[bestmickey]

While I don't have a front-load washer, my sister and another friend do. Both of them RAVE about how gentle the machine is on their clothes AND about the water savings. They indicate that most items don't need to be ironed because the tumbling of the clothes is so gentle. The machine (they both purchased at Sears, but I think it's a GE model) is extremely quiet as well. I've used the machine at my sister's, and I agree with their recommendations. When I need to replace my current machine, I'm definitely going for a front-load model.

I don't know anyone with a front-load dryer, so can't comment there.