An onboard heater and soak cycle were priorities for me too. I bought the Maytag Bravos model which both, plus other great features. I love the huge capacity (5.2 cu ft), as I can easily wash a queen or king size comforter, and huge loads of laundry in much less water than my former washers used.

When I researched this washer and read reviews, many of them specifically mentioned how great it is on a 2nd floor, due to lack of vibration.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Mara! Glad to hear the Bravo is working so great for you. How long have you had it?

Did you get the matching dryer? With such a large capacity washer I think it would be good to have coordinated sizes.

Sorry I've just now seen your further questions. I bought mine last year. I don't have the matching dryer -- I didn't particularly want or need steam -- so I'm still using a Bravos dryer I bought in '08. It's virtually the same size as the one which matches my washer, and dries the laundry perfectly. No complaints at all. :)

I have the LG Waveforce washer and dryer, the washer has the internal heater in it. I Can wash King size blanets and matress pads in mine too. The selling point for me on this washer next to the Bravos 850 model was I have the option of adding more water to my wash and rinse cycles if I wasnt. It took me forever to decide on one of the two. When Home Depot put my set on sale and I got 800 dollars off the set, plus a extrented warranty for 150 dollars combined for the set for 5 years, that made my choice a lot easier. Ive had it over 6 months, no complaints about its cleaning proformance or reliability at all