Lol, true, the planned obsolescence is real. That said, I use Choice, a consumer advocacy group in Australia. They do reviews of products independent of the organisations they are reviewing. They get their funding from member subscriptions, not deals with manufacturers, so their financial interests are well aligned. They reviewed my washer and dryer and said they were the quietest and close to the most energy efficient available. If they die in a few years I will have made the difference up in electricity usage savings and not going mad from the noise, so it seems like a good deal.