I just logged in to this forum looking for information on hte EpicZ. I have space limitations as well and had been set on the LG stacking with dryer controls on the bottom of the dryer. Last week when I went to place my appliance order, I learned that LG has discontinued this model. They had only 2 dryers left and both were electric. Since I am set on gas I decided to consider my other choice the, Frigidare gallery. The gallery is an OK machine and I had one in our last house. Today the appliance SP emailed me about the EpicZ, saying that it is shorter and less deep than most others so I am hoping that this may be a good alterntive.

OlympicEagle, the Maytag toploader you'd buy *today* is virtually *identical* to your KitchenAid toploader (and to Whirlpool, Roper, Estate, Admiral, some Amana, and most Kenmore toploaders). :-) Consumer Reports data is in reference to a toploader design Maytag used toward the end, before Whirlpool bought the company. Maytag's Neptune frontloader design, which is the source of their tarnished frontloader reputation, is still being used (or was until a short time ago) under Crosley label, and possibly Amana. There were some redesigns that largely fixed the original problems. Maytag-labeled Neptunes were still on the market until late last year. My neighbor bought one from Lowe's. The Maytag Epic frontloader (NOT the Z) is essentially identical to what was previously the KitchenAid Ensemble frontloader. The "Z" may be akin to Whirlpool's Duet Sport offering.

I joined gardenweb to post on hvac but the second thing I have been dying to do is post on the Duet washer. Mine replaced an older front loading Maytag Neptune that was great for our clothes but broke down too often. Whirlpool bought Maytag and the Epic is the same as the Duet...we bought the Duet. I hate it. What I mean is...I hate it! I have only had it a few months and should have listened to the reviews I read before I bought it. I read about tangled clothes and snagged towels. I have no problems with clothes being clean. I use HE Tide and a bit of Biz (HE amount) and always Spray & Wash stains because my kids are 6, 9, 10 and quite frankly, are little dirty animals. Main issues: 1. The clothes, especially adult size, but long pants and sleeves on kids too, get tangled around each other--alot. Mine look just like the picture posted already. The saleman told me to jam in every towel or 20 jeans, etc. and push the door closed. I have never done that and can't imagine it. Sometimes it is so tangled, I have to pull about half the ball of clothes out and let them fall all over the floor as I untangle each item. 2. There is so little water that things end up nearly dry. Good, you think--but they are so dry, wrinkles are setting in before you even put them in the dryer and then the dryer really sets in those creases--especially the jeans. I also find some things, especially towels and t-shirts are noticeably less soft. 3. Towels, especially the really good, plush (expensive) ones that you love, come out snagged--alot, big long snags. I am guessing there are burrs or something inside the drum holes or something in there catching the loops. We are building a new house and this machine will not be coming with us because it aggravates me so. Here are some of solutions I came up with to help make laundry less aggravating with this machine. 1. I never pack it too full. I would rather do an extra load than take the extra time to separate the clothes to put in the dryer. I feel they probably get cleaner when there is less to get twisted around each other anyway. 2. To combat wrinkles I never spin on high. I will do normal wash, med spin or I will even go to heavy duty wash so I can access the low spin button. This keeps them wetter. My old Maytag Neptune dryer has a sensor so it runs only until it senses they are dry and works great. I keep a spray bottle of water nearby and spray the jeans and pants legs' creases and smooth out the wrinkles then do a loose fold before I throw them in the dryer. I also shake out the shirts to their normal shape. It takes time but it does help. 3. The towels...well they snag. My only solution so far is to never do a load of strictly towels. Towels alone in a load guarantees snags on some. I try to mix a few towels in my other loads so they have a fighting chance to stay away from the enemy--wherever it is. As for avoiding problems like moldy odor and the such, I try not to leave things in overnight, or throw them in a basket or leave door open if I don't dry things right away and then leave the door open when not in use. My old Neptune had a class action law suit about mold issues, although I never had the problem, so I am precautionary about that. I also wash my cleaning rags once a week or so in just bleach and that may help. Sorry for the long drawn out deal but I have been perturbed about this thing and have never joined a forum to vent. Although reviews I read elsewhere before I bought mention the snagged towels, I don't see it as much in this forum so I think it is not a complete design flaw and something in only some of them. We are under waranty and I also have the extended warranty. Maybe something can be done about that...a new drum or find a screw or something. I will make that call today and see what they say. Good luck to those who choose this washer or if you already have it and have these issues. If anyone would like to recommend a fantastic front loader with no problems, I am all ears. I may look at the LG or Bosch when we move.

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