So sorry to hear about your problems! TRUST ME...I understand :)

The Samsung VRT is very, very quiet and basically vibration/noise free. The problem I have with Samsung, is the amount of water used to wash and rinse is insanely inadequate! The machine is frugal to a point!

The Electrolux IQ and Wave Touch use more water than the Samsung...but IMO, still too little. I'm all for water conservation, but the amount most front loaders use is way too small.

I think the Samsung build quality & materials are higher than the Electrolux, but I think the Electrolux cleans better! Yes, the doors on the Electrolux worry me too.

The Miele is without a doubt the best built machines available, and genuinely engineered and made to last about 20 years...but they are not whisper quiet! While my new W4842 washer is SO quiet and balanced...it is not as quiet as a Samsung or an Electrolux. For me...I can give up whisper quiet in exchange for bank vault solid. In all honesty though, once Miele properly installed the drawer/pedestal and balanced the machine...I do not even know it is spinning!

If I had to choose between Electrolux and Samsung...I would choose Electrolux. They are well thought out & very quiet! Good Luck!

Thanks I feel the same about quality and longevity. Looked again and continued online research. Basically what I found is that they all have problems in one form or another. We ruled the Samsung out because of multiple bad reviews with regard to cleaning ability and overall longevity. The Electrolux is still a contender but recently looked at a top of the line LG that just came out. Heard it spin yesterday at 1300 RPMS and it was unbalanced on a pedestal. At idle it rocked by pressing on the machine. When it was turned on and entered the spin mode it rocked for a second or two then was almost whisper quiet some slight vibration - nothing compared to the Bosch which is out of control with regards to vibration and spin noise. The clothes that are pretreated don't come out clean either which is the secondary reason for the return. Whirlpool/Maytag during high speed were slightly better and the Electrolux was the loudest although its vibrations were pretty slight. Would buy the LG BUT I've read horror stories about their build quality. They look ok, have a ton of gimicks, the door quality is solid and they seem solid but I've read about poor customer service and repair issues. Also I'm a little concerned about buying it though Home Depot as their return policy is less than stellar. They offer 90 days (sort of), will charge a 15% return charge and I'm not sure about a pickup charge. Their extended 4 year warranty however is pretty cheap - 99 per machine. It is good - I have both a Bosch dishwasher and Dacor high end oven/microwave set (bought at EXPO) that has been serviced through their provider. They did match the Best Buy price (BB only takes a return under 30 days) would provide the pedestals for free with rebate, no shipping charge/delivery and they give a 300 coupon for linens through a catalog.

Sears on the other hand has been great about returns - no problem and they'll swap any machine without a redelivery charge. Unfortunately they don't sell the LG or any of the other machines except the Electrolux. The Miele I still like but none has it powered up - also if you buy it you own it with the dealers here.

Miele has ten showrooms across the US -- are you close to any of them? I've heard they even let you bring a load of laundry in to try out the washer.

http://www.mieleusa.com/usa/design-centers/design-centers-intro.asp?nav=600&snav=600&tnav=600&oT=179

Is The Great Indoors an option for you? It is also a Sears owned store, but it carries several higher end brands. They have all the makes you seem to be interested in - Miele, LG, Electrolux, Samsung (and Bosch ;-) ) etc., and the staff at our local store are very helpful.

The Miele Galleries are wonderful, if you can get to one. I had some larger saddle pads I was concerned about, and they let me do a test wash.

No on both the Miele Store or the Great Indoors (am in St Louis) - but - I'm going to call them tomorrow and inquire about getting the Miele. Since its owned and operated by Sears I'm wondering if I want to do a swap to Miele they could possible do something. Since they get the machine from a local distributor and have an independent install them it "shouldn't / maybe" be too hard. With Sears at this point you don't deal with the store anymore - its through their 800 Service Pro number - when we were having problems she asked if we wanted to just swap it with a different model/manufacturer - if they carry it. Well they sort of carry it indirectly - so I'll give it a try. The price of the 4840 is very reasonable at 1640 and the dryer I think is about 1200.

Good tip - will try it tomorrow morning. Looked at a local store this afternoon - they had a Miele (several years old) on display with dryer and stands for 2700 - couple of chips but I think they were about 5 years (new). Some changes were made to the washer and dryer. - not a bad deal but I'd prefer new - and the warranty is questionable. Couldn't get it to spin as it wasn't hooked up to H20. VERY solid - and its my first choice.

Miele REQUIRES every store that is authorised to take the machines back within 30 days if you do not like them, no questions asked.

Maybe the stores you visited were not Miele authorised and were selling grey market (liquidation, etc.) models?

In any event, if you buy the Miele's you will most likely NOT return them. Eveything else will seem cheap and flimsy after having them in your home. REAL glass door windows inside and out, heavy duty METAL doors, etc. You will begin to notice all of the plastic on the other machines.

The W48xx series are the jumbo machines. They WILL make more noise and vibrate when spinning a larger load. They are NOT silent in spin mode. In wash mode you will hear the clothes sloshing around and no motor noise. The drain pump is louder than the wash motor. :-)

As for the Bosch units you purchased. They are the "American" model that is stripped down, not built in Germany and in my opinion is sort of junk. If you want a German built Bosch washer in the USA then you have a single option: AXXIS WAS24460uc.

It is a middle of the road (In German Standards), but it is lightyears away from the build quality of the Vision models. It too has a glass door window, but it is NOT as heavy duty as the Miele.

I own the WAS24460uc. I purchased it on ebay from a liquidator for $500 and got a $100 energystar credit on top of that. The machine in my opinion is worth $800-1000 at retail. It is NOT worth $1400. If you are going to spend that much just buy the Miele.

The WAS24460uc model is targeted to apartment dwellers or those with tight space needs. It has a LARGE drum by compact standards. You can get a full queen size comforter in easily. A king may be a stretch if it is fluffy.

We use it mainly as a diaper washer for our two, soon to be three kids in diapers. My wife says it does a fantastic job, but she mentioned she would NOT pay full price for it. She would buy another Miele W48xx series first.

So there it is. It sounds like you need to take the plunge, hold your breath, gasp a little and spend the money. Once you have it you will never buy anything execpt Miele (Or maybe Bosch European) again.

P.S.
We have a Bosch 800 series dish washer and it does a fantastic job, but it again was at the TOP of the Bosch line.

If you want to see, what I think, is the uber washer commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tYM6uX-O-I

It's in German with a translation in the description. You will wonder why they don't offer these here.

moon1234,

Where did you hear this information about Miele must take back a product within 30 days?

I have been EXCLUSIVE for almost 20 years now...and I know several "high" up there Miele brass, and this is not true!

While not advertised, they offer their Perfromance Guarantee (or used to at least) on washing machines and dishwashers. If not fully satisfied, and after a Mandatory Service Visit...they will "consider" taking the item back. Consider!!

Actually about 4 years ago, I bought a Miele Optima Dishwasher & while it worked fine..it was not as quiet as my La Perla Dishwasher. Miele exchanged it for me (at my cost of course).

I am pretty good friends with an owner of a large, very high-end, Miele authorized, appliance dealer here in So. California. While he has gone "to bat" for me over the years with Miele...Miele authorized dealers DO NOT have to accept returns, and Miele will not reimburse them.

While I have found Miele Service and customer service to be VERY capable, accomodating and helpful...they do not have a great (if any) return policy!

The only part I was wrong about was the length of the guarantee, it is 90 days not 30. My local dealer said they honor this warranty as well (American TV) and the salesman said I could return for full refund within 30 days (maybe this is their store policy. He did say they only offer this on Miele)

From: http://www.mieleusa.com/usa/laundry/qc_guaranteed.asp?cat=4

90-Day QC Money Back Guarantee
HoneycombTM laundry
In the age of marketing hype and advertising fluff, we understand that customers need true assurances that they are making a wise purchasing decision using facts and not ad agency jargon. The information provided in our brochures, on our website (mieleusa.com) and by the product specialists at authorized Miele dealerships is not part of that game. As a family owned company, whose products proudly bear the family name and the legacy of a century old tradition founded in quality and innovation, Miele is committed to your total satisfaction. Guaranteed.

Please carefully review this 90-Day Money Back Guarantee offer and do not hesitate to ask your dealer, or call Miele directly, for additional details.

Thank you for considering Miele... we hope you will put your trust in our brand.


Terms:
If you are not completely satisfied that Miele’s washing machine, with its revolutionary HoneycombTM washing drum, is cleaning your clothing better than the machine you owned before, Miele will refund the full purchase price of the washing machine.
1.The 90-day guarantee applies only to Miele washing machine models W4842, W4802, W3039i, W3035 and W3033.
2.The washing machine must be purchased from an authorized Miele dealer.
3.The washing machine must be installed by an authorized Miele installer.
4.The product registration card must have been completed, mailed and received by Miele prior to the registration of dissatisfaction. (On line registration is also acceptable.)
5.The washing machine must have been operated according to the Miele operating instructions and must not have been damaged by you in any way.
6.If you register your dissatisfaction within the 90-day period, an authorized Miele technician will contact you and attempt to rectify the washing performance of the machine. If thereafter you are still not satisfied, the full purchase price of the washing machine will be refunded. No refund will be made until and unless an authorized Miele technician has the opportunity to perform a diagnostic test on the washing machine and attempt to resolve perceived performance problems.
7.The washing machine must be returned to Miele with the original purchase receipt. Miele will arrange for machine pick-up.
8.Miele is not responsible for providing a substitute washing machine, should this guarantee be invoked.
9.This limited 90-day money back guarantee applies only to certain models (see Terms and Conditions, point 1) and only to Miele washing machines purchased and installed between June 15, 2004 and December 31, 2010.
10.Amount of refund does not include accessories, installation, cabinet modifications, extended warranty or shipping and handling charged by the dealership. Refund amount is the amount paid for the washing machine product only, including applicable sales tax.

If you are not convinced that the washing performance of your new Miele washing machine is better than the machine you owned before, call (800) 356-0991.

As a followup to my post above:

How many other companies offer a guarantee like this? I haven't seen any.