04-11-2010, 11:14 PM
We bought a (barely) used Fisher & Paykel, the only top-loading high efficiency washer that I know of. It's been great, though a valve broke. Fortunately, they are absurdly simple to repair, just a few moving parts and very modular electronics. The replacement part came straight from F&P parts in Los Angeles and was dirt cheap. I'm definitely happy with the machine, and even the new ones are vastly cheaper than all the mainstream brands, though some of the parts (the valve) are a bit flimsy (I guess you get what you pay for). Most of the other brands seem to be way more complex, so I imagine repair bills would be expensive.