We purchased a Samsung '419 two years ago, and have been happy with it so far. The tipping point in our choice of the Samsung was the "diamond" drum (a patent-avoiding copy of the Miele "honeycomb" drum) that minimizes the pull-through of fabric tufts of clothing in the drainage holes during the high-speed spin operation. Only Miele and Samsung have a like feature. From the get-go, we have had an inexpensive surge-spike protector (ours is a Tripp-Lite Spike Cube) on the outlet where the Samsung plugs into the mains circuit. The few complaints you may read about Samsungs tend to relate to circuit board failures -- which could reflect a power supply not robust enough to deal with "dirty" electrical power; surge/spike protection is cheap insurance against damage to the circuit board.

We usually don't get the good stuff in the US, or if we do, it arrives almost a year after the rest of the world gets it. GE had a recirculating water thing like that for a long time - it even ran the recycled water spray through a filter - but don't think the new ones still use that design. I know the filter is gone - it had to be removed and replaced each time the washer was used and I doubt that was popular with customers. Haven't had time to look through the Electrolux TL manual but notice it too says nothing about crucial items like spin speeds and water temperatures.

Hi, I know, because Samsung is fairly new. However, I know a few people that have the Frigidaire and like them also. It is a hard decision. I myself have the original LG, which I like, however, I wish it would use more water. I am looking to replace my dryer, (and I want to replace it with the new Miele 9820), and then down the road get the Miele 4840 washer. Please let me know your decision and how you are making out. Ray

If you have Windows XP, here's a nice, easy way to resize photos. Download and install the XP Image Resizer Powertoy from Microsoft via the link below. Once installed, all you have to do is right-click on an image file (I know it handles jpg/gif files and it may handle others as well). You will now see an option to "Resize Pictures." Click on "Resize Pictures" and you will be given a menu that looks like this: Choose the option that you'd like and click OK. You can use the advanced button to enter a custom size. The tool will leave your original picture untouched. It simply creates another file named "imagename (small).jpg" or medium or large, etc. You can easily resize multiple pictures this way by selecting multiple items from your explorer window (using the CTRL or Shift key), right-clicking and selecting "Resize Pictures". It's a really nice little tool that most people don't know exists and it's much easier than doing the same thing via image editing software. And it's free. Feel free to ask questions if my instructions above are unclear. Here is a link that might be useful: Microsoft Windows XP Image Resizer Powertoy