I would say (quality wise), a front load Speed Queen would be the closest equivalent but it only has a drum volume of 2.84 cu. ft.
I don't believe it has a built in heater either.
Spin speeds only go up to 1000 RPM.

I would seriously look at Electrolux WaveTouch or iQ Touch.
The WaveTouch being the most top of the line series.

Whirlpool would be my second choice.

Kenmore would be my last choice, as I believe LG makes most of Kenmore's front load washers and LG's reputation has been a little spotty with customer service and the ease of getting parts.

Stay away from Samsung, I just keep reading bad stuff about them (the same thing as LG, long wait times for parts and bad customer service).

You really don't need a "Steam" cycle if the washer has a "Sanitary" cycle but most washers pretty much throw in the "Steam" feature anyway.

Electrolux WaveTouch Features:
4.42 cu. ft. DOE drum capacity
1,400 RPM spin speed
92 total cycles (very versatile)
Faster Wash Times (compared to other manufacturers)

No "Bulky" cycle but instead you can use the "Heavy Duty" cycle or you can create your own cycles (up to three on the WaveTouch) and make a "Bulky" cycle or a "Shirts" cycle.
There already is an "Active Wear" cycle or you can modify it and make it a favorite.

I'm sure you'll get some other great suggestions.

Best of luck with what ever you decide.

We were in the same situation, when we finally replaced our Miele W4842 Washer and T9802 dryer several months ago. We used and loved Miele for Decades.

Having now had the Electrolux Wave Touch Washer and Wave Touch Electric Dryer for about 6 months or so, and using it basically DAILY...there is no looking back. They are simply amazing machines, and you can make the cycles and options as simple or a complex as you want. LOVE the add water feature to increase water wash levels. Fresh Rinse option increases rinses (only gripe on this feature, is that you have to select this EVERY time under options before you start a load....unlike other options, it does not save this, as it uses more water). Also the shrink guard option is amazing!!! At the end of the wash cycle, for 10 mins the drum tumbles reversely and untangles the load and fluffs up the clothes. You can just toss them directly into the dryer, ready to be dried. The only time the shrink guard does not work very well, is with say a load of hand towels or small items. The spin speed is so high, that the small items get plastered to the drum, and even the shrink guard cannot fluff them. 99% of the time, shrink guard works brilliantly!! The dryer is very efficient, fast, gentle and quiet. The size of the Washer & Dryer are HUGE. It handles CA King comforters with ease too. Highly recommend!!

My Miele W4840 is going strong and will likely continue to do so. But at the back of my mind is still the question of what I'd replace it with. I always use the Extended option on the Miele to get around an hour of tumbling with detergent, at whatever temperature I'm using. Longer wash cycle means cleaner clothes in my experience, and I have the time. Electrolux cycles are much shorter. I've heard mention of the allergen option which lengthens the wash, but that's only for hot washes.

One of the Miele Octoplus 240V commercial washers, with a drain pump rather than dump valve, looks like it would fit in place of a W48xx and has almost the same capacity. But I and another member here have found Miele unwilling to sell it for home use.

Awesome. Thank you all for the feedback. I know a lot of this information is in the forums but it's sometimes difficult to consolidate so I really appreciate you taking the time to provide your opinion and first hand experience.

Now for the follow up questions:
1) Does the push button door annoy? Seems silly to me.
2) One of the features I liked about the Kenmore is the stay fresh or something like that which will continue to tumble clothes in the washer after the final spin so they don't get musty. Is there an equivalent setting on the Electrolux?
3) Should I even bother entertaining the purchase of a used Miele at around the $1,500 price level?

Lange

1. Push button door...some love, some hate.
To keep door from misalignment don't drape wet clothes on the door or lean on it. Treat it with respect, don't slam it. Push to close, push to open.
It comes in handy when you have a laundry basket in your hands and you can bump the door with your elbow or butt to open it.

2. The Electrolux WaveTouch has the "Extend Fresh" option:

EXTENDED FRESH
Select extended fresh
to apply periodic rinses
with load tumbling after the wash cycle is com-
plete to keep clothes left in the washer fresh for
up to 12 hours. When you are ready to remove the load during the extended fresh segment, you must press cancel
to end the cycle and open the
door.

3. If you want a Miele try an authorized repair shop near you and see if they have any they are looking to sell.
You may have an authorized repair shop near you, if not then you may not want to look into a Miele.

I just bought a w4842 2 months ago(brand new in box). They are still order-able. Unfortunately, I am not able to order the matching dryer.

^That's probably for the better if you're not stacking, European dryers really aren't that good anyway.

Do your parents still have the same capacity need?
Since you are moving out how about taking the large set with you and replacing it with a 24" set for your parents.

^great thinking dan1888!!!

Suburban - if you really want a miele commercial unit , PM me and I'll give you the info of a dealer that will sell you all you want. They are about $8-$10,000 and require some mechanical work at your house, but will work just fine in a house or a fire station or an athletic club.

Nothing inherently wrong with LG or Samsung despite what george says. I've heard the same for Electrolux and Miele. Every brand has probs sometimes, and service is just plain a drag no matter who.

I have three pair of Samsungs and zero problems with any of them. One gets used everyday going on 5 yrs.

This post was edited by xedos on Tue, Sep 16, 14 at 8:09

xedos, can your dealer get the PW 6080? That's the one Miele wouldn't talk to me about for home use. I wanted a ballpark price and a copy of the "Commissioning" manual. Soon afterward (this was back in June) I was visiting Brooklyn and happened to walk past the storefront of one of the big appliance dealers. I stopped in and talked to a salesman. He called someone (Miele or a distributor, I guess) who didn't know anything about the PW 6080. The salesman did offer me the PW 6137 for around $10K. But that's too much machine -- 3 phase power, over 700 lbs., and only comes with a dump valve. The PW 6080 is perfect on paper -- around the same size, weight, and drum volume as the W48XX consumer models, and it's available with a drain pump. I'd just have to add a 240V circuit for it. I know about the Little Giant, but don't want to step down that much in drum size.

I don't know specifically, but if it's available in the USA I think he'd sell it then. Though he may be restricted depending on where you live.

That's a relatively new model if I'm not mistaken.

A thought occurred to me, it's possible that model is from their marine division and perhaps there's a reason it won't work on household current and hence, their reluctance to sell it to you.

Those things take two 220 volt circuits! That's a lot of juice. Be sure your electrical system is up to it and your panel has the necessary spaces for the breakers . You'll also need to be able to run very thick wires to the washer location.

xedos, I can't PM you. "Allow other users to send you email" has to be checked in your profile. Thanks.

The PW 6080 has a rated load of 5 kW, which can be supplied by a single 240V circuit. Fuse rating "2 X 30 A" makes it sound like two circuits, but 240V circuits in North America have two fuses (or circuit breakers), one for each hot leg. So this isn't some monster machine that'll melt the house around it :-) Same current draw and wire size as an electric dryer circuit.

@ larsi,

You previously owned a W4840 which you then replaced with an Eletrolux. You hated the Electrolux and replaced that with the Miele W4842, which you loved and declared to be the best ever. Now you are back to Eletrolux again? My head spins! lol

I have my W4842 since 2009 and it's going like gangbusters. It is the best washing machine I've ever owned.

Update: Purchased the Electrolux 70 series washer and dryer last night at Home Depot. Very happy with the purchase and looking forward to putting them to good use and getting familiar with the settings.

Thank you to everyone in this forum. I'll provide an update once I've had a chance to use them both for a few months.

YES sshrivastava! Hated my first set or Electrolux, returned to Miele, happily for a long time. I sold the Miele units, do the the few times I needed a repair or part it took forever (I felt Miele did not care about their discontinued, full size units). Also, the dryer was great...but had such limited cycles and the size was so small for CA King blankets and comforters!

The Electrolux build quality and materials are not on par with Miele, but the performance and results matches or equals Miele.....and the size is phenomenal!!