Fisher & Paykel

Well there's a lot of options in the $800 and under market. I guess a number of machines that are on my list of consideration include the GE Harmony, Fisher & Paykel, Frigidaire Affinity, Amana FL (made by Samsung), most any of the low end Whirlpool models, including ones branded Roper, Inglis, Maytag, Estate, Kenmore etc., FriGEmore, Speed Queen and there's probably an LG or two in that range also. It's a good idea to investigate who will service the machine in your area. With this, you have a variety of options. Each machine has their advantages and disadvantages so you need to look at your priorities.

Jayco - I'm not a big bells and whistle's person either. We ended up with the KenmoreElite HE5t, but there are different models with less bells and whistle's...also less expensive.

Like you, I was used to C-W-H wash and cold rinse with 'normal' and 'delicate' settings. Those were the only settings that I ever used on my old TL.

What have I used on my new FL?
Normal
Heavy Duty
Sanitary
Delicate
Bulky Items
I add an extra 'skin' rinse on all of the settings. There are a couple of settings that I haven't tried yet, like 'Kids clothing' and 'Hand Wash'.

We just had the repairman here to fix our Maytag.

He said if he were buying a washing machine, he would buy Whirlpool. It is the one that he gets the least calls for.

I wouldn't buy a maytag either. They used to have a terrific reputation, but that ended about 12 years ago. I have a miele 4800. I know it's over your price tag, but I've had mine since they first came out 1-2 years ago. It's big and a workhorse. I just wanted a machine that would last as long as my first maytag and not require a lot of expensive repairs. The best part about a front loader is that you can wash items that would just keep floating in the top of the wash tub. Hats, sneakers, duffle bags, soft suitcases, whatever has floated before will now be washed very well. The miele also does a wonderful job on silk, wool, cashmere and other delicate materials. I've even washed wool dress pants and wool, cotton and silk suits. That saves a lot on dry cleaning!

Doing LOTS of reading on line I have found A LOT of repairmen say they repair Whirlpool much less frequently than other models. I'd say try the Duet Sport or Duet. Maytag is owned by Whirlpool now so if you buy a Maytag, you'll be getting a Whirlpool anyway. Supposedly Whirlpool is using commercial grade parts in the Maytag built machines so they may actually be a tad better than a regular Whirlpool.

OriginalVermonter, Mark40511 is correct. Maytag washers on the market now are of Whirlpool design, *completely* different from previous models 3+ years ago. There's no reason to fear them.

Jayco check on all possible rebates available when making your purchase. You state you don't want to spend over $800. However, if you purchase an Energy Star appliance you may qualify for a rebate. Check the Energy Star web site. Also, check your water and city for any programs.

I purchased a Samsung set, on Black Friday, and after various rebates the set(yes, washer and dryer) cost less than $800. It's the 218 model, which has no silvercare and no steam. This unit is larger than my old Neptune FL, and will actually wash one of my king size comforters. I did have to wait two months to get the units. However, the rebates key off the washer. So if you are just buying a washer, the savings could really make a FL worth buying. The rebates I got were also dependent on the "tier" of the unit. Basically how energy efficient it was. So some of the TL are listed, but you may not get back as much money.

I've noticed that some of the LG's have really been dropping. Even Electrolux was giving a rebate. Manufactures are going to have to unload their goods. The economy numbers are not going to be good. So you may be able to purchase an Energy star appliance cheaper. It's just that you will have to up-front the cost.

Here is a link that might be useful: Energy Star

Thank you everyone for all the advice. It seems the more I read, the more confused I become. I'm sure I'll be back here soon with some specific models to get your thoughts. I appreciate the input!

I just purchased a LG 3.6 FL. I was looking all over and reading reviews for days. I was going to try the Amana 3.5 FL because that had good reviews. Most of the TL had mixed reviews and most said very noisy. I looked again last night after I made up my mind on and Amana and found that BestBuy had the LG on sale for $644.99. I went to HD because they always say they will meet and beat. They didn't want to beat so I said that I would go to BestBuy and then they said I should talk to them at the CS desk and they guy said they would. They matched the price and gave 10% off so I got them for $598. I did buy the service contract just in case.

Well, we just ordered the Amana NFW7200tw on sale at Home Depot for $450. The price was a lot less than the other options, and it seemed like the best deal. So thanks again for your input. I'm sure it'll be a learning curve with the FL, but all the advice on this forum ought to help me figure it out!

Congrats on your decision. It seems to be a great machine with good reviews. That was the one I was going to get before I got a good deal on the LG and the price on the Amana went up. If I knew they were going down this week I would have waited.

Sounds like you also got a great deal on that LG! The service guy we like doesn't work on LGs, so that kind of clinched the decision for the Amana.