There is only a couple of extra large sets on the market. LG, Samsung, and Kenmore/LG. LG makes a 5.8 model and a 5.2 model. Samsung a 5.8, and the Kenmore Elite at 5.2. I would go with the LG or Kenmore over Samsung.I own the Kenmore, and is an excellent well reviewed machine, although with somw shortcomings. Nothing is perfect you know.

Thank you. What are the shortcomings for the kenmore? and have they impacted you much?

The Kenmore & LG are made by LG.

LG water hammer could be a problem. And the Kenmore machine lacks a true handwash cycle. It can produce some noise during final spin and type of load. All variants of the machine have true HOT washes, aka Allergen and Sanitary which are NSF certified.

Although not huge the Electrolux sets are pretty darn big. I believe the washer is rated at 4.3 cu. ft. and dryer 8 cu. ft. They are a new model and seem to be performing very well.

Thank you. We're looking at the Kenmore this weekend. Not sure if I'd ever need a true hand wash cycle.

Will check out the whirlpool. Not sure how big I need for my King comforter, though. This guide does say I need 3.8 cf for a king size comforter. http://www.warnersstellian.com/washer-buying-guide

I have a Duet 4.5 I could probably wash a thin'ish king comforter but not a winter one

Depends on how heavy the king comforter is when wet. Thin quilts or alternative down fillers do just fine in the 5.2 cu ft Kenmore. I wouldn't wash anything down larger than a twin in a home machine. Balance issues likely to follow on the first wet spin.

Are all your loads of laundry simply enormous? One of my concerns would be how well a large machine like that does on a smaller load.

Performs excellent on small loads.

Thank you for all the info. :) My top loader doesn't go crazy when I wash DS's winter queen size comforter but can't fit the KS in at all. Was hoping to solve that dilemma with a bigger machine. :( .

Practigal: Yes and no. MY laundry is not but DH's on the other hand is. He wears 2 or 3 outfits a day in the winter. :) He has a dirty dirty job and apparently he has to do it. We are constantly doing load after load and then starting over. The plan was to get a larger machine and cut time doing laundry down. Plus we go through tons of cloths and towels.

Now I'm not sure what to do. Maybe buy 2 sets of machines, and take the king size comforter to the laundromat.

I thought the LG was well liked above...?

King size comforters are not a problem in any of those machines. Although it does matter what material it's made out of and no down. Either the Kenmore the LG will work just fine for you. I would however purchase an extended warranty. As I mentioned before these are big machines, and packing them full to capacity is going to produce some noise in the final spins.

I do see however on the LG new Signature series 5.2 machine WM9000, the only component part number change was the struts or shock absorber. The suspension springs are the same. Whether this qualifies as a suspension improvement, i'll leave that for "dadoes" to answer. It's my opinion the excessive noise on these beasts is having sloppy or underweighted suspension springs.

Thank you. Yes LG is still in the running Practigal. :) Just was concerned about wasting money on the size if I can't fit more in than the 4.5. And also whether the spin cycle would stall with DH's heavy outer wear, or be too loud during its different cycles. Our laundry is on the ground floor on concrete so not super worried about noise. Thank you again for bearing with me. Off to look at the Kenmore. And will find out about whether I can even find the LG 5.2 WM9000 machine. :). I'm in Canada so a bit behind on getting certain things compared to the U.S.

"...the LG new Signature series 5.2 machine WM9000, the only component part
number change was the struts or shock absorber. The suspension springs
are the same"

Thanks and I hope both of our curiosities are satisfied by someone more knowledgeable. :)

Yeonassky..is your hubs outter wear a waterproof fabric?

Thanks for everyone's help. It looks like we've chosen the LG 5.2 5000 series. It's got what we want for cycles and features. We looked at the 9000 series but decided it didn't warrant the price asked for it. We are getting it from Home Depot

Yes when needed it's water proof but concrete and mud still get on everything. We wash and then hang to dry his outerwear.

The WM5000 is a 4.5cf machine, not 5.2. If you were told otherwise, it is erroneous information.

Oh my fault. I misread the CF. The pair we finally went with after much confab is the wm4270 at the Bay. It is 5.2 CF. :). And has a square door with the controls above it. And it only took us 2 years 2 weeks plus 4 more grueling hours today. Whew I'm glad that's done. :::))) Thank you for all your wonderful help!!!

@yeo - the WM4270 is also a 4.5 machine. LG only made two large capacity machines. The WM8000 which is the Kenmore 41072 clone, the 8100 series and the new signature 9000 series which replaced the 8000 and 8100.

Wow am i confused. It says 5.2 cf on the advert. Oh well we're happy since we got it on sale for a few pennies more than the older model. Hope it is a good machine. the number is 4270hva dryer is 4270v.

Let us know how you like them.

Will do thanks. :)

I have a 4.5 Duet..last night I decided to try washing a King size medium fill comforter, down alternitive...it did a fantastic job. I was surprised. The washer didn't appear to be over worked and spins went smoothly. I won't make a habit of this though and I'd never wash a Down filled unless its a small twin size of summer weight as they get very heavy when wet.

Hope you love your new LG as much as I LOVE my Duet. Let us know after its delivered what you think.

Read your manual..I've read something about never washing water proof garments in a FL. Maybe someone can touch on this.

The problem with washing waterproof items in a frontloader or HE toploader (high spin RPM) is that distribution for spin balancing is done at the start of spin, based on the characteristics of the load at that point. Waterproof or water-resistant items such as sleeping bags, mattress pads, parkas, overcoats, and such often retain water in corners or folds. Spin balancing is done at very low speeds. An item may shift or suddenly release the trapped water when higher RPM is reached and throw the balance seriously askew, leading to machine damage or even destruction. These types of washers do not have spin brakes so there's no way to instantaneously stop the drum. Bulky-Item cycles purposely spin at lower speeds but there's potential for damage even then with waterproof items. Selecting a NO SPIN option may reduce the risk but there are interim spins between the wash and rinse(s) that can potentially cause a problem (depending on the speed that's reached).

@dadoes...I would love to know if Electrolux (or any other manufacture) has any kind of high spin out of balance sensor?

So it would know if something went wrong during the high spin portion of the cycle and it would NOT continue but STOP all functions.

We kind of know Samsung and LG don't have this sensor as they keep trying to spin even after damage is done from either from a part failure or shift in balance of the load.

I know that my Electrolux uses the electric motor as a break because I know it's not costing to a stop after the final spin. I can actually hear it stepping down by the whine of the motor.

I should have said that they don't have mechanical brakes that trigger when the motor stops driving the drum. Some may have "electrical" braking via the motor but it's not instantaneous and unlikely to prevent a catastrophic failure.

Majority nowadays don't have physical bump switches that the drum impacts when oscillating (the "old-style" Maytag Neptunes do have bump switches, probably some others from that time-frame).

Balance sensing is by monitoring rotational inertia and characteristics during the slow-RPM load distribution routine.

Catastrophic failure of the drum or drum support stops the machine ... the drum can't turn if it's jammed. The control would/should sense the high-current or lack of rotational sensor feedback and shut the motor off but probably not in a way that would prevent damage from occurring. There's not a lot can be done if the drum breaks loose from the support spider at 1,000 RPM+. Maybe (hopefully?) someone will reply to advise in the contrary!

My Neptune TL has a device (I believe it's called an accelerometer) on the control board in the console that can sense the vibration if the drum impacts the cabinet. It comes into play during the distribution routine at start of spin. Max spin speed is limited to 500 RPM if an impact occurs at any point during distribution, even it if redistributes and gets a perfectly balanced spin. The sensor remains active during spin on the Bulky cycle but not on other cycles best as I can determine. However, it definitely does not have a spin brake, takes a long time for the heavy drum to coast-down.

Dadoes Thank You for the detailed info on waterproof garments ect in a FL. I had a mattress cover/protector for my asthmatic that was quilted on one side and plastic on the other it was recommended and sold at his pulmanary doctors office. When I got the Duet I donated the pad. Lol. I was taking no chances.

Yes, thanks. I know two people that have experienced spider failure in machines less than 3 years old. Certainly seems this residential stuff today needs to handled with care. They dont make em like they used to!

We got our new machines! Washer has yet to be hooked up as DH hasn`t had time. Dryer is working great though. Clothes are mostly dry in one hour at the regular temp. My huge load of cloths for work dried in one hour at high temp. It fit them all in without a problem. It doesn`t seem as hot as the old machine either which is nice as I worried about fire a lot before. Thanks for everyone`s help. :)