so my feedback so far, few washes in. if anyone is interested...
it is definitely louder than the panasonic ever was! i would not say it is a quiet machine, certainly not on 1600 spin,then it is LOUD, although during the rest of the cycle, mostly quiet, most noise caused by the pump to be honest.
it is not as smart looking as the panasonic was. the finish is a little rushed I think BUT i would rather have better engine than finish lol
on the first eco wash the bubbles remained on the door and the rubber so after the wash finished, i had to wipe these first before taking clothes out as would get onto the clothes when pulled out. i had reduced the amount of powder on the next wash and it didn't happen again, so it is possible that i need to use less powder? anyone else noticed the need for less powder? which would be great!
third wash in one of the sports socks got stuck under the door so didn't get washed. again, never had this problem before with my last washer.