alt Hacker NewsIt surprises me how the US loves their top-loading washers. Here in the UK, there isn't the complex (though interesting) "transmission": the drum has fins to act as both agitator and spin-dryer. This means it's just a boring belt drive between motor and drum (or direct drive, for newer machines.)
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Mainly it's just everybody grew up using top-loaders, though it's also easier to get clothes in and out of a top-loader than a front (unless you have a huge machine). [edit]Oh, and also the up-front cost of a top-loader was about $100 less when I last bought a machine.
I've used a front-loader now for years and the only thing I really miss from my top-loader is that I could just leave the lid open for it to dry out. The door of the front-loader is perennially in the way if you leave it wide open, so we have to prop it open to prevent mildew.
A big issue with side-load machines is the buildup of mould over time unless you are meticulous with maintenance.
I’ve adapted over the last decade l-and-a-half and learned to keep the door open, but the unease is everpresent that a cat might decide to nap in the washing machine on a particular day…
One advantage of top loaders is that they don't have handedness. So wall and door and air vent and water tap location don't fight against appliance door swing...also the distance between door jambs can be a meaningful number of inches narrower.
This will be more of a factor to any degree that US appliances tend to be larger than their European counter-parts (and my WAG is that's the case). In part because in the US, front loaders are a more premium product.
[edit: side note -- issues with fitment are a substantial problem for retailers, returns are expensive].
They're cheap, effective, reliable, very easy to service[1], and parts are also readily available. I'd only choose a side-loader if I was extremely squeezed for space and water.
[1] There are multiple YouTube videos of these machines being completely disassembled very quickly, as well as repairs.
Top loaders are higher capacity and cost less. And open air drying is preferable to machine drying.
It's my understanding that top loaders are less prone to breakdowns.
We have those types here in the States, too. They're very common. We even have several different domestic manufacturers of them to pick from.
(As an aside: I don't throw rocks at your house.)