Yes, the HE top loaders are alot better now then they used to be. The Bravos are a real good set. FandP suck frankly. If you want the top loader go with the Bravos over FandP.

The Bravos are similar (identical?) to the Whirlpool Cabrio and Kenmore Oasis machines that have been problematic. I always recommend people avoid that entire line of machines, the ones without the agitator. Strictly my opinion, though, as I know many people here have them and love them.

I would take Fisher & Paykel hands down. Myself, I would recommend avoiding the AquaSmart line (the machines that have the wash plate like the Oasis/Cabrio/Bravos machines) and look at the Ecosmart machines with the agitator.

so 1 for Bravos, 1 for F&P, but no washplate type. i was kind of looking at the washplate type though w/o agitator as they are larger and allow one to fit more clothes, or a large comforter. Anyone have this kind and like it? any problems?

I bought a Maytag Bravos MTW6700 in May. It's an HE Energy Star top loader - no agitator, huge capacity (4.6 cu ft), very efficient when it comes to water and electricity.

I've not had any problem at all with mold, mildew, or vibration. I leave the top open after I've put wet laundry into the dryer; it's only shut when clothes are washing.

ALL my experiences thus far with this washer have been excellent - far beyond good. There haven't been any cons to this point.

The settings are very easy to use. I like it that I can choose water temp, spin speed, everything. It's unbelievably quiet, even when spinning.

I like the detergent, bleach, and fabric softener dispensers. When I wash towels, I use vinegar in the f/s dispenser, which helps to keep the towels soft and fluffy (there's no residual odor), as well as cleaning out the dispenser, too.

I can wash MANY more clothes or laundry items per load in this washer than in the traditional top loader I had, which had the largest capacity on the market at the time I bought it. I have washed king-size comforters in my washer with no problem. Whereas I used to wash at least one, often two, loads a day, now I'm washing less than half that many loads each week because I can wash so many things at once.

This washer gets my laundry much cleaner than any other washer I've ever owned, and it is gentle, even with the fast spin. When I washed a load of sheets this weekend, they did not tangle at all as they used to do in my old washer w/agitator, and they dried much smoother, too. I haven't had any problem with my clothes wrinkling.

I don't use regular laundry detergent, for I've read the sudsing can cause damage to HE machines, as well as invalidate a warranty. I read an article which compared using regular laundry detergent in an HE washer to using regular dish detergent in a dishwasher.

I use liquid Tide HE w/ bleach for whites and towels and Sears HE Ultra Stain-Fighter powdered detergent (very inexpensive) for everything else except dress clothes and delicates. I use liquid Cheer HE ColorGuard for nice dark clothes, and Woolite HE for delicates and light dress clothes. ALL of these detergents clean very well in my washer.

I don't have any experience with F&P, so can't give any info on that.

I hope this helps.

griz4, I would put no stock into massive8's comments. He/she is apparantly unaware that the Bravos/Oasis/Cabrio line of washers are built on technlogy licensed from F&P. If F&P sucks, by default those do as well.

Having said that, my F&P is easily the best washer/dryer set I've had in 30+ years. Outstanding cleaning and flexibility, and far better at both than the last two FL sets I had. I purchased the Intuitive (agi) models, however, as I am not entirely sold on how effectively washplates move the laundry around.

The technology may be the same, but the manufacturers aren't. May or may not be important.

griz4,
We have the F&P washplate Aquasmart/Aerosmart w/d, the ones without the LCD screens, and we like them very much! Model #'s WL37T26D and DE62T27D. They clean at least as well as our old Kenmore direct drive washer, and I think they are gentler on the clothes. The washer generally gives you the option of doing an HE cycle or a traditional cycle. Also, the model we have has the liquid bleach dispenser, not the liquid fabric softener dispenser. The non-LCD models are very easy to operate, even for the technology-challenged. Our water bill is much less than it used to be. If we had to do it over again, we would go with the same F&P models in a heartbeat!
Good luck with whatever you decide on. We also spent a LOT of time researching before making our purchase. Just glad we got what we did.
kcred

I have the F&P Aquasmart washer with the wash plates and the Aerosmart top loading dryer. Very happy with both of them!

Don't forget the GE Harmony. My daughter has the Harmony and I love using it every time I visit her. Most recently I used it to wash mattress pads on the comforter setting -- great -- and I have used it for small amounts of delicate clothing -- also great.

I have not used F&P but have heard they break down frequently.

bump. anymore opinions out there?

I would go with either the F&P Aqua Smart (or any F&P for that matter) or the GE Harmony. Those two manufactures wash plates spin both directions. That avoids the tangling of clothes. I have sold and used everything that has been listed so far.

You will also find the GE Profile and F&P warranty to be much better than the 1 year from Maytag/Whirlpool.

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY Product Reviews

Another thing, although I am a happy F&P owner, I would consider a HE TL with steam wash option. It's the one with a clear lid.

I have the Aquasmart wl26cw2 and love it. It is similar to the one Kcred has, but with the LCD display. It does a better job of washing clothes than my old Maytag TL, and is much gentler on my clothes. I did not purchase a F&P dryer as my Amana dryer is only a few years old. I would buy the washer again a heartbeat, and F&P customer service is second to none. My aunt has just purchased a Cabrio HE and has had no issues with it and swears buy it. So the wash plate technology is slowly improving. If you are coming from a traditional agitator TL you will LOVE the HE TL machines. If you have had a FL, you may not be as impressed with the wash plate machines.

One more thing to mention about the Aquasmart washer: you can do a traditional fill for really dirty items. In some wash modes, you can turn off the HE setting (heavy duty wash for example). This is great for muddy/sandy items as the extra water helps get the dirt away from the clothes. It also helps with pet hair, like on the towels I use to dry my dog. Now this is not a full fill like the old TL machines, but it seems to be more than double the amount of water used during the HE cycle. Agitation is really strong during this cycle too. Something to consider as the Cabrio has no real selection for fill levels, just a bulky cycle.

Thanks for all the advice, but i wound up getting the Bravos 6700. The main reason is only 1 store in my area had the Aquasmart and it was 950$. i was able to get the Bravos 6700 on sale and with 10% off coupon for 810.00$ plus free delivery. So far i feel i made a good decision. done laundry all week on the numerous cycles available on the Bravos and clothes have come out clean and almost dry, thus less time in the dryer which is what i missed when i had my Bosch Nexxt 500. Put it to a test earlier this week with a blood stain on a white sweater that had dried after my daughter had worn all day at school and it came out white as can be. i think the control are very easy to use and makes changing the preset cycles very easy to understand. I also like the fact the cycles are not long as they were on the Bosch 500- some regular loads of laundry took over hour w/o adding fab softener or bleach cycle and i used HE detergent. the cycles on the Bravos are about 45 minutes and the clothes come out clean. So, thus far, giving the Bravos a thumbs up.

griz4, I'm glad you're enjoying your Bravos as much as I enjoy mine. Here's to a long washing life! :-)