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We recently had to replace the washer in our new home as the old one died after about 1 month of use. We decided to just go ahead and buy a dryer to have a complete pair and sold the old dryer.
We looked at just about every front load HE washer/dryer combo out there as we wanted to stack them to save space in the laundry room. We narrowed the field down to the following: LG, Kenmore and Samsung.
LG has been pretty consistently rated as one of the top front loader brands. We found out that the new Kenmore front loaders are actually manufactured by LG and the only differences are a couple features at the same price point in favor of the Kenmore. The wild card was the Samsung which are relatively new to the front loader game. I read extensive reviews before finally deciding on the Samsung pair.
The main selling point for me on the Samsung was that they are the only brand to include a vibration dampening technology to avoid vibrations (that cause banging and walking) during the high speed spin cycles. The vibration is something a lot of people complain about even with the LG models and since the machines were essentially going in the middle of our house we were concerned.
I can report that the Samsung pair has worked flawlessly. We got the 4.0 cubic foot washer paired with the 7.0 cubic foot dryer. Our family of 5 used to generate a minimum of 5-7 loads of laundry a week. Now we only do essentially 3; towels, whites, darks and each load takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to wash and dry. The VRT vibration tech works great. When the washer first spins up you get a slight vibration and then the machine uses bearings to make an adjustment and it stops completely. The pair is so quiet that we have had people standing in our family room where the door to the laundry area is and they didn't know the washer was on until it chimed that it was done, same for the dryer.
A couple other points I learned while researching:
- You want to get at least a 4.0 cubic foot washer as this is the minimum that can handle something like a King Size comforter.
- You should purchase a matched pair as they are designed to work together and you gain the most efficiency this way.
- The main differences in price point are generally related to features. The more options it gives you for cycles the more money you will spend. We went with what is essentially the cheapest Samsung pair you can buy. We've always done our laundry on cold/cold and normal and this machine cleans the clothes better than any other we've used. Really look into the added cycles and see if they are something you can use. We could not justify spending an extra $500 for the pair just to get silver sanitizing cycles or another $1,000 to get steam technology. If we have something that really needs that stuff, we'll take it to the cleaners.
- Make sure you thoroughly wipe out the washer and dispenser tray after you are done using it and leave the door to the washer and the soap dispenser open. Water definitely pools in the door seal and the dispenser tray. We just wipe up the water and leave the door open. No smells, no issues. The Samsung has an anti-microbial treatment on the door gasket to resist mold, but wiping it out is just common sense.
I'll second this post...We got the Samsung 330 model last year and are amazed how quiet and how much laundry it can hold. Only downside is that it is a lot to fold at one time!!!
asked mu appliance repir man who has ben reparing applainces for over 40 years what to buy. I have old amytags and he said the new ones are not like the older ones. he alos said it hard to tell since many are same mnaufactruer now and mnay sue the same parts basically. He recommended a top loader with mechanical timers. He said Whirlpool was as good as he has seen the last ten years.He basically to remain as cheap as they are most will need repari and that electronic timers are just very expensive parts to replace. He said also that alot fo te enw mandated feature make them more complicated and breakdown more possible.
asked mu appliance repair man who has ben reparing applainces for over 40 years what to buy. I have old amytags and he said the new ones are not like the older ones. he alos said it hard to tell since many are same mnaufactruer now and mnay sue the same parts basically. He recommended a top loader with mechanical timers. He said Whirlpool was as good as he has seen the last ten years.He basically to remain as cheap as they are most will need repari and that electronic timers are just very expensive parts to replace. He said also that alot fo te enw mandated feature make them more complicated and breakdown more possible.
That makes a lot of sense. All these new and fancy features just cost more to repair...and yes the new machines don't last as long as the older ones.
I'll second this post...We got the Samsung 330 model last year and are amazed how quiet and how much laundry it can hold. Only downside is that it is a lot to fold at one time!!!
I third it We had a Siemens (badged as Bosch too or vice-versa). When it spun, it literally shook the house. The laundry closet is on the second floor and it would cause cracks in the ceiling of the sheetrock on the first floor.
The new Samsung has a vibration reducing technology and you can barely hear the machine when it is in the spin cycle. And no cracks in the ceiling on the first floor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by texdav
asked mu appliance repir man who has ben reparing applainces for over 40 years what to buy. I have old amytags and he said the new ones are not like the older ones. he alos said it hard to tell since many are same manufacturer now and mnay sue the same parts basically. He recommended a top loader with mechanical timers. He said Whirlpool was as good as he has seen the last ten years.He basically to remain as cheap as they are most will need repari and that electronic timers are just very expensive parts to replace. He said also that alot fo te enw mandated feature make them more complicated and breakdown more possible.
I do the same thing too I want to know what the repair people have to say since they are seeing the repairs that they are conducting. The last person said the same thing about Maytags. My parents still have a set of Maytags that are probably 30 years old. All the new technology comes at a price in terms of maintenance free ownership.
This may have been mentioned already, but you should look at Lowe's and Home Depot clearance aisles. You can get some killer discounts on appliances that were previously display models, and they still have warranties. We got a $1,600.00 Samsung refridgerator for $800.00 because it was a display and had a small dent the size of a quarter on one side. Nobody will ever notice that small dent.
We also got a Samsung washer and dryer that were on clearance, nothing wrong with them.
When we relocated in 2002 we purchased brand new MayTag washer & dryer set...I bought these because my granny and mom owned a set loved em! I hated them from day one, noisy loose belts that had to be tightening ever few months to a washer that walking on high spin, plus the dry took forever to dry, even on the high setting! We had the guy out a dozen times within the first year! After three years of this and another major move we sold em, replace it with top of the line Samsung washer and dryer no vibration and silver sanitizing, steam technology, these babies cost 3000.00....I loved it, no noses, no vibration, it lived up to what it promised!
Then withing two weeks the washer died! The mother broad went out, it was under warranty a 300.00 fix it otherwise... Then came the nightmare, because Samsung is so new to America they must order the parts from overseas! Plus not many repair folks know how fix em...We live right outside major WA city, they could not find a guy to fix it, in fact we were given the run around on the phone trying to find the part...After four weeks of no washer or dryer and dozen of phone calls made trying to get the part I had it! Samsung did offer to trade us for another set, same price but lesser unit, the unit we bought supposedly had issues was no longer being offer! Call the company told em to pick it up want my money back.....We spent the next week looking, we found out that maytag was now whirlpool, why my high dollar Maytag was crap! It nothing more then a whirlpool washer underneath with the high dollar Maytage name these days....So I paid for the name! I finally bought Electrolux high end no vibrate with silver sanitizing steam technology washer & dryer, love em! Cost the same as Samsung... Had Electrolux for a year and a half, no problems!
Last edited by WildCard~; 01-29-2011 at 01:15 PM..
I think I would go with what features you like. I've had top loaders and front loaders GE-Whirlpool-Whirlpool Duet and now LG. All with problems in a few years and some after 6 years.
I think now a days it's a luck of the draw-appliances in general now a days are lacking in quality.. You'll never know-you could have a lemon in a top rated appliance or be lucky and have no problems with a mediocre or low end appliance.
I read reviews but I think I will get an extended whole house warranty
It all depends on your budget really. I had a whirlpool top loader that lasted me 12 years. I only paid a few hundred for it. No major bells or whistles. I sold it on craigslist. It was still going strong but my dryer died so I decided to upgrade to a front loaders last year. I purchased an LG set. I am really happy with it. It gets the clothes a lot cleaner. I am on septic now so the less water used is a big plus for me.
ANYTHING but a GE. I'd rather beat my clothes on the creek rocks than put up with that outfit (a second time).
After numerous (3or4, seriously) technician visits on the brand new appliance, GE finally agreed to refund. I DID NOT WANT A REPLACEMENT and it took H(ome)D(epot)s customer support (finally) to get it right. I went with the Maytag and forgot about it.
You have two machines if you want a good washing machine. Either the European spec'd USA version Miele or a Speed Queen. Don't bother with the rest.
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We had a Siemens (badged as Bosch too or vice-versa). When it spun, it literally shook the house. The laundry closet is on the second floor and it would cause cracks in the ceiling of the sheetrock on the first floor. 
