Is there a Blue Maui? I saw one at LOTG that really knocked my socks off, and it was a "hawaiian" hosta, I could have sworn Maui but maybe it was Hawaii. Glad to know Abiqua Drinking Gourd is difficult to clean - good to know. Plenty of leaves in MIL's yard. Pretty hosta though. So many great suggestions. How do I narrow it down??

I was obsessed for a long time about putting in the Kenmore version of those twins. My SIL has them in very small G-shaped kitchen of her pool house (it's a pretty crazy amazing pool house) and I came home from a visit certain that I had to have them. Especially because they were budget friendly! In the end, my kitchen was just too small to make it happen, and I really haven't seen the need since I don't have the same demands that you do. In any case, if the issue is just SS overload, I'd do it in a heartbeat. If you have the luxury of time, hunt around on Ebay and at local shops for floor models of something more discreet. A Liebherr all-fridge and all-freezer will exceed your current budget, but if you found them at a discount you could compress your width to 48" instead of 60". Also poke around AJ Madison's website. There were some pretty cool tall skinny counter-depth fridges that look a bit like the Liebherr - Fagor, Blomberg. Could you use 2 of those (24" wide each)?

Hi Kate, I've tried to think of a way to answer this since you posted it. Unfortunately it's as thou I were asked to pick my favorite child. I just can't do it. I'm lucky enough now to have some incredible roses. Healthy, vigorous, beautiful flowers of all different types and colors. Can't pick just one no matter what. Some wonderful choices in this thread.

Well, if you decide you really do want a Speed Queen FL (or most any other heater-less FL washer) there is an old installer's work-around which I learned about from a posting by combo52 in an AutomaticWasher thread. Basically, you can add the equivalent of an on-board heater by placing an inexpensive, small, 120v point of use water heater with a two or three gallon tank. Connect it between the cold water tap and the washer. (The heaters connect with ordinary washer hoses.) You only run the heater for the fill-phase of the wash cycles in which you want water hotter or warmer than the washer otherwise provide. If interested, it is discussed further in one of the threads which I linked in my first post above: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6073332/speed-queen-front-load-washer#n=4. Of course, this work-around does not provide profile washes or maintain a fixed high water temperature for the duration of a wash. For that, your washer needs to have both a recirculation system and the programming to keep wash temperatures at fixed level. Few models do, these days. From what I've seen reported recently here and at AutomaticWasher, most on-board heaters these days seem to work only to heat for the initial incoming fill. Of those models which do have hardware and programming to maintain a fixed wash temperature, most only seem to do that for a couple of the most extreme cycles like a "sanitize" cycle. Does that matter? Sometimes, yes. Often, not so much. Your original post asked for input on on-board water heaters, I will echo what Luna said above: "It all depends on what YOU want." For example, some folks want or need wash cycles that can hold a specific hot or warm temperature throughout. I'm recalling several posters who, for healthcare and/or other particular reasons, needed cycles that would hold temperatures like 170°F or 140°F for an entire wash cycle. Others of us only care about temperatures that do not fall too far. Still others don't much care one way or the other. It all "depends." For example, someone might need to address dust mites residues for allergy reasons. That means (apparently) having a wash water temperature above 130°F for at least three minutes. (Or maybe drying on high for longer.) For that wash, you might start with incoming water at 140° and finish up with wash water draining out 10 or 15 minutes or 20 minutes later at 125°F. You've met the standard of "3 minutes at or above 131°F. Or you might insist that your washer hold 131° (or some higher temperature) for the entire cycle. With my own rig, I can get initial wash temperatures of anything up to 160°F but my washer does not have any means for recirculation and reheating. I have found that the temps fall (in my washer) by about 10° to 15° by the end of the 16 minutes of washing cycle. As an aside, be warned. It starts innocently enough with participating in these discussions. Suddenly, you find yourself temping wash water input and drain water and realize what an an appliance geek you have become ;>) For most of my washing, though, I can start with tap hot of around 130° and finish up with the drain water in the low 120s and that is fine for my modest, lightly soiled or stained laundry. YMMV and that's where selecting washing machines starts to get as difficult as graduate level research and shopping for cars. You have my sympathy.