Product review (5 stars): Fisher & Paykel: Durable, Efficient, Effective. 17+ yrs still going strong.
Bought a FP set in 2000 when they were fairly new because of the design of the drive unit alone. I knew the design of the drive unit was superior to other washer designs that relied on standard horizontal output motors, gears, transmissions, clutches, etc. I was tired of tearing into these components for repeated and expected frequent replacement and repair. Not to mention several water pumps. Had never heard of FP before.

Replaced the motherboard on Washer at yr 6. Fix was plug and play simple replacement (+/- $60). No other problems. Family of 6. Lots of laundry. Ex-wife kept them in 2014. LOVED the direct drive (electro-magnetic?) simplicity, durability, and quietness -very quiet. Also like the simple push button settings vs. a loud, clinky dial system like most other washers typically use (points & condenser style contact points). Little if any improvements to washers motor, clutch, transmission, the motherboard/dial controls, or the damaging agitation means of cleaning in several decades, until the FP system was developed. Very different and much simpler in many design features.

Used very little electricity & water (approx $13/ yr, or $1.00/ month. I'd call that "High Efficiency". Something to do w/the direct drive, magnetic push/pull motor?). Spin dry excellent. Cleaned better then all other washers previously owned, mostly Maytag, which had lots of repairs (clever advertising though). I repaired them myself.

Most liked was how well it CLEANED and very few moving parts. Cleans by Cycling/pulling water and detergent THROUGH clothes constantly (center towards outside drum) instead of beating them harshly with agitator I.E.: easy on fabric. Gas dryer was flawless. Quick dry times also.

In the market for a new set and I wouldn't consider anything BUT a FP. I'm going to go w/the basic EcoSmart (same model/features as the first set) so that I can use "normal" detergent and is $100 less then the AquaSmart which will ONLY run on High Efficiency detergent. Only other advantage to the AquaSmart that I can find is auto bleach & fabric softener. Which I can add manually w/the EcoSmart when/if I want. Why pay $100 more and not be able to use common, readily available, less expensive detergent? Also, the AquaSmart can be run in EcoSmart mode, BUT still requires HE detergent at all times. The FP used about 1/2 as much detergent as was needed in the previous washers. Took some getting used to.

Another small, but user friendly feature is being able to lift the lid and see what's going on and have the washer keep running its cycle. All previous washers/other brands would stop running when the lid was raised. The FP keeps running, but will lock the lid closed when spin drying. Friendly when ok to do so, locked when safety is needed.