"Robertm" wrote:

I've had a basic no frills GE washer and Roper dryer for three years. No
problems, no complaints. The more fancy stuff you put on them, the more
there is to go wrong, no matter which brand you choose.

True in theory, but practially, difficult to do in the real world.
Unfortunately, those fancy frills tend to get bundled with higher quality parts
that do matter. Things like a stainless steel tub instead of a plastic one,
motors rated for greater loads, etc. Also unfortunate, because unless you tear
down models to compare or know one of the GE manufacturing engineers, its
difficult to find out which things do matter.

My rule of thumb is to go for the mid or mid-upper-range unit. Avoid the budget
line as those are built to an extreme price point and pennies are shaved
everywhere. Avoid the top end, because its a marketing truism that those are
aimed at people who believe that spending more gets you a "better" unit and
money isn't as important to them.

Am running into a related situation with hot water heaters. There are 3
generally available grades of water heaters these days - 6 year warranty, 9 year
warranty and 12 year warranty. With the exception of paint trim color, all three
have the same tank, burner (BTU rating), T&P valve, & thermostat. I.e., all the
operating parts. The only difference between them is about $50 difference in
price.

Unfortunately, I want a tank with 2" of insulation around it instead of one. R16
instead of R8 - it goes in an unheated garage. Guess what? Only available on the
$100 more expensive model with the 12 year warranty.

Or, I could do what I did with the previous heater - buy a tacky looking
insulation jacket for $5. Oh well, it is in the garage after all.