Let your budget be your guide. It seems like Meile has fewer repairs, but tehy can be expensive up front to buy. I do not think there is a certain brand that resist mold and smells better than another brand. Its all in how you use the machine and care for it. No not over load it with detergent and fabric softener as this can create a "scud" that builds up in a machine to produce a foul smell. Washing in warm and hot water helps to reduce this "Scud" from what I have read, along with leaving the door open after your done with it so fresh air can circulate and dry the machine out.

I bought my Kenmore HE2T Washer and dryer set about three years ago because it had a nice suspension system in it that was supposed to be OK for 2nd floor laundry rooms. Well, it didn't work. This machine shook everything. I did some research years ago on this site and someone recommended KE Shake Away Pads. They barely worked. It helped so i just lived with it assuming there was no better fix. Recently, I came back this site to see if anyone else had any ideas. I ran into a post where they were talking about Silent Feet. WOW. These pads are amazing. 95% of all shaking and vibration is all gone. Get these. Don't just take my work. Read the reviews. I bought them on Amazon.com. Best $40 I've spent Honest. Here is a link that might be useful: Silent Feet website

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.

I am so very happy to have an old-school top loader again. My front loader finally bit the dust and we didn't even bother to try to have it fixed. It was here in the house when we moved in - we're kicking ourselves for paying extra to keep the set, we should have installed our old ones - and these were awful from day one. The first pain was the kamikaze clothing that leapt out from both washer and dryer when the door opened or you pulled something big out. It sucks that something you've just washed has to wait to get cleaned again. Plus, with a bad back, I didn't like bending down so far. It is infuriating that you need to spend extra money on those pedestals to raise them up, and laundry baskets won't fit under either door without them, so, again, when the door opens, things can hit the floor, which is horrible. The machines come out of the box with this huge flaw and you need to spend $150.00 minimum to make them work as they should. They should just be taller from the outset. Also, I like pulling things up out of the washer and then putting them straight into the dryer without having clean wet clothes go into a basket that has previously had dirty clothes in it. Then came the smell. Now it's possible that the previous owner pre-fouled the thing, but that gasket? Where water ALWAYS was? Yak. Mold city. No amount of bleach and cleaning would keep this thing clean. My clothing is now much cleaner after just a week of having a top loader again. I'm very sensitive to detergent left in fabrics, and mine are once again clean and my towels are far more absorbent. It's possible that a new machine, for way more money than I just paid for my new GE top loader, might be better, but we didn't want to spend that much and are happy to have the old style machine back.