Cleans very well, and is surprisingly quiet

After considerable research I purchased this with some nervousness as I had heard much about the excessive noisiness and vibration of front loaders, but absolutely wanted a front loader due to the water efficiency. To my relief, the noise and vibration levels have been fine (note: it is placed on a tiled ground floor with concrete subflooring). It also gets my clothes really clean--considerably cleaner than my previous machine--and has a big capacity and I have successfully cleaned a queen-size comforter in it. It also does a very good job of getting water out of clothing in its final spin cycle, which decreases drying time.

I had learned that Maytag (which has a terrible reputation with washing machines due to their problematic Neptune line) had been bought by Whirlpool, and that this machine is essentially a Whirlpool but not as pricey. I got mine for about $800 (that included a 10% discount off large hardware store's usual price), and so far have no regrets. I am being careful to keep the door ajar and the detergent dispenser pulled out whenever the machine is not being used, as a preventive measure against problems with mildew and smell that I had read about with many front loaders; I have noticed no odors at all in the three months I have had it.

The only difficulty I have identified thus far may be one that may be true of many other machines as well; it is not something I thought of before buying the machine, so didn't do any comparison re this feature. Because of the position and design of the detergent dispenser, I have found it quite difficult to accurately pour from the very large bottle of HE liquid detergent I bought right after getting the machine. I probably will buy smaller bottles of detergent in the future to make accurate pouring more manageable.