MCD, as a former salesman of front-load funds, I believe that, in most cases, no-load funds are the way to go.

I can justify my former life as a fund peddler by saying that most of the folks I talked to didn't have a clue about how to invest. By putting them into an appropriate fund [and, yes, I did try to do that] I helped them in their financial future and earned my cut of the front-end load.

That said, if you are at a point where you can ask the question, "Front-Load or No-Load, which is better?" then you are probably beyond what a fund peddler can do for you