Great news for those among us who think today's washers have too many features: Frigidaire agrees with you! Their new top-of-the-line model loses several that were available on my 1st generation 2010.

No Bonus Points Awarded For:  Guessing the reduction in features is not accompanied with a lower price.  Still $1049 (MSRP).  Gone:

> Prewash option

> Allergy option

> 1300 rpm spin speed

> Ability to turn on interior light during cycle

> Specialty cycles

Prewash-- OK, a feature that gets infrequent use at my house, but one that's nice to have if one is a farmer with muddy coveralls.

Allergy-- This heated the wash water to around 130 degrees, adding about 25 minutes of time to a cycle. Handy for heavily-soiled loads/stain removal. It also served as an alternative to the steam option, which extends/heats the first rinse (rather than heating/extending the wash) for 20 minutes.

1300 rpm spin speed-- Slowed to 1200 rpm. Wasn't aware of an outbreak of exploding Frigidaires, but they must have a reason for the back-off. I'm all about the final spin speed, especially given a load of bath towels takes nearly twice as long to dry when spun in the top-loading Speed Queen.

Interior light-- I press this button all the time during a cycle to get 3 well-lit minutes of washer-watching fun! A small but important feature for any AW devotee.

Specialty Cycles-- I won't lose sleep over the loss of niche cycles such as Stuffed Toys, Jeans, Pet Bedding, Kids Wear, Active Wear, and Quick Sanitize, but others may use them.

I'm hoping you're right; that this is merely a way to de-emphasize a model that's on its way out. The redesign (due late in 2014, as I recall) will seem all the better. Peter, let us know if you are privy to any updates.

Electrolux is intent on gaining USA market share for its flagship line, so perhaps the theory that the parent company wants their Electrolux brand to shine brighter is correct. That would be sad. I'd hate to see Frigidaire become the equivalent of what the Estate brand is to parent Whirlpool.

Back to de-featuring: The Allergy option isn't a frivolous feature for me. I use it often, and here's why: Even though the water heater delivers hot water at 140 degrees; the washer is barely fifteen feet from it; I always purge the hot water line at a sink near the washer; and there is no dumbing-down of hot water by the machine, the temp of a hot wash rarely climbs above 110-115 degrees. I put this down to the small amount of incoming water being cooled by the large, metal drum, as well as recirculation.

While 110 degrees is fine for most loads, it's great having the option to heat the detergent-rich wash water via the Allergy option. It adds about 25 minutes to the cycle, and heats to around 130 degrees. As with Doug, I use the option often for loads like bed linens (great for removing body oils), not-quite-so-ridiculously-stained kitchen whites, and bath linens.

The steam option, which I also use, is perfect for loads of bath towels or sheets, as you get an extended/heated hot 1st rinse and a warm 2nd rinse. All arguments about whether cotton items benefit from warm rinsing aside, pulling steamy-warm towels from the washer is a wonderful tactile experience.

Unfortunately, choosing both Allergy and Steam neuters the steam option. The faux-steaming takes place during the extended wash (rather than the 1st rinse) and both rinses are cold. Thus, one must decide whether one wants the boost to take place during the wash (Allergy) or if one wants the luxurious feel of pulling very warm items from the machine at the end of the cycle (Steam).

I would also really miss the option to turn on the interior light during the cycle, something I do all the time. As was mentioned, the lens is smoked so you can't really see into the machine well without lighting.

I humbly admit all these are what the Twitterverse deems #FirstWorldProbs.