Comparance - Easy Appliance comparison
For some time now, frontal washing appliances have made their appearance on the market. As this type of appliance is taking up increasingly more space on appliance stores’ floors (up to 50% of the market), many consumers ask themselves what they offer more than top load washing machines. So here are the answers to all those questions.
Frontload washing machines
Firstly, one must mention that frontload washers and dryers have been the first to benefit from technological breakthroughs. Indeed, frontload washing machines use from 40% to 60% less water and electricity than traditional washers during a washing cycle. After a year, these savings can total up to $100 more in the owner’s pockets. Moreover, as these washers’ spin-drying cycle is very efficient and powerful, clothes need a much shorter drying time, which diminishes even more the energy used during a full washing-drying cycle. And so it is for all those reasons that all frontload appliances are ENERGY STAR approved.
Frontload washers also reduce the quantity of detergent used during a load, which has positive impacts on the environment, your wallet, and also on the life span of your clothes. Everyone is unanimous about the subject of the life span of clothes: frontload washers wear clothes a lot less down, notably because they don’t have central poles that catch on to clothes during the washing cycle.
On top of all the advantages already mentioned, another aspect is pleasing to frontload washer users: their loading capacity is impressive. Indeed, the possibility of reducing the amount of loads for the same quantity of dirty clothes while still getting impeccable clothes has made many consumers happy, particularly to parents of a big family or to people with a very active lifestyle. For example, the Whirlpool Duet washer can load up to 10kg of clothes in its tank at once, which is up to 16 pairs of jeans in just one load.
Money and time saver, reduction of impacts on the environment, what else can you ask? Well there is more. Frontload washer and dryer models today are true design gems. Material quality, vibrant colours, and an original design, many users now expose their washing appliances without any shame. With colours called cayenne, chai, night blue, or cherry red, and a great look, the times where we hid our washers and dryers behind sliding doors is over.
There it is, you are sold on frontload appliances? There are still two major inconvenients. First of all, their price. Indeed, these appliances are much more expensive than traditional appliances, which is on average around $1500 to $3500 for a washer/dryer duo. The second inconvenient is that the position of the tank isn’t very ergonomical. Indeed, it is much more difficult or even impossible for certain users to bend down to load and unload their appliance. So let’s see what top load washers have to offer.
Top load washers
Despite the fact that they have lost an important part of the market in the last years, top load washers haven’t said their last word. Because of the pressure of the market and of the tightening of the energetic efficiency criteria everywhere around the world, notably of the new regulation that came in force January 1st 2007 in Canada, manufacturers of washers and dryers didn’t have any choice but to attempt by all means to reduce the water and energy consumption of these appliances.
Whirlpool tried to take up that challenge by proposing a top load washer that works without an agitator, using 51% less water and up to 62% less energy than traditional top load washers. Whirlpool’s Cabrio washer has 11 washing cycles and a loading capacity similar to the one of an average frontload washer. The goal that this washer had to achieve was to offer all the qualities of a frontload washer, while still being loaded from the top, pleasing users who don’t want or can’t bend down. In the same optic, the manufacturer Fisher & Paykel has even made a frontload dryer. With the aging of the population, let’s bet that this type of appliance will gain in popularity.
Generally, traditional washers and dryers are increasingly ecologically energetic and this trend won’t vanish, but they are still a lot less efficient energetically than frontload washers and dryers. The consumer’s final choice is going to be made in function of their budget because top load washers and dryers cost at least half the price of frontload washer and dryer duos.
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