honey and sting

Depending on how you wash everything, as in, do you like to stop the cycle and add fabric softener or bleach or vinegar in the final rinse, check to make sure whether the machine locks itself shut during the cycle, many do these days, which is very annoying.

The last new washer I got was a GE that had a feature I loved, an optional second rinse. And it was big enough I could put a queen-size comforter in it. I tend to buy mid-range appliances, not high end, so other than that, it didn't have fancy features. And I could open it during any part of the cycle (and it would stop, of course, they all have that safety feature).

I almost always buy appliances from the sears "scratch & dent" warehouse because you get a normal warranty but pay less, because something has a scratch or whatever. Like I care about a scratch. That limits me a bit brand-wise, to things Sears carries, which means nothing really high-end (which is why my fancy high-end range top and vent hood came from elsewhere). Anyway, my laundry closet has a front washer, high efficiency, bought using that method, and so far I've had no mold or mildew issues. Every now and then I wipe it out with vinegar, and I often leave the door open so it can dry out instead of being wet inside. Front loaders cannot be opened during the cycle, which is a little annoying, but I add borax (if using it) directly before turning it on, and I put vinegar in the bleach cup or softener cup if I want to vinegar the load, and that works fine. The benefit to a front loader is really that you can do hand washables in it -- no agitator, so nothing to tear up delicate things. Clothes also tend to last a little longer, washed in front loaders, for the same reason, and there is more room for large items like comforters. But I do all my real heavyduty stuff in the old top-loader that came with the house, because for beating dirt out of stuff, ain't nothing like a top-loader.

I find washers are the kind of appliance where the low-end ones are gonna suck, and the high-end ones are cool as hell but nobody really needs a steam setting....

I leave the door on mine open so it can dry out between uses.

But if you must get a topload, try a Haier.