Sears water softener -- bad tasting water

I would check into getting it repaired before I looked for a replacement.

If you do go shopping for a new one consider North Star brand made by ECOWATER. These are available from plumbing supply companies.

The one we had actually had a pretty good manual with it that can show you how to do some simple maintenance on the valve and tubing to ensure they are clear. It sounds like your slow rinse is off for some reason. If the settings haven't been changed, you may just have a blockage - there should be a cap on the valve assembly (easy to remove/reinstall) but check your manual first.