In the Laundry Forum the consensus seems to be that Electrolux is the best option now for 2nd floor applications if you are going with front loader. They have the best suspension system to isolate shakes. Consumer Reports bases their surveys on self-selected members who chose to reply. JD Power uses a random selection of phone numbers. It seems increasing numbers of Americans hang up on telemarketers, pollsters, and survey takers alike but JD seems more scientifically sound. JD ranks Samsung tops. If I were installing front washer on second floor I would go with Electrolux. Every washer has a fair number of bad reviews if you research enough. Even the laundry forum's beloved Miele. Miele no longer sells full size laundry units.

Since I own a W4840, I've read most everything I could find online about the "American" Mieles. In summary. it seems that the W4840 is reliable and people are happy with it, people aren't quite as happy with the W4800, and the dryers (especially the gas dryer?) are indeed troublesome. The early W4800 series had a door latch issue that required a retrofit. My W4840 from September 2008 already had the corrected latch. The W4800 series don't heat the water on Normal cycle, apparently to improve the reported energy consumption numbers. Not a problem for me, because the Custom cycle is functionally equivalent but does heat the water. Well, not exactly equivalent, because Normal does full spins between rinses, while Custom does pulse spins, but I can live with that. They both do a full spin between the wash and first rinse. Back in 2007, one member here was very worked up over the Normal cycle issue. IIRC, he also reported that the "water plus" setting on the configuration menu doesn't affect the Custom cycle. I haven't found a need to use "water plus" so this doesn't bother me. Regarding LG vs. Miele, I first bought an LG WM2455, returned it a few days later due to water temperature issues, and then ordered the Miele. I'll try to keep the story short: When I contemplated the switch to FL, LG seemed like the best choice, but I knew that hot water could be a problem, because I have a long hot water supply lag. Contacted LG customer service, who told me the WM2455 would assure the water temperature on all cycles and all temperature settings. And, mindful of "dumbed down" wash temperatures, I checked the manual online, and was satisfied with the temperatures listed for Warm and Hot. Well, when the machine arrived, I found that the drain water at the end of a hot wash could be barely warm (and, no, it wasn't because of a post-wash cooldown). Not only that, but a hot fill consisted of mixed hot and cold water, even though my hot water was barely hot for most of the fill. What's more, the printed manual with the machine omitted the box in the online manual that gave actual temps for Warm and Hot. Seeing my frustration with all this, my wife said, "Face it, they want all of us to do cold washes." I think she's mostly right, but fortunately there was still the option to get the Miele. So now I've got a machine with a choice of five evenly-spaced wash temperatures, 30degC, 40degC, 50degC, 60degC, and 70degC, all guaranteed by the heater. The way a lot of other machines seem to work, I could have a really hot wash (70degC or thereabouts, depending on brand), or a lukewarm wash, but nothing in between. Yes, the W4840 has lower heating power and lower max temperature compared to the 220V Mieles that are smaller, and hard to find new these days. Compared to other American-market machines of similar size, its heater power and max temperature are on par.

Measure your space! Not just the space that the w/d will take up, but all of the doorways between the street and that location (tricky staircases require special consideration) If you are going for a stacked unit be sure to measure vertical space. Figure out exactly what kind of electric you have 210-220-240 and 20-30-40 amp...vented or not vented and where is the vent, right side, left side or back side....then shop. If you find you have particular space constraints you may just want to get something inexpensive off Craigslist---provided you can transport it; otherwise go to a big box store with a good return policy as they will usually deliver and install for free-provided you have all the new hoses and cables required (big box computers normally tell you at check out...)

I'll speak with bias as I'm coming from a previous set that would be $600 total new. I love my 617 pair. I did a lot of reading (though it was before coming here) and 8 out of 10 signs pointed towards the Elux 617. I personally think (though not my solely owned thoughts) that it's honestly the best value for performance in it's class. Miele's are rated amazing, but uhhhh, not in my budget. Currently my 617s are stacked to the right in my laundyroom. I advise against stacking if you can get away with it, you can never get the balancing just right. I also advise against the pedestals. The pedestals take forever to come in, I waited 4 weeks before canceling my order, and it gives you time to realize that you don't need them. Go side-by-side and use the tops as a folding table. Make a countertop above them if you want.