This sub-$700 Whirlpool-built basic washer ships with a documented control board defect: the water level sensor fails and locks the drain pump into continuous operation, sometimes starting itself in the middle of the night to run empty. The $225 board replacement plus labor costs more than buying a used machine, and the failure hits reliably at 12-18 months, confirmed by techs as a known service bulletin issue. Even if you dodge that sensor lottery, the auto-sensing chronically underfills, leaving clothes half-dry during wash. Save another $200 for a machine without a systematic failure mode baked into the design.
Samsung wrapped a genuinely clever AI washing system in hardware that self-destructs on a schedule. Control boards die within two to three years, motors fail so often that multiple replacements under the same warranty, and door seals leak early enough that you'll wonder if they were installed at all. The firmware updates are worse: they've been known to strip features you paid for, lock settings you used to control, or brick the machine outright. When something breaks, Samsung's service network leaves you waiting weeks for a technician who may not show, then weeks more for backordered parts. Skip this and buy the Speed Queen FF7 or LG WM6700HBA instead.