Frigidaire 60 models
I went ahead and ordered the Electrolux 60 pair. FYI there are (in my area) $360 in rebates available:
1. Gas company $75 rebate
2. Water district $85 rebate
3. NMG (National Marketing Group, a buying consortium of which my local retailer is a member): $200 rebate.
I believe #1 and #2 are paid by check. The NMG rebate comes as a prepaid VISA card. I already applied online for the water district rebate. The gas and NMG rebates require submission of receipts and, in the case of NMG, the serial numbers of the machines. Gas company also requires a copy of a gas bill. These two can be done by fax or snail mail. FYI the NMG rebate did not allow mix-and-matching, i.e. if you bought the 50 washer you had to buy the 50 dryer. You could not for example buy a 50 washer and a 60 dryer. You had to buy a pair of the same model level.
This brings the total cost of the pair, with tax, to about $1872. The 50 series, while lower priced, had a smaller NMG rebate ($50 or so), so that after rebates the price difference between the 50 and 60 models was about $70.
My neighbor's brother wants my neighbor's old GE gas dryer* (formerly mine; I handed it over to my neighbor---to replace an electric dryer that worked but was expensive to run) and will haul away the old Kenmore washer. The retailer's crew will remove my current washer/dryer and move it as far as the curb (but not over to the neighbor's home) and then install the new pair. The neighbor and his brother will then move the Frig set to his garage.
As a "welcome to FL washing" gift, I am giving him a box of HE powder detergent and a coffee measure, since from this point on he'll be using 15-30 ml or 1-2 tbsp of powder per load.
*I purchased it in 1997, never has had any servicing. In terms of features, though, it's pretty basic. No moisture sensor. There is a perm press cycle but I suspect it only runs on a timer. It never got perm press loads particularly dry and I think the timer was shutting it off while the load was still damp. My work wardrobe is nearly all 100% cotton with wrinkle-free finish (LL Bean) and the concept never really worked for me until I bought the present Frig dryer (2006) and for the first time used a dryer with a moisture sensor. Now everything comes out looking like I sent it to the cleaners.
The Frig set has had one service call, ever: I heard a thumping noise in the dryer, and inspected the belts to find they were ok. Cause: a button lodged between drum and interior. I always leave the washer door ajar, I descale quarterly with citric acid, and always dry out the dispenser and gasket crease at the end of the wash day.
