We've made no secret of the fact that front-loaders are the most efficient, best performing washing machines out there. But some people simply have to have that classic top-loading washer. For some, that choice comes down to price: many of the cheapest washing machines are top-loaders. And while it can be tempting to get appliances that are packed to the brim with bells and whistles, most people just need a simple, efficient machine that'll finish the job it was meant to do. If you don't want to empty your savings account for the latest and greatest, we've got you covered. Here are our best top-loading washers that cost less than $1,000. Updated July 05, 2016 1 GE GTW680BSJWS The GE GTW680BSJWS features the very best of top loading technology, with everything the American public wants out of a washer: a massive 4.6-cu.-ft. capacity, a warm rinse feature, powerful stain removal. We love its efficient cycles, but it bows to market pressure by letting users choose to use more water than necessary.

With a sale price below $700, it proves that premium can be affordable, too. Read Our Review Where to Buy AppliancesConnection $569.00 Home Depot $536.40 Best Buy $539.99 Lowe's $539.00 2 LG WT1101CW The LG WT1101CW is a lesson in compromise. Its cleaning ability is impressive, and Speed Wash wiped away stains in just 35 minutes. However, some flaws gave us pause. In our tests, it occasionally guzzled water in an attempt to compensate unbalanced loads, which will end up costing you more in the long run. You'll just need to decide if the time saved is worth the price. Read Our Review Where to Buy Home Depot $674.10 Walmart 3 GE GTW485ASJWS The GE GTW485ASJWS combines state-of-the-art technology with time-honored laundry solutions. This top-load washer can calculate the exact amount of water necessary for each wash—or it can fill to the brim at the touch of a button. Whether you're frustrated by "high efficiency," or out to save the planet, it's a washer anyone can love. Read Our Review Where to Buy AppliancesConnection $519.00 Home Depot $498.60 Best Buy $499.99 Lowe's $499.00 4 Samsung WA48J7700AW While the WA48J7700AW is outperformed by other washers, it has a stellar sale price that makes it a great value for one of the most innovative appliance features we've seen.

Samsung's ActiveWash outfits the top-loader with a tiny sink in the lid for easy soaking and pretreating. If you find yourself constantly shifting between the washer and a kitchen sink to scrub out spots, then this Samsung will be the perfect way to save time and hassle. Read Our Review Where to Buy AppliancesConnection $629.00 Home Depot $597.60 Best Buy $599.99 Walmart 5 Maytag MVWB835DW The Maytag Bravos XL MVWB835DW takes after the Maytag Bravos XL MVWB855DW, minus the steam. You get the same 5.3-cu.-ft. capacity for $100 less. Having so much room for laundry means you can spend less time cleaning clothes and more time enjoying your life. Maytag's highly rated PowerWash cycle will also help you "power" through big messes. Whether it's big stains or piles of laundry, this Bravos is up to the task. Read Our Review Where to Buy AppliancesConnection $634.00 Home Depot $639.00 Best Buy $639.99 We’ve scoured the web to find you the best deals on good products. may receive a small share of the revenue from your purchase, editorial opinions are independent from any business sales.

New models break down more quickly than ever. Here's how to decide whether to repair or replace a clunker.Teak Wood Flooring For Showers For better and for worse, I’ve successfully navigated four kitchen remodels in the past 30 years. Used Furniture Online MontrealWhat’s better is the way each remodeled kitchen looks and functions. Buy Road Bike TubesWhat’s worse are the appliances. The newer appliances just don’t work as well, or hold up as long, as the old ones. My husband I have repeatedly replaced relatively new appliances, both large and small. (At least ours haven’t been deemed a safety hazard like the 1.3 million GE dishwashers just recalled because of potential fire risks.) So I’ve been wondering: Despite all the latest whizz-bang features on today's appliances -- from noise reduction to energy savers to extra cycles -- is it possible that they just don't make 'em the way they used to?

(MORE: Home Repair: When Not To Do It Yourself) Our Sad Appliance Tales Get out your tissues. Here's the history of my household appliance woes:Two years ago, I gave my daughter our 30-year-old stand mixer and purchased a new one by KitchenAid. The motor soon made scary grinding noises. A KitchenAid customer-service rep listened to it over the phone, agreed with me, and the company quickly replaced the mixer. The new model isn’t making weird noises, but it doesn’t seem as powerful or sturdy as the one I used for three decades. The dishwasher that wouldn’t wash. This summer, we finally gave up and replaced our five-year-old dishwasher that -- from Day One -- never fully cleaned the dishes, despite repeated service visits from the manufacturer’s repair team. The grills that made us go grrr. We’ve purchased at least four gas barbecue grills in 20 years after parts rusted out or just quit working. Each new model seems to have the half-life of the preceding one.

I concede that today’s appliances are far more energy-efficient than in the past. Bob Markovich, home & yard editor for Consumer Reports, told me that today’s dishwashers use about one-sixth the amount of water than models made seven years ago, and a new refrigerator uses half the energy of a 15-year-old fridge. Still, according to the 2011 Consumer Reports Repair or Replace customer survey, more than one in five new major appliances need fixing pretty quickly. Percentage of Appliances Breaking Within Three to Four Years Side-by-side refrigerator/freezers with icemakers: 36 percent Refrigerators with top or bottom freezers with icemakers: 28 percent Front-loading washing machines: 25 percent And when appliances do go wrong these days, the problems may be “more catastrophic,” Markovich notes. “Things will just stop,” he says, because the appliances are now laden with electronics. Bob Matthews, owner of R.S. Myers Service Co, the northern Virginia repair company I often call when one of our appliances breaks, says today’s appliances usually have more cycles and choices than in the past, all of which add up to more potential trouble.

“They generally require more service calls than older appliances,” he says. Why Appliances Don’t Last I asked Daniel Braunstein, a senior lecturer at MIT’s mechanical engineering department, whether newer appliances have lost their steam. His reply: "That is a very meaty topic.” Braunstein says appliance quality relates to the state of manufacturing, the global economy and corporate profits, among other things. “The overly simplistic view," he notes, "is there has been a real push for bottom-line performance” by appliance makers and their stockholders. That has affected product performance. As Braunstein tells it, many consumer-product companies have moved their manufacturing offshore, delegating design and engineering to contractors, which can create a conflict of interest. A contractor, Braunstein says, might try to lure corporate customers by keeping the cost of its design and engineering services low. “The result becomes focused on the factory's bottom line instead of the interests of the consumer,” he explains.

Trimming costs can mean taking shortcuts that negatively impact the appliance's quality. Then there’s the growing competitive pressure. “Consumer-product companies must always be releasing new products,” says Braunstein. “That means rapid product launches and short product life cycles. Design, engineering, manufacturing and especially testing get short shrift." Time-crunched consumers looking for bargain-basement prices also share some of the blame, when they choose inexpensive products that aren’t built to last. Braunstein admits he’s guilty of having bought a $30 printer to suit his immediate need. “I have every expectation that it will fail within a year,” he says. One more reason consumers replace their appliances so often: the high cost of repair bills and replacement parts. “We charge a minimum of $92 just to go and diagnose a product, plus parts and labor, so it’s easy for a consumer to pay $150 to $250 for a minimum repair,” says Matthews.