I posted this earlier on another post so I thought I'd repost it here as is somewhat applies. The best washer would be a front load. Frigidaire or Lg. The Best dryer would be a Whirlpool with the lint filter on top. Same design for 40 years, a good quality product. But, only if you get the one with a timer and no electronics. All dryers heat at the same temp. If it got any hotter it would burn the house down. All dryers tumble the same speed. If it tumbled any faster it would be spinning the clothes. Why people spend up to a thousand for a dryer is beyond me. They all work the same, they dry clothes. But they do pay me $400.00 to fix them. YOU CAN GET A NEW DRYER FOR $350.00!!! New topload washers fill for wash and only fill half way for rinse. Its a government thing to save energy. The "energy efficient" top load washer with no agitator like the cabrio, well, its one of my favorite brands. Every one needs a new mainboard, tub springs go out, main bearing goes out. Get a quarter in the pump, pump is shot. The touch pad will fail. All day, everyday customers ask me what are the best appliances because their expensive two year old appliance is broke. I always tell them the cheapest ones. If a frig is full of electronics it will break and cost 2-4 hundred to repair it. A basic simple no fancy electronic frig will last. Whirlpool or Frigidaire. The fancier the range the better for me. Keep it simple. All ovens heat at 350 degrees. It seems today everyone is a chef, must be all those cooking shows. They buy $2000.00 ranges and pay me $400.00 to fix them. I love it. People pay big bucks on a dishwasher with all those buttons but only use the normal cycle. I don't get it. A mid line whirlpool is a good dishwasher. All dishwashers work about the same. Water comes in, sprays around, and drains. Its not magic. If you like the Bosch, Samsung, Miele, asko etc. make sure there are people in town that repair them. I'm like the only LG servicer in my area which means I can charge more to repair them. No competition, business 101. There are only a couple of people in my area that will repair Samsung refrigerators, bosch, asko, etc. And they are not cheap. Everyone repairs Whirlpool and Frigidaire. I live in an area with over 500,000 people so its not like we're in a small town out in the boonies. Talk to an independent local servicer that doesn't sell appliances and he can advise you on the appliances that he has the least problems with. You won't find too many appliance tech's that own GE. Their parts are the most expensive in the industry. Whirlpool, Frigidaire and even LG parts are reasonable. Fischer Paykel. There again one maybe two companies repair them. The only place I can find parts for them is from Fischer paykel and they're in New Zealand. Takes about 3 weeks to get parts. I just picked up a customer with apartments full of Viking. Viking controls their part distribution so only one part supplier on the east coast carries the parts. No competition means expensive parts which equals expensive repairs. Its a great time to be an appliance repairman. I was never this busy in the 90's with the simple basic appliances. All those new fancy electronic appliances keep me very busy.

Hi, my first post! We are in the processing of closing on our first house!! Needed a few suggestions in terms of Washer and Dryers. We are a family of 4 plus one dog. I cloth diaper and have a boy who is always dirty!! What do you recommened? My budget is about 1200.00. I heard about Maytag and will stay away from there. We have a maytag stove in the rental house and it is a piece of junk. Any ideas... Thanks so much! Julie

we recently moved to a new home as well, we had a couple of old washer and dryer. well the washer died soon after we moved. we had money so we purchased a front loading washer. they're suppose to be better on power and water. they wring the clothes better also and it takes less time to dry them in the drier, hence saving more power. It was just odd getting use to loading from the front as oppose to the top, but that's minor. I really think it was a good purchase.

Hi, I can't suggest the best unit for you, but even on a first floor laundry you have to think through vibration issues. I'm betting there are no shortage of people who can help you with a recommendation. Once you get your machines, you have to be really careful in leveling them. Not just a bubble level on the top, but by running the machine and feeling each foot for subtle vibrations and adjusting as needed. Many times a little tweak can make a big difference. There are anti vibration pads and the best do work well, but no system can fix an out of level machine. Finally (though this should be first) what are your floors like up there. Are they level? When you jump and down does the floor bounce, things on the wall or shelves rattle...? FYI, I have a Miele smaller unit and I would NOT recommend them for a shaky upper floor install. One last thing (I'm sorry for being so preachy), but you have to be serious about leak prevention, detection and shut off. Unless you want to come home to a water fall on your stair way some day! :-) I use FloodChek hoses and they are indestructible. I wouldn't use anything else. I also have a Burst Buster (auto shut off/leak detector). If a salesman or plumber blows you off on concerns about leaking or tells you the hoses they come with are fine, they are ignorant. They are low information washing machine people making stuff up. After fridge ice maker water lines, washing machine hose leaks are the leading cause for home owners claims. Ignore leak protection at your own risk.