There may be similar cleaning issues with the Advantium. The way a speed oven keeps warm, at least the Advantium, is with microwaves. That's only good for a short time, like half an hour. Okay for holding something that was finished too soon, but not good for keeping warm for stragglers without petrifying. The Miele, from what I've read, also has a broiler, which the Advantium does not. The Advantium has the halogens, which I believe the Miele does not. Depending on which models you're looking at, one may have more useable interior space. The Advantium is really excellent as a microwave alone, though setting it would be easier with a digital pad. If you want to start right away, touch Express for as many 30 second increments as you choose, or touch it once and turn the wheel to adjust. The wheel can turn really fast for longer times, and can set to an exact number of seconds. You can also start with Express, adjust the seconds, pause, then put your stuff in and start, if you want a very precise time. There are other ways to do this, but for 16 seconds and other short times, I find this easiest. I find the menus less useful, except for sensor things like popcorn and frozen vegetables (the sensor is great). Best luck with all the decisions!

Wow what a decision. I have the 1986. When I was doing research back in 2002 I decided on the 1926. When buy time came the 1986 was there and I bought it in Jan 2003. There are differences. The 1926 will allow for 4 or 5 rinses. The 1986 will allow for 2 or 3 rinses, but ends up using the same amount of water. This is because the 1986 uses more water for each fill in the rinse plus I have mine programmed for higher fill rinses. The water can be up over the bottom of the door and into the glass while the clothes are lifted and then plunged into and through the water. A good looking rinse. The 1926 does the rinse and I think then does a slower spin between each rinse. The 1986 will rinse and then do a faster(not max) spin between the rinse. The 1926 lets you select the spin speed in rpm. The 1986 uses terms like low med high max, but these translate into the same spin speeds as found on the 1926. At first I was upset with the lack of rinses but found that 2 or 3 high fill rinses with spins between work just fine. If you use 3 rinses, the middle one will do short tumbles and longer pauses so that the clothes soak in the water. Also if I want additional rinses I can use the fine rinse cycle. This cycle provides two very high fill rinses, with the water for the last rinse being taken in through the fabric softener dispenser and you can use any spin speed you want. Jeans, Dress shirts. Perm Press works just as well in my opinion except that it will not give the same type of spin that Jeans, and dress shirts do. The speed will be there but the duration is not. Perm Press gives what I call half a..s spins but well...things don't require ironing. Silk...I use this cycle for silk shirts..it works great. I also use the wool cycle for wool sweaters....great. The 1926 defaults to extended, the 1986 defaults to quicker. I don't think the default quick cycle is the same as the rapid cycle on the 1926. I think the 1986 default cycle may be a bit better. Extended. when I first bought the washer I used Extended for white cotton all the time, and I would use a temp of 140F. Now I find that white cotton gets very clean using the default cycle and I use 120F or 140F if very dirty. If you use Extended each phase of the cycle is longer. However the length depends on the cycle you select, so less time will be added if you select extended for dedicates, than if you would have selected it for cottons. Here is one thing I don't think the 1926 has and that is fuzzy logic to determine load size. This is a major plus for me. The 1986 will determine the size of the load and then adjust the estimated wash time...So If I start a small load with an estimated time of 49 minutes, after a few minutes the machine will detect that it has a small load and drop minutes from each portion of the cycle....and still get everything clean. The shortest wash phase i've seen has been 10 minutes. Time reduction occurs when using the Extended option also. Also the machine will automatically add a rinse if needed, but this has only happened 1 or 2 times for me. The 203F cycle is something I really don't need. I only use 190F on items that do not contain spandex or polyester. If you subject these to temps much over 140F they will start to fall apart quickly. I will say though that when you use 190F and you stand near the machine you can hear the water near the boiling point during the tumbling pauses. You know that sound you hear in a pan when the water is really really hot. Prewash. You can use this option on almost any cycle. It starts with cold water, heats it a bit, and then drains it and the washer moves on to what ever cycle you have selected. This is very good for stains. So over all I am pleased with my 1986. Of course I didn't have the option of getting the 1926 but I am pleased with the machine I have and don't plan on getting another anytime soon. If I move..this washer goes with me too. I hope someone with the 1926 will reply and describe the operation so that you can get a good idea of each machine.

Thanks Dan and Rococo! I've got all those docs but still wanted to be sure as the installation guides for our 3 other Miele appliances are far more specific than the one for the cooktop. After sitting on hold with Miele for an hour, I gave up and called the service dept of the shop we bought from and they were able to tell me right away that it is hard wired, no receptacle required. So we are all set! Fyi, in our case the electrician, plumber and cabinet maker just prep the space, then Miele-trained technicians come in to do the final install. When they called a few minutes ago to confirm the appointment, they said its normal to have to fix things a bit (and they come ready with basic electrical and plumbing parts to do so) so not to worry too much about getting it all perfect but that they want it all in place as much as possible. Delivery is delayed but promised for 9 am tomorrow. I don't think I'll sleep tonight I'm so excited to unpack everything!

@Weedmeister - In speaking with Miele customer service, I’ve actually learned that my washer is un-repairable. To replace the worn ball bearings require the ability to lift the drum out, which only a few repair shops can do, due to the weight and construction of the machine. In the past, people would actually ship their washers to Miele in New Jersey, but Miele is no longer doing that. So repairing the machine is not an option. I will look into the Bosch and the Asko Logic, as well as the newer Miele washers that don’t work on 240v, just to see if that might be a viable option.