Looking for washing machine recommendation

Go with Speed Queen, even though they are a bit expensive. 

Avoid LG and Samsung at all cost, even though they had warranties, they were useless, since it only covered parts and No labor. Getting someone to come to troubleshoot to repair and back ordered parts, was a puf off. 

Choose either these Speed Queen washers:

Front Loader 

Speed Queen FF7

Top Loader 

Speed Queen 

TC500

Hard no on the front loading washer, it's impossible to keep the gasket seal thing free from mildew. Other than that, our Whirlpool models have lasted since 2010 and function well still with two caveats: the washer needed lots of adjustments after a move to get the door to seal perfectly tightly again (after it was removed for the move), and the dryer has needed a couple replacement parts over the years. 

I love our two in one GE washer/dryer. Worth every penny.

I love my Samsung compact washer/dryer I bought 3 years ago. It's a front loader washer, and the electric dryer is heat pump technology which is absolutely marvelous. Takes longer to dry but it has greatly reduced wear and tear on my clothes and it's whisper quiet.  I have had zero problems with the Samsung washer or dryer, and I run 3-5 loads a week.

Before the Samsung I had a ginormous LG w/d. The washer needed major repairs every year or two. My regular appliance repair guy wouldn't touch the LG; I had a lot of trouble finding someone who would, and it often took more than one trip to fix the problem.  I would not get another LG.

Back in the dark ages I had a workhorse Kenmore that broke maybe once in 10+ years, but I don't think they make them anymore and I'm not sure I'd buy one if they did.

RE Front Loaders: All three of my washers have been front loaders. They can be stacked and they use far less water. I like being able to peer in while they are running. I have not had the problems that another respondent reported with any of my washers.  You do need to maintain it - run a "tank clean" cycle every few months or as needed, and keep the filters cleaned out. I also leave the door cracked to let it dry for a few hours after a load if it's hot outside or if I'm not doing laundry for a few days, so it doesn't get musty.

I have an LG that has not had any problems (5 years) but my repair person (who fixed the dryer) mentioned that LG are the worst, so I'd stay away from them. I LOVE the front-loader washer (this is my second front loader). They get the clothes a lot cleaner and the spin cycle gets rid of so much water I can hang clothes to dry and skip the dryer entirely if I feel like it.  You can run a load with just one large item if you want and you won't have "off-balance load" problems. (Maybe this problem has been solved with newer top-loader machines, but my old one was constantly stopping mid-cycle because of balance problems). I have never had a problem with mustiness because I leave the door open.  

I went from a trusty top loading washer to a front loading one. I also had read all the reviews about how the new washers are less reliable, how they break, how front loading washers build up mildew etc., but in the end, I realized that most of the newer models are front loaders, and there just wasn't very good selection for top loading washers. I now have a matching side by side LG front loading washer and dryer, and I am quite happy with them. I don't expect them to run for decades like the old ones, but they have gone 7+ years and are still going strong. Ever so often something will break (the door lock got snapped off once, and the dryer wasn't heating all the way), and I did have to pay money to get a repair person to come (not under warranty), but I found a really good guy and he fixed things quickly. To keep your door gasket from building up mildew, make sure you don't slam the door closed, you just close it part way and it stays half open with a magnet. There is also a little water release thing on the bottom that you should clear once in a while. One time we had a long term house guest who consistently slammed the door shut, and after a month or two, mildew did build up. I could have used a youtube hack to clean it, but I opted just to swap out the whole gasket as I couldn't deal with the mildew, and it's been clean ever since. So in short, it's not the end of the world to use a front loader. 

I highly recommend Speed Queen. Doesn't have a fancy motherboard, and lots of digital things (that can break). Built like a rock, dependable and lasts. They make commercial machines for laundromats. 

We bought one that didn’t work — LG all in one — no local people who knew how to fix it even though it was under warranty. The washing was fine but the drying didn’t work. After many calls and service visits we were able to get our money back. Replaced it with a stacking Meile washer and dryer. This works fine. We decided reliability was the most important attribute for us. I really miss Gavin Appliances. We bought this at Friedman’s. 
The LG was through Costco which I wouldn’t recommend for appliances. 

I love my top loading GE. I've had it about 5 years and purchased it from Airport Appliance in Emeryville. The capacity was much larger than I expected, as it took the same floor space as the 20-year-old GE that it replaced. Airport will match local in-store prices, so if you see the same model cheaper somewhere else, bring a photo so they can match it. For a reasonable cost, Airport will also do haul away and installation.

I was looking for a new washer a little over 18 months ago and decided to get a front loading Electrolux through Lowe's. I wasn't familiar with the Electrolux brand, but the washer had great reviews. It has been working well. I am happy with the purchase. We do at least 3 loads a week. To keep the rubber gasket mold free, I keep a clean rag next to the washer and give the inside of the gasket a quick wipe to dry it when the wash is done. I also leave the washer door open and run the "clean" cycle every 4-5 months. No mold, no musty smell.

We have a Samsung top loading machine and I would not buy it again - an interior part has broken off twice (@ $65 to replace each time) and the digital panels are one more thing that can break. While it does save water it also has become noisy over time and I don't believe it cleans as well as our old vintage Sears washer. Our appliance repair person gave us two words of advice, SPEED QUEEN. He's been so right about everything else and we trust him 100%. Our next W/D will be Speed Queen. Good luck!

I recently bought a speed queen, and I love it. They are more expensive upfront, but they have reputation for quality, like lasting 20 years.

It's a bit early in the game for me to be totally sure, but our old stacked Maytag w/d just bit the dust and we decided to replace it with the Saumsung Bespoke washer/dryer combo with heat pump drying technology. So far, I love it. It's soooo quiet, cleans well, and dries clothes all the way (some of these w/d combos turn out slightly damp clothing that you have to shake out when removing it from the machine). My only complaint is that you have to clean the lint trap after every load (which I did before anyway), and it is more complicated to take apart and clean than our old one.

To the person who said they found a good repair person they love, are you willing to share their name? We've had terrible luck finding decent home appliance repair people.