So truthfully, my wife is awesome and does the laundry at our house.  That being said, this is a pretty high tech machine.  Lots of options to meet all your laundry needs.  Upper washer is good for those things that need extra care.  The lower portion can handle larger loads, which is great since my son tends to wait to do his laundry.  The clothes are clean and fresh with no funky residue or smell.   The machine runs quietly. We have not connected it to our Smart Things yet but plan to.