Thank you, Cancork Floor. Your advice sounds much like the appliance repair guy's when he was here. He looked at the "soft touch" control panel on the washer and asked how many of the umpteen settings I actually used. Not that many! My Whirlpool machine still looks brand new, but sounds like a jet engine taking off during the spin cycle, spits out oil from underneath, and just started leaking water...as the repair guy said it would.

My husband agrees with your advice to keep it simple. I have to say, it makes sense but the choices of simple seem to be somewhat sparse. I remember my "rotate and pop out to start" controls on a previous washer we had for 23 years. I'm going to keep looking...getting pretty tired of the laundromat!

Again, thank you...I have a feeling yours is some of the most sensible advice yet.

One more thing...the irritating error codes that flash on the control panel would DRIVE ME NUTS. The owner's manual was useless, other than saying "call for service." Seriously MAJOR disappointment in Whirlpool.

I have a Whirlpool Cabrio wtw6200sw0 which has an agitator. It was a replacement for another much higher priced Whirpool washer that didn't have an agitator and did not get my clothes clean and would oddly enough twist my clothes up. I kept it for a year and then gave it to a homeless shelter. Like you, the repairman recommended Whirlpool again. I gave it some thought and decided to go back to a Whirlpool with an agitator.

So my clothes, etc. were once again washed to my satisfaction. After about 18 months, I started getting a UL code. That really annoyed me! I looked on the internet to see if others had the same or similar problems and found that they did. I also found a diy fix on youtube. I am not a person that normally does anything myself, but it looked easy. I ordered and replaced the suspension springs and w/a little help from my husband, we did it in about 20 minutes and it worked! Later, I replaced my faulty softener dispenser. It worked!!!

I don't know which brand to suggest, but I do suggest that you research your problem. If you must replace it, a simpler model does make sense.

PS-I told the homeless shelter people that it did a very poor job cleaning clothes, but they still wanted it. It was only a year old!

I bought the high-end front load Samsung set about 6 years ago from Lowe's. I bought the same set in white for the animal shelter at the same time. I love my set! The animal shelter has had a couple little repairs, but you have to think of the laundry that they do. I bought a lower-end Samsung set for a second laundry room, but it's lighter weight and jumps around. I bought Samsung again because I like my first one so much, besides my fridge repairman (Whirlpool fridge) recommended Samsung.

I with my experience, which I have done twice in 30 years is a Maytag. They are simple and reliable. In those 30 years it wash a lot of clothes and dry a lot of clothes. The only thing I ever had to replace was a the belt and the dryer did not heat up and it was a simple repair. About 90 dollars to come fix it. A family of 6 lots of washing and drying. Maytag!

I appreciate all the feedback. I've done lots of research online, and just about every brand has horror stories. Most likely the bottom line is nothing's made the way it used to be. Both my sister and brother have Maytags that are 35+ years old...still going strong. Sadly, a Maytag today...or anything else... isn't going to last 35 years.

Our daughter bought a Samsung about 4 years ago. So far, it's been okay, but she regrets getting a front-loader. Also, our repair technician was pretty adamant about not buying Samsung...guess they all have their opinions!

It seems the key is stay away from all the bells and whistles, but there doesn't seem to be much choice in that area.

Regarding machines with agitators, Lowe's told me they're going to stop selling them after this year due to the amount of water they use. I suppose that could just apply to those of us here in Southern California.

Get a speed queen. Absolutely no regrets. !!!!

Hi just got the Cabrio yesterday and posted my delimma. Curious if you had similar problems as I'm already experiencing, and if you recommend I send this back. What did you end up with?

I personally think if people start a "BRING BACK THE AGITATOR" petition, they might listen! ? I couldn't make up my mind after horrible reviews on every brand of every machine. I opted for the Cabrio. 1st, because 2 sales people recommended, although I was a little suspicious if something was up with that, because right off the bat on two different occasions, the sales person's took me to the Cabrio. (Kick back? Sell off?) Makes you wonder! And 2nd, I needed something asap, and 3rd, because I read most coin operating laundromat machines are made by whirlpool and are very durable and reliable.

I want a no non-sense, not break the bank, non problematic machine!

You'd think they could combine the agitator with the new technology they love. Seems like the makers of the machines like their new innovations better than the consumer, according everything I've read and everyone I know that has a new product.

Willow, hopefully your Cabrio will last longer than the 4 1/2 years we got out of ours. Who knows...maybe we just got a lemon. However, I can't bring myself to get another one. I feel silly saying I still haven't decided on a new brand of machine. I'm leaning toward Maytag and LG, but those reviews are pretty scary, too. Also, I'm aware that Whirlpool owns Maytag, so the Cabrio issue plays a part.

Beware if your Cabrio starts sounding loud during the spin cycle. Ours started sounding like a jet engine about 3 years after we bought it. I lived with the noise awhile since the machine was still working okay. At around 4 years it started spitting oil out from underneath. That's when the technician came and gave me the bad news. He said the machine would eventually start leaking water...it did.

Regarding Whirlpool machines in laundromats, the laundromat I've been using has Whirlpool and GE machines...no Speed Queens. However, my guess is the coin-operated Whirlpool and GE machines are made more durable than the ones for private homes.

I had a Cabrio years ago when they first came out. I had it repaired 3 times in 2 years before I gave up on it and replaced it. I think it's an ongoing problem and if I remember correctly, there was a class action suit on this unit at one point. I now have a Maytag Bravos XL and have had it for 2 years with no issues. I couldn't be happier with it.

I have a Speed Queen. It's not fancy, but it works great!

If you really do your research , you will find that speed queen is the best washers out there. Laundromat - are commercial grade and made different for them. The speed queen I have is a comercial grade for resident . I don't know how else to give my honest feedback , I would not purchase anything else. It is not fancy but it washes clothes great !!!!! Really read what people have to say about the washer you are purchasing. Why would you want to purchase any washer with so much negative feedback , even if it is a newer model . The government is the one that has taken control over the water level. The company has to comply . Soon you most like won't see a manual control panel , because the government does not want you to be able to change things once the washer starts. This is the best advice I can give you of you are ready to purchase RESEARCH want you are about to purchase I did for about 6 months and thatvis how I found everything I needed to know about the best washer on the market. Good luck everyone on what ever you deciede .

Hi guys I live in the UK and the majority of homes id say 98% have front load machines I would always take a front load machine not a top loader. I know you don't have all the same brands over there as we do. My machines have always been very hardworking. I have one machine for the cats and dogs stuff only ever goes on 95 degrees ( not sure what that is in Celsius but here it's called a boil wash ) that machine is a hoover machine it's 12 years old and still going strong after being used twice a day everyday with no repairs. I did have hoover in the kitchen but got bored and changed to zanussi that machine worked hard for 5 years then went bang. Replaced it with another Hoover machine which also worked hard but I had to have it repaired frequently. Now I have a Miele and it's perfect . I think they are worth paying that bit extra. Especially if your going to working hard. I can get duvets in it also a huge massive furry throw that goes over my bed goes in the Miele. The Miele has a 6kg drum. I had problems getting the throw in the Hoover machine even though the drum size was 7.5 kg.

so in short I'd go for a Miele machine or the next best thing a Bosch then maybe think about zanussi. I wouldn't touch Samsung or LG everyone I know has had problems with them . Whirlpool machines here in the UK are crappy now as well. They had a good reputation untill a few years ago now it's all cheap Chinese rubbish. Please guys consider the front loader they are better for your clothes as they actually heat the water to the correct temperature the wash performance is so much better and so is the rinsing the spin speed is usually higher as well. I her a lot of you moan about the door seal going mouldy it doesn't take a minute to just wipe it round. And they normally only smell because people use the quick wash setting for everything. This is a big no no. Quick was is designed for very few items that just need a refresh it doesn't heat the water up enough it also drops the rinses down sometimes to just one. This means that there will residue of the detergent fabric softener and the grease etc that comes off our bodies. The normal wash programmes like the cotton wash heat up and rinse and spin properly. I always wash towels etc 95 degrees. My bedding on 60 degrees and also my whites and coloured and light coloured stuff on 40 degrees by his prohibits the build up if bacteria and mould. Also check the filter that's at the bottom of the machine and ensure the drain hose is not to low or to high

ok I've rambled on long enough

regards

Dave

xx

Wow! I've never even heard of zanussi...live in So. Cal and have an LG frontloader. sometimes it smells like...really bad after a load. So I re-wash.

I ended up getting an LG top loader. Narrowed it down to either LG or Maytag due to some features I wanted. Really just chose the LG since I liked the exterior design better. So far, so good. We purchased a 5-year warranty, and our credit card company will extend that for another 2 years (no charge). Did A LOT of research looking more at features than brands. As I've mentioned, choice of brands is a serious crap shoot these days.

We have an LG top loader and are VERY happy! (And I have 2 small kids, so LOTS of laundry!)

Good to hear, absg99!

Have a family member in the appliance business asked him about this post.

Controls: consumer is not going to avoid electronic controls in today's machines. The mechanical stuff just isn't available. The OEMs can shove a hundred functions into a $20 control board or put 10 functions into three $10 switches.

OEM = original equipment manufacturer

Quality: government never had to get involved before. Actually it was Sears that set the high quality level for appliances. They had criteria for quality and parts availability that had to be met to get the Kenmore label. Them weakening and LG and Samsung emerging in the market is likely driving quality down more than anything.

5 - 7 years has been the average life cycle for repair parts for a lot of years. Appliances either break in the first 90 days or in the 5 - 7 year. It's when the cost of repair forces replacement of the equipment instead of repair that things get ugly. Control boards are hard to make in the aftermarket so the OEMs have little competition so the repair costs are high.

They make commercial equipment, so if you can find their domestic line it's a commercial machine without a coin box. One of the keys to making commercial machines last is to reduce the load on functional parts. This usually happens by reducing wash ability. For example smaller less aggressive agitators move less water, puts less stress on drive components, increasing life. They also reduce function options making for less controls. Trade off wash ability for longitivtiy for.

This is why Maytag used to last so long.

Diane, I heard that 5-7 year period from every sales person I spoke to. I did look at Speed Queen but just didn't find what I wanted. Once I narrowed it down to cost and features, it was pretty much a matter of "eeny meeny miny moe" with choosing a brand.

@caro. Just seen your comment. I'm so bad st this sort of thing lol. Zanussi is part of the Electrolux group now and is the same as AEG the German brand.

with you LG front loader do you have a variable temperature on it not just cold warm and hot. And do you use the normal programmes or do you use the quick wash setting a lot.

If you use the cottons settings mostly and warmer temperatures you shouldn't really get any smells from it. Not sure what the US equivalent is but I do my colours on 40 degrees whites on 60 degrees and towels on a boil wash at 95 degrees. It also helps to use intensive wash options as well well as the extra rinse options. My old hoover and Zanussi machines had a button for intensive wash options and the same for extra rinse my Miele I have now has higher water level settings and I was able to change the settings for the wash programmes via a part from the instruction manual called programmable options which allows me to permanently change some of the optional settings.