Product review (2 stars): Not a best buy
I was really excited when we first got this washer.  It was quiet, used less water than a top loader, got our clothes clean and spun out so much water at the end that our dryer had less wear and tear.  The honeymoon was short lived because soon the washer started leaking onto the floor.  Hubby did lots of research online and made several repairs and replaced several parts himself which saved us a lot on repair bills.  About 4 years into this though and the washer constantly either leaks or pours water onto the floor with every load (fortunately it is in our basement with a floor drain nearby, so we haven't had any major disasters.  When we take the washer apart, it is easy to see that there are a few really bad design flaws that cause the gasketing and hoses to get repeatedly chewed up.  There's just no way around it.  Currently, in addition to the leaking, the washer has started banging loudly as it spins.  Bad news for us this time around as this appears to be an expensive, deal-breaking repair.  I think I agree with another reviewer - I don't think we'll buy another Whirlpool.  We bought a new Whirlpool refrigerator a few years ago and it doesn't appear to be of good design or quality either.