If you are getting a Miele W4842 for the same price as a Duet, I say no contest - Miele takes the cake. Many here think steam is just a gimmick and that it doesn't work very well. I love my W4842 and would never trade it in for a Whirlpool. That would be a downgrade.

The Miele W4842 only comes with the hinges on the right side.

Wow, that must be some discount on the Miele - I looked at AJMadison and the W4842 is $1950 alone!

That being said for the prices you mentioned I'd go with the Miele. If nothing else you can at least say you have a Miele. :)

For us mere mortals, the fact that I paid less than the price of that washer for our Kenmore washer and dryer means I could replace them twice and still be out ahead. :)

Miele hands down. Once you have them you will never go back.

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At this time, and unless matters change, it would easily be Miele over Whirlpool. My choice is not one owed to the Miele professional discount, but one of overall present quality.

I ended up purchasing the Miele set along with the remote vision / 5 year extended warranty ($198 each). With tax, delivery, installation it came to $3200. A lot of money for laundry machines but hopefully they will hold up for me a little longer than if I went with the Whirlpool set.

thanks for your advice!

Not only should they hold up but you should find they do a superior job.

I owned FL Frigidaire machines for 10 years and purchased the Miele W4842/T9822 in Feb of this year. My Frigidaire machines were basic (no heater/bells/whistles). They did a fine job but the Miele most definitely do better.

They wash better and definitely rinse better. I always struggled with suds on my glass at the end of a cycle using the old machines (even with proper HE detergent) but with the Miele that has not been a problem. Clear to me it is doing a much better job rinsing. Detergents that left suds before now rinse clear.

Certain cycles on my Miele are my favorite. I love extra white. I do extra white, extended, sensitive for most white loads and they are just dazzling.

I also love the comforters setting. This setting actually thoroughly wets the item(s) being washed before it adds the detergent and washes (called venting).

I love the delay start feature too. When loads take long (extra white mentioned above can take close to 2 hours), I set them at night to start washing in the wee morning hours. When I get up they are ready to dry. Love it!

I researched this purchase for a year and I'm feeling very confident I made the right choice. I paid significantly more than you here in Canada and I still feel good about my choice (I did get a free upgrade to a 10 year warranty which helps).

Please post back when you get them and how you are enjoying them! Good luck!

I, too, am comparing the Miele W4842 and the Whirlpool Duet WFW96HEX7 with companion dryers. I would prefer the Miele but I'm uncertain if that pair would be stackable. Living in a small condo, the machines have to be stackable. I know the whirlpool is.

I really want as large a capacity washing machine as I can get. As far as I can tell, the w4842 is Miele's only machine with at least a 4 cubic foot capacity. Are the Miele machines stackable? If not, could anyone with the Whirlpool WFW96HEX7 comment on their level of satisfaction, etc.

The Miele W4842 installation instructions do not include stacking information, so I highly doubt it can be stacked.

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele installation instructions

The W4842 are not stackable.

I would look at the LG WM3885 before I look at Whirlpool but that's me. I would also consider the WM3360. Both of these are stackable.

Compare these two at the store and you'll the Whirlpool looks and feels inferior to the LG.

I researched machines for a year and narrowed my search down to Miele and LG. I went with Miele but I did really like the LG. I love my Miele.

FWIW,
*LG is the market share leader in front load laundry in the U.S. for four years (16 quarters) running (2010 Stevenson TraQline data).
**LG is the most reliable brand in front load laundry in the U.S., according to a leading consumer magazine.

Very happy with my new washer and dryer! Thanks for all the advice... Was concerned about noise and vibration - concerns were unwarranted as even in full spin washer is so quiet and virtually no vibration. Is there a particular type of detergent people like? I am using Eco friendly liquid but somehow remember that is a no-no??

I wouldn't use a liquid detergent in Miele per what our Miele techs have said, also on this forum.

I use the European brands, my favorite is Persil. I have used the European Ariel (as opposed to the Mexican overly stinky one you can buy here in the USA) & I still like Persil better.

One thing I would also do is get Lenor and/or Vernel. I was using an Italian one that I loved but it does not compare to Lenor for a softener.

Nothing smells as good as Lenor and/or Vernel on your clothes for sure.

I would try a Miele if you can afford one. The Whirlpool FL are just "O.K.".

@mielemaid, why on earth would liquid detergent be a no no? Not only does Henkel (Persil) make liquid so do Miele themselves.

Miele's new IntelliQ machines, due out in Canada this year, automatically dispense liquid detergent (as do new machines in Germany).

When I spoke with Miele Canada about it (someone in head office not a CS rep) she said liquid is best for most things (disolves better than powder, doesn't leave residue like powder, is better at oily/greasy stains than powder).

I really hope people who read these "blanket statements" don't take them to heart but do some do diligence to find out themselves what's what.

I don't see any problems with using liquid detergents in a Miele or any other machine. The key is to make sure you use enough. The danger of these forums is that people may read that they only have to use 1-2 TBSP per load, but that is for small Euro-size machines. The 4+ cuft machines need at least 3-4 TBSP, and that's with soft water and lightly soiled laundry. The manufacturer recommendations are a good place to start, adjust up or down based on cleaning and sudsing. Of course this is just my opinion based on my experience.

Another misnomer is that you shouldn't see suds during the wash, and if you do you are using too much detergent. Poppycock! You will see suds during the wash, you just don't want to see a thick foamy layer of suds on everything. But if you are using the proper amount of detergent, there will be some suds visible on the glass porthole or at the bottom of the door where the water collects.

To further the above post, as water temperature goes up, liquid detergent dosing should go down.

Liquid laundry detergents tend to become super-foamy at hotter wash temperatures. I tend to take the recommended dosage to mean at cold wash temperature. Use less if washing in hot water.

In a washing machine with a heater, once the temperature of the water begins to exceed 120F, liquid detergents seem to EXPLODE like a killer souffle'.

Just my experience...

MRB

@ mrb627

+1

Liquid detergents become suds bombs at higher temps. I think they are great for cold and warm washes, but for anything over 120F (which most machines without an internal heater can't hit anyway) you will want to use a powder.

I think over the next few years, you will begin to see the on board heaters disappear. We are slowly being forced to washing in cold water. One way they can do this is to begin making detergents that are incompatible with warmer temperatures.

But this is off topic...

MRB

@mrb627, are you insinuating a conspiracy between the detergent manufacturers and the machine manufacturers?

I think mrb is implying government intervention forcing us to go green.

@ fordtech

Use of on-board heaters can be perfectly "green" as long as the power is coming from renewable sources. There is nothing wrong with government intervention in making appliances more efficient. I'm all for it.

"I think mrb is implying government intervention forcing us to go green."

Is there actually any debate left about that?

I'm for it, except.....early adopters certainly do pay through the nose. Observe the current lightbulb debate going on. I'm an "early adopter" of these things. They are so incredibly inferior there's really no room for debate. Yet I've paid hundreds for them over the past several years in my attempt to be a "good citizen". Now they're required....no alternative.

Persil Color Gel and Universal Gel are made to be used from 20C to 90C. 90C is basically boiling. Persil Gels (liquids) do not become a sudsding bomb at higher temps. I have never tried Tide or any other American detergent at 90C, but when I had my small Miele 220V units, I used the "boil wash" program often with Persil Gel (liquid)....and ZERO sudsing problems!

@ larsi

You don't need to try Tide HE liquid at 90C to have suds everywhere. All it takes is 60C.

if I wanted to try this Persil where would I buy it? Never heard of it so I've never looked for it.