Or is that "affordable steal"?
{photo from Yale Appliance blog}
Our new washer and dryer are by Frigidaire (not this, but similar).
After consulting my appliance guru and blogging buddy Steve @ Yale Appliance… he assured me this was the most bang for my buck. I wish I could have purchaed them from him. I can't imagine what the delivery would have been like to get those bad boys from Boston to Florida.
So we went to Lowe's, put them in the back of the truck, and we installed them ourselves the very same night.
My husband (an engineer) thoroughly inspected these… meanwhile I was just making sure they had all the settings I might want and making sure the "color was right". This is the husband's train of thought: "Good strong door hinges? Check. Stainless steel drum? Check. Similar components (on the back and inside of the unit) as other higher-end models? Check. The specs similar to higher end models? Check.
Ours are black… which I was a little concerned about (dryer lint is white… you know?), but the price was really great, and afterall they will be behind closed doors. We purchased them both for less than $1200 – the washer was $518.20 (cheaper than the dryer oddly enough) and the dryer was $598.00. I wouldn't divulge prices like this (it's not lady-like)… but if you are in the market (like I have been for the last few months)… I know you would want to know the prices. I shopped around… majorly. If my husband had to talk to me one more time about the washer and dryer I thought he might pack up and move out, so we finally took the plunge.
I thought I wanted LG, Steve (and my pocketbook- couldn't have even bought the washer for what I paid for both of the Frigidaire units) discouraged it. A few friends have the LGs and love them, I hope I don't jinx anything for them. Reviews are mixed. I liked their "adaptable controls" (meaning the dryer (when stacked) can be controlled from the bottom – closer to eye level) since I'm a shorty and I knew mine would be stacked.
Anyway, we got our new w/d set up and washed our first load – bought the HE detergent and the whole bit, and sat in front of the washer on the floor (like a couple of school age kids glued to the glass at an aquarium or something)… we could not believe our eyes when the water stopped… "is that all the water it's going to use?" "no way they'll be clean!" "do you think its malfunctioning already?"… you should have seen us… we were able to laugh at ourselves when the clothes were done washing…
The clothes were super clean… the capacity is perfect, and they are WAY more quiet than our old top-loaders.
I guess the bottom line is: do your homework. Ask around. My twin has the Frigidaire front loaders too… she washes for a family of 4, and has had them for over a year and LOVES them. This helped my decision.
This distracted my decision: friend Taylor bought the Whirlpool Duet Sports… which is what I usually specify for my clients (the regular Duets and the Sports (for smaller locations (closets, extra laundry room)). Read Taylor's review here. I love the Duet… but it wasn't in our price range.
sounds like you got the perfect w/d AND for a great deal [MAJOR bonus]!! we were like ya’ll with our first load of laundry–just sat and watched in amazement. it’s so exciting!!
many congrats!!
Our LG washer gets clothes clean – but about two months after purchasing it – the gasket and boot developed the horrible stench that so many people review about. We couldn’t seem to get rid of that awful smell.
Our salesman back at Lowes told us to try using POWDER HE detergent instead of LIQUID HE detergent.
NO MORE ICKY SCENT.
I hope you love your washers as much as we love ours – and I hope you keep yours bad-smell-free.
All the best!
OK if you jinx me, I’m coming after you.
In all seriousness, I do love my LG and hope I continue to love it for another 10 years. I’m so glad you introduced me to Steve’s blog – I love reading his insight on all these products and I always leave feeling like I’ve gotten inside scoop.
Since you’re enjoying laundry so much, does this mean we get full-service during our stay?
xx
P.S. I just wanted to post again since it now takes me half the time. HOORAYYY for no more spam controls!
Thank you for the shout….
Frigidaire is a great value without question. Bosch and Whirlpool are my other favs.
For that icky smell, try some tablets of a product called Affresh, special designed for…icky smells or so it seems
Thanks again…your blog still rocks
Oh, I am so proud of you! That is next on my list, we still have the original washer and dryer that came with the house, but it works!
I have dreams of a new front load washer and dryer -
Wow, black must look sharp! Glad that you and your husband are having some good clean fun!
Patricia
i am glad to see Steve’s helpful advice about the icky smell. i think it must be a front loader thing–like maybe mildew?? mom’s maytag’s used to do it, and our whirlpool’s do it. i will have to invest in some Affresh!! [and i need to try my "clean washer" cycle!]
happy washing–again!!
thanks for all the info on the w/d! our budget is pretty small, but for front loaders, that sounds like such a good deal! I just might have to take a trip to Lowes to check them out…
thanks for the price… it helps to know these things and to know how to size these decisions up. We’d love to upgrade, but it’s so hard to do when the old ones we have work without a hitch – just not as efficient or quiet as we’d like.
what model # did steve tell you to get? I trust your numbers, but under 1200 seems tough through the Lowe’s website. Maybe after we finish our yard we’ll put it on the list.
From the little bit I know, when you have a top loading washer, you leave the lid up to air out the inside. Well, you have to do the same for a front loading washer, which means leaving the door open so everything can dry.
We’ve had ours for a year and don’t have any smelly problems, but I’m quite particular about making sure my gaskets are dry before closing the door. I’m definitely going to try the powder detergent just for prevention though!
I’m on the market too. Mine are 15 years old and refuse to die. I wonder: what is worth for the environment: adding to the landfill by discarding working machines or using machines that are not energy efficient.
Great post! I’m in the Boston area and also read the Yale Appliance blog and paid particular attention to that post! A washer and dryer has been on our on list for months now and I’ve been thinking about the Frigidaire or the Duet or Duet Sport… What an amazing deal you found – I’d go with the black, too, at that price! Glad to know that you are happy with yours!
We just bought the LG’s and I am scared to death they are going to smell….I will keep that powder tip in mind!!
I forgot that we could put the controls on the bottom…I wonder how hard that is to do because I can’t see the controls stacked way up there like they are.
The new washer and dryer are life savers. I can do 6 loads instead of literally 12-15!!
Heather
Thanks for the tip – my w/d are almost 17 years old, I mean, it’s bound to happen, right? And since they sit in the Silence of the Lambs basement what they look like is of littlt consequence. I’m now hopping over to check out “Steve.” I think I will need him.