I'm in the market too. I was thinking front load - Electrolux? But never owned front load--so a little worried if I should change? Top load was thinking of the Whirlpool-WTW8800YW Cabrio Series , Maytag MVWB950YW Bravos XL HE Top Load Washer -- but haven't researched anything yet.
Would love to hear what others have and their options.

Going to look at washers and dryers in person, rather than looking online, will likely help you to rule out some machines. I looked at just about everything and since I hadn't bought a new washer in years, I was really surprised (not in a good way) to see how much they had changed. After searching online for an alternative to the usual brands and reading a bunch of positive reviews, I bought a Speed Queen. It's a great little work horse and it comes with a 3-year warranty. Old-school style and function which I realize is not for everyone, but that is exactly what I was looking for. I LOVE it.

You could do what I did..... read every page of this forum, as far back as you can stand to do so. It really, really helped me come to a decision as to which type and brand washer to buy.
There is no one perfect brand that does not crank out a few lemons here and there, and there are always owners who don't use the new 'he' washers correctly. This forum has a wealth of knowledge in the previous pages. :-)

Plus you can;t categorize washers as "the best" because everyone has different needs in a washer. So you would have to say "What is the best washers for: X?"