Speaking only of the washer: IMO you should stick with your decision. I own the same Miele, installed on a very sturdy 1st-floor wood floor. Its selection of wash temperatures (86F, 104F, 122F, 140F, 158F) lets you choose an effective and hopefully safe temperature for various loads, so you can get white whites and clean clothes with a minimum of chemicals. You just have to know that the "Normal" cycle is set up for energy efficiency, and doesn't heat the water. Use "Custom" instead of "Normal". I've got cotton whites that I washed for years with chlorine bleach at a top-loader's hot setting. The Miele made them whiter, washing at 140F with NON-chlorine bleach.

My take from a short look at the Electrolux manual: 1) It doesn't say what temperatures it uses, other than the sanitary temperature; 2) The shorter wash cycles must come at some cost in cleaning effectiveness. 3) I don't see any mention of a comforter or bulky cycle.

The electrolux web site says that the 18 min wash is based on the smallest load, so if you were expecting to wash a lot in 18 minutes it probably won't do it.

Steam: I really don't understand this. I get white clohtes without steam and in many owners manuals it says that you won't even see it, so I don't know if you really get steam or it is spraying hot water and they are calling this steam cleaning in name only.

My opinion (and some experience with W4840 & HE5t-Steam)...

A machine which has a steam function for cleaning is pretty much providing an alternative way of making the water hotter. A machine with an internal heater that gets the water to the same temps as a "steam" machine will give pretty much the same results. Since a single machine typically doesn't give you the option of heating w/ steam vs. the internal water heater to the same temperature there is no real way of making a true comparison. However, as Jerrod6 said, even when you have "steam" you may not see any "steam". Even if you saw steam, a 1000 watt steam generator isn't all that powerful (and in fact generates the same amount of energy as a 1000 watt internal water heater). In the end, IMO, "steam" is a marketing gimmick to uplift the price manufacturers can charge for machines, but if they increase the temperature of the wash, they are providing net positive value vs. not having a way to increase the wash temperature. Sometimes they bundle features along with the steam so if you want those other features you have no choice but to buy the steam version. Cost aside, a "steam" machines only substantial negative is dependent on your water hardness and the details of how the manufacturer designed the machine. If the steam generator isn't automatically flushed, it will crust up with hardness minerals over time. Finding out this detail won't be easy short of finding a machine's service manual or taking the machine apart (I know the early LG's didn't flush, but don't know what's current with any steam brand). Internal water heaters potentially can suffer a similar fate, but over a much, much, much longer timeframe (if ever) as your not boiling off water to create steam (leaving the minerals behind) and the machine is always flushing the water through the machine where the heater resides.

thanks for your thoughtful responses. i'm going to stick with the miele's. i'm selecting appliances for a new home and it's hard to actually STOP looking!

we are stuck on this same decision. Have read lots of great things about the miele washer, but people seem not to like the dryer as much. Electrolux looks nice but can't find enough opinions on it, good or bad.

Anyone else have anything to add here?

I was making the same decision between the Electrolux and Miele. I went with the Miele 4840. (Electrolux seemed too new, and was I afraid of the doors breaking.) My Miele was delivered two weeks ago and I LOVE it. No buyer's remorse, no doubting my decision. Plus - it came with a 5 year warranty and a $200 rebate.

Electrolux has been around for looooong time. They sell appliances all over the world. Their wash machines were first build I think in the fiftees. We had few of theirs products when I grew up, including vacuum cleaner that lasted 28 years with few simple repairs my father did on it.
I'd take Electrolux over Miele anytime.

czechchick2- " I'd take Electrolux over Miele anytime."

you'd be making a huge mistake if you're the least bit concerned with anything but price.

Electrolux's name has been around many years, but it's no where close to the company you knew in your youth. The vacuum co. is not even the same now, meaning it's a seperate firm that has absolutely nothing to do with the multinational appliance firm headquartered in Sweden.

In fact Electrolux is nothing more than a rebadger in the USA. They bought out Fridgedaire's domestic business and started adding E'lux stickers and pricing to them. They have nowhere near the engineering , commitment to quality, or service network that Miele does. Mile is still a closely held family firm that doesn't answer to Wall St. and doesn't change business structure every 4-5 years.

The electrolux brand may be swedish, but the washer and dryer are made in Mexico.

According to some on this forum, Miele doesn't even make all of their machines anymore, at least not in Germany. So obviously Miele isn't the company it used to be either.

Yes, but there's a difference in commitment to quality between Miele and Electrolux. Electrolux is the Whirlpool of Europe - which doesn't mean that it's bad, mind you (I actually had very good luck with my Kenmore/Frigidaire range), but as antss says, it should not be confused with the old industrial-strength vacuum cleaners any longer.

Mercedes Benz isn't what it used to be either, but I wouldn't turn one down (unless it was the C-class) if I could buy it for the same price as a Hyundai.

The first rule in good design is function before form. I didnÂt like the Elecrolux FL because it was all about form and not enough about function. Their Touch 2 Open door is way to sloooooow to open and way to finicky to close--push it too hard and it wonÂt close.

To use the dial knob, you have to push it in, and wait for it to pops out--only then can you grab hold of it to turn it. Sure it looks sleek pushed in--but it is too much trouble to push it in every time you need to use it. And way too much trouble push it in when you are finished with it. The machine should be ready to use when you are ready--you should not have to prepare the machine for take-off.

A fundamental in engineering design is style may influence designÂbut style must never dictate function.

A Miele-to-Electrolux comparison is really "apples to oranges", because the Electrolux's are very un-European in operation. If I understand the manual correctly, there's no way to get an extended wash (e.g. 1:00 wash cycle, 1:30 total time) at temperatures other than sanitary. Such a wash can be very effective on dirty or stained clothes, much more so than soaking for a comparable time. I don't see why an option for extended washes couldn't co-exist with the short cycles that are demanded by the American market. But obviously the marketing folks concluded that it isn't necessary. And the prices range from not-inexpensive to Miele territory.