Miele or Electrolux. My first choices!!!

Love my Asko! With that being said, we are a family of two. With a large family it may be too small.

Donna-37...you are lucky enough to have Made in Sweden Asko units. The newer ones seems to be plagued with software and performance issues!!

I went with Miele. Asko didn't work for me because the drain pipe would have had to be at higher than the recommended height in the manual.

I like electrolux....

My bad Asko washer experience was with the Pro Series. I have no idea whether the small washer has similar issues. It has different controls and a different set of features, so maybe not.

I think first and foremost, the choice has to go with your budget.... Mieles are great machines, I read good reviews on the washer and not so good on the dryer, but at 2 grand for a washer that cant wash king size comforters..HELLO!!!! Im not so stupid. I know the Electrolux cannot wash one either, but its not 2 grand!!! I would go with the compact Electrolux. I have recently moved and Im looking for a 24 inch compact set myself... I got a vented GE dryer at a Sears outlet Store for 299.00, now Im searching for a Electrolux compact washer at a outlet store too.

If size is crucial, the compact Electrolux is 2.4 cu. ft., vs 1.9 cu. ft. for the Miele W3038. That's over 25% bigger. The manual for the Electrolux says "The washer can be fully loaded, but the items should not be tightly packed. The door should close easily."

I have the set up described by Gatesmannc and it works wonderfully well. You should be aware that some of the manufacturers have the washer plug into the dryer and the dryer plug into the wall so if something happens to the dryer you also cannot use the washer. Be sure and review the installation instructions on how each of the units you are thinking of buying plugs into the wall and make sure that you have the right kind of circuit and water hook ups for them.

practigal, Asko and Bosch washers that plug into a same-brand dryer can, instead, plug into a suitable wall outlet. You'd have to get the outlet installed, most likely on a separate 240V circuit, but it's something that any electrician can do. The plug and outlet are a NEMA standard, not a proprietary Asko or Bosch design. The ones I've seen, at least.

Do Asko and Bosch have the same plug design?

The Asko I had only plugged into the dryer. It required 240 v outlet. The Bosch was 120 v if I recall correctly (not sure -- check the website). But both pieces plugged into outlets. Very different hearters in Asko and Bosch. Asko also had cold fill only at the time. Bosch had hot and cold.

rococogurl, did your Asko's plug look like this, similar to a regular plug but with one prong turned sideways?

Roco - the Bosch runs on 240 and has a cold fill option on the euro sized washers.

I only have one 240v line into the kitchen and appliances have to be on their own dedicated circuits and there is no more room on the panel....

@suburbanmd -- The dryer had whatever that standard 240 v plug is. Different than the standard receptacle.

@sandy1616 - my Bosch Axxis pair did not have cold water fill as I recall. They had to dig to even give me the temperatures for the various settings. I had the Asko pair at the time in our house and the Bosch in the apartment and was trying to figure out equivalents. They said the hottest setting on the Bosch was something like 158F but it never felt as hot as the Miele does f.ex. And it was nowhere near as hot as the Asko got. That was great on the upper heat settings.

I liked the Bosch washer & dryer for the price. The washer didn't do the job that the Miele and Asko did on the whites as it never got as hot as those. F.ex. I couldn't get odor and yellowing out of some old white percale sheets in the Bosch.

At first I thought it was the detergent and did a whole test drive. That's how I found out the green liquid Persil deodorized, which it did a bit. Bosch was good on everything else and it was my favorite dryer. Liked that dryer better than Asko. The current Miele dryer has more control and some handy features and can dry wool. But I preferred the Bosch for sheets and towels.

@practigal - with a washer that takes 240 I believe an additional dedicated line and receptacle are necessary. suburban may confirm that.

rococogurl, I meant the washer plug.

Don't recall the plug at all. Just know there's a special outlet back there that looks different from the standard. The washer plug went into the back of the dryer. It wasn't very large I don't think.

Then it was probably like the picture I posted above. The plug on a Bosch 240V washer would be similar but with both prongs turned sideways. Matching outlets can be found at Home Depot and such, though installing one isn't a DIY project for those without electrical knowledge. As a convenience, Asko and Bosch supply an outlet for the washer on the back of the dryer, so their 240V washer and dryer set can be powered from an existing electric dryer outlet.