Ok.

So our New Washer is the MVWB850YG1 otherwise known as the Maytag Bravos HE XL (850). We decided that we had enough with Samsung, LG had issues with exploding washers, plus I did not like the plastic wash basket hangers in LG units. We have had issues with our Fridgidaire kitchen appliances so those were off the list and the GE's were too expensive. Yes..SpeedQueen is a solid unit, but we got used to the bigger loads that got rid of laundry faster (when combined with our moisture sensor dryer) so the smaller SpeedQueens were not going to work.

I asked around here and there and read as many reviews as I could. Mainly people seemed to like the Maytag Bravos. Most complained about the water level issues and harshness on clothing. Very few complained of breakdowns. (Although there were some..holding my breath!)

The washer was delivered early this past Sat so we had a some time to play with it this weekend.
I will give you my thoughts between the old Samsung WA456 and the New Bravos 850.

The WA456 and the Bravos are about the same size. The WA456 is 4.5 Cu's and the Bravos 4.6.

The Bravos has 13 cycles and the WA456 had only 10. A huge upgrade in the Bravos is that once the cycle has started, the user can actually pause and select other cycles. The Samsung, if you missed selecting an added feature like soak the machine would not allow it. The user would have to turn off the unit and then reselect. If this was done after the clothing got wet, then the sensors would pick up the extra weight from the added water and then add too much water for the wash.

Bravos...Better .

The balancing is better right out of the box with the Bravos.
With the Samsung, before first use and even after the user must calibrate the washer or else the machine may not balance correctly. The result would be loads that would spin, fail and the washer would add more water to the load to balance. This would cause the machine to wash forever or until balance was achieved. The Bravos, loaded and no problems with calibration. However, the weigh and balance does take a while longer with the Bravos. Bravos is better!

The Samsung has the Aquajet feature which sprays a torrent of water over the top of the clothing and basically churns up the laundry detergent for better cleaning. The Bravos has the PowerWash/PowerSpray feature which sprays the detergent laced water over the clothing. My opinion is that the WA456 Aquajet is stronger at accomplishing this, but is a fail for the following reason. It appears that if the water is too hot when using the WA456 Aquajet it blows the seal gasket in the Aquajet ring. This causes leaks and repairs and is a flaw in design. The PowerSpray in the Bravos uses a recirculating pump to spray the laundry. (The new Samsung WA50 does use
the pump as well)

Bravos better because it does not have the Aquajet ring issue and accomplishes the same thing.

The Bravos seems to be better built than the Samsung. It seems solid in frame and metal cabinet. Both machines are very quiet with a slight edge going to the Samsung, but the wash/agitation clearly is better in the Bravos.

Some people complain that the Bravos is rough on clothing, but I prefer seeing my clothing take a beating to get out dirt. The Samsung, while it did clean ok kind of swished the clothing about in the water. The Bravos impeller is the closest I've seen in terms of movement to the old style washer agitator motion. I can clearly see that it is doing a much better job at cleaning than the Samsung.

The water level in the Bravos is low on Normal, Whites, Sheets. It does add more water in the Bulky setting. (Comforters etc).

I washed a few shirts and shorts in the bulky setting and thought this is way too much water. Some people prefer more water, so they'd love this setting, but I actually see that the low water settings are better for cleaning in the Bravos. The impeller plate really turns the clothing over and pounds the fabric. Our whites came out much cleaner in the Bravos than in the Samsung. Plus the water for the wash in the Bravos was hot. The Samsung Water Levels were higher than the Bravos, but with the higher water level it just did not seem to really pound out the clothing. It cleaned, but not as good as the Bravos.

Bravos is better in cleaning. It also has an extra rinse that can be added for the wash. The Samsung did not have an extra rinse although it has a pre-soak where the Bravos doesn't.

Both the Samsung and the Bravos have a 10yr warranty on the motor. The basket is 10yrs on the Bravos and was only 3yrs on the Samsung. The Samsung had a 2yr on the board. The Bravos boards are only covered on the 1yr parts and labor. Both machines have the same 1yr parts/labor warranty.

Now..I am a realist! I thought that the Samsung WA456 was the best thing ever. I do think that the idea was good but the execution was poor. I mean..the machine broke down 6 times in 6 months until we got rid of it for the Bravos. Therefore, I will not claim that this machine is the one to buy or claim to be overjoyed.

This initial thought for the Bravos is that I am impressed...SO FAR.

Only time will tell.