Hey Powerbruh,
I own a Huebsch (Aka Speed Queen) front loader and so far I'm quite happy with it.. I don't think that if you bought one, you would regret it. I like a company that stands behind their product. I'm glad to see you got everything worked out with LG.
I initially thought that the smaller capacity of the front loader would be an issue, but in all honesty, it really isn't. It holds more clothing than my old 4.1 cu.ft GE toploader. For example, my GE could handle 7 pairs of 40/32 jeans, my Huebsch can handle 10 pairs. That's at least four weeks of laundry right there. Well, at least for me anyway.
What I find that I can't do is wash a thick double sized comforter in the machine. Well, I can, but it is a very tight fit. The problem isn't so much that the washer can at least get it wet, is that the dryer doesn't have enough capacity to handle it, so I feel that the washer is a well sized fit for the matching dryer.
One of the biggest issues people don't realize, is that a larger capacity drum means more stress on the components of the machine. If the components are good enough for 8 kg (About 16 lbs) of clothing but due to the size of the drum, a person can manage to cram in 16 kg (About 32 lbs) of clothing, all they are doing is making money for the manufacturers when the bearings give out after a few short years of service. It gives me peace of mind to know that even if I do cram the drum full on my Huebsch, whatever I throw at it, it will handle it.
Realistically, for those really large loads (ie. Comforters, Duvets, etc) it isn't that expensive to just wash them in a triple loader at the laundromat and dry it in a large capacity dryer which won't bake it and will dry it quickly.
I have to admit that it would have been nicer if Alliance had put more features into their FL, but realistically, compared to my old TOL GE set, we never really use more than two cycles, "Regular" and "Delicate".. Heck, I don't even bother with the permanent press cycle, although it is nice to have if I need it.
Since most American Front Loaders are not designed for cold fill anyway and most Americans and Canadians have gas or electric water heaters, I can see why Alliance got rid of the heater feature. 120 volts kind of sucks for that anyway.
The 1000 RPM spin speed I find really isn't a problem. The dryer is up to the task of handling it. I replaced my GE electric dryer with the Huebsch gas dryer and right away, my utility bills dropped by an easy 20 percent. If I'm washing items which retain lots of water, I'll just use my spin dryer. Better to wear out a cheap spin dryer than an expensive washer.
When I was shopping for machines, I found that things like Ecobubble and Steam Generators really didn't add much value in my eyes. It made me wonder if it was another thing that would and could break, resulting in an expensive service call. Turns out I was right. (At least for the latter anyway.)
I'm thinking carefully about how Alliance could tweak their FL washer so that it didn't look like a consumer grade BOL machine, but in all honesty, I can't. Even if they thought up another 16 cycles, developed catchy marketing terms for cycles or options (ie. ExpressWash) or put in a UK-Style Medic Wash, I don't honestly see how it would really improve the performance of the machine.
If I was going to improve on perfection, the only thing I would add is a second pressure switch, which would switch in so that a low water level could be used for washing and a high water level could be used for rinsing.
I don't think it would hurt if they sold a model which runs off of 240 volts and does Euro-Style boil washes and 60 C washes.. for those who prefer not to use bleach due to the smell. At least that way, the machine could be designed for a cold-fill environment with a hot water inlet as an option.
