and then type in "Brand name complaints" into the Googler and find out what the major issues are. It can be a real eye opener, from things like drums that frequently crack and need replacement to annoying little things in the control panel. They'll also tell you what customer service is like.

You might find you're a lot better off with something stodgy that actually works well.

The front loading washers are out for me. If you try to process raw wool in those, they felt it.

i've seen ones i think 'oh boy! this is it!' then do the research you suggest. not so much after that


i don't mind stodgy at all, but even the newer 'apartment' stackers are getting horrible reviews. i really need the floor space in there

i'm stumped and frustrated and don't want to spend a fortune then have nothing but trouble....

but their dryers suck. Another might make a decent dryer but their washers suck. There is no law that says they have to match, you know.

Also sort out the big problems, like cracked drums, from the minor problems that can be corrected with a quick service call.

One of our rentals has one. It is a small city rowhouse so room is precious. We carved out enough room for a generous laundry room, so long as the unit could stack. While looking for a stacking unit, we found that pretty much any full size front load machine could be stacked below its matching dryer. So that's what we did.

When it was time to replace the units in our house, we went the same route. We have one more rental and that is what we'll do there, too, when it is time.

The cost for the stacking vs side by side is in the same range, so that's not much of an issue.

Can't speak to the "steam" thing . . . . no experience with that accessory.

Good luck!

manufacturer?

Maybe 5 years old. Maybe a bit more. One level down from the top.

The set in the rental, I don't recall. A name brand, but not the top of the line. Neither set has caused us any problems at all.

and i prefer buying appliances there when possible.