[Simon & Nicky]

When the power goes out and the clothes you need for the evening are still sitting in the machine, perhaps you can explain to me how you get them out without opening the door and letting all the water out! Also front loaders wear out MUCH quicker and you'll be spending days waiting for parts etc. Our American cousins got this one right for sure - think of the awesome forces that are running through the bearing on a front loading machine when the cleaner puts twenty towels in it (and she will)! The only reason why they are popular in the UK is because of the amount of space they save.

With regards to driers I have posted in the past about the gas powered machine I bought. Even though the price of gas is now much higher than it used to be, it is still cheap to run and great for getting rid of mold and mildew. In the summer when the clothes come in off the line wetter than when they went on it the machine is a God-send. (If you buy one don't forget to get it properly converted to LPG, the shop owners will tell you it will run OK but unless it expressly says it has been converted to LPG, all the jets will be wrong and believe me - it is dangerous to run a non-converted machine).