bit-tech Shopping: Frigidaire Gallery Series GLTF2940FS 27-in. Washer

• Adjustible Leveling Legs
• Bleach Dispenser
• Door Lock
• Fabric Softener/Dispenser
• Stackable
• Status Indicator

Rating: 8

Time with product: 4 Months

Strengths: Quiet, energy efficient, low water usage, and easy to operate.

Weaknesses: Small socks get stuck under the glass in the door. Has trouble balancing loads with heavy bulky items such as blankets.

Summary: I purchased this washer to replace a 16 year old Whirlpool top loader that gave me many years of trouble-free use. It is rated a Consumer Reports Best Buy so I figured I can't go wrong with this gem. Hopefully, it will last me another decade or so. It is extremely quiet and uses so little water you have to take a flash light and shine it in the window to see it. Clothes come out clean and fresh. Sometimes small socks will get caught under the glass in the door between the glass and drum but you can pause the cycle, open the door, remove the sock, then throw it to the back of the drum, and continue the cycle. The only other problem I've had is that if you wash a bulky blanket with sheets in the same load, the blanket will soak up all the water like a sponge and cause the load to be uneven so that the washer cannot reach a high velocity spin. To prevent this wash heavy bulky items separately. There is even a cycle for bulky items on the cycle selector knob. Overall, this washer offers high-end features and energy efficiency at a low cost...definitely a Best Buy.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 5 Days

Strengths: It is quiet, and cleans very good compared to our last top loader.

Weaknesses: We haven't discovered any weaknesses yet.

Summary: We bought the matching washer and dryer and were planning on getting the storage units under the machines later. An appliance repairman told us not to do it because they are made out of plastic, they are expensive, and all machines tend to vibrate on them. So we are happy to leave this appliance duo on the floor.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Weeks

Strengths: A Consumer Reports Best Buy for front loaders. Nice set of features.

Weaknesses: Door must be left open to air out machine after use.

Summary: The washer performs well, using surprisingly little detergent which is in addition to the water efficiency. This unit is an Energy Saver model as well compared to my old GE top loader. The unit is very quiet and we could definitely see how much a deeper clean this gave our clothes. The biggest downside is the suds from using too much soap. I mentioned that you have to use far less detergent than a normal washer. The instructions even say to use less than the recommended dose from the detergent.

Rating: 8

Time with product:

Strengths: Quiet. Many features. Consumer Reports Best Buy. Water conservation. Energy efficient. Rebate from our city for the water efficiency.

Weaknesses: Would have liked a digital display. Need to run the machine with just bleach once a month to remove all the soap that gets stuck in the front window.

Summary: Purchased this after seeing it as the Best Buy recommendation in Consumer Reports. Also purchased the matching dryer and two pedestals. Have been using it for a month now and it works just fine. Many strengths. Only concern is the reviewer who said it won't last past 7 years - a long way to go for that yet though. So far so good. Will update this post after some additional time has past.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Weeks

Strengths: Inexpensive (for a front loader). Nice set of features. Uses very little water. Quiet, smooth operation.

Weaknesses: Smaller articles get stuck in the front window. Doesn't rinse as well as a top loader.

Summary: I got this after my Kenmore Elite top loader flooded my house (twice!). I wanted a front loader since they use less water and electricity and supposedly clean better than a top loader. The problem is that most front loaders are quite expensive. This model was a nice compromise between initial cost, quality, and energy efficiency. It has lots of wash modes, spin speeds, etc. It automatically determines how big the load is, and automatically regulates water temps in most cases. You have to use low-sudsing detergent (denoted by an HE on the box), which is slightly more expensive than regular detergent. Even with the HE detergent, there seems to be some suds left over at the end of the cycle. Depending on what mode you select, a typical wash cycle takes about 40-50 minutes. There is a countdown timer to show how much time is left, a nice feature. There is also an optional buzzer to tell you it's done. Except for the high-speed spin cycle, the washer is very, very quiet, and its operation is nice and smooth. It seems to clean just as well as my old top loader (maybe better) with one exception. My son's little socks seem to get stuck on the viewing window every so often, so they don't get a full cleaning. Other than that, it's a great washing machine, efficient, and not too expensive.