I wrote a thread last month whining about questionable new features and sizing issues and I thought I would share my conclusions. The most important features we wanted were size, front load, quietness, overall ratings and other issues such as spin cycle RPMÂs and a dryer that didnÂt over dry.

I found to get the larger capacity, more washer RPMÂs, more drying sensors and higher quality; I needed to buy the machines with all the other bells and whistles. It was like buying a car; youÂre just not going to get the same features and quality on a Chevy as you will a Cadillac.

I thought the steam feature on the washer was a joke. Then I washed my dogÂs bed after she got sick on the heavy duty wash. The bed came out clean but it did have a very slight stain. When my dog got sick in her bed again, I tried the steam feature and what a difference. The bed came out spotless.

I usually do a load at night and place the wet load in the dryer before I go to bed. Before, my clothes were a wrinkled mess in the morning and even a wet towel thrown in the dryer to help with the wrinkles wasnÂt the greatest. Now I still dry my clothes at night but in the morning I use the 20 minute steam feature. Now, virtually wrinkle free clothes get folded in the AM.

My only gripe was these units no longer came in white which pushed the price up a few hundred. However, I opened a charge at Lowes so I got the 10% off they always have and another 10% off for opening a Lowes account. I had to send in to get the $85.00 delivery fee back.

My final comparisons came down to Samsung, LG, Electrolux, and GE. Consumer Reports had the GE as a best buy for about $800 less. However, the GE wasnÂt as big, quality seemed to be far less and they didnÂt have steam which I am now glad I have. I have seen so many customer reviews about LG units being noisy and walking so LG was out. The new and even larger Electrolux was in the running but they are very new with little customer feedback, more expensive than Samsung feature for feature and those push to open doors didnÂt work well on the showroom units. So Samsung won my business and IÂm very satisfied so far.

I hope this helps someone else!