I'm with you totsuka. I am looking into Speed Queen (simple no frills) top load washer and dryer and am going to stick the Duets in the barn. They're O.K. for throw rugs or quilts. I know there are a lot of fans of front loaders out there, but after two different brands I am not one of them, and I am certainly not impressed. They are just "O.K." and not worth what they cost. To me. The government, though well intentioned, needs to stay out of the appliance business and let the consumer drive the innovation and efficiency. We are quite capable in voting with our dollars, and would have much better appliances as a result. I don't think any of us care to waste money, water, or power. When you have to run a wash cycle or flush twice, there is no savings. If anyone has a great Speed Queen model to steer me towards, I would be very interested. Or any other simple top load system that you have been happy with. Sandy

My WP FL Duet has started a loud banging noise on the spin cycle which after a bit of reading is very common. I am pretty sure it is the part holding the drum and a common failure and beyond economic repair. I am going with WP WTW57ESVW, 4.0 cu, TL machine from Lowes. The size seems right and that is the largest one in a T/L machine. They have put in a water sensor to help get more efficient rating. I am really not too keen on the HE soap requirement with the new HE machines. I like to play around with the different laundry soaps to see what works, sales etc...currently use Tide HE caught on sale, but now Tide changed it's HE soap to improve them and a bit more expensive. The cost was not great 545 out the door with 4 year extended warranty, but I think it is a more simple machine and should, maybe last 8 years or so.

I got my Cabrio HE back in March. It was the third machine I got, I had problems with the two FLers I had. You seem to be under the mistaken impression the HE TLers do a deep fill like traditional machines, they don't. They use much less water than a traditional machine, and automatically adjust the water level to suit the size of the load, like a FLer. My Cabrio He (with the exception of the delicate cycle and bulky cycle which use more water) adds just enough water to cover the cloths. This keeps the cloths down in contact with the wash plate so they can be circulate through the water. I still watch (I have the glass lid model) the wash action sometimes, I find it fascinating to watch. It looks like there is an agitator when it is motion. The cloths circle down through the center and up the sides. It is probably hard to picture. If you are a patient person, you can go to Whirlpool.com and watch a video of the Cabrio HE so you can get some idea how it works. Do not ever load the machine like they show in their video (dumping cloths from a basket and smashing them down in the machine) because your cloths with come out tangled. You need to place the cloths in piece by piece (except small items) around the wash plate. For me , this has virtually eliminated wrinkle problems. I only had a balance problem if I do something stupid, but even then, the machine does not vibrate or make noise, it tries to fix the unbalance and if it can't it puts up the unbalance code ub. Then you just move the items around and press start to finish the load. This has only happened a couple times. It has a number of cycle options with addons to fit just about any need. You do not have to set water level as it determines this itself. I paid just under $850 for my Cabrio HE. The FLers were more expensive, I cannot remember exactly how much, plus I originally purchased a stand for the first FLer. In the end I paid about $500 less. As for why I bought this...well I got a FLer, and I could feel the vibrations on the second floor even after a pro had come in to level it (not an installer). I wanted something that would use less water, but not rattle the pots on my stove. This is the answer! I also was unimpressed with the FLers rinsing, and its inability to remove lint and rabbit hair (yes, I have a rabbit, and she sheds like an animal 10X her size!). The Cabrio HE rinses much better, for the first time in a decade I can use a single rinse on every load without getting a rash! It also removes lint and hair much better! (As I type this my rabbit is sitting in my lap trying to get to the keyboard!) I know that some people are unhappy with their Cabrios, of course that goes for virtually every machine out there! I recommend purchasing your machine at a store you know you can trust. Make sure they will exchange it if you are not happy. And , why take chances, get the extended warranty. If you have a Lowes by you, their service is great, and a five year warranty is $99. That is where I got mine. I will buy all my appliances from them from now on, and recommend them to all my friends. By the way, Lowes is running some specials right now, I believe there are rebates on some machines, and gift cards with purchase, as well as free delivery and haul away (they always seem to offer that on purchases over $400). Oh yeah, I almost forgot spin speed. I think high spin is 1000rpm. Cloths dry a lot faster, even using the lower spin speeds. It is very efficient at removing the excess water. I should also mention that the settings are very flexible. You can make it do just about anything you might need.

My family and I bought the Maytag Bravos for my grandmother and she just loves it! And when I visited her in late June, I used it and loved it myself! Basically the same machine as the Cabrio/Oasis but maybe slightly different cosmetics and I've also found it tends to be priced a bit lower than the Cabrio or Oasis. It uses very little water but cleans like a champ! It also washes and rinses like no other TL washer I've seen before. The impeller (as opposed to an agitator) does this "blosssoming" thing (I wish I could describe it better)to the clothes while they wash and this series of sprays and spins while rinsing. And it holds a ENORMOUS amt. of clothing! There have been some people who have purchased it and have had wrinkling/twisting problems and computer/control board/error code issues, but like Robert P. says, there probably isn't a model out there that does not have any complaints about it! HTH!! :o) Kevin Here is a link that might be useful: Maytag Bravos at Home Depot