 749. Anyone have this washer? If so your opinion would be great. Also anyone have a top load that went to a front load and see a big difference in savings in energy, water, clothing, or etc? Thanks in Adavnce

doolittle

the febuary edition of consumer reports has ratings for washer and dryers. i dont think the front loaders make the grade this year.

smeakim

Yeah I joing CR and saw theri ratings. I just wanted to get other's opinions on if they have used them and what they thought.

Grimm

I have always stuck to Kenmore. They have always made great washers and are reasonable priced. I have no experience with LG dishwashers. I have an LG refrigerator. It does ok, but I'm not especialy happy with it.

surfer

I have an LG washer/dryer. LG WM-3677HW Works great. Has lots of options like sanitize and quick wash. I love how it gets out stains with really hot water in the sanitize mode and it really gets the water out when you put it in the fast spin mode.

DarkFury

Honestly, Kenmore (a.k.a. Sears) doesn't make washing machines... they buy em from the major manufacturers (Whirlpool, GE, Maytag, etc...) and rebadge them as "Kenmore".

That being said... find the Kenmore you like, then go and find the company who made that particular one and buy it cheaper under the normal manufactuer brand.

In my case... my Whirlpool under the "Kenmore" label cost about $100 at Sears than it did at Best Buy. Feature for feature.. it was the exact same model as the Kenmore. Same thing applies to refrigerators too.

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RIVERWIDOW

I have had 2 washers (& dryers) in the last 32 years both Whirlpool. Front loading in my opinion sucks. My son has one. if you forget to throw something in you are out of luck. Once it starts you can't open the door for obvious reasons. Top loader is way more convenient.

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Grimm

And if it breaks a month after you buy it, then what?
You call Best Buy, they say to call Whirlpool , you call whirlpool and they give you the number of an authorized technician. Or they have one call you and schedule an appointment. The finaly come out, say what parts they will need and schedule another appointment.

Kenmore appliance breaks and you call Sears, they send someone out, it's fixed and you are done.
When you buy a Kenmore you are geting a good service department to go with it.

When I priced Kenmore Washer and Dryer they were $100 less than the comperable Whirlpools.

mcs328

I went from top loading to front loading and I don't see a difference just because the rise in electricity rates. I think there's a noticeable but not significant drop in my water bill. What I don't like is that when I put towels in that the water gets absorbed and so I don't think it really gets washed and rinsed.

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DarkFury

I got them to toss in the 5 year extended warranty... (so far I haven't had to use it.)

It breaks... Best Buy sends a guy to my house to fix it. And I still came out cheaper than Sears was at the time plus Best Buy gave me 18 months same as cash at the time of sale. It was just Win - Win - Win all the way.

I guess on yours you found a better deal... but in my experience, the Sears brand has always been higher. It was the same deal on the Refrigerator I was looking at, and on the lawnmower... Not to say that Sears doesn't have a sale from time to time. But when I'm ready to buy, it never seems like they have the "better deal".

Pretty much I'm not saying that they sell bad stuff... They just don't build it themselves, so if you can find a significantly cheaper price on the same thing somewhere else... well I guess then you have to decide where you want to spend your money.

thekidrocks

I've had great luck with Whirlpool made Kenmores as well. Depending on where you shop for the Whilrpool, and how you follow Sears sales - you likely will get a better deal on the Kenmore one.

That happened to me on my most recent Kenmore purchase, which was a refrigerator. I have a smallish cabinet opening my today's kitchen cabinet standards, and am too tall to deal with a top freezer/bottom refrigerator model - Whirlpool still makes a lower height side by side. Looked for the best price on a Whirlpool to replace my dying 20 year old Kenmore, then looked at Sears. Ended up paying the same money, but gained a stainless finish, digital temp display, ice bucket on the door and a couple more extras that were very costly under the Whirlpool brand.

One more thought, and don't laugh too hard. Depending on what you need, the Roper brand is cheaper than even Kenmore - and it's also a Whirlpool.

Grimm

Ropers are the low end though. They will be louder and cheaper construction. For an appliance that you will be using for years they aren't a very good deal. To put in a rental unit they should be fine though. You won't have to worry about a renter damaging an expensive one.

For Sears, you always have to shop durring a sale. I know that Kenmore is just a rebadged Whirlpool. It's possible for you to find a better deal on a Whirlpool. But if you need something good and it doesn't have to be in perfect condition, you can look at the Sears scratch and dent outlet. They sell working appliances that are not cosmeticaly perfect. Sometimes you can find a washer with a small dent in the side, a side that will not be visible, and the price is knocked down a couple hundred. If you are looking for good and cheap, that's where to go.

sizemic1

The only drawback to frontloaders is the wash cycle is about twice as long as a top loader. So if you don't do a ton of laundry or don't care that it takes a while to finish, a front loader might work out OK for you.

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coleslaw

Having worked for Whirlpool in the past, I can say that the Kenmore brand is made only by Whirlpool. Kenmore is to Whirlpool as Lexus is to Toyota, i.e. the elite brand from the same parent company. Whirlpool also manufactures stuff under other brand names, such as Roper, Estate and Inglis, among others. Whirlpool actually sells more appliances under the Kenmore label than under its own.

However, with the merger of Maytag into Whirlpool, I'm not sure if or how this will change.

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DarkFury

If Kenmore is the "Lexus"... then it is kinda funny that it is ONLY found at Sears. Honeslty, in my opinion, Maytag > Kenmore... but WAY more expensive too. Does that make Maytag the Bentley of major appliances?

If Whirlpool owns the "Kenmore" name... why doesn't it shop it out to other outlets then?

Kinda like "Craftsman" tools... another Sears exclusive. Who actually makes those tools?

coleslaw

The relationship between Sears and Whirlpool/Kenmore dates all the way back to the 1940s.

If you really want to read some of the history of washing machines and the development of this business arrangement, check out this detailed paper.

=112=

i got the LG WM-3632H (i think, it looks similar) model about 2 years ago. not that i've had the chance to test many different brands or models of washer/dryers in my life, but i can safely say that i'm pretty satisfied with my LG washer/dryer. it seems to do pretty much anything i've wanted in a washer/dryer so no complaints here.