As someone who still has a set of both, older agigtater set and new HE set....... the old would win. I kept the old set out in our garage/ wood shop/ quilt rm building and bought a new HE set for in the house. Most of the time I leave it set on bulky so it will "fill up" for a full load. I liked the old set cause I can start the water going in while I gather up the cloths or material or whatever I am washing while the washer is filling. If you forget something you just open lid and drop in. I agree I don't need the lid locked to protect me. I probaby would NOT buy the HE again, mine is a top loading and I always leave the lid open to dry it out inside. I don't have an odor and have never ran the clean-it cycle in the 3 years I have had it.