The only topload units on the market today that are a reasonable comparison to your Kenmore is Speed Queen. The TR3, TR5, and TR7 models introduced in 2018 are a different mechanical design with a completely different washing action. The TC5 model is a 2019 reintroduction of their old-style mechanical design which is akin to your Kenmore ... but be aware that it has only two fill levels, approx 1/2 full is the default (Bulky and Delicate are a little more), Deep Wash option fills to "high" level. All models have two computer boards. One in the console to operate the cycles, another in the base to operate the motor, pump, and water valves. TR7 has a touchpanel. TR5, TR3, and TC5 have rotary knobs which are selectors on the board.

Wow that’s a lot of great info. I’ll check them out. Not sure if I like having only two fill levels though.
Thank you

Consumer Reports (consumerreport.org/join - $10/month digital) has ratings of all types of washing machines including top-loaders with and without agitators (no Speed Queen washer is recommended by CR). After selecting candidates, I'd follow up with actual owners' reviews on such sites as Home Depot and Best Buy -- remembering of course that these reviews are not unbiased and that many reviews, particularly low ones, have nothing to do with the appliances themselves (e.g., the delivery was late).

Why return the Miele and go back to a unitized top-load machine? Those are all junk that will tear up your clothes. You'll be very unhappy. What issues are you having with your Miele?

Littlegreeny,

I have three issues of varying degree of importance-suds, size of drum and lack of ability to soak overnight. The primary problem is sudsing. I can't get the soap out of my towels and some clothes. I had the base model W1 and have spent countless hours trying to rinse my laundry. I wont bore you with the blow by blow details. I know dosing the detergent is different with HE machines but even when I use two teaspoons I get lots of suds. Miele agreed to swap out the unit in case its a problem with the machine and I paid the difference to upgrade to the next model which has Twin Dos hoping the automatic dispensing of detergent would help. (of course I still have to get the suds out of towels or at this point just by all new ones) I did my first load using the twin dos and again got lots of suds! I think there is a "soak" program and am waiting for a Miele tech to show me what that means and how to program it and program the twin dos dispenser. There are some top-load machines that are HE that use a plate at the bottom of the drum so clothes won't tear up. I'm curious to hear from people about those.

Celadon,

Love that you found that old advertisement! I'm not sure if the problem is all front load washers or if it's a Miele thing. My sister made the switch from top to front load with no problem. That said she has a full size side by side washer/dryer not a compact and not Miele which I think is a very specific kind of machine. I actually found a Miele "cheat sheet" online though it's for a different model but perhaps it will help.

It sounds like you have detergent residue still left in your laundry from your old washer. Have you tried washing your clothes with no detergent or the TwinDos to get that old residue removed? You can set the rinse level to high which will help also. You might need to wash everything several times before all the residue is removed. You might also need to adjust the amount dispensed by the TwinDos.

I have a top load unitized Frigidaire with a wash plate and HATE it. It cleans worth a d@@@, rinses terribly and ruins laundry in the process. I'd much rather have a Miele. Miele's build quality is second to none and will clean much better than any top loader.

Yes there is much much love out there in the world for Miele washer & dryers. I had no idea the difficulty going from top loader to front load where as my sister has not had this problem. In answer to your question I have run countless loads without detergent trying to rinse out soap residue while running the machine empty through a sanitize wash to clean out the machine of any soap between every 2 to 3 rinses. Having spent an enormous amount of time looking for information on the Internet finding Houzz posts which are helpful i’ve now learned about laundry stripping and I am at this moment soaking my sheets in my bathtub in hopes that that laundry stripping technique will get rid of the soap. Thank you for the information about your top load washer with the plate. I couldn’t quite imagine how that would work at getting clothes clean and I hear from you it’s not so good. Sorry to hear that. Kind of amazing that for such a big purchase we really have no way of returning it and usually not gonna get much $ if we try to sell it which is what I’ve been considering doing. However now I think I just have to make my peace with it and figure it out and keep the machine I’ve got.
Thank you for your input.

"Top load is obsolete technology."

Lol. Just obsolete technology that doesn't require...

1) restrictions on bleaching agent choice cf: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/3488763/miele-and-chlorine-bleach

2) use of "affresh" whatever that is

3) running of "sanitize cycles"

4) taking washer apart to look for causes of smelliness cf: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6071841/smelly-laundry-out-of-solutions

5) use at least several times a week to prevent odor formation (multiple reports for decades here and elsewhere)

6) expensive repairs: https://www.fixr.com/costs/washing-machine-repair

I could go on. Fact is they are just two different technologies with different strengths or they wouldn't have co-existed for so long on the marketplace of both EU and US. The fact I had to call all over the mid-Atlantic to find my Speed Queen TC5000 means SOMEONE still likes them, and I am 100% satisfied with mine. I am an obsessive gardener. Sometimes my clothes get very soiled. I knew my 20 year GE top loader could handle that, and met my other needs like sometimes only be used once a week without starting to smell. (In fact I once washed a load so messy it managed to get out of the washer just fine, but then temporarily clogged my drain line!!! Luckily cleared that with all sorts of skullduggery like pouring some boiling water and a super-slick horticultural surfactant in the next drain further down. This wasn't a situation a caustic would have helped. After seeping through for a few minutes, it loosened stuff up and there was a tremendous whooshing sound as the clog cleared) I had read for years of all the annoyances with front loaders. Glad I stuck with obsolete. I really have to wonder if the seeming increase in eczema (never knew anyone with it as a kid, now know of several Gen Y and Gen Zers who have it) is because these front loaders aren't removing as much detergent residue as my generation's top loaders did. But I wonder about a lot of things.

When I studied in Scotland in the mid 1990s that set of dorms had been recently completely renovated. All new shiny everything, such as tankless water heaters in the kitchens. When someone took a shower upstairs they fired up. And guess what was in the laundry room? Some kind of top loaders. It's not as though Europe never had them because they were so "primitive" and obsolete. OTOH on my first trip to Europe in the early 1990s, both residences I stayed in Switzerland and the south of France had front loaders. I think it was the first time I'd ever seen them. Probably for average households with average needs, they are more energy and water efficient. I don't disagree with that. But at what cost?

@davidrt28

4) https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5869320/dirty-moldy-washers-toploaders-and-frontloaders

Update... The Miele W1 with Twin Dos has been installed. Of course there is a problem with it and a tech is coming to fix it. As for using the automatic Twin Dos dispensing, The guys who installed it don’t know anything about the factory settings and so the first time I did a load using Twin Dos it was SUDS GLORIOUS SUDS. UGH! However, I discovered a Miele Experience Center near me and went there seek help. Victory! I actually got to speak with a manager was able to help me tremendously. Apparently the factory setting for Ultra Phase 1 is 48 ML (which is huge) she showed me how to drop it down by more than half. I’m actually dropping it down to 12 ML (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) Per full load. Trying it out tonight on my whites we’ll see what happens. but I recommend anybody having trouble with their washers and dryer’s find an experience center and send them an email and they can answer your questions.

Hi all,
Here is an update — I am finally making my peace with the Miele monster. I’m mostly using the Twin Dos ( except for towels- will explain further down this post). I mainly keep Ultra Phase 1 at 12ml and the Ultra Phase 2 at 6ml. 10 ml. If I’m doing all whites I will slightly increase the ultra phase 2. From what I now understand the Twin Dos does not automatically dispense the “proper amount” per program/load as I originally thought. Whatever you set the dose at that’s what it dispenses. So, basically, the only advantage of having twin dos is that you don’t have to open a bottle of detergent and bleach and pour it into the dispenser. Using twin dos you set the dosage on the touch pad. So I still have to understand proper amounts of detergent and bleach. What I have basically come to learn is that whatever your Ultra Phase is set at put the Phase 2 bleach 10 ml below that. As for bath towels, for the time being, due to detergent already in towels I now wash them without adding any soap. Also, side note, for those of you dealing with underarm deodorant set in the fabric of t-shirts I now pre-treat with hydrogen peroxide! Wow what a difference that makes.
Best to all of you. 🌻

Oops not able to edit a mistake in the previous comment. It should read “Ultra Phase 2 at 6ml. “

Please ignore the “10 ml”.

The phase two is oxygen bleach and doesn't suds, etc. It is there to remove protein based stains. It doesn't HAVE to be a certain amount below phase 1. Here is how Miele ships the machines:

When you select TwinDOS and choose white the mix is 50% Phase 1 and 50% phase 2. For color it is 2/3 Phase 1 and 1/3 Phase 2. Those are then adjusted based on the amount you selected to dispense.

You won't REALLY know what you need for Phase 1 unless you start with brand new towels or whatever that have ZERO residual soap in them. With BRAND NEW textiles that DO NOT suds on a rinse, THEN do a load with TwinDOS selected. Start with 18ML for Phase 1. You can leave Phase 2 at the factory default. A good way to know if Phase 2 needs to be increased is if protein based stains don't wash out (Blood, etc.).

At the end of the final rinse you want very few if any suds. During the main wash you should see a small amount to some suds. If you don't see suds during the wash then you should bump the phase one 1 up a couple ML. If you see too many suds on final rinse then move down a couple ML.

Once you have TwinDOS dialed in then DO NOT CHANGE IT, unless you are putting some other kind of detergent in the TwinDOS bottles.

When you select heavy soil on the display the machine will increase the amount of Phase 1 dispensed. When you select light soil then amount of Phase 1 will be decreased. When neither heavy or light is selected the values you entered will be used. The values are also adjusted based on the cycle you select. If you notice in the display it will tell you how many clothes you can put in based on weight for that program. Normal is 8KG, Wrinkle Free is 5KG, Single Wash is 1KG, etc.

The amount of detergent dispensed will be adjusted automatically based on the max load for the cycle chosen. That is what Miele means by automatically dispensing the correct amount of detergent. It is based on Cycle, Soiling Option and Color/White.

The amount of detergent you will need is somewhat based on how hard your water is in your location. Some people have VERY hard water (Germany has VERY hard water) and some people have very soft water (or have a water softener). Hard/Soft water is just a measure of how many dissolved minerals are naturally in the water.

ALL detergents have ingredients that attempt to bind with the natural minerals in the water and keep them from attaching to your clothes being washed. The amount of needed detergent to overcome the hard water PLUS the amount needed to bind to stains will vary based on the hardness of your water.

This is why you need to start with clothes/towels you KNOW do not have any soap residue buildup. This will allow you to know where to set Phase 1 and Phase 2 amounts. Any sudsing you see with the rest of your clothes after you have the TwinDos dialed in is coming from soap residue from your previous washer and it's poor rinsing or using too much detergent. (Or your sprayed a ton of stain pre-treat on the clothes).

Many Many people can not believe how much soap residue is in their clothes until they have a washer that controls how much detergent is dispensed. Once your clothes are residue free then you will REALLY like TwinDos. Your clothes will be clean and without and residual detergent.

"luna123456: The phase two is oxygen bleach and doesn't suds, etc. It is there to remove protein based stains."

Interesting. I'd have expected an enzyme product for dealing with protein stains.