I don't have any experience with the Kenmore Elite frontloader series. When my last washer needed replacing (all my former washers had been conventional washers), I did a lot of research on both front- and toploading HE washers. The TL HE seemed to be most practical for my situation. I bought a Maytag Bravos MTW6700 in May of 2008. As you know, that model has been superseded by the models now available. As I'm sure you already know, it's an Energy Star HE top loader - no agitator, huge capacity (mine is 4.6 cu ft), very efficient when it comes to water and electricity. I've not had any problem at all with mold, mildew, odor, or vibration. I do leave the top open after I've put wet laundry into the dryer; it's only shut when laundry is in it. Because my washer is a top loader, it can go on either side of the dryer with no problem. It is unbelievably quiet; the only sound I ever hear is water going in or draining out. I like it that there is a chime (not a buzzer) which alerts me when the washer is finished. The chime can be set on LO, HI, or OFF. 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 (hot/cold - warm/warm - warm/cold - cool/cold - cold/cold), spin speed (HI, MED, or LO), stain (pre-wash) cycle, extra rinse if needed, fabric softener if desired. I also really the selection of wash cycles -- Bulky for comforters, Sheets for sheets, Whites (the only cycle which uses the bleach dispenser), Normal (I use it for everyday clothes), Jeans/T-shirts, Wrinkle Guard (my favorite for our really nice church/office clothes), Delicates (for fine washables), Hand Wash (I use it for sweaters and some "extra"-fine washables). I really like the Soak cycle; I always use it on my guys' really dirty whites. I also like having a Rinse/Spin cycle and Spin cycle only. I use them more than I thought I would. There is also a Quick Wash cycle my DD really likes, and a Clean Washer cycle. I like having detergent, bleach, and fabric softener dispensers. I use vinegar in the f/s dispenser when I wash towels, which helps to keep them soft and fluffy, as it strips all detergent out. (Fabric softener coats towels, which greatly reduces their absorbency.) I usually combine vinegar w/liquid fabric softener (about half and half) when washing clothes, sheets, and comforters. I can wash many more laundry items per load in this washer (at least twice as many, sometimes 3x as many) than in the traditional top loader I had, which had the largest capacity on the market at the time I bought it. I can wash a king-size comforter in my washer with no problem. Whereas I used to wash at least 7-10+ loads per week, now I wash 3-5 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. I do use lower spin speeds on the Wrinkle Guard cycle, delicates, and fine washables. When I wash sheets, they do not tangle as they used to do in my old washer w/agitator, and they dry much smoother, too. I haven't had any problem with my clothes wrinkling -- I do shake out clothes as I put them in the dryer, something I've always done. I don't use regular laundry detergent, for I've read over-sudsing can cause damage to HE machines, as well as invalidate a warranty. An online article compared using regular laundry detergent in an HE washer to using regular dish detergent in a dishwasher. Hope this helps. If you have any comments or further questions, let me know.

It's our Maytag Dryer that shreds our clothing. It shreds Everything. No matter how much clothes or how little clothes I put into that dryer- as it tumbles everything moves up to the front of the dryer (closer to the door) then the force of the tumble throws the clothes against the holes in the top of the lint catch (which aren't sharp in any way, the plastic is perfectly smooth) but the force of the tumble causes the clothes to get caught in them and then ripped away causing it to shred. Not only is the dryer a horrible, clothes shredding, money eater but the washer literally eats our clothes. Anything as big or smaller than a wool adult sock (which are rather quite large) also gets moved to the front of the washer where there's a rather large gap between the barrel of the washer and the door where things easily slip down then go down the drain and get caught in the catch clogging it. Anything that gets sucked down the drain then quickly is ruined by all the rest of the crap trying to go down the drain. We live in a tight apartment so trying to pull out a stacked dryer/washer in a small closet doorway is a nightmare so we bought mesh bags hoping to help but sadly the mesh bags come open regularly as they're being thrown around by the washer no matter what brand we've tried. They help somewhat but we're still pulling out the washer/dryer a couple times a month to fix it. Now that we have face masks we have to wash regularly the nightmare of this Maytag washer/dryer combo is at an all time high. I will never trust Maytag again and until we get enough money to replace these nightmare causing machines we're stuck with them.

i am debating between the SpeedQueen 412 and the Bravo and the Cabrio. The SQ is American made and the best made of the 3 (no electronics, metal parts, etc. But I am worried that it might not be as gentle on the clothes. A store told me the newest Cabrios are better than the older ones but the Bravo has a much better warranty. (He is not anywhere near where I live- so cna't sell to me, so was being totally honest = he does not even sell the Bravo. Told me people in his town are not willing to pay the price for better washers, so he stocks few of them. I am a retired school teacher so don't have a lot of money, but want something that is gentle on my clothes and made to last. It might be that the two are not made in one machine. I love the made in the USA of SQ but worried about gentleness on my clothes. Can anyone help? I have not seen a Bravo in a store so don't know about price. either.

Sorry this is so long. I think both machines are great choices. My grandmother has the Bravos and loves it!! It is not very different in terms of the way it performs mechanically from a conventional TLer except it has a glass lid and no agitator, although I feel cleaning performance is better. It also rinses a bit differently thatn a conventional TLer in where it does this series of sprays and spins as opposed to a deep rinse (unless you select the extra rinse option),but my grandmother and I feel this rinsing method is way more effective than a conventional TLer. Cycle times are not much longer than a conventional TLer unless you select a whole bunch of options. So that's our experience with the Bravos...... BUT......based on some of the reviews here on this forum and elsewhere, these machines, which are a sibling to the Kenmore Oasis and Whirlpool Cabrio, seem to be a love it or hate it type of machine. I have heard others report about tangling and twisting of clothes in these machines, as well as electronic/control board problems, particularly with the Oasis model. So I figured I'd give you a heads up on that. However, I really believe that no matter what machine you buy, there will always be complaints on it. It's just a matter of what best suits your needs. Anyhoo, here's a little tidbit on the Bravos. When loading clothes into it, my grandmother or I (when I visit her) do not wrap them around the bottom edge of the basket as you would load clothes into a conventional TLer w/ an agitator, or just dump the entire load of clothes in all at once. These methods may contribute to tangling, twisting and wrinkling. We just simply drop our clothes in piece by piece around the center of the impeller and that seems to get good (and untangled, untwisted and unwrinkled) results. I learned that technique from Jcrowley who is a frequent poster on this forum and owns a Cabrio HE. I also would not recommend putting a fitted sheet in with a pair of jeans in this machine. My guess is that you may have a tangled mess after that load is complete, which is why the washer has a separate cycle for sheets and another one for jeans. Other HE TLer's you may want to look into are GE Harmony, which I have heard wonderful things about, and all Fisher and Paykel machines. As for the Epic, when washer shopping, grandma was also looking into this machine because of the rave reviews of the machine from others on this forum and elsewhere. I have no experience with this machine so I cannot comment on it's performance, but I do have a friend who recently bought an Epic pair and she LOVES them! As for prices, we got the Bravos at Home Depot for my grandmother at $854 and change plus extended warranty, tax and delivery fees. I have found that the Bravos tends to be priced the lowest vs. it's other two siblings. And I believe the Epic is coparable in price to Bravos. Chime in and correct me if I'm wrong, Epic owners. I hope this info helps and was clear to you! Good luck washer shopping!! :o) Kevin