mysteryclock I just had my Axxis dryer fixed once and for all. What an ordeal. Really would have been easy if I got the right repairman right off the bat. I've been all over this forum trying to figure out what has been up with my machine. I knew it wasn't right. It just took forever to dry and then eventually i kept getting this huge puddle of water under the machine after a while. It was drying sometimes and acting funny at others. Ultimately after 4 service calls and replacing all the parts on the entire dryer, it turned out to be the heater. For anyone with a condensation dryer, i cannot stress this enough- get your machine checked once in a while. I had 4 blissful years with it and it was telling me gently that something was wrong by slowly wigging out. If i would have had it looked at when it was just acting weird, I would have had to replace far less! I got a GREAT Bosch tech, who i would highly recommend to anyone in the LA/Pasadena area. It took me a while to find him but he fixed the problem in less than an hour once he diagnosed it. If anyone wants to have their Bosch or other German appliance fixed, call Ricky at Appliance Masters. I've heard some of their techs are not so hot. This guy was a senior tech and he was the best. After all the drama with this machine and service call after service call, i'd say this guy has a halo and angel wings! He fixed it in less than a hour once the parts were ordered. These high end German appliances are great unless something is off. I have had probably 5 repairmen with my various German appliances in the last 6 months. All of the good ones said the same thing- great appliances unless you are having a problem with them. I guess the moral of the story is- it's better to pay a bit to maintain and get check ups once in a while rather than wait until the machine goes up in flames or in my case out in a puddle of vaguely warm water. All it needed was a new heater, not a complete overhaul, which i wound up with anyway. In my house full of Gaggenau, Liebherr and Bosch, call me converted. I'm going to get these insanely expensive appliances looked at frequently so they stay calibrated. It seems to make all the difference in the world. I'm humbled and feel kind of bad that this was such a colossal headache. I still love my washer and dryer. It's the best purchase I've made, with a close second being the Gaggenau dishwasher. I love me some German appliances!!

Since you aren't getting much response from owners of those particular models I will add my two cents worth. I have the older version of these machines - the Duet Sport 8500. They are almost 4 years old and still going strong with no problems. Well, the knob cracked but Whirlpool replaced it free of charge. It looks like there have been some changes to the machines - including a price drop - but they seem to get good reviews on sites like Best Buy. They are a good combination of size, options and price and I think more people should look into them. Members of this forum tend to buy the high-end (most expensive) machines even when there is no reliable data that they are better. They may impress your guests but the clothes don't know the difference. If you buy the 9150 you may have extra money to buy some new clothes! Good luck with your purchase. Let us know how it goes.

"I have the LG Steam Tromm 2487 and really like it. 4.0 cubic feet. Consumers rated it #1. I see lots of posts about kenmore and whirlpool having repair problems. Don't see them about LG." well that could be because of the sample size, meaning more people here probably buy Whirlpools and Kenmores to begin with. i recently went with the new Samsung washer with the vrt technology. i was at Lowes ready to buy a Whirlpool sport for an upper level laundry. then i put the Samsung on spin only and was wowed. The vibration reduction technology is really quite good. Of course I bought the extended warranty (I'd recommend it for any FL machine) because these are fairly new. again, i went with the Samsung for an upper floor install. it seems most people like Whirlpools, Kenmores (some of which are Whirlpools) and LG as well. Just started seeing posts about the Samsungs recently. Some things to consider. Start with a budget and your desired features. What can you and can't you live without. Matching dryers are usually overpriced and unnecessary except for aesthetic purposes. A $500 dryer will be as good as the more expensive matching one.

I think I would purchase a set that goes together. The stackable connector is specifically designed to hold each piece in place, if a different brand or even model is used they won't line up properly. When we had our set delivered last week the guy said that a different set of brackets was used on every different model for the pedestals, so the same thing would be in play for the stackable units as well. I also think that just putting a shelf in between wouldn't be safe either, the brackets they use are designed to keep the units from shifting which could be extremely dangerous in the case of stackables. And if either unit was not meant to be stackable to begin with, I would definitely just install them on the floor as recommended. Unfortuantely this is the nature of the beast that is washer/dryer purchasing. I think it could be done, but I would get a contractor who knows engineering to let you know if this would work safely. I don't think just a shelf in between would be the answer. You can purchase a work table to go across both machines and give you a lot of folding or storage space too. Good luck, I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but I would definitely get a professional opinion.