Okay, I'm back on this topic again. I put it on the back burner until it was closer to getting into my new house but now with that looming, I need to make a decision.

I went to Sears and picked out a nice set of Kenmores with a front load washer. That set wasn't even the HE3t (Kenmore's rebadged Duet) and it was about $1400 with delivery. Youch! At that time I was on the whole front loader kick and anything less that $2000 for the set seemed cheap. Having realized that that is craziness, I went to Pacific Sales (a SoCal appliance chain store) today and checked some stuff out. They have great products, delivery is included, and they give a "good guys" discount. Shhhh. It's a secret.

They have some really, really nice stuff. They had a set of Frigidaire front loaders for a low price of $747. I thought that was a great buy until I opened the door to the washer and the aperture was about the size of a dinner plate. I felt like I was looking through a port hole in an old ship. I don't care how cheap the price was, having to fold your dirty clothes in order for them to fit in the washer is not my idea of fun. I next looked at a set of FriGEmore (Frigidaire by labeling but identical to models from GE and Kenmore) that were very nice and had a much bigger opening. That set was about $1100. Not bad.

Then I thought more about it and considering that I do about 2 loads a week at most, and with the new bride-to-be entering the picture, that would probably double. That's not much and certainly not enough to justify even $1100. That is when the salesman showed me a set of Amanas with a toploader washer with a big (3.2) stainless steel wash tub. The dryer was similarly sized. They're not the bottom of the line and while I didn't write down the model number, I think they're the top of that line. Anyway, that set was $650 before a good guy discount. That is including delivery.

I am pretty set on this deal because the price is so reasonable and it just makes more sense for my needs. My question is whether any of you have heard anything about Amana washers and dryers? I was reading a washer & dryer forum and my goodness do they ever get technical. Laundry geeks! My other choice was a similarly priced set of Kitchen Aids but I have heard bad things about Kitchen Aid large appliances. They make a great mixer but that's about it.

Thanks for any feedback.