If you are limiting yourself to an HE top loader there are two washers for you to consider. The Whirlpool Cabrio, Kenmore Oasis, & Maytag Bravos series of washers, and the GE Harmony. The Cabrio, Oasis, & Bravos are all the same washer, except each is branded differently.

The Cabrio/Oasis/Bravos washers are rated at 4.6 cubic feet IEC, which is converts to an actual capacity of 4 cubic feet, and the Harmony is rated at 4 cubic feet IEC, which converts to an actual capacity of 3.5 cubic feet.

You could also consider the Fisher & Paykel Aquasmart washer which is rated at 3.7 cubic feet IEC, which converts to an actual capacity of 3.2 cubic feet.

I'd recommend trying to fit the size of comforter that you want to wash in each of these washers before you buy. Also, is your mind really made up to go with a top loader? There are lot's of high capacity front loaders that would do the job as well.

The manual for our 4.0 cubic feet IEC washer says it can wash comforters up to 84"x88" or full-size. Our experience bears this out. We once tried to load a "full/queen" comforter, but the door wouldn't stay closed. Didn't seem like a good idea to hold the door closed until it locked, since the comforter could end up damaging the door seal.

Then again, the awesome "Cloud Nine" bed we slept in recently, at a Hampton Inn, had a thin "duvet insert", shown in the link below. I believe that my washer could accommodate a king-size one of these.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.hamptonhomecollection.com/productGroup.aspx?sessionID=b1910699-0754-443b-acf9-f6554e4fe008&category1=Bedding&category1Name=Bedding&categoryLevel=0amp;itemID=HAM-112

Washer_man,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your input! I appreciate it more than I can say!
Since I live in a small town, my only options to see appliances in person are Sears and Home Depot. I went both places today to look around.
Please let me know what you think of this: Sears had a "clearance" on a "last year's model" of a Maytag front loading set. (BTW, I'm not adverse to FLs, just not familiar with them, I guess!)
Model #'s are: MFW9700SQI (washer, 4.0 CF) and
MED9700SQ0 (dryer, 7.0 CF).
Both are floor models, with a few slight scratches (nothing serious); the last ones in the store, allegedly the regular price was $999 each, now priced at $599 each.
I'm VERY tempted. I will have to act quickly if I want them, though, because they are the last set.
And even though the title of this thread was "will my king size quilt fit in it?!"... I am OK with this set, if it won't. For the price break, I can make a trip to the laundromat every now and then!
Please let me know if you recommend these machines and this deal, or not.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Lynn

SuburbanMd,
We must have been posting at the same time! Thank you for your input. BTW, what does "IEC" stand for???!
Thank you,
Lynn

IEC = International Electrotechnical Commission

Wikipedia

IEC

My 4.00 Fl washes king size down and synthethic stuffed medium thickness comforters without any problem. Using low to medium spin and extra couple of rinses.

I've got a 4.0 FL, and I put in two twin-size comforters at the time time, which should theoretically be about the same as a king-size. No problems; they both came out nice & clean.

I've also washed three regular-size feather pillows simultaneously, two king-size feather pillows, a king-size blanket and mattress pad, and currently have in a full-size mattress pad and full/queen cotton blanket. Again, no problems with any of those loads.

I found a site that said the particular model you're considering should be able to handle king-size bedding.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vanns Maytag MFW9800 features

I believe the MFW9700SQI washer is a Maytag Epic, which is actually a re-badged Whirlpool Duet, and the Duet is a reliable tried and true design. At $599 I'd snap it up.

Washer_Man,
Yes, it's the Epic... and on your good recommendation, I did buy them! They will be delivered Tuesday. And oh, fun side note, because of the superficial scratches I got another 10% off! I am soooo excited. I just did NOT have the money right now to invest $2,000.00 (or MORE) into a washer and dryer.

Thank you ALL for your input and posts! MUCH APPRECIATED!

Lynn

My mother recently bought the Samsung WF338AAW which is a 4.0 capacity and she fit a queen size in hers. Now she did say when she washed it the middle never got wet so I can't imagine even trying to fit a king in there which is disappointing since I was also looking to replace an old top loader with a new front loader that can easily handle my king size comforter.

Do NOT get a Maytag Bravos. I had one for 6 months. Total waste of money. My King comfortors came out dry in the middle (water obviously didn't get there). This means that the Bravos does not clean well. Also...I would have to wash stuff twice to get them clean smelling. Granted I have a college son who brings clothes home to be washed, but still..there is just not enough water in the machine to clean clothes. I would fill the washer to just below the ring, and almost always after the cycle was done the clothes would still smell. I like mine to smell like the detergent/softner..what is so wrong with that?? I did notice a big dif in my water bill, so that's pretty cool.

I think you will be happier with the FL for washing larger items. I went with LG -- on part because I had a problem with Whirlpool on another issue and in part because the depth of the Duets was greater and a problem for my small laundry space. I think the capacity is the same or very nearly. I can wash 2 sets of queen sheets or the king plus and have washed a king down comforter as well as sleeping bags in mine.

I was told that if I wanted to wash those kinds of things, the Cabrio wasn't a good choice. When I was looking (last year) there were a number of posts by people who had trouble getting bulky items uniformly wet and clean. No such problem with the FLs.

My Bravos washer does a great job cleaning all our laundry. I wash queen and king-size comforters in it (on the Bulky cycle) and they come out spotless every time. The Bulky cycle uses more water than other cycles; it completely submerges them in water.

Believe it or not, i wash sleeping bags and comforters in my tiny Bosch Axxis.

The front loaders can hold a lot more than you think. I did a demo when I bought the Bosch and they had 17 towels stitched together at the store. Me and my friend, who ended up buying the same machine, were shoving those towels in there and could not believe it. This was a while ago (5 years ago) and people didn't think the tiny 23" X 23"X 33" machine would hold more than a towel. It can wash comforters AND sleeping bags. Even a Northface polyfill one, which are notorious for not getting wet.

Go to an appliance store and start shoving a sleeping bag or a comforter in the washers and see what fits. Seriously. It sounds crazy but I'm so happy I did. I was switching from a super capacity top loader, so I could wash anything in it. I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting stuck with a tiny little machine that could only wash hand towels.

I think Snyder Diamond and other high end places even have things like the towel demo sometimes. It's good to know where you are going to dump some serious cash!!

I had a Cabrio washer and the computer board for the settings went out twice within 2 years! Will never buy one again.

I am also looking to replace FL. I hate mine. We have dog-hair galore and it doesn’t clean it off! All of the dog hair just sticks to the door and inside the rubber ring, but still leaves some on clothes. I actually researched that top loaders are better for removing the hair off clothes. Also, the detergent/softener drawer is plugged and now can only use detergent. I want something that is not water efficient and fills up the basin. I, too, have king sized, handmade, heavy quilts and they don’t seem to get clean in my FL. Am looking at the Maytag Bravos, but trying to decide between the 4.3cu ft or the XL 5.3cu ft. Think I’m going with the 4.3, due to space issues.

Think the 4.3 and 5.3 are both same exterior dimensions. If getting HE top load look at the 5.2 cu ft Maytag. It has an agitator and uses more water. There's also a 4.7 cu ft similar to above Maytag.