Zippers are not problem. I don't close them ever. I wash my white summer pants together w/ lingerie and bras and never had any problems. Bra hooks don't cause problems either. The only problem I had in thirty years using FL ,one of my underwires came out and got hooked in the wash drum hole, pulled out of the bra and got stuck in between the drums. It made snapping noise. I was able to pull it out w/ needle nose pliars. No damage to those drums. I would check for broken buttons, they can get sharp or the metal gromets on jeans, they get loose or bent sometimes too. Inspect edges of the drum too. You just never know.... I do get tiny holes in cotton t-shirts too but you can tell its from wear and wash, the holes are where the stitches are. Many times the sewing needles damage the apparel when is sewn new and that's where you will see the holes first.

The only differences between these two washers are the styling, and the wash cycles. Everything else is the same. As far as parts being either cheaper or more expensive, if true, it's a rip-off because most of the parts are common.

Hi Barb, My son was in the process of deciding on a Whirlpool Duet pair last week at this time, and we came to the same conclusion as you. One appliance was described as white and the other one was described as being a silver metallic. If you are spending this much money-you very much want them to look good and match. My son wasn't wild about getting a steam washer. The reason for this was because this steam washer thing is new technology and sometimes, you are just asking for trouble-the more features an appliance has. He did, however, want the steam dryer. The benefits seemed to out weigh the drawbacks. Again-more technology-more potenial service calls in the future. He eventually decided on the 9500 Whirlpool Duet Series in the steam washer and steam dryer in the Tuscan Chestnut color. He wanted a matching pair-and the 9600 Duet series in the green color was just too much to spend. As it was, the 9500 Duet series was probably more than he should have spent, too.

You're both so welcome! Susan...I'm a research fiend and tend to over analyze every single product that we put into our home (we just finished building our own house). I call it being persnickety...DH calls it anal. LOL Hosta...I'm a major bargain hunter. :o) I picked out the washer & dryer that I wanted and then started searching for better deals. I actually purchased the pair on eBay for $1100 which included shipping (no tax either!). They were dealer overstock. Everything was brand new in the unopened manufacturer's shipping crates/boxes and was delivered on pallets. I also got the pedestals that go with them from another seller in Canada for $55 each. I did have to pay about $70 to have them delivered, but the cost still came out to less than half of what I would have spent at Lowe's. :o)