@Chris Powchuk I don't agree with that at all. I had an Electrolux front load. Crappy machine. Bio-stink built up on clothing. You would think after running a 2 hour cycle with warm water, on heavy cycle with extra rinses would result in clean clothing. Nope. The machine was also clean as a whistle inside and out. I kicked that machine to the curb and got an LG. Much better machine. Clean clothes and clean smelling clothes. So I do not believe they are all built the same or operate the same. I used to dry the boot and leave the door open on my Electrolux. Never any mold. I have gotten lazy with my LG and do not dry the boot but do leave the door open and again no mold. I run affresh on the tub clean cycle every now and then and that's about it. And top loads are not exempt from mold. I had a Fisher and Paykel top load at my previous house. That machine built up mold all around the outside of the tub where you couldn't see it but boy could you smell it. We had to take the whole tub out and drag it into our shower to clean it.

On dryers, it seems the bigger the better. As it has been noted, it is possible with the larger washers like Miele W48xx, Duets, HE5t, etc, to actually overload the dryer. I had the Miele T9800 for about 5 months. Some observations. Overall a good dryer. List price is actually reasonable (I paid $1200). A little smaller at 6.4CF than other competitive dryers (7-7.3CF). And limited temp controls and very limited manual timer/temp options. Almost too limited, YMMV. Loud, but bearable (mostly air flow sounds). Nice SS drum, filter, all glass door, and reverse tumble. Normal setting sometimes slightly under dried clothes, but not a big problem. I now have the HE5t matching Kenmore (Whirlpool) dryer. As posted, I returned my Miele W48xx machines. I did considered for a while just keeping (or getting another Miele T9800 dryer) to go with the HE5t. Eventually matching considerations and the ridiculously low price I ended up getting both the HE5t and dryer. The Kenmore high-end dryer as compared to the Miele is bigger (7 vs 6.4 CF), shocking quite (like real quite), seems to dry about the same- time/dry level. Very flexible temp control and timer/temp options. Almost overkill. but nice to have. Digital readouts (including time remaining) instead of Miele status LED indicators. No SS drum nor option to get one. Overall pleased but lack of SS drum is concern. If the Miele dryer was a little larger, a little quieter and had more manual temp/controls, it would be strong contender. The Miele looks like a high quality dryer, the Kenmore looks so-so. Looked at LG, and Samsung dryers. Both had SS drum options, but overall quality level seem to be more in the Kenmore/Whirlpool range and price about the same as Kenmore. Where LG and Samsung lead if a very big 7.3 CF capacity. So far I have not missed reverse tumble. I had it both on the Miele and older Bosch dryers. I don't think you need it on these larger dryer (or need is very reduced). On the Miele T9800, the reverse tumble was actually used very little of the time. It was also interesting on the reverse tumble phase because the dryer suddenly would get very quite- apparently just reduced air flow noise. This indicated the noise was not the mechanics of drum but just motor noise and air flow issues. My gut feel is the Miele could (or should) cut the air flow back for home use. For a commercial dryer, it is probably ok, but most home users would make the trade-off easily. Also, it is sucking your conditioned air out your home at a high rate. So no free lunch on reduced drying time (if any) over other more standard dryers. In a basement- yes. Upstairs- no.

Just an update: It's here, sitting proudly just off my living room, which is not where I had hoped for it to go. Try as I did, it is just too deep (front to back) to fit in my bathroom where my old washer is. So it will go near my galley kitchen. There's still alot of work to do to get it up and running. I need to add a 120-240V/15A circuit breaker (or a fuse or easy-install kit for the existing 240V outlet) and run new wiring. A means of attaching it to the kitchen sink to drink from and drain to. A Y-adapter to feed cold water to both the cold and hot inlets. (I've relegated most of my installation issues to this thread). My dryer - an old, small GE ventless unit - is starting to become unreliable too. If I find a decent used condensation dryer at a good price I may get that too. But here I see I run into a problem - evidently Miele hasn't made 6kg ventless condenser dryers. They have lots of 5kg condensation dryers, but I don't think they can be stacked atop a 6kg washer like the W1926. Correct? I'm in the dark about whether some sort of stacking kit is needed to stack a Miele dryer atop a Miele washer, and whether only certain combinations of W & D can be stacked. It appears it is although I can't find any references to specific model numbers and the stacked machines shown in their manuals don't seem to list any particular additional hardware, Anyone here familiar with this? And is stacking a non-Miele condensation dryer on a Miele washer verboten? Is there some sort of homemade mount you can build that will keep the dryer from sliding off? If I had a closet, I'd just build a shelf a few inches above the washer and be set. I could reverse the old layout - washer near kitchen, dryer in bathroom. Then I could use any brand. I have a 120V/15A dryer now but can go to a 240V condensation dryer that should increase my options considerably. Miele and Bosch seem to sell for much more secondhand than Asko or other brands. I'm also seriously confused about the plugs, outlet, and wiring required by the W1926. It's rated at 120-240V/15A, yet is fitted with a Hubbell NEMA 14-20P plug, the type normally found on a grounded 125V/250V 20A (not 15A) device. The electrical cord is a Carol 12/4 Type SJ (UL) (also listed as CSA Type SJ FT-2), with a sticker noting that the black and red wires are the L1 and L2 hots respectively, with a white neutral and green ground. Why not 14-gauge cable ending in a usual 240V/15A plug as Bosch uses? Further confusing things, the Miele owner's manual seems to indicate the plug is a NEMA 14-30P, the big ones normally found on 240V/30A dryer plugs. Could this not be the original cable or plug? The new double-pole circuit breaker should clearly be 15A but should 14-3 w/ground or 12-3 w/ground NM-B (Romex) cable be run? (I lean towards the latter since that's what the washer cord uses). I may have been better off with one of the 5kg Miele washers - it would have fit in my bathroom and I could stack a Miele condensation dryer over it eventually and save space. They are essentially alike only 4 inches shallower front to back, and with (even) higher spin speeds. But I hope to someday have a larger home and then I can take the W1926 with me and use any ol' normal vented dryer, and I'll be glad I have the extra space. The Miele really is nicely designed - very straightforward controls that tell you what they're doing - no "workout wear" or "kid's clothes" settings that leave you wondering what it's really doing. And of course, actual temperature markings, a rarity in U.S.-market washers. Can you imagine an oven that didn't show temperatures, just "cold", "warm", and "hot"?

Hi All, I finally heard back from Miele. They didn't really respond to my question re: vibration, so I'm assuming that the vibration on the washer I saw at the Miele Gallery is typical of a Miele unit. My email to them and their response is below: Sept. 9 email to Miele: Hi, I'm looking for a new washer and dryer and have narrowed it done to a few contenders, the Miele W1612 being one of them. I went to the Miele Gallery in Vancouver and had a demo of the model. The washing performance was excellent and I love that you're offering a free 10 year warranty. It's refreshing to see a company that's willing to stand behind their products! Before making a decision, I have few questions that I'm hoping you can respond to. 1. During the demo that I saw, the washer vibrated between about a quarter to a half an inch at the top of the machine when it was spinning at 1000 RPM. I would be installing it on a wood (main) floor of my 83 year old house, so I am concerned about vibration. In the Vancouver Miele Gallery, the washer and dryer were stacked, but a stacking kit wasn't used. So, I'm wondering if perhaps the unit wasn't installed as well as it could have been and that what was leading to the vibration. Alternatively, is between a quarter and a half inch vibration typical of Miele washers? 2. I noticed that the drain holes on the rubber bellows are about half an inch above the bottom of the bellows. It seems like water would pool there, without any way to drain. Is there a reason why the drain holes are not located at the bottom of the bellows and have you had complaints/issues with odours and mold? 3. Is there any plan to bring back a 240V washer? I was really hoping to get one, but there aren't any in Miele's current line up. Thank you in advance, Lisa Sept. 17 Response from Miele: Dear Lisa, Thank you for taking the time to write. There are things you can do to prevent the vibration in your appliances. The main thing you would need to look at in your case is if your floor can actually handle the weight and the vibration. Soft surfaces can vibrate more readily than hard surfaces such as concrete. Locate the washing machine in a corner of the room, floor stability is the greatest there. If beams are below the wooden floor, fit a wooden board under the machine and screw it to as many beams as possible. Make sure the unit is perfectly levelled. We usually recommend that the unit is installed in the basement on a concrete floor because that is where there will be most stability. In regards to the drainage in the seal, we haven't had any complaints of mold issues. As with any front loaders, you do need to follow a few simple maintenance rules. Make sure you wipe down the seal after you're done with your laundry. If you're able to, leave the door ajar for a few hours to make sure it has a chance to dry completely. Once a month, run a hot water cycle without any detergent in your appliance to rid the appliance of any detergent residue you may have. Try to avoid using too much detergent in your washer as well. A little goes a long way with a front loader since they are very low water consumption. And there are no plans to bring back a 240 V washer in the future in Canada. I hope this will help in your decision. Please do not hesitate to contact us again in the event that you may require additional information. Sincerely, Annie