Front End Loader Washer/dryer

Are you aware you can't open front loaders once you started a wash. That's the only reason I didn't get one. I got the maytag Bravo....excellent!
Sometimes you forget to put something in.

We LOVE our Whirlpools and my parents love their Samsung. My hubby sold appliances for quite some time, and he said that Whirlpool, Samsung, and Bosch are the best out there. We have other appliances that are Kenmore that I cannot stand, so I would steer clear of those.

A steam dryer is quite a bit more expensive than a traditional, and probably not worth the money unless you iron often.

We love our Samsung! And you can open the door after it's started -- easily enough I can toss something to my husband and ask him to do it! :) We have the one with the silver bar so we can sanitize items with cold water. Love it!

We have a steam dryer and love it, too! You just have to hook it up to the water, but that was done for us when it was installed. The steam dryer is for refreshing items instead of having to iron them. I don't use it much other than for my table clothes. I do occasionally hear my husband doing it for his wrinkly-resistant things. He really likes it!

GL! Hope you find one you really like. Oh -- the silver bar also keeps the washer from smelling musty. I still leave the door cracked, though, just to be sure.

Samsung is supposed to be one of the quieter models with the highest customer service rating. I haven't researched that since I bought mine so that could have changed.

I have a GE. Got it at Christmas and love it so far. We went with it because it was less than $600 and was on Denver Water's top tier for water savings. Our water use has gone done 80 gallons per day according to our water bill. Wow! Also, our energy use has gone down noticeably because the dryer takes only 1/3 the time. I didn't replace my dryer so its a direct comparison between washers. So, the cost was maybe $150 more than a top loader - we will recoup that in less than a year on energy and water use. My laundry detergent use is down to a thimbleful (I've always used much less than the bottle says because we have very soft water in Arvada). Add one more savings! I can pause the cycle and open the door at any point. GE's solution to the "odor" issue is to run a basket clean cycle once per month with bleach. I don't know that its really necessary - I've only done it twice and have had no odors to date. Water does sit in the door seal, so you need to leave the door cracked when not in use. In Colorado, most of the time it takes less than 24 hours for the seal to dry out completely.
The steam dryer uses steam to remove wrinkles. they're very expensive and the guy at best buy said he didn't think they were really worth it.

Dropped a fortune on Whirlpool front load washer and dryer, hated every minute of it! Even with the stand I found them back breaking, 3-4 loads a day bent over. Left them in the old house, have a stacked one now and love it, no more bending over!

I asked the same question about 6 months ago and got a lot of good answers. I ended up buying a pair from Frigidaire, which are made by Electrolux. It was between this brand and Samsung for me.
And I CAN open the washer if I forget to put something in - it pauses and I open and put in the item, press start again. Easy.
I did get the pedistals, but considering the price, I don't think I'd do it again.
In my mind I wanted to put a countertop on top of my washer and dryer and fold laundry on top, my hubby however thought of my poor back (not that he'd ever empty the washer.....!!!) and wanted to add the pedistals. I thought if he didn't mind the price, why not. I'm kind of 50/50 on this still.
But as far as the brand and ease of use - I'd certainly recommend them. I have not had any issue at all.
Oh, some people make an issue of the washer smelling - but that's only if you close the door when NOT in use. Just leave it ajar when not in use, and you wont have a problem.

I had a Maytag Neptune set of front-loaders for about six years and liked them fine, but there was indeed an issue of the washer smelling yucky and even growing mold (!) inside the rubber ring by the door. Maytag fought a lawsuit with consumers over this issue, so it wasn't just me. Leaving the door open to let it air out when not in use helped quite a bit, but the whole thing bummed me out--I have to scrub the edge of the washer occasionally and run an empty rinse to keep the washer fresh. Other than that, the Neptunes did a good job, and I think the current models have rectified this problem.
At this house, we purchased a slightly mis-matched set of LG front-loaders at a discount and a year later I am still in love with them. The washer has lots of options (and will even wash the bathmats thoroughly, and handled a hot wash for cloth diapers like a champ) and the buttons are on the front of the machine, so my kids can reach them and they now do lots of helping with laundry (at ages 4 and 8--it's wonderful!).
The dryer we have is a discontinued model of a steam dryer and it's amazing. I don't know if I'd spend the money if I were to pay full price, because I think steam dryers are over $2k, but this machine is a wonderful invention. It's a regular dryer most of the time, but you can put it on steam mode and then either let it toss a piece of clothing or insert a rack into the dryer that will hold your short in place and steam dry it--either way, nearly all the wrinkles in most fabrics are knocked out so if you take it right out you don't have to iron. I don't think the steam treatment would be enough for something really wrinkly, such as linen or a very crumpled dress shirt, but my hubby wears no-iron fabric shirts that have usually needed some ironing to make them look nice, but now he just steam-dries them for a few minutes in the morning instead of ironing. It's a treat.
I've been happy with our LG brand appliances, although a repair guy who was here for a different reason said he gets calls on front-loaders because their computerized buttons sometimes give people trouble. I haven't had any problems with that at all, and I've not purchased front-loaders twice and would buy LG again.
Happy laundry to you! :)

We also have LG. It's been almost 5yrs, and with 7 kids they get a LOT of use (usually about 4 loads a day) and they have been great!
As far as smell, like someone else mentioned, you can use the same remedy as a top load washer, leave the door open for some ventilation when not in use. Also occasionally running a cycle of just hot water and vinegar will take care of it if it gets bad. Ours you can open during the cycle too, you just pause the cycle, wait about 2 seconds and the door unlocks-no biggie!

Can't help you with the steam dryer though-sorry!

We bought an LG at Sears a few months ago. That and the Kenmore(which is made by LG) were both highly rated on consumer reports.
The LG was a little less expensive so we bought it. So far so good.