Washers

We find CR Best Buys for as little as $400

Cleaning ability has little to do with price, according to our latest washing-machine tests, which revealed great values among top- and front-loaders.

Three top-loaders, from Estate, GE, and Maytag, wash well and quickly. And they cost $500 or less. You'll need to spend only a couple of hundred dollars more on one of our recommended front-loaders for better energy and water efficiency.

Whether you're browsing the appliance aisles or surfing the Web to compare washers, it's easy to find models that cost almost $2,000, as manufacturers load their machines with anti-vibration technology and allergen-removal cycles. But some claims proved little more than hype in our labs. The details:

New test shakes things up

Front-load washing machines spin faster, which wrings more water out of clothes so that they dry more quickly. But those higher spin speeds can cause picture-rattling vibrations. After we put the washers through our new vibration test, the scores of several front-loaders dropped. While concrete slabs, such as those found in basements, can absorb vibrations well, standard wood-framed floors don't. A $900 LG and the $1,300 Asko Ultracare shook so vigorously in our tests that they would be poor choices for laundry rooms on framed floors. The Asko's four-shock suspension didn't help.

Allergen overkill

LG's premium front-load machines include an option that, the maunfacturer claims, will achieve water temperatures above the 130º F recommended to kill allergens such as dust mites and germs in pet dander. But you might prefer to pay hundreds less for a washing machine without this feature and reduce your exposure to allergens in other ways, including by vacuuming often; using dust-mite covers on mattresses, box springs, and bedding; and replacing bedding with materials that resist allergens.

Longer cycles can fray fabrics

Front-loader cycle times are getting longer; many take more than 90 minutes per 8-pound load. Those longer cycles can make garments wear out faster. Even with top-loading washers, the 20-minute-longer cycle time of the Kenmore Oasis 2808 over the Whirlpool Cabrio WTW6700T probably accounted for the Kenmore's lower gentleness score.

Mold is a growing concern

Recent lawsuits alleging mold problems in some front-loaders have been filed against LG and Whirlpool. Our Annual Product Reliability Survey found almost one-fifth of repairs to Maytag front-loaders bought in the last four years were due to mold, though all front-loaders had some mold problems. Consumer Reports readers who have written to us complaining of mold buildup also have reported no universal remedy. See Ask Our Experts for our suggestions, which might do the trick.