Hi

While I love my high efficiency Frigidaire front loader, I doubt it could hold a king size comforter at 3.5. It's a great machine, but if you are only looking to wash the comforter, it's not worth it since they are at least 700 bucks (on special).

The reason these machines are pricey is because they use far less water than a standard TL, are energy efficient, and get the clothes cleaner using a different technology. Rather than submerging the clothes in water which are cleaned by an agitator, FL machines spin the clothes using a little water at a time. HE detergent is designed to attract the dirt and suspend it, which is then flushed out of the machine. The result is cleaner clothing with less wear and tear, and MUCH less water usage. Also, most FL machines are digital and run on a computer chip, which would add to the price.

You can use powdered detergents in FL machines, provided it is HE. Don't try and use standard detergent in a lowered amount in a FL, or you'll be sorry. It would be like using sink dish washing soap in a dishwasher....suds everywhere, and harmful to the machine.

I know they are expensive, but you do save quite a bit on your energy bills, especially water. They clean the clothes more efficiently, and after a little while, it will pay for itself. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply! I had also meant to ask about the new top loader machines, the ones that have the wash plates as opposed to an agitator. Are they high efficiency as well? Just wondering how it compares to a FL, since looking at the same size cu ft, the TL appears to actually be larger. Would it do as good a job as a FL? This would accomodate a king size comforter, yes?

Hi! I have a Cabrio HE, which is a high efficiency TLer with a wash plate. I got it a year ago and I love it. I originally got a FLer that was a 3.8 cf. My thick king size comforter did not fit well, so if you wanted a FLer I would suggest a 4.0 cf. I think the Cabrio HE is 4.5 cf. It washes really well, rises better than the FLer did, and does not cause vibration problems although it does have a high speed spin. Cloths take less time to dry just like with a FLer. And it holds a lot of cloths! I used to do 5 or 6 loads of laundry 3 times a week with my old TLer, plus 4 loads of towels and the beddings. Now I do 5 loads of laundry 2 times a week (or 7 loads of laundry one day a week if I'm being lazy) plus 2 loads of towels and the bedding. And whereas with my old TLer it took from 7 AM to 9 PM to do 6 loads of cloths and 2 loads of towels (those used to take at least 1 1/2 hours to dry) I can now do those same items between 2 PM and 10 PM (I just did that yesterday). You do have to use HE detergent, but you can use powder. They probably make the HE Tide powder, I don't know for sure though because I developed an allergy to Tide over ten years ago. I currently use All Free and Clear HE, it is easy to find and costs the same as the non HE version. Meijer, Target, and Wal-Mart are good places to shop for the HE detergents because they have good prices. I got my Cabrio HE at LoweÂs, and they were wonderful! This was actually the third machine I had, so they were out to my house three times. I personally like the Cabrio much better than the Flers I had, mainly because of the problem I had with the FLers not rinsing sufficiently (I have a lot of allergies and skin problems so detergent residue is a huge issue for me). I could have continued to use the FLer but to get as good a rinse as a single rinse in the Cabrio (or my old TLer) I had to use three rinses in the FLer which meant that loads took at least 1 1/2 hours to wash. I don't have that kind of time.

Hi! :o)

I will second Jcrowley's positive review on her Cabrio. My family and I pitched in and purchased a Maytag Bravos HE TL for my grandmother. The Bravos is almost identical to the Cabrio and it is an awesome machine! It washes clothes wonderfully, rinses them excellently, and it can hold a TON of clothes! I don't think my grandmother has washed a king comforter in her Bravos, but it holds so much that I can say with confidence it most likely will hold a king comforter easily. I would recommend the Bravos to anyone looking for HUGE capacity in a machine and the ability to wash a king-sized comforter.

I do not have any experience with the large capacity FL's such as the Duet, Epic, Bosch Nexxt, Samsung VRT, etc., but I did have a smaller Danby FL in my previous residence and LOVED it! Couldn't hold a king-sized comforter but it washed clothes so wonderfully and it eliminated old stains from clothes that I never thought would come out of them. I believe this was due to the internal heater it had. I hated to leave that machine behind when I moved but had no choice! I now have a mediocre-performing Maytag MAH2400 FL with no heater in it. I feel that the heater in a FL makes a HUGE diffference in washing performance!

However, the Bravos has no heater yet it cleans beautifully as well. The GE Harmony is also another enormous-capacity HE TL, but it does has a heater and I have heard almost no complaints of that machine! There are many here on this forum that own one and love it! There is also a new Kenmore Oasis HT with a heater, however, I have heard a bunch of negative reviews of previous Oasis machine. Go figure!

I guess everyone has different experiences with different machines.

Hope this info helps! Keep us posted on your decicion! :o)

Kevin

Since washing the king-sized comforter is the issue here, may I suggest that you take it down to your local appliance store and try it out. If you place it inside those large-capacity washers you will be able to better judge whether it fits or not. You also want to know that, even if the comforter fits, the washer can handle such a large item without causing premature failure of motor/components or other unwanted issues. Remember that price is not necessarily indicative of durability/quality.

What type of washer you choose should depend on what features/aspects are most important to you. You are the one who spends the money and your choice should be a comfortable fit. Make a list.