Hi Denali, can you give some more details so you can get better recommendations? For example, ballpark budget, important features for your son, where are you located (important for service repair on some brands)...

denali_2007 writes, "Can anyone recommend some brands a models for a family of 4?"

The first recommendation is to forget the silly concept of "matching" the washer and dryer, and go cheap on the dryer. As long as a dryer has a large capacity and has the minimum feature of a moisture sensor, every dollar spent on additional features is pretty much wasted. Better, within the budget, to save the money on the dryer that then can be spent on a better washer.

For the dryer, then, check out, for instance, the Kenmore 600 (or its gas equivalent if your son's home has a gas connection available): http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02669622000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=L2

If your son gets a cheap dryer like the one above, then he has more money left over for the washer, a better washer than he could get if he wasted money on useless dryer features. I suggest that you (and your son) use the Samsung WF328AAW as a benchmark for washers. Your son may end up getting something else, but with the WF328AAW setting the bar, if he finds something better suited to his family's purposes, he will have done well.

herring_maven, can I ask why this is the "benchmark" for washers?

livebetter asks: "... why this is the "benchmark" for washers?"

Short answer: bang for the buck.

The Samsung WF328AAW has the lowest, or near to the lowest, vibration level of any high-spin-speed washer you can buy. Its "diamond" stainless steel drum, with smaller than average exit holes, is as close as one can get to the Miele "honeycomb" drum without infringing patents. The silver option (to be used only when needed) allows disinfecting without the need for chlorine bleach.

And .. it costs much less than the Miele that it attempts to emulate.

I very much doubt that Samsung is trying to emulate Miele. If they were, they wouldn't have dumbed-down wash temperatures (as discussed in some threads here, not too long ago), and they would assure the wash temperature on most if not all cycles. Also, their wash cycle times would be very generous by American standards (I don't know if they are). Wash temperatures and cycle lengths are the contributors to washing performance. I think the drum design is more for gentleness.

Here is where I find Consumer Reports confusing (I hardly ever read it). I did look into their report on washers from February 2010. There was a Samsung listed as the #1 with Miele further down the list at (I don't know ...??) 15ish?

The Samsung was rated as cleaning very good but Miele as excellent.? I know there are other factors but I noticed Miele was the only brand to score 5 excellents and one very good and one good.

How exactly do they come up with their overall scores?

I get the diamond drum trying to emulate the gentleness of Miele (although Miele did not score excellent on gentleness with CR - another huh?). I'm sure there are many differences between Samsung and Miele.

Samsung does not make a gas dryer for the Canadian market (although they make them for Sears Kenmore) ... weird.

Consumer reports, tries to find the best of everything a washer can do for a modest price. They take in account different factors, such as price, gentleness, cleaning ability, energy usage and so forth. So they take each factor into consideration, and get a score for what is the best bang for the buck. A washer may be top rated, but that does not mean it will clean as well as another one. Mieles are know for reliability and cleaning performance and this comes at a price, one the cost of buying it, and other, the wash cycle times. I for one have never been bothered by a front loader long wash times, but that just me. Some people want whites done in 30 minutes or less and that what matters to them. I think Mieles are great washers, the only reason I do not own one is the price. Whenever my LG Wave force washer dies in the future, I will get a Miele, as they do not compromise on wash times, or thumbed down temps and I hope they never do.

Thanks gates1, I sort of figured it was something like that.

I too would like the Miele but their left hand dryer/right hand washer is backward to my set up. There are rumours that they may be changing the W4XXX series and I've seen a photo of them with the washer on the left.

I'm currently debating whether to get a CR top performer that's not Miele for now. If I get 6 years from it I'll be happy and then I'll get the Miele when (and if) the changes are available.

I'm just concerned that what I pick will clean well. That is my one big prerequisite. It's installed in my basement laundry which was just done 2 years ago (and I love) so I'm not concerned about vibration. I want it to clean really well.

I noticed there were a few other machines that cleaned "excellent" but many that cleaned "very well". I've looked at everything and I have to say the LGs make me happy ... I don't know what it is about them but they seem very well built compared to others (like Whirlpool). Little details like the detergent tray sliding so smoothly and the solidness of their door, etc, etc ...

It's been a tough call for me but time is running out on my current machine and I will have to decide this week. I'd like new machines here by Friday.

There was a good post (not all just personal opinion) in the appliance forum about CR and Miele dishwashers, in that case. The last few posts I recall summed it up nicely: it's a mass-oriented publication not designed for the more research-oriented or aspirational among us. It's a fine general source but won't satisfy the needs of those who prioritize differently.

Miele owns some proprietary technology and features you cannot find in any other machine. It owns the plant where it manufactures the circuit boards it uses, for example. Seems that CR witnesses the cleaning prowess of a high end appliance but doesn't find total cost of ownership a good value for the general public. Makes sense for their business.

I got a Samsung 337? a couple years ago and I bet Consumer Reports rate them highest because the give too many points for energy conservation. Mine uses so little water per load that the clothes are just wet with no sloshing water or suds. I found a way to make it work but that entailed running two cycles per load. One with and one without soap. In my book the Samsung is not user friendly. I had to learn not to just use the cycles as indicated but figure out how to get clothes clean and rinsed myself. Take me up to 3 hours to do a load.

My cousins have Samsung washer/dryer and they love them. There is a good and bad opinion for everything (and every brand).