77Pat-- I believe the four new models are all designated as "Ready Clean System" machines. I think that means they use a recirculation jet during parts of the cycle. I believe the four new models also have a 4.4 cubic foot tub. I can't recommend the prior Affinity line (which has a horizontal row of rectangular buttons to choose options, unlike the touch pads of the new models). I would hate to have a washer that uses as little water as this one does and not have a recirculation system. I've owned this set for a couple of weeks and have had excellent results washing everything from a huge, heavy queen-sized comforter, to a load of two pairs of dress pants, to large loads of highly-stained kitchen whites. I'll admit to being a little freaked out at how little water is used, but I'm adjusting to it. It cleans well since the detergent is so highly concentrated in a small amount of water. The clothes do a perfect lift-and-drop, too. The only adjustment I've made is to have the Heavy, Whitest Whites and Normal cycles opt for the Max Soil option, which adds an additional 6 minutes to the wash cycle. I think the default wash times are a little too short for anything but lightly soiled loads.
Chris---I think 110 degree water is only warm by anyone's standards! If I didn't get excellent washing results, I would be alarmed by this. So far it's cleaned everything perfectly. And if you want hotter water, you can choose the Allergy option, which heats the water to 130 degrees. I want to try a tough load of stained kitchen whites using liquid Tide With Bleach Alternative to see if things come as clean as they do with UK Persil Bio powder. I am loving Persil for really tough loads. Too bad it costs about $47 per box to have it shipped through the Brit Superstore. That's why I'm only using it for loads of kitchen whites. I also use substantially less than what they recommend on the box, but I have super-soft water.
Darryl---The washer is virtually silent during "agitation" periods, so you can hear the quiet hum of the recirculation pump kick in if you're in the room. The washer is very quiet---even during high-speed spins---compared to my old Frigidaire. I expected the dryer to be quieter than it is. It isn't annoyingly loud, just not as quiet as a friend's LG dryer. But the dryer has a number of very cool features, and I like it much better than my old one. I'm loving the "Add Steam" option for loads of shirts, pants, etc. There's also an "Anti-Static" option which sprays a bit of steam in during the cooldown. I wash several poly-blend tablecloths each week, and they used to cling to each other and be full of static electricity. No more! Things come out with fewer wrinkles than they used to; however, this is probably also due to the larger dryer drum. This one is 7.0 cubic feet. My old dryer was 5.8.[this post was last edited: 9/7/2010-22:31]
