NO wrinkles are my biggest priority in choosing a washer and dryer. That, and build quality.

TRUST ME...I have tried lots, and your only choice for truly wrinkle free laundry is MIELE. They are the ONLY brand available in the USA and Canada that has truly, fully reverse tumble from start of cycle to finish of cycle. With a Miele dryer, the clothes and especially sheets can NEVER get stuck in a ball or tangle up and wrinkle.

Miele washing machines are lietrally German tanks. They are designed and manufactured to run 20-25 years. Almost all other brands use parts and materials that maybe last 5-8 years at best.

I would not trade my Miele washing machine and dryer for any other brand!!!

larsi, what are the specific qualifications for "truly, fully reverse tumble from start of cycle to finish of cycle?"

My Fisher & Paykel dryer, bought in the U.S of A. in 2004, reverse-tumbles for 40 seconds every 4.5 minutes from start to finish of a drying cycle, and reverses on every tumble period throughout the 24-hr wrinkle guard. I've found it to be quite effective.

Like you, I recently retired a very old washer dryer set - in my case, a pair of indestructable Maytags. Trying to decide on new machines, I read countless reviews and this forum was very helpful. However, it was certainly a case of information overload! I was set on frontloaders, but deciding on a particular brand, features, to stack or not to stack, extended warranties, etc. was a chore.

In the end, I decided on a set of Bosch Vision 500's and with all due respect to my old workhorses, I feel like I have entered the laundry big leagues. In addition to being very effective in terms of cleaning, these machines are gentle and whisper quiet. Vibration - cited as an issue with some models - is hardly perceptible, even at top spin speeds.

Regarding wrinkles, the Bosch dryer has a steam/wrinkle-relax cycle that I tested on a 100% cotton dress shirt. It required touch-up ironing. Items with polyester content pretty much come out wrinkle-free. I still do a lot of ironing, but that's mainly because I was raised by a mother who ironed bras, underwear, socks and dust rags, so it can't be helped. I simply wasn't interested in a steam washer...nor am I interested in a 3D TV that requires me to wear goofy glasses...just saying.

No doubt other brands are equally competent. I selected Bosch for several reasons: positive reviews, German engineering, features, size and yes, aesthetics. Purchasing on a 20% off sale made the higher price more palatable. (My second choice was LG, but I got scared off by hearsay about service and repair issues that may not be a factor in your area.) I opted not to buy an extended warranty - a personal decision based on my prior lousy luck with 'exclusions' and 'expiry dates'. I think the manufacturer's warranty is two years, so I'm figuring the honeymoon will be over in about 25 months!

Given that I live on the opposite coast...and in Canada...I can't help you out with retailers. However, I'm sure others in your area will weigh in with their thoughts and recommendations.

Good luck with your decision!

Metrowest Boston here, and just installed a set of Bosch Vision washer and dryer. The washer is the 800 and the dryer is the 500 with steam. We got the 800 washer because we wanted the soak feature, but saw no reason to purchase the 800 dryer.

Been in less than a week, so not a whole bunch of experience yet, but so far so good. Clothes are clean. There are wrinkles, but not excessive, I think. Matter of personal taste, no doubt. The steam feature on the dryer seems "ok"--it definitely reduces the wrinkles, but is not perfect.

We replaced a set of ancient Kenmores that did the job, but were very loud and fairly rough on clothes. Looked at the Miele, but we really wanted a gas dryer as that is what we were replacing. Ended up deciding between Electrolux, Samsung and Bosch--choose Bosch largely because of the slightly smaller dimensions, because we wanted a stacked installation. The kit for stacking the washer and dryer has a useful shelf as well.

Purchased at Yale appliance in Dorchester. They have a great selection. Prices were decent and they had a rebate offer that the big box stores did not have. Did not purchase an extended warranty, but may still do so, given the inherent fragility of these things.

Hope this helps and best of luck.

The best way to avoid wrinkles in clothes while drying is just like the best way to brown mushrooms - avoid crowding them. If I dry my dress shirts with the rest of the load, they will come out slightly wrinkled, collars bent, etc. If I dry a handful of dress shirts at a time with no other laundry, they come out of the dryer looking ironed.

Taking a good picture is only 10% camera and 90% photographer. The same applies to laundry or almost anything else in our lives.

I miss my old Kenmores. We moved into our new house before we got our main stuff out of storage (which included the almost 20-yr-old Kenmore w/d), so I took that as an opportunity to get new w/d. I bought the Bravos set from Maytag. Even following suggestions I've read on here, my clothes from the dryer are more wrinkled than before. I don't get it. I don't like it. I HATE to iron, so I've always bought our everyday stuff such that it can be worn straight from the dryer (I monitor the drying load and hang things immediately), but not now.

These newer machines (both frontloaders and HE toploaders) spin at higher speeds and thus extract more water ... drying time is reduced and clothes are exposed to less tumbling and heat, which provides less opportunity to flex and smooth the fabric. Try drying at low temp, for longer times.

My dryer has a 24-hr wrinkle guard. If the load isn't removed when the cycle is finished, it tumbles for 30 seconds every 5 minutes for up to 24 hours. Interestingly, I've found that jeans, shirts/casuals (well, except a few that are ornery), and even towels, come out nicely wrinkle-free (and noticeably softer in the case of jeans & towels) if I purposely leave the load in wrinkle-free mode overnight.

I am with Tracy b. I miss my old Maytag washer. Luckily I still have the dryer. The wrinkled clothes are not about the dryer. I have had my dryer for 23 years and love it!!!! Obviously tracy b's new dryer didn't help her wrinkled clothes. The wrinkled clothes are about the horrible new Maytag bravos top of the line washer that makes my clothes so wrinkled to begin with. I have traveled all around the world washing my clothes in many other machines. (Front loaders in Europe.) I have never had such horrible results.
I hope someone will take this washer back, but I still need a new washer. My poor old maytag is gone. :(

enjoyinglife365, is your current dryer large enough to handle the wash loads from your washer? My Bravos washer is much larger than my former traditional washers, and the dryers I used with those would not suffice for the full laundry capacity my washer is capable of washing.

I realize this may not be your problem. Just thought it wouldn't hurt to mention it.

For the cleanest clothes, with fewest wrinkles, just do not overload your machines and wash like fabrics together.Also, do not over dry your clothes in the dryer. As far as the other brands lasting only 5~8 years at best, this is a false statement in general. my Fl is over 9yr, my friends machines are close behind, and they are still running strong. we use them to capacity, but do not overload them. Miele are great machines, they also cost 2 grand for the washer which is not in everyones budget, so it last 20 yrs. Someone buys a machine for 1000 dollars and get just over 10 years out of it or decide they just want to change washers and buy another one. I see no savings here or advantage in the Meile. there are many complaints against meiles for vibration, noise, and a not so good bulky cycle.

Mara,
I am not doing any larger loads than I did in my old washer. My old washer (1987 Maytag) washed very large loads and was an excellent machine. It is tough to compete with quality old technology. According to the instructions for washing with bravos you need to put each item in individually and not push down. In my old machine, I grabbed a pile stuffed it in smashed it down and did the same when I put it in the dryer. This is a washer thing not a dryer thing. I read a post on this board about the same problem with the same machine and the matching dryer. As a matter of fact, I have read a lot of posts about wrinkle problems. This is a big issue to me. I expect new products to be less work for me not more.

EnjoyingLife365,

This new machine is NOT your 1987 Maytag. It's a completely different mechanism with a completely different washing action. You cannot get proper results by grabbing a pile of clothes, stuffing it in, smashing it down (perhaps you're exaggerating because, honestly, I'm surprised you got good results doing that with your previous machine). Your old machine had, what, two or three cycles? Normal & delicate, possibly Perm Press? Did you run all your loads on normal? You can't do that with this new machine, they aren't as forgiving at smashing in piles of stuff all mixed together. It has a range of cycles for a reason, each one designed with a washing action and spin speed for the respective kind of clothing. It may be irritating and disappointing to you, but you must change your laundry habits accordingly. Folks on the forum trying to help you can't see exactly what you're doing that may be contributing to your troubles. I'd love to be able to stand in the corner in your laundry room and watch, then guide you to proper technique and use of your new washer ... but unfortunately that's not possible. :-(

Enjoyinglife365, I have no idea what the capacity of your 1987 Maytag was, or what the capacity of your Bravos washer is.

I know that when I bought a Kenmore washer in the early '90s, it was listed as having the largest capacity on the market, and it did hold a lot of laundry -- more than any washer I'd ever owned. But my current Maytag holds 2x to 3x more laundry than that washer did.

If you are still using your old dryer, it is possible that its capacity is not enough to handle the huge loads Bravos washers can hold, that it cannot dry them without the laundry being wrinkled. If I still had my old dryer, I know it would not be large enough.

I realize this may not be [part of] your problem, but, just in case it is, I thought you might want to know. HTH

My wife has the biggest problem with 100% cotton. They can wrinkle terribly. Fabric types and blends make a lot of difference on the outcome. Be sure to read your labels.

I had ordered a set of the Cabrio's - never took delivery. I read too many stories of torn, tangled, wrinkled clothes.. So I am still, like you, on the search for a good ol' washer & dryer.
My whirlpools are 17 yrs old, I think they still work (they are in storage because of my move). But, my new house will have gas - so my dryer won't work.

I think I am going with a standard, pull knob style, top load, etiher Maytag or Whirlpool.

My sister has wrinkle issues too, but her's comes from not shaking out her clothes before she loads them in the dryer.
I always shake mine out, even the towels then dry them. Except for towels and sheets, most laundry is a little damp when I take it out, shake it, put on hangers allow to finish drying.
I too iron just about everything, but I think the way I handle my laundry helps them not to be hard to press off.

Jeannie01, when shoppijng for your new Traditional toploader, be ware that most of these machines have "thumbed down" water temperatures, meaning you do not get a true hot or warm wash. I am not sure if this applies to the traditional toploaders made by speed queen, which I hear are built like tanks. JUst a little 411 for you to know

gates1 - So when you select Hot - you get what lukewarm water? Even if you keep your hotwater tank at a high temperature? Can you add hot water with a hose? I realize they dont' have a heater in them, but how does the washer control the water temp?

jeannie01.....machines with and without heaters and the worthlessness of ATC in the new machines have been discussed on many threads. Use the search function.

The overall nut is the new HE machines with their low fill-volumes bleed so much heat out the small amount of incoming water that there's practically no way to obtain more than a "warm" wash without a built-in heater.

The volume of water used compared with the mass of clothes and metal in the drums make it practically impossible for ATC to do much good.

Jeannie01, yes you are correct. Even if you crank yor hot water heater all the way up, the ATC in your washer will cool it down as it enters your machine. You can manually add hot water yourself, but this can be cumbersome to do and get old. My advice is, whatever top loader you choose, go online and read the owners manual to it and see if it states that it will cool down the incoming wash water. I know that the whirpool/Maytags state this. If you do not see it in a owners manual, contact the manufacture directly and ask questions. Take notes, so you do not get information crossed from machine to machine. If you decide on a machine, let me know, and I dont mind looking online for the hot wash answers you seek.

One discouraging thing about salespeople and the manuals is they seldom disclose this issue. Seems to be some kind of industry-wide secret covered over by hazy language. I think its a shame that consumers should have to guess or conscientiously inquire about what, exactly, "cold", "warm", and "hot" actually mean. Sigh.

There is such a huge desire to get energy star ratings and EPA is out of control setting the standards IMHO. Crazy thing is, this summer with all the big energy star discounts, prices of those same items are on sale for even less right now. I got a new French door bottom freezer Maytag this summer and it was marked way down with energy star credits and discounts. It is currently on sale for less than I paid with no energy star credit or discount.

Like I've posted a few times before, clothes washers are saving far more energy and water than necessary to earn the Energy Star rating. They're doing it to earn a $250/unit tax credit, paid directly to the manufacturer.

In theory, this gives the industry an incentive to build efficient washers that consumers are willing to buy. But just about everyone thinks that today's overly-efficient washers are required by law, so they think they're powerless to reject them. Therefore, the industry gets their tax credit ($250/unit is a lot of money) while letting us think we have no choice. Even the Home Editor of Consumer Reports didn't believe it at first, when I told him how the system works. Now CR knows about it, but won't educate the public by including the facts in their reports.

Suburbanmd, I havent visited often as I used to so I missed the prior explanations of that credit. Makes me sick and thanks for posting that. We just end up paying for that credit one way or another dont we.

i have duet sports front loaders...i wash dress shirts all the time...but! i usually do them with like wieght fabrics and am there the minute the dryer stops...i leave them in for a longer time than diane's suggestion...also dh usually only wears oxford clothe and just few broadcloth...all no iron...and, for the times i've missed, love the wrinkle remover spray!

My secret to wrinkle free laundry is to send it to the laundry/dry cleaner. They do a dress shirt for less than $2. each. Other stuff I don't eed there. I find that my Samsung front loader produces many accordian pleats if I use my old Whirlpool dryer. Don't recall that before. It is a real pain with cotton handkerchiefs whether or not they have polyester added. Our cotton sheets get accordian pleats all along the top hem. My wife loves the smell of sun dried laundry, especially sheets and towels. She gets the pleats out by using a large number of clothespins to attach them to the line. I only do this too as needed because I love her.