The variety of choices for buying clothes washers can pose a bit of a challenge to anyone except a laundry professional.  The bells and whistles can be overwhelming.  But I basically come down to: (1) does it clean my clothes, and (2) does it use as little energy as possible.  The rest is just fluff.

Maytag also provides a wide variety of washers, from flashy front loaders on pedestals, to "no agitator" models-- but fortunately they make a good, basic WASHING MACHINE that does everything needed without requiring mortgage-like financing (read: CHEAP!)

Even on the basic model, I have many options...