by Kaitlyn Hamilton

Created on: July 16, 2010

Before you begin shopping for a new front loading washer, there are a few things that you need to know about the different brands so that you can determine which ones are best for your own personal situation.

VIBRATION AND NOISE LEVELS

What kind of flooring will the washer sit on in your home?  Is it upstairs?  Is it on anything other than concrete slab?  This is very important because not all front loading washers were designed to be put upstairs or on a floor that is not sturdy.  If you plan to use your front loading washer on concrete slab, then any of the brands on the market will work.  If you are going to be using your front loading washer upstairs or on a floor that is not reinforced specifically for a front loading washer, then you absolutely must choose a machine that has six-way suspension, and preferably with counter-balances for the drum.  If you try to put a machine without these features on a non-reinforced floor then the vibration during the spin cycle will most likely damage the machine, the floor, and possibly even the wall behind the machine. 

The Whirlpool Duet Sport is lighter in weight than most of the other front loading machines on the market.  It is designed to fit a standard 27" space and it has slightly lower RPM's than some of the fancier machines.  It is designed to put on an upstairs floor, but I strongly suggest that you have a contractor look at your flooring if you plan to stack the dryer on top of the washer due to the added weight.  On the down side, the Duet Sport has slightly smaller capacity than some of the others.

Samsung front loading washers in their premium line have excellent suspension as well as counter-balances in the drum.  We aren't talking about the cheaper sets in Samsung though.  Be sure to ask your salesperson specifically if the Samsung machine has VRT (Vibration Reduction Technology).  The machines with VRT in the Samsung line are very impressive.  I have actually performed demonstrations with these machine where I took a foot off of the washer and raised the other three to create a severe imbalance.  Then placed a work boot inside and set it on the highest spin cycle.  It vibrated lightly for a few seconds and then was smooth as glass.  Although the vibration in these machines is almost non-existent they are still very heavy, so they might not be ideal for every flooring situation.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>