Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I took delivery of my new AWN412S yesterday afternoon. It replaced a GE front loader that died after only 6 years of use. We are a family of four and I do laundry once a week, usually between 5 to 6 loads each time. The front loader was a miserable machine, taking ages to complete a load, even on "speed wash" which could take up to 90 minutes. Then it stopped spinning and draining, which resulted in a mess on my hard wood floor in the laundry. Enter the proverbial straw. To add insult to injury, the GE cost the same amount as the SQ. It could probably be fixed, but a search via Google on the model number turned up numerous accounts of people fixing the first problem, only having something else break a few months later. Apparently once a GE product breaks, it continues to do so until everything is replaced. At which point it might as well be replaced with a new machine due to the cost of the repairs, plus the time and aggravation. Enough. The AWN412S is a dinosaur, in the sense that; it will not whistle Dixie when a cycle completes, agitation is louder than a front loader, and a whole truck load of ugly hit it on the way out of the factory. No electronics means no delayed start, no Wi-Fi, or latte dispenser. Add to that, your irritating neighbor who seems to have all the toys will look down her/ his nose at you for owning something that does not light up and sing 'Also Sprach Zarathustra', even though they only know the piece as "the theme to 2001 A Space Odyssey." With that stated, this machine does what it is supposed to do. It cleans clothes, gently, effectively, and quickly. Use your egg timer if you need an end of cycle alert, 28 minutes for the Regular/Normal cycle by the way. The baby will fall asleep instantly listening to the rhythmic agitation phase. The spin cycle is butter smooth and very quiet. If you have a separate laundry room, the ugly problem is solved. If not, then put a plant on top of it and stop whining. As to the pesky neighbor, laugh out loud and point when they have to replace their 'fashion statement' machine for the fourth time, while your trusted old friend sits there and CLEANS YOUR CLOTHES. Oh, and take the money you saved from replacing the machine over the years and go to Maui. Get it while you can as apparently after 2017 machines like this will no longer be made, due to Federal regulation. It does use more water and electricity than a front loading machine. However, what is better for the environment? Having a machine that will be in use for decades? Or having a huge polluting manufacturing plant pouring out junk that has to be shipped off to the recycling/ landfill every 6 years? The water will be recycled and the AWN412S uses $43 per year in energy (with a electric water heater) as opposed to $23 per year for my old front loader. Being "green" is an end to end process. You can not be "green" by purchasing manufactured products that have to be replaced at short intervals. There is a massive cost to the environment in building these things.