Front loaders are so much better than top loaders, We will never go back. We not only use less water, less soap,and less drying time with the gas dryer that matches our washer,our clothes are cleaner and do not use hot water for rthe cleaning. 45 years of washing clothes, I think I have finally found a winner. My front loader is a keeper. I paid more for it, but it was worth every cent. And yes, it goes forward and backwards. I purchased at sears. I recomeend gettibng the extra warrenty policy with it. The parts and labor can be very expensive if any thing goes wrong. I had my kids break the switch lock by opening while it was running,and the switch alone price was more than the warrenty price.