With mhs, there are always compromises and everybody has different priorities but for our family, a W/D is a must. As others have mentioned, the combo doesn't have a very large capacity and might not do as good of a job cleaning but I'd much rather have it than have to use the laundrymat. Stacked units certainly give you bigger loads but I don't think I'm prepared to lose that much storage space and I like being able to put the load in the machine and set it to wash then dry and not have to touch it until the clothes is ready to go back into the dresser.