@guesswho: indeed i am! i’ve decided to do my part to “revitalize the economy” and spend my “rebate” on a new dishwasher. mine has been broken for the last three or four years and it’d be really nice to have again. unfortunately while dishwasher shopping, i saw the deal for the washer/dryer. although not necessary, it’d be really nice to get all. i wanted to throw the questions out there and see if the help provided would aide me in making a decision one way or another.
my uncle was an engineer at whirlpool and very strongly discouraged against the hi-eff top load washers. i haven’t used a front loader since college and have never had stacked appliances. stacked appeals to me, since the layout i have requires you to wedge yourself between the commode and the washer to do laundry (after closing yourself in the room-the door opens into the dryer).
thanks for all the input! as always, very enlightening :D