Hi all - I have been reading this forum diligently for about a week, as well as epinions and CR, and I'm just getting more and more confused. Here's the story. Four years ago, I bought an F&P Ecosmart Washer (GWL10) and the Kenmore version of the 5.7 cu ft dryer that matches the low end FriGEmores. I did this mainly for space constraints - I don't have a lot of depth in my laundry area and the layout worked best if I didn't have a front swinging door on the washer. We have a well and septic and I was very interested in the water and energy savings of the F&P. Unfortunately, I have hated the F&P washer since day 1 - I could go into a lot of detail but the long and short of it is that it just plain doesn't get my clothes clean. So I've recently decided to upgrade to a FL washer. Here's where the confusion starts.

I've got no beef with my dryer - things come out a little tangled but I can live with it. So the cheapest option would be to buy a Frigidaire that matches it - either the low end FriGEmore with the small door or the 2940 or maybe even the Affinity. All have a smallish footprint with a good depth for my space (I have shallowish cabinets above the w/d and am afraid that if I go much deeper, I won't be able to reach them without climbing on the washer). I also like the nice flat surface that these have on the top, since in order to fit the FL, I have to remove my little folding table and will be losing my only flat worksurface in the room.

However, when I checked out CR, the low end FriGEmore and the 2940 got a middle-of-the-road rating in washing performance, and the Affinity got a half-black - the only FL washer to score below the middle. Since the main reason I'm ditching the F&P is because of poor washing performance, I'm wary of spending more money to end up in the same boat. (I noticed the new F&P has the same "middle" ranking as the 2940 and FriGEmore....if I'm not happy with that level of performance in my F&P, I probably should shoot higher with my new washer, right)?

So that leaves me with a whole world of choices - I've been focusing on Whirlpool, LG, Bosch, and GE Adora. I think I've ruled out LG due to the fact that they seem like they don't have the best customer service - I live in the boonies and seriously doubt they have a service guy in my area (F&P has one and he's kind of an idiot...). I worry about Bosch for the same reason. I think on pure wash performance, the Bosch Nexxt machines would probably be my best bet, but I don't like how they have the controls on the top, which cuts into a lot of my flat worksurface. The whirlpool duets are also pretty big and they're more than I wanted to spend, and the GE Adora is probably both too tall and too deep - I worry about having room beneath the cabinets for them as well as being able to reach over them to access stuff in the cabinets.

So now I'm back to where I started - I can either buy a FL that fits but offers the same middling wash performance as my F&P or I can keep the F&P for a few more years and hope that someone comes out with a new model (maybe Bosch will start making the Nexxt washers with the controls in front?) that works better for me. So what do you think? Any guidance for me? Or should I just keep what I have and live with my unclean clothes for a few more years? Thanks!