Just don't get an HE top loader of any brand. They are just horrible. I had the Maytag Bravos and it tangles clothes horribly, tears them up, the clothes come out with so much soap in them because there is literally hardly any water in the machine at all. I have had things come out that were not even wet. It's gross. I believe in saving water but it is no savings to have to rewash everything. I ended up getting rid of the pair when I just was fed up with it. I know how to do laundry and also how to read directions and was doing everything I could to make things right. I sold the set and bought a front load GE which is very nice but honestly, the wiping out, the not being able to run a single item like a rug because it won't spin is a pain. I miss my old fashioned TL Maytag I had before I started down the HE road. It never complained or gave me any problems. It was just old. As a concerned citizen for you I would advise against the HE Top Loaders. Anything else is up to preference because my clothes and sheets are doing fine in the new set I have but honestly, I think my next set will be an old school top load going back to the future. I don't want pedestals and I don't like getting nearly on the floor to get clothes out and then wiping and leaving the door open. I would also advise going low tech. I don't think most people ever use so many settings and less is more when it comes to circuit boards. I love the simplicity of my mid range GE pair. It's plain white and has digital but not a million settings. It does not have an onboard heater which I don't miss, our faucet hot water is hot enough and old machines never had them so for us it wasn't a big deal, just something else to go wrong and raise the price of the machine. Good luck with your purchase and of course all of this is just my humble opinion and first hand experience.

@sweetandrew, to be honest, I've never had a problem no matter what I use. I have used SG liquid and the new powder. I know there are other FL users on this forum who use the new 4X SG liquid in their FL machines. I think liquid is a problem if you do all cold washing and over dose. Learn how to use your new machine properly and it should serve you well - liquid or powder. Some loads need liquid (in my machine Express and Comforter require liquid detergent). I use both liquid and powder (mostly powder now but I do use both). If you like SG, maybe get some of their powder as well and use both (or don't - I think you'd be fine either way). Powders are supposed to be better at removing "clay" based dirt while liquids excel at grease. What you can do if you stick with the liquid is start using oxygen bleach for white loads and lightly coloured loads that are stained. The stuff is amazing and it helps to keep your machine clean. Buy the pure sodium percarbonate (like from Ecover) not OxyClean if you can. FWIW, I've never wiped out my gasket. Leaving the door open ensures that any residual water will evaporate. I do wipe it down after I run a clean machine since I'm usually wiping of the glass door anyway. Please post back and tell us what you get. I've heard some good things about the Whirlpool and the Samsung machines. I can't give any first hand reports though. Both makes rank pretty high on Consumers Reports too (certain models). I can also tell you that I know quite a few people with FL machines - all different brands (Miele, Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, Bosch, Maytag). None of them are complaining - they all seem perfectly happy with what they have.

We bought our Samsung FL last summer (end of June or first week or so of July, can't recall exact date) 2012 and it's still running great. In fact, I'm still totally in love with this machine. We bought the WF331ANR (this was the model number sold at AAFES). The only issue we had was within the first three months the lock broke. It wasn't great to begin with but I accidentally yanked on it when it was locked (not realizing) because I was adding another towel to a load. I called Samsung and they set up a service call that week. The technician was great, replaced the lock, gave me some user tips and left. The new lock design is *much* better and has been solid. I love the internal heater and sanitize cycle. I use perm press, quick wash, normal, sanitize, heavy duty...heck I think I've used all the different cycles. We've a large family, dogs, someone always forgets that 'xx shirt needed to be washed' and we've even used the quick wash on that favorite pair of jeans before school. This hasn't been 'gently' used. It's used daily, often 1-2 cycles daily. It still runs as great as day one and cleans as great as it did from day one. We have filthy work clothes, dedicates, jeans and towels and bedding, and they all come out very clean and not one item of clothing has been ruined. My only regret was not getting one sooner! ETA -- I forgot to mention we did not buy the matching dryer. My Kenmore dryer is still working and we're not in a position to buy another dryer just for aesthetics (I did want to though!) This post was edited by kodiakbear on Mon, Jul 22, 13 at 19:40

As to other issues -- there is a lot written in online reviews that expresses distress over both Samsung and LG ice/water through the door dispensers... does anyone who has one of these new models want to weigh in on this? Have they fixed this problem in the newer models? Is it a true problem or a matter of initial installation? (They say that you need to flush 5 gallons of water out of the dispenser initially to get rid of air in the line and then you won't have a problem..... is this true?) Also, as to different refrigerator model designs -- they actually recommended online that the refrigerator design with the four quadrants and the vertical lineup of drawers and door bins in the freezer is easier for shorter people than the big cavernous bottom freezers. I am actually on the taller side (5'8"), and to be honest I do not like bending over at all LOL! But at least it might be easier to find things below in a freezer composed of door bins and drawers, versus one big bin even if it has two levels. What do people who have actively used these different types of refrigerators, think of the new refrigerators by LG and Samsung with the tiered organization versus the old French Door/Bottom Freezer design?