I think in all cases, Kenmores are rebadged from other manufacturers (GE, Frigidaire, Whirlpool, Maytag, etc). Sometimes that helps the feature/cost quotient, sometimes not.
We wore out a cheap Frigidaire front loader in about 8 years. Great machine, though. We now have a Whirlpool - also great. +1 on bridgman's comment. Our Whirlpool is on the manufacturer drawer thing and it bounces around like crazy. I am considering bolting the stand to the floor.
Whirlpool is about a generation ahead of everyone on front-loaders.
Someone I trust told me that parts/service for LG in the US has not caught up to other manufacturers yet.
We noticed an immediate and significant savings in energy when we switched to a front-loader. It not only saves water, but also does such a superior job of wringing the load that the dryer doesn't have to work nearly as hard.
