Let me tune in here...
As a well known Topload H-axis lover I guess I can add my two cents here.
I guess you can say that each design is as good as it's execution (is that good english? lol). It's the way you build them, not the design itself that makes it good.
Topload H-axis machines have their own quirks and their own advantages.
Rubber gasket: They don't need a rubber gasket when there is an extra lid on the outer tub. My Philips has three lids, one in the inner drum, one in the outer drum and one on top of the machine. It doesn't need a gasket because the outer drum is closed by that second lid.
Two bearings: Not all toploaders have two bearings. Miele uses only one, just as in their frontloaders. The drum is only on one side mounted to the machine.
Miele did this because they claimed that it solved the problem of two bearings getting out of line. Apparently it was possible that the bearings got out of alignment in a severe off balance situation or so. Frontloaders would not have a problem with this.
Capacity: In a way topload h-axis machines use the cabinet space more efficiently. That's why for a long time the smaller h-axis machines had about the same capacity as the frontloaders. European frontloaders have a foot print of 60 x 60cm. Toploaders are usually 60 x 40 or 45cm. I'm waiting for a manufacturer to come with a toploader with a 60 x 60cm footprint, the capacity could be bigger than a same sized frontloader.
I told here before that Whirlpool still has an H-axis design on the shelf. Apparently they chose to make the V-axis HE toploaders over the H-axis design. It was explained to me that the H-axis with the two or three lids would be too complicted for the American consumers. I don't know if this would be true, we will never know I guess.
Yes, such a machine will be deep, but the big HE toploaders now on the market have deep tubs as well.
Here's the Whirlpool design again.
