I have to wonder how much water is being used when you have to do a presoak, higher water level and extra rinses.

Does Sears carry Fisher & Paykel? There's one other thought, do they have the agitator version of the Cabrio/Oasis? There were some people here who traded their HE machines for the non-HE agitator machines. Otherwise, not sure what to suggest.

Thank heavens for the searscares people! I emailed them (searscares@searshc.com) and a very helpful rep named Gerald arranged for a credit for the Oasis and I got to go and pick out the new washer. Dealing with Sears was a nightmare until Sears Cares was involved.

The worst is that I have the model with the heater bought in 2007. The heater can only be used for whites. Without the heater the top temperature is 110F which is not very hot since the metal tub takes away heat. I literally have to shut off the cold water source if I want a hot load without the heater

The only good thing is that it washes blankets without a problem. I also have a large family (5 kids).

I thought about the speed queen but was concerned about the blankets and the agitator

You are the first person I've ran into on a laundry forum that hates their GE Harmony.....

1. I have two robes that are made of the soft fleecy material, machine washable. I put them in and they developed all sorts of pulls and pills after one wash. I think I may have washed them in my TL before it broke, no problem. I also have a couple of silky sweaters. I had washed similar ones in my TL without a problem, these pill in the washer even in a bag on hand wash. I occassionally get a very tangled load. My kids have some North Face down jackets. I have washed them in the machine and they develop small cracks or holes (I will take this up with North Face but I suspect it is the machine). My kids are gentle and bookish, not the types to roll in the mud. None of their friends report this problem

2. The water temperature used to drive me crazy. If you read the specs it says that hot without the heater is designed to be 112 F. The heater can only be used with white loads and the loads wash for nearly two hours then. Plus it fills with lukewarm water which it then heats. My TL used to fill with much hotter water from the tap on most cycles. It is ridiculous since the tap is about 10 feet from water heater and I always run the laundry tap if I want hot water wash. If I do not want the heater, I literally have to turn off the cold water supply. Apparently the lower model without the heater is designed to fill at 130F! as a max. This would have been better since I rarely use the heater. If you like using cold water for all your loads, this is the machine for you!

3. I recently had a mold problem that literally stunk up the whole house. I could smell it in the kitchen one floor up. It was impossible to find the source, I did clean the dispensers, and put bleach in them. The tub sort of floats in the machine and is impossible to clean behind without taking the machine apart. Fortunately the Tide cleaner, after about 4 uses got rid of most of the problem. For the record I never use fabric softener or dryer sheets and I always use HE detergent. We are guilty of not always leaving it open but I was surprised it happened after a few years.

As for regulating the water, you have to play with the controls and manipulate them if you want it to fill

Finally I do not think my laundry is any cleaner than it was with my TL. If anything it might be a bit more stained but it might be me making less of an effort

Having said this, we used a small Bosch on vacation which did not use enough water to get the smells or stains out of my kids laundry so I guess there are worse choices

If we move I might get another machine of the same type because of the blanket issue. It would have to have a better way of regulating the water temprature. I need a washer with hotter water on a regular length wash

Does your washer have different spin speeds, from which you can choose? I can choose a Low, Medium, or High spin speed on almost every cycle (the only exception I can think of is the Bulky cycle).

The Bulky cycle, which is used for blankets, comforters, quilts, pillows, sleeping bags, etc, is pre-set for the Medium spin cycle and cannot be changed, AFAIK. When I wash thick/heavy items on that cycle, I use the Spin Only cycle on High speed before I put them in the dryer. This gives me great results every time.

My Bravos washer gets our clothes very clean. I do use the Soak cycle when they need it.