A huge advance from the 1987 Simpson top Loader – I have been nursing the old machine for around 12 months and it finally died. I did internet research for other brands and hadn't considered Bosch as I thought it was out of my price range. It was reduced by $400 and I bargained another $180 off and then received a $500 travel voucher when I purchased it. Got to be happy with that :) My cousin has had a front loader for years and is very happy with it (LG) So I made the change. Compared to the old machine, it's quiet, uses a 1/6th of detergent and does an excellent job. My first load, I used too much detergent, but I guess it's trial and error. Have since read to dilute fabric softener to 1 part softener and 7 parts water. I did this today and the towels came out really well.. The manual is crap. On the first load the machine tried to leave home by jumping all over the floor. If it wasn't for this website, I wouldn't have known that it was because I hadn't removed the transportation protection devices