All I can add to the above is that I agree, it is harder to pick a new washer than a car! Our almost 6 yr. old Whirlpool Calypso HE TL just bit the dust. We had over $200 worth of repairs done on it about a year and a half ago. I said no to fixing it yet again as this model has been known as a lemon from many people on this forum. My husband hooked up an older TL to use for now that he picked up for $50 last summer just in case our washer died. Good thing he did so now I can research and decide what kind of machine I want or maybe I will just keep this older GE profile for now! I am sorry I can't be of much help to you. Good Luck and let us know what you decide to buy.

Based on all my reading, I have decided to get a Speed Queen TL. We just bought a Speed Queen dryer. I feel like the 3 year warranty is a plus and that reliability is really important to me. I was dismayed to see that repair record is not part of the CR rating system. You have to look for that separately and it isn't specific to models.

Most of the time there is just my husband and me at home so we don't have a ton of laundry and I am very careful about washing full loads so that I am using as little water and electricity as possible. I just don't feel like the water we would save having a FL is an important environmental consideration if the machine itself has to be junked sooner. Of course, I live in the wet northwest where water is rarely a problem.

Although the Speed Queen is a great machine and well worth your consideration, I have a few suggestions for you to consider:

-Fisher & Paykal agitator versions, and actually, even the impeller versions. Very popular machines.

-Any of the Whirlpool basic machines are great value machines. These use multiple names (Maytag, Whirlpool, Roper, Estate, Inglis and probably more) and are all the same basic unit. Let's face it, for a couple hundred dollars and up, the investment isn't something to be scared of.

-Whirlpool Cabrio agitator version. Has some HE features but you can set water levels too.

-GE Harmony is made by LG and a very popular, large, HE machine. Expensive, but a reliable unit.

Difficult decision to make, I know. Glad I don't have to make the decision yet!

Just break down and buy a set of Mieles and you won't be sorry. Be nice if you could find the ones that ran on 220 volts. and could heat up your water really hot like mine. I LOVE my Mieles.

And again LG lover here!!!

I couldn't agree more! It took me an afternoon to buy a new car and two weeks to pick a washer!! I have the GE Harmony, which is an HE TL. I've had it about 4 years now and love it! I've seen complaints about the water level in the HE TL's but I can honestly say that it had never been a problem. I don't care for the FL's so my choices were limited but I'm very glad I ended up with the Harmony. It has tons of room but doesn't use more water than it has to. Our clothes always look, feel, and smell clean. I can't think of anything else to ask for in a machine. If you want the more room than a regular TL provides you might want to take a peek at the Harmony.

HE washers are so much better than agitator TL's, for most uses at least, that IMO it's a shame to deprive yourself of one just because they don't work out so well for some people. Does anyone come to the conclusion "Relationships never work out, so I'm not going to even try" after reading other people's problems in advice columns and websites?

Constanceann;

Sorry to hear that you are having a problem picking out your new washer. I would like to say this to you though;
Many of the post that you read out on the net that are reporting problems, Alot of them are user error. I'm not saying that all are and that there are not problems with machines, however, most people will only speak/post about problems and people who don't have problems rarely say/post anything. An example of this is on the sears website. On the 5th page of reviews for Kenmore FL model 48116 the person reports that clothes don't get wet that are in the middle, and that they don't come out rinsed.

Well, with a statement like that she actually says two things here. One is that she is overloading the machine. She states that she can only fill it 2/3 full--hhhmmmm something doesn't jive here. I also know that this machine does 3 rinses in it's cycles. I know this as a friend of mine has this machine (3 yrs now) and I get to see it run. There is also the option for extra rinse on this machine for a maxium of 4 rinses. My HE3 that I bought 5 yrs ago only does 2 rinses in its cycles with an extra rinse option for 3 rinses.

Most odor/smell problems comes from people keeping the door cloesed after use and not using enough detergent for their soil/water conditions or using too much and not using hot water and bleach for whites.

As stated above, I have had my HE3 now for 5 yrs, It's been moved twice, and as of this post today, I have not had one repair done on this machine. In my manual it said to throw out the shipping bolts once removed and if moving the machine, us a dolly from the side, not the front or back which I did when I moved it. I have not had any issues with mold or a smelly drum. When I moved into my new house 5 yrs ago, it was on well water with a whole house water softner. Even so the water had a very high iron content. I went to the store and got some "yellow out" to wash my whites with once a month. Now I'm on city water which is medium in hardness. I do switch back and forth alot from liquid to powder detergent. In my personal experience I have found that using the sears ultra plus seems to clean the tub and seals as well as strips the laundry from any detergent build-up.

As far as tangling goes, yes, sometimes I do have tangling. That is when I was a load that contains alot of PJ bottoms, and long sleeve shirts. I reduce this by folding the PJ bottoms and placing them in the drum. It has been discussed on here about a learning curve when going to a FL, but I never understand that statement cuz I never had that issue. Yes, you do have to sort laundry differenly to wash similar fabrics together, but you should be doing that in any washer.

I'm going to leave it at that. My point is, some people will exaggerate issues they have and makes easy fixes into huge problems. Again I'm sure that there are issues out there, but also try and read between the lines as...

Well, after much research and soul searching, we decided to go with the Speed Queen TL. We purchased it from a local independent appliance dealer who has been in business 50 years (and still going strong even in this economy). He and his sons also service Speed Queens. It is being delivered this afternoon! We felt it was a 50:50 shot at having problems with either a HE TL or a FL and those were odds we did not want. In addition, I could not find a single negative review for the Speed Queens. Hopefully it works out for us. I'll be sure to post a follow-up.

First of all, I agree that it is extremely complicated trying to select the right machine. My whirlpool duet washer just died after 16 months. Rather than pay the $800.00 repair fee (the computer went), I'm going to purchase something new, less fancy and less expensive. Another key thing I've learned in this process is that we're forced to buy the extended warranty. My original purchase only included a one year warranty. I moved into a brand new house last year ad purchased almost $20,000.00 in appliances. My viking refrigerator has needed a new ice maker already. The viking microwave died in October and now my washing machine is dead. Fortunately, the refrigerator is under a 2 year warranty but the microwave and washing machine only had a one year. I guess it pays to get the extended warranties when garbage is being made and sold. The local business I purchased these items from has terrible repair service, just trying to get them to call you back to schedule an appointment is a nightmare. The bottom line is I've learned to purchase the extended warranty and only buy from a place that offers good repair service (not just good sales service) I wish you all the best. Let me know how you like your new machine. I still haven't made up my mind which one I'm going to buy.

Stores love these types of customers. First, Viking is known for problems but remains popular in the fru-fru design. Buying service contracts (aka "extended warranties") have been covered ad nauseum and are a joke. Buying from a reputable place that gives good service is very important since they'll likely steer you away from fashion appliances and toward more dependable and practical units that will do the job. Honestly, what do you expect when buying from a disreputable place?

Buying a service contract makes an overpriced appliance even more overpriced. And neither guarantees dependability nor a working unit. You still have to wait until the repair person of their choice, not yours decides to come out, evaluate, then wait to order parts, then get the parts, then decide to come out and install them, hoping they're the right parts and installed in a competent manner.

I tend to buy for performance rather than status. My $20 Samsung microwave probably cost less than the sales tax on a Viking and I'm chugging along dependably. Sure don't need to spend $100 on a service contract for it. If I have a problem, throw it and buy another. I don't feel forced into repairing it to say nothing of an overpriced service contract.

Granted, I've been somewhat fortunate in my appliance purchases that I bought reliable units and wasn't fooled into wasting money on service contracts. What I saved on them pays for new appliances if I would need them. With a $220 washer still going strong after 30 years, a $600 refrigerator on 25+ years, original stove and furnace, dryers have been my problem but again the cost of contracts nearly pays for a new unit and I have no reason to believe my new one won't last me a long, long time. Even my POS last one still lasted 20 years.

I have no ego so for me, form follows function. I don't want "pretty" appliances, I want food kept cold, clothes washed and dried, food cooked, etc. Simple, basic needs are often served well by simple, basic equipment.

> With a $220 washer still going strong after 30 years ...

they don't make appliances like that anymore ...

are you going to come over and fix my $ 1200 washer for the next 4 years for $62 ?