I was just about to ask a similar question when Dee's post showed up. My BIL is considering a Craigslist purchase of a slightly used HE3t and its pedestal. This is a "divorce sale." However, the wife (who is selling the machine) and her movers had no clue about the need for reinstalling the shipping bolts. It was moved into her new home without them. I told BIL this was a no-no for the machine's suspension. So how could he tell that something got farkled in the FL from the move? Plug it in and run it through the spin? The machine is not hooked up to water. BIL is a mechanic extrodinaire, but FLs are a new beast for him. Is the suspension a reasonable repair to undertake with the technical manual and parts that run less than $200? Is there anything else that likely could have gotten messed up in the un-bolted move and he should check for? Help us, Obi Wans of the Laundry Room!

Absolutely! We're just 1 month in though with a 9550 set which is now made in Mexico (no longer GE). Huge improvement over our 25yr old Lady Kenmore (Whirlpool) set that was actually still going strong (just rusty from a mishandling in a couple of moves). Our daughter swears by these, and complained whenever visiting about the old machine....and you know what, she was right....no comparison. Underwear, towels, whatever much whiter brighter, and clothes are handled much better than with an agitator and many many gallons of water. The dryer was little changed though after all those years....still has a welded seam that makes a slight thump each rev just like the old one which by the way was never repaired after all those years. One improvement in the dryer though is the steam (or water squirt), does magically pop the wrinkles right out and is quite convenient.

O.K. I get your POV, rpsinfoman. I happened to be at Home Depot yesterday and saw the Maytag Epic washer and dryer in black. You were right, they are the exact same machines as the KA Ensembles. However, they were not priced lower than the KA Ensemble washer and dryer. They were priced the same as the original price of the white or black KAs (not the floor model price I got) at Western Appliance. Home Depot didn't have the Whirpool Duets, so I couldn't compare the pricing there, but the Duets were definitely cheaper than the KAs at Western Appliance. Maybe Maytag is trying to raise the profile of the Maytag name? I also understand the "prestige" factor in a label. I was all set to buy a Kenmore DW and FD refrigerator, but my sister-in-law said I couldn't have Kenmore in my kitchen because it wasn't appropriate to the value of my house (her family is in real estate). I went to Western Appliance, and found the same appliances but with a Kitchen Aid label - and negotiated a lower total price than I was going to get at Sears, and my sister-in-law was happier with that choice! Very funny!

[Information posted in the Appliances Forum by TJ (AKAsTJ_Northern_CA) on 6 July 2002 in "HE3t/HE3/Duet Washer/Dryer Q&A Thread (Part 25)" - many thanks for the report, TJ!] ------------------------------ Since this question keeps coming up.... The bleach dispenser injects the contents at the start of the last three minutes of the first rinse. Always... TJ ------------------------------ [first added to Appliances FAQ: 1 October 2002] [moved to Laundry Room FAQ: 28 December 2004] [last edited: 28 December 2004]