This front-loader cleans beautifully when it works, but the control panel dies without warning on enough units to make the whole lineup a gamble, one failure leaves the machine completely dark and useless, often out of warranty. Motors and bearings fail after two to six years, and the rear drum spider can disintegrate entirely, a catastrophic breakdown that costs nearly as much as replacement. Repair techs and veteran owners consistently point buyers toward LG or Speed Queen for a reason: those machines run boring and long, and boring is exactly what you want in a washer.
Whirlpool built its reputation on Duet washers that quietly ran for a decade, but that goodwill doesn't transfer to current models sharing this platform. The WFW6605 sits in the same parts ecosystem where 2023+ machines are failing identically: control boards die within 2-4 years, leaving drain pumps running nonstop even when the unit is off, and replacement boards sometimes arrive defective from the factory. That's not scattered misfortune, it's a documented pattern across multiple independent owners. If you need a front-loader now, the LG WM4000 or Speed Queen FF7 cost similar money without gambling on a $300 mid-warranty repair.