I agree with lightedcontrols
Far too much has been put into unecessary gimmicks at the expense of quality components and time tested design.
When did it become necessary to steam clothes in order to clean them?
When did it become necessary to have water heated by your machine in order to ensure a clean load of clothes? The vast majority of cotton and cotton/blend fabrics read in part "machine wash warm, tumble dry low. Warm iron if needed"
How then did momma and granny manage to wash cloth diapers in their Maytags, Speed Queens and such relying soley on the heated water from the water heater? Does anyone recall scores of babies sick and diseased because of this? This too when most people line dried their laundry!
Along those lines, when did plain jane old Tide or Rinso suddenly not clean clothes enough to remove bacteria and viruses and other nasty bugs? Amazingly enough, I cannot recall ever being sick because my clothes were ridden with bacteria! Thus the reason so called antibacterial detergents are just plain old hyperbole.
We're told to wash our grubby hands after going potty in 120 degree water with soap. Why is that not sufficient to clean your tighty whities?
We see that on FL machines, there is a sanitization cycle or cleaning cycle where we need to "clean" the machine that is supposed to clean our clothes! That's like scrubbing your shower head each time you take a shower! Does that really make sense? And how efficient in terms of energy use is that when you are using resources to clean...........a friggin washing machine for god's sake?!?!??!
To those who subscribe to such nonsense, I challenge you to stop, take a deep breath and grow a brain. Put down CR. It is not nor has it ever been the be-all-end-all reservoir of product knowledge. Turn off GMA, CNN, the CBS morning news when they announce ".......we'll tell you what you need to know about _________"
Cancel your subscription to Mother Jones or Mother Earth news. If you smoke illicit herb, stop. If you drink more than 3 drinks a day every day, stop.
Doing so will clear your mind and allow you to get back to what you should have done all along and that is think for yourself.
It has always been the job of the marketing department to invent a "need" then spend ungodly amounts of money convincing everyone of such need and how their product is the ONLY one that will meet this so-called "need".
But stop and think please. Consider how hundreds of millions of poor in this world do laundry each and every day sans microprocessor controlled stainless HE TL or FL machines.
Consider how laundry was done "back in the day" with water guzzling sturdy appliances that lasted longer than most marriages.
Then make your decision.
P.S. I agree 100% with the poster regarding "extended warrantees". Why should you be paying for the manufacturers lack of confidence in their own product?
