I don't know the specs for the washer depths that you need. I do know that compact front load washer depths would meet your needs. These include Miele and Electrolux compact. I believe Kenmore also has a badged electrolux compact washer. I think you need a front loader. here is a great link to an artical that rococogurl wrote:

How to Buy the Best Front load Washing Machine

What I do for maintaining a fresh machine:

• I leave the door cracked
• remove my detergent insert to wash and dry on the counter before reinserting it
• wipe out and allow the detergent drawer opening to dry out
• periodically run a sanitary cycle (Miele @ 158f), like monthly
• I use 140f cycles on towels and DH farm clothes

I would not get a top loader again. I have heard very bad things about the top loaders without an agitator too. Read the article posted above for lots of good things to consider in a purchase.

Interesting thoughts in that article - thanks. Mrs 2FY is pretty much hard-over about no front loaders (mostly due to odors, propped open doors, and smaller capacity for a given depth), so that path will take a lot of convincing. I see the benefits of a built in heater for temp control, so that certainly helps narrow the field considerably.

Unlike many (most?) on this forum, our laundry practice has always been very simple: sort by color (which also determines wash temp), clothes in machine, soap in machine - 1 kind for everything w no boosters or softeners, close the lid and run. I can count on 1 hand the number of times this hasn't yielded clean undamaged clothes over the past 20 years, Just the 2 of us office workers with no kids, so maybe we just don't get things dirty enough for it to be an issue...

Sounds like my laundry practice 2flyingyorkies. I had a set of the "new" high capacity TLers (Whirlpool Cabrio-no agitator) and did not like them. The main control board was replaced twice (by me) and I went through period where it was ripping arms off of long sleeve shirts. And they were fairly new shirts!

We now have a pair of Speed Queens. We bought them as they appear to be built better than most TLers on the market and I am really tired of how poorly appliances are made now days. Keep in mind that they are just old school TLers and I doubt if they clean any better or worse than the cheaper TL models on the market.

I've had a Speed Queen top loader for around 6 years. Very pleased with it. (Knock on wood, the SQ has had zero sick days.) Have also owned Whirlpool/ Kenmore top loaders over the years. IME, the SQ holds more laundry--the drum seems narrow, but it is deep. And the agitator doesn't take up as much room because the fins are a lot more streamlined than the top loaders that I've owned in the past.

As I recall, the washer (or the laundry sink that the washer drains into) got smelly a time or two. Laundry room is in a basement in Wisconsin; summer can be quite humid. Ran a cycle with hot water and chlorine bleach & scrubbed the slime in the bottom of the laundry sink and the stink was gone. I've gotten a lot more religious about running a dehumidifier and cleaning the sink since then and haven't had a stinky repeat. Have also switched to using powder detergent for 80% of the laundry.

As to cleaning, it is adequate on the quick normal cycles. Majority of our laundry isn't very dirty. On the really dirty loads (summer yardwork jeans), I pause the machine and allow the clothes to soak. 30 minutes to overnight, depending on when I get back to the basement. I also let the white loads soak to get max benefit from the cleaning agents (enzymes, etc.) in Persil pearls.

I don't have the space for front loaders even if I wanted them, which I don't. Don't want the hassle of the learning curve required for them. Don't want to deal with all the electronics with the new washers and deal with surge suppression, etc. Don't want to be faced with some mysterious 'error code'. Or broken spiders in a mammoth machine.

If I didn't have the SQ, I would own vintage Kenmore/ Whirlpool. I can deal with repairing those machines myself.

But, if you want sexy--and the new front loaders have that in spades, then you won't be happy with SQ.

Thanks for the comments. We talked about it today, and following some easy minor modifications to the laundry room I made, DW is willing to consider FL machines. Primary objections are having to bend over to load/unload/operate controls (pedestals are not an option for our installation), and potentially not enough space in the laundry room to get our rolling baskets in the room and still open the washer door - will require some careful measurements.

Looking at the following most closely:

LG/Kenmore Elite top loader (kenmore 31552 / LG WT7600)

LG/Kenmore Elite front loader (kenmore 41583/41683, LG WM43700

Electrolux EFLS617SX front loader

It's clear that the ELux has a built in water heater, but not so clear if the others do or not. They all have steam, so there must be some kind of heater, but I haven't been able to determine if it's used for wash water or just for making steam (which is of less interest to me).

The first top loader (LG WT7600) has an onboard heater. It has an "allergiene" cycle so, in theory, it should produce a 130F minimal wash. However what's not clear to me is if "allergiene" and allergen are the same thing or "allergiene" is fake marketing meant to make you think you are getting the allergen standard. Tricky that. Never heart of a top loader with an internal heater. Perhaps some will weigh in on that.

On that second one the Kenmore f/l I don't see an onboard heater or an allergen cycle.

There are HE toploaders that have water heaters. Some Whirlpool Cabrio, Maytag Bravos, and Kenmore Oasis HE-washplate models had them in the past (and a few may still today). Samsung and LG probably did/do. Maytag's short-lived-on-the-market Neptune TL toploader had a water heater on the top-of-line FAV9800 model.

FWIW, DO NOT get a front-loader without a built-in water heater.