I looked at several washers, previously had a top loader that occasionally tore up clothes, so I really liked the idea of clothes falling freely through the water as the water and detergent cleaned them while passing through them - no agitation, no harsh encounters between the clothes and the machine.

This, is NOT that kind of washer. NO H.E. WASHER IS THAT KIND OF WASHER.  And that is unfortunate. 

H.E. Washers work by making the clothes soggy-damp, then beating the crap out of them as they tumble back and forth.  Before having this samsung steamer, I had a Maytag. So help me, I didnt think...