We had grown sick and tired of Washing Machines that worked good/OK for about 3 years then broke a month or so out of their warranty, so we decided to pay a couple of hundred pounds more and buy one with a reputation for longevity. We Bought a Miele w1514 nearly two years ago. The first thing we discovered about it was that the 3 year warranty, when registered with Miele, turned into a 5 year warranty with the option of a further 3 years on top! now this was a special offer at the time but even so - a manufacturer willing to stick its neck out for a product it makes for 8 years shows how confident they are about its reliability. The next thing noticed was the short wash cycle - about 20 mins - and it cleans as well as some of the longer cycles so 99% of the time we just use this. Oh and you can adjust the temperature down below 20'' if you need to and the spin speed is adjustable as well. The W1514 is only slightly quieter than other front loaders (don''t be fooled by db ratings - their logarithmic and don''t give a good indication of loudness) but what you will notice is the smoothness. just to show off to a neighbour I had a load of 4 pairs of jeans and a towel in the middle of a 1400 spin cycle and I balanced a £1 coin on its edge on top of the washer. All in all a smart looking, good cleaning, easy to use washer that while it costs 15% to 20% more than most others is certainly, in my opinion, worth the extra.
