Not John and Kate + 8? ;) I spent months researching my new machines (literally - you can trace my posts back to summer of last year I think). I had a Frigidaire front loader for 10 years so I was not new to front load washing. My Frigidaire was pretty basic (no heater, no fancy settings). We are a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids ages 8 and 5). I'm not even sure how many loads we do but it's a lot. When you factor in bedding, towels, clothes, separate loads like tea towels, cleaning cloths, my husband's dress shirts ... oh my! I narrowed my search down to Miele (W4842) and LG (WM3885). I would have considered Samsung but they do not make a gas dryer for Canada. I wanted, very badly, to love the Bosch Vision 800. Firstly, they are discontinuing their 27" washing machine line end of this year. That concerns me from a part perspective. You would hope parts will be available way down the line but who's to know. I also felt Bosch did not feel very solidly built. I found the dials and plastics felt cheap. I also felt that Whirlpool and Maytag did not feel very "solid". On one machine I was looking at, the detergent drawer was hard to push in and stay in. I really felt the LG machine felt very solid. Everything on them moved effortlessly from dials to detergent drawer. They seem to get very good customer reviews and they were voted most reliable by "a leading consumer magazine". In the end I opted for the Miele (W4842/T9822). I gave up bells, whistles and larger capacity in the hopes of cleaning excellence. I've had them since early February. I can't say how much better they are than my second choice LG (as I've never owned the LG). Although my parents have brand new LG (entry level) machines and are very happy with them. I can say that the Miele definitely washes better than my previous machine and rinses MUCH better. I was always struggling with bubbles left on the glass of my previous machine and that is never a problem with the Miele. Even detergents that were too sudsy for my previous machine work wonderfully in the new Miele. Miele has some features that are hard to appreciate until you own them. I read previously that most machines determine how much water to use based on weight of the load. Miele does not do that but instead "senses" how much water is needed. Therefore, on a load like towels that absorb a lot of water, it will give you more. Other makes will not. I think this makes a difference. Miele also has a setting for comforters (I also use it for mattress pads or anything really bulky) that will "vent" the item(s) first. It thoroughly wets them and then spins out before it actually begins washing. I wasn't sure the heater was a big deal to me. I hadn't had one before and things seemed ok. I really appreciate it now. I also appreciate that the Miele maintains target temps in all settings (except Normal). Other makes (like LG) will only guarantee temps in sanitary and extra hot. I often use the Extra White setting now for items like tea towels, bath towels and bed sheets. My tea towels are noticeably whiter and cleaner. I also feel better knowing they are washed in such hot water. I'm very pleased with my Miele pair. The dryer is another whole discussion. I really like it. It dries very quickly and leaves clothes with some moisture which in the long run is better for fabrics. They are not the largest machines available; you have to decide what your top priority is. Nor are they the quietest (LG is a little quieter - maybe due to their direct drive motor) - although they are not that noisy. I really wanted the best cleaning with the (hopefully) most durable machine. I did get a free upgrade to a 10 year warranty with Miele so that definitely helped push me to that decision. I had to pay for the extended LG warranty and it was only for 5 years. FWIW, my sales guy works in a store that sells the most Miele in Canada. He sells a lot of Miele (he's even been to Germany to see manufacturing first hand). His first choice is Miele, his current second choice is Samsung and then LG. He's no longer a fan of Whirlpool/Maytag and definitely not Bosch. He said if everyone could see what's "under the hood" of a Miele - they would choose it over the others. No one builds them like Miele (he tells me). Good luck!

There's a lot of threads on the different machines with recent feedback and information, except for the GEs. Not much owner feedback on the GE machines for a couple years now. They got rave reviews at the start and there's been some sideways criticism that I've seen from people who don't own them and have no experience with them so that's not much value to me. A local appliance dealer recommended the GE over the Frigidaire Affinity but only by a little. He did however much prefer the Whirlpools. Most all Kenmore front loaders are made by Whirlpool. He didn't give an opinion on the LG and LG gets mixed reviews (and complete opposite too) here lately. It really would be worth your time to peruse the myriad of threads on the front loaders. Sort the good info from the questionable and you'll get a lot of valuable info. I've been in a position that I'm thinking I need to be ready to replace my 30 year old machine, probably within the next 20 years or so, which means I've been gathering info on the good and bad. I had my heart set on a Danby, but alas, they're no longer made. Lately though I'm leaning heavily on going to top load, but am still considering the Duet, GE (newer version made in China) and the Maytag Epic, sibling to the Whirlpool front loader. I'm just a bit hesitant on the LG from owner reviews. I'm just glad I don't have to make the decision right now! Good luck.

Well ... As the saying goes "The old grey mare ain't what she used to be".. The same goes for top loading washing machines, the ones with agitators. There are new "Government" regulations and the new top loaders do NOT fill up like the old ones used to. I forget exactly what the limit is, something like 14" of water. That seems like it would be hard on clothes and you would have to break the loads up into smaller ones. I have Samsung from loaders and I am very pleased with them. Someone here said theirs takes 2 hours to wash a load... I have never used a cycle that took that long. Mine has a "quick wash" cycle and you can choose from light, normal and heavy. The light takes about 27 minutes, the heavy is 33 minutes. I have not found anything that does not get perfectly clean on the 33 minute cycle. At any point during the wash I can "pause" it, open the door and add additional clothes. Also, if it doesn't have quite as much water as you think it should, or want all you do is push pause, when the door unlocks open it, then shut it and push the continue button and it adds more water, you can do this as many times as you want. I rarely add more water unless it is a bigger, bulkier load such as my mattress pad. Picking a new washer is a huge headache....

@suburbanmd -- The dryer had whatever that standard 240 v plug is. Different than the standard receptacle. @sandy1616 - my Bosch Axxis pair did not have cold water fill as I recall. They had to dig to even give me the temperatures for the various settings. I had the Asko pair at the time in our house and the Bosch in the apartment and was trying to figure out equivalents. They said the hottest setting on the Bosch was something like 158F but it never felt as hot as the Miele does f.ex. And it was nowhere near as hot as the Asko got. That was great on the upper heat settings. I liked the Bosch washer & dryer for the price. The washer didn't do the job that the Miele and Asko did on the whites as it never got as hot as those. F.ex. I couldn't get odor and yellowing out of some old white percale sheets in the Bosch. At first I thought it was the detergent and did a whole test drive. That's how I found out the green liquid Persil deodorized, which it did a bit. Bosch was good on everything else and it was my favorite dryer. Liked that dryer better than Asko. The current Miele dryer has more control and some handy features and can dry wool. But I preferred the Bosch for sheets and towels. @practigal - with a washer that takes 240 I believe an additional dedicated line and receptacle are necessary. suburban may confirm that.