Speed Queen AWN432 unless you buy a older used machine this is as close as you will get to a real top loader.

Or you need an he front loader that uses a generous amt. of water. My Miele has high wash water levels and VERY high rinse levels (when selected, and I keep it always selected on WaterPlus). Super, silky soft and fluffy cottons!

When you say "no cure" for scratchy cottons, I have to ask: how much detergent are you using? Overdosing will cause cotton to feel rough. So will inadequate rinsing. Do you use any fabric softener?

Scratchy cottons result from the ends of the fibers being raised and felt. That happens when short fibers are used for the yarn -- meaning lesser quality cotton. Sad to say, that's very common today as the American textile industry has vanished and cotton textiles are mainly manufactured overseas.

I encountered the scratchy cotton syndrome even with very expensive supposedly high quality towels manufactured in Turkey.

It's logical to blame the washer and if you want a new one, you want a new one. But I'd try altering the way I do laundry before I chucked the front loader.

about a third or fourth of whats recommended soap and softener, but I've tried less and more, same problem, I starting using Borax and OxiClean and that keeps the mold smell issue under control, I prefer 100% cotton, in my other toploaders , I've ever used, cottons came out super soft, for years my clothes now turn pilly and scratchy , might b possible that a polyester blend might stay soft in the HE machines, but I want 100% cotton, the frontloader is GE... the Speed Queen sounds like a possible solution, I thought it might b a good idea to get a frontloader, as the agitator in the middle I associated with wearing out clothes from rubbing on them, because the frontloaders at the laundromat actually used water and tumbled without an agitator to wear them out, then to find out the home front loader uses just enough water to wet the clothes, not like the frontloaders at the laundromat. so after years and years of struggling with this I may have to invest in a toploader that uses water. Also, I may have more sensitive skin that some, who cant tell the difference between soft and rough, because also I don't use scented laundry products, as I can't stand the smell. But others aren't botherd by it.

Rococogurl is right; the amount of detergent combined with the hardness of your local water are major contributors to rough cottons. Sometimes the detergent itself irrespective of the amount used can cause problems. The softer your water, the less detergent you need. Are you sensitive to enzymes in the detergents like I am? Some of the pretty colors in the detergents can also cause problems. My favorite detergent is the All free and clear liquid, no scent, no colors, no enzymes. With my soft water I don't need much more than 1 tbl per load. Do you have the option to add extra water or extra rinses? That helps with any leftover detergent residues no matter how careful you are with measuring. Washing in cold water continuously leaves residue behind no matter which machine you use. Perhaps if you wash in warm and hot water, you will see a difference.

If not, the best old fashioned agitator machine is the Speed Queen. Neither Maytag, Whirlpool or GE build an agitator top loader that works like the pre-2000 top loaders. All manufacturers are limited to the US Government restrictions on water levels. All rinses on all machines are cold by federal regulation. I would avoid all the He toploaders, they don't get clothes clean and in some cases not even wet.

As already mentioned, the quality of cotton isn't what it used to be.

A couple of things that I would try is doing another rinse or two and using vinegar in the rinse (esp. if you have hard water.)

I have always had top loaders and have a Speed Queen top loader now so I'm not familiar with other types of machines....so, if you don't have the option for adding rinses with your machine, you could run the cottons through another complete wash/ rinse cycle without using any detergent--just vinegar.

When I read this: " I starting using Borax and OxiClean and that keeps the mold smell issue under control," then there is a laundry practices issue. The machine should not have any mold smell.

I don't know anything about GE front loaders. But the first issue would be to get rid of the mold smell. That can be done with a hot cleaning/maintenance cycle in an empty machine several times or until the odor goes away. The gasket should be cleaned out well with a microfiber cloth. Or, a product like Affresh can be used to clear the washer with very hot water added to the tub. The door should be left open at all times and the detergent dispenser pulled forward. I've had front loaders for 12 years now and never had a mold smell.

Many people are sensitive to detergents and fragrance. There are many products available to address that. Nice as it may be, All Free & Clear does not seem to be giving you the softness you want. I would switch up to a diferent non-enzyme detergent for sensitive skin. Vaska tabs come to mind. There are others.

However "less/more" isn't really addressing the amount of detergent used. Do you see any suds when you do a hot load?

Cotton itself doesn't pill. That's likely synthetics mixed into the cotton. My understanding is that even 100% cotton can have 5% of something else. Cotton of today is not cotton before. I have American towels from the 80s that can be washed with newer towels. The older ones will be soft while the new will be scratchy.

There are fabric softeners that have no fragrance that can help with that.

Again, if you want a new machine that's one thing. But it sounds like some changes in laundry practices might get better results for you.

Perhaps mamapinky will weigh in here too.

I just had this very same conversation with a friend who came to visit. I handed her a bag of Persil perls (they made a sensitive version). She went home, cleaned out the washer, did some hot washes and game over.

Fisher & Paykel's WashSmart model WA3927G1 is a full-fill agitator toploader of 22lb capacity. It features F&P's EcoActive wash system, which runs a low-fill pretreatment spray (concentrated solution) followed by a cooler agitated deep-wash. 1,100 RPM spin (or 670 RPM for perm press or 330 RPM for delicate). 2 hr soak option. The Allergy cycle runs a full-hot wash.

thanks, I think I'll look at a Speed Queen top loader.. we have been trying everything else for 7 years with this GE he frontloader , with no success... we found a solution to the mold issue.. rather than have to wait for it to smell,... and run the cup of bleach cycle... the oxyclean added to wash does keep it clean... but not soft... I have drawers full of T shirts that I cringe when I have to wear them... and yes... a super high threadcount does help... but I still consider it unacceptable to have to go to that extreme to get a washing machine to do tolerable wash..