<p>Blubayou, we had a Calypso also (I typed up a post but it disappeared - ??), and fortunately ours worked OK until it suddenly died at the ripe age of 7. The fact that the washer was nicknamed “Collapso” by appliance repairmen made us look for a new washer rather than fixing the old.</p>
<p>How long should you expect a washer to last?</p>
<p>our GE washer lasted 16 years…IMO, they should not die at 7. </p>
<p>The calypso’s agitator-less design required replacing the bottom wash plate, or it would eat clothes (as the outside seal wore down). The part alone is $190, which we had to replace twice in 6+ years. Thus, even tho they redesigned the wash plate, I was unconvinced the new design would last any longer than the former.</p>
<p>Just realized that my post was wrong…my 8 year old washer and dryer is a Calypso/Senseon. When it dies abruptly as I read that it is bound to do, I will get either the Cabrio OR the Maytag Bravos…after rechecking back through these posts.</p>
<p>Our old washer, which was sold with the house 16 years ago, was still working as of last spring. My mom still has a washer that was bought when I was in college. I expect my washer to last longer than 7 years. It was a good thing we decided against fixing the Calypso. It did a good job, but not perfect. My front loader is much better at washing anything from delicates to king-sized comforters. I still have the Calypso’s twin dryer that drives me nuts, but I can’t toss an appliance that still works.</p>
<p>Mine is about 11 years, and might just need bearings. I get tired of having to wipe out the rubber seal after every use (the mold thing), though. (Neptune- 1st model)</p>
<p>Huh. We’ve had a HE Calypso for seven years and nary a problem, including wrinkles. I should compare notes with TheMom, as we do different loads of wash.</p>
<p>We will probably get a Fisher Paykel also…when our 15 year old…totally UNFANCY Maytag dies. Please…keep your fingers crossed that this does NOT happen for at least 10 more months (college tuition payments need to end or we’ll just be getting a washboard). The Fisher Paykel our relatives have washes king size comforters just fine. The thing spins so efficiently that the dryer barely needs to run. </p>
<p>We had friends who got the Maytag Bravo and returned it within a week. I’m not sure why…but they did.</p>
<p>I got the Whirlpool Duet front loader this spring and have been very happy with it so far. I never leave the door open and have had no signs of mold so far. The machine reminds you about once a month to run the cleaning cycle. I replaced an 11 year old Maytag that was slowly self-destructing, so the Whirlpool seems miraculous to me. I got it because I liked the controls on it - very intuitive.</p>
<p>TD:</p>
<p>Ask TM if she is “missing” any socks, or hankies, or other small items…(they could be hiding under the wash plate. :)</p>
<p>I’ve had the Matag HE Bravos top loader for about 3 or 4 months, and I’m very happy with it. I love the large capacity (I even washed our King sized comforter in it), and how quiet it is. We have a second floor laundry room, and I was concerned about whether a front loader would be too noisy near our bedrooms. You barely hear our Bravos. Clothes seem to get clean, and I love how dry they are by the end of the cycle. I have noticed sheets are a bit more wrinkled, but I’m just careful to fluff them a bit before putting them in the dryer. Since it is still a HE machine, I do keep the lid open between cycles, and you are also supposed to periodically run a cycle with bleach or a special cleaning product to keep out smells/mold. I would definitely purchase this model again.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I have read about that wash plate issue but honestly, I have had my Calypso for 7+ of its 8 years (we bought our home when it was 1 year old) and have never had any wash plate issues. Our problem came two years ago when some major and expensive part was worn out and we replaced it. I do clean the machine with 1 cup bleach/1 capful detergent (per whirlpool instruction book) in hot water every month or two. I guess if every great machine occasionally has a lemon, then the “bad” ones will occasionally have a good one?</p>
<p>I think I am officially tired of researching washing machines and will go with the Maytag Bravos. I chose the Bravos over the almost identical Whirlpool Cabrio as the Cabrio’s dryer lint filter is on the top of the dryer whereas the Maytag has in in the door frame, which I prefer.</p>
<p>We are really considering getting the red W/D just because! We are in the mist of repainting our house(7 years later than we should have) and both my husband and I think something other than white would be cool. What color I can paint the laundry room that won’t look horrible with the rest of the kitchen and foyer, I do not know, but we are looking into it. You can see into the laundry room from the driveway and again when you walk into the house from the garage, so I need to make sure the colors at least somewhat go together. If not the red W/D we might go with the silver.</p>
<p>It is really a sad comment on my life when I am excited to get a new W/D! When the deferred bills show up in 12 months I don’t think I will be as excited.</p>
<p>Go for the red!!! BM’s Atrium is white with red tone, but you can go for something more dramatic, like a clay. What is floor like?</p>
<p>The laundry room floor has to be replaced; it is a worn out vinyl that has pulled away from the wall about an inch all the way around. I am going to replaced the laundry room floor before the machines come. My husband liked the black and white checked floor we saw at Home Depot; it was 12" square checks, not little squares. My kitchen and hallway are currently a pale teal color and my den furniture is in the greens, purple, gold,and beige so I want the paint to at least somewhat blend in; not stick out like a sore thumb. My flooring in the kitchen is hardwood, so again the laundry room floor butts up to the hardwood so it need to complement. I was thinking of using one of the wood look laminates, but I am afraid the fake wood next to the real wood will look bad. The dogs come in and out of the laundry room, so I want an easy to clean floor. Although we are considering tile, I prefer a laminate I think.</p>
<p>I can’t believe I am thinking of decorating around my laundry room, but we really like the red W/D!! I am thinking a yellow/golden color for the paint that will blend with my den colors. My kitchen has no color other than my purple seats to my kitchen table and the teal paint on the walls; all cabinets and trim are white. I haven’t painted the kitchen yet as I haven’t been able to decide on a color, but the washer and dryer will help me make that decision.</p>
<p>I think (tho anyone who knows me concludes I’m lousy at decorating) that laminate floors next to real one won’t look so good. Why not a laminate that looks like slate/stone? If you go with a tan/brown stone, it would coordinate with wood floors, can use paint in similar shade, and have those gorgeous red appliances.</p>
<p>Heads up–I’m trying to chose an engineered wood flooring for house, and it is hard (especially to stay in budget). I can’t decide between maple or oak look, both in honey tones.</p>
<p>bookworm-We are looking at some of the stone look laminates, not the old fashion vinyl, although the patterns in the vinyl has changed since I last looked 17 years ago!</p>
<p>My current hardwood floors are a honey color; I don’t know if they are oak or maple as they were in the house when we bought it.</p>
<p>I am also a horrible decorator which is while the paint colors in the house have taken so long. I had a color picked out for my son’s room to match a shade in his comforter; my daughter took one look at the color and informed me it did not match. She then took the book of colors and picked a color that was perfect!! I must have looked at those colors for days and never saw her color as a match. Hopefully she will help with the kitchen and laundry room. I use to want everything to be matchy matchy, but I don’t care anymore; I let my daughter have her room painted red and bright yellow. My real estate agent was having a fit as we will put the house on the market when the market gets better. I have decided that if someone doesn’t like the colors, they can repaint and we will give them a paint allowance. I understand we may lose potential buyer if my house is totally beige, but hopefully they can look beyond the colors.</p>
<p>So snowball, how’s the Bravo washer working out? I desperately need to replace a Maytag that’s probably no more than 6 years old. Now that I’m researching its replacement, I see that the unanimous conclusion is that my current model s**ks. I’ve learned a lot by reading this thread today and will now peruse the laundry room forum mentioned here. My #1 priority is capacity, followed by water/suds removal from garments.</p>
<p>i love my fisher paykel…top loading washer–better yet, top loading dryer!</p>
<p>So far I have been very happy. There is a learning curve to an HE washer as well as one that is a top loader. The machine has a glass top and for the life of me I do not understand how the clothes could possibly get clean in such a small amount of water. The water does not even cover the clothes, yet them seem to be clean. Also, the spin cycle can leave the clothes a bit wrinkled as it really spins the water away. I have to use a lighter spin on clothes that are going to be hung to dry and I do not iron. </p>
<p>I ended up getting the steam dryer, but have not tried the steam yet. I need to use it to make sure it really works and the installers hooked it up correctly!</p>
<p>The machines are so large that it takes me no time to get laundry done. I didn’t realize my old machine was small until I started washing in this machine. When I have a small load, I feel bad about washing it, but this machine measures the water level by the weight of the laundry. I had a new black sweater and I didn’t want to wash it with anything else as I was afraid it would fade and get lint on the other items so I washed it alone. </p>
<p>I got the red machines and during Thanksgiving everyone had to check them out; they were a hit!</p>