Hi, I purchased the Maytag Epic in the beginning of December, 2006 and I have been extremely pleased with it. I have no personal experience with the Duet so I canÂt give you any comparisons. I also canÂt say anything about the reliability of the Epic, as I donÂt have it all that long (barely two months). As far as I know, the Epic is really a rebranded KitchenAid Ensemble and is in no way related to the Maytag Neptunes which had so many problems, and I understand the Ensemble has a good history. I read somewhere that Whirlpool bought both Maytag and KitchenAid and wants to re-establish the Maytag name by putting it on a proven machine (the Epic/formerly Ensemble). I must say I have the cleanest laundry ever! I even washed some of my husbandÂs work clothes that have been in the closet "forever" because they looked so bad I wouldnÂt give them to him to wear. I thought with stains and soil that old that wouldnÂt come out with my previous washer, it was hopeless. Well, they are now useable once more! Now DH is eager to present me with some challenges (really dirty clothes) and the Epic has not failed me once. It is very difficult to get him interested in something like a washing machine, but he is amazed at this one. I also find the Epic to be very quiet (my cat loves to sleep on it when itÂs running) and there is barely any vibration. I do have it in the basement on a concrete floor with no pedestal. There are no signs of mold (it smells fresh and clean and I have a good nose) but I do wipe the gasket dry when IÂm done using it and leave the door open. I also regularly do hot washes and use chlorine bleach occasionally. It is extremely easy to use, you could say "intuitive". This is my first FL (wanted one "forever" but my old TL was determined to last 14 years before it gave out) and, right now, I wouldnÂt hesitate to buy another. I actually enjoy doing laundry (never thought I would say that) and am always looking for another load of dirty clothes! I hope you find these comments helpful. Good luck with your washer, whichever one you choose!

i have like the same problem when u try to turn it on it just shuts off i replaced the interface control panel the sensing control panel and checked thermistor and thermal fuse motor .ok so i replaced the interface it wasnt the problem so we called a tech out he didnt know anything more than i did so he says well you have to replace the other board (w10031340) the one with with sensing lights on it . so we installed that one still wont work. do you think it could be the machine control board because thats the only board we havnt replaced im still having the same problems as i said in the beginning of this post . if i put it in a timed dry mode and click the start button quick and press add a minute right after sometimes it will run for like 3 loads but u have to keep adding minutes and not let the cycle end because once the cyclee ends it wont turn on . NOW I CAN ONLY GET IT TO DO THIS EVERYONCE AWHILE . BUT HELP IS GREATLY APPREACIATED THANKS Here is a link that might be useful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/followup.cgi

. Thanks for the reply georgect, I assumed the drum would have to be made stationary, but the manual says not to re-use the shipping bolts that were removed. Do you have any idea why they say this? Assuming the bolts are available, is there some process to reinstall them correctly? Judging by the illustration in the manual it appears that there is a flat device on the threaded end of the bolt. Do you know if this simply pushes on the rear of the drum in the 4 corners? Thanks for your help. Rick

I picked up the grey Duet 9400 and matching gas dryer from Best Buy in May 2006 for a steal. I got the pedestals and a five year warranty essentially for free. Total price for the pair (including the extras) was $1,400 plus tax. What made them so inexpensive? They were purchsed by someone who refused them at delivery. There's a barely noticeable scratch on the pedestal drawer and a little mark on the washer door (turned out to be glue residue). The sales person liked how I talked about laundry products and gave me the employee discount....without me asking!