Front wheel bearings?

[Brian]

I've got a hard-to-describe noise coming from the front left primarily during left turns, especially if they are starp, going up hill, and from a slower speed. As time has gone on, the "especiallies" aren't as applicable, and I can get it during right-hand turns or sometimes even when not turning. It's not a clicking sound, but maybe "scrunching" would describe it. It really sound bad A mechanic took a look when I had it in for a more urgent repair, and he said it's a combination of a bad half-shaft (which was my first guess) and a bad bearing.

I've heard a lot about rear wheel bearings going bad, but not much about front bearings. Does all the stuff about the rear bearings apply to the front ones too...the tendency for failure, the shipping/packing grease issue, the need for a press or hub tamer, the wrong gaskets listed, the same torques, etc.? Or are the fronts an easier and cheaper repair?