We've had both front load and top load and we much prefer the top load. When we moved into our current home, there was no washer and dryer, so we had to buy a set. We opted to go with a top loader without an agitator this time. We couldn't be happier with it. We can wash any size load - from a few things (which we don't do very often because we don't want to waste water) to huge comforters and quilts. Ours has a pull out drawer to pour your detergent into or drop in a detergent pack. It also has a drawer to pour softener into (a lot of these machines without agitators don't include a softener dispenser so you have to use something like a Downy ball). The key to getting clothes cleaner in one of these types of machines is to ball your clothes up as you put them in. Don't just layer your clothes. Balling them up creates the agitation that you're missing. ;)

With a front loader, we always had that funky smell... we even left the door open when not in use so the gasket could dry out. Also, since we have cats, we always had to clean out that big door gasket because it would collect a big wad of nasty wet hair and goop. The detergent drawer ALWAYS got moldy too. How does a machine that is constantly dirty and moldy get clothes clean? Ewwwww!!!!

As for dryers... the ones that matched the front load washers that we had (two different models and brands) didn't seem to dry very well either. No matter what time and/or temperature we set them to, the clothes were ALWAYS damp and had to be restarted. The ones that have matched all of the top load washers we've had over the years have always done well. We always liked having a pull down door to drop clothes onto from the washer or pull clothes out of the dryer onto because it was handy and the openings were bigger, but space didn't allow that with our current set.

My advice is to go to a good appliance store and talk to the salespeople... and have a good idea of what features are important to you in your machines. They'll be able to tell you good and bad things about all of them. Like the set we have now... the salesman let us know that it doesn't stay locked during the entire cycle like a lot of models do, so tossing something in late is a little quicker and easier. And, the last set we had (it was a stacked unit in a closet) didn't show how long was left in the cycle and didn't have a chime to let us know it was done, which always bothered us, so the salesman showed us models that included those options.