How much time have you got?
Written: Mar 19 '09 (Updated Mar 19 '09)
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Pros: Quiet running, many advanced washing features, very low vibration, low water usage.
Cons: Lengthy wash cycles, annoying alert sounds, expensive.
The Bottom Line: Excellent value in a high-tech, high quality washer. Beware of very long wash cycles and bleepingly annoying bleeping sounds.
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| philmer's Full Review: Samsung 4.0 cu. ft. Front Load Steam Washer - WF33... |
After nearly a couple of decades, the old Kenmore top-loader spun its final load. For our next washer, we sought a more environmentally friendly device, and the Samsung WF338 front-loading washing machine won the prize.
The new generation of front-loading washers offers clear benefits over their older top-loading brethren... Far less water and detergent usage, lower electricity consumption, lower noise, and in some cases, higher capacity. Not to mention the hours of entertainment you'll enjoy, watching your clothes sprayed with soapy water as they tumble and spin their way to cleanliness.
Front loaders also have some down side. They are more expensive, they require more costly concentrated "he" detergent, and their dramatically faster spinning drums can set your whole house vibrating.
HIGH TECHNOLOGY
We chose the Samsung WF338 over the competition for the latter reason. Our laundry room has the flimsiest floor you've ever seen. You can almost feel the floor "giving" under your feet as you walk across it. The vibration resulting from a washing machine drum spinning at 1300 RPM on our flimsy floor would probably cause our house to shake itself apart. While other manufacturers' front-loading washers require the rigidity of a concrete basement floor, Samsung's Vibration Reduction Technology (VRT™) claims to make vibration a non-issue. Our wobbly laundry room floor confirms their claim. VRT™ works!
I also like the fact that Samsung uses a smooth, powerful direct-drive DC motor to spin the drum. No belts, transmission or other intervening mechanisms to fail in later years.
Unlike your old washer, the WF338 uses all-electronic controls, has a cool blue fluorescent display to let you know what's going on, and a big Mercedes-Benz-smooth weighted electronic knob that is your interface with the machine.
CLEANING PERFORMANCE
Despite using less water and less detergent, clothes come out of the Samsung clean. No complaints. They also come out dryer... That 1300 RPM turbo spin cycle removes more moisture from your clothes than any conventional washer can... which translates to shorter, easier dryer loads.
Samsung offers what they call SilverCare™, a cycle that claims to use silver to kill up to 99% of bacteria using cold water... a big energy saver. My electron microscope is in the shop right now, so I can't verify if any of this is true. But I can tell you that using this sanitize cycle adds up to 71 minutes to the wash cycle. For that reason, I don't bother with it. Also, the silver electrodes that are built into the washer are expendable items that must be replaced after 1000 or so cycles, at no small cost.
The WF338 also offers Deep Steam Cleaning which Samsung says helps eliminate stains and tough dirt without the need for pretreating. Because it uses extra energy and time, I haven't found the need to use it.
LIFE IS SHORT
But Samsung's wash cycles are not. To me, this is the front-loader's biggest downfall. Our old Kenmore washed a normal load of clothes in around 30 minutes. The Samsung's shortest normal cycle lasts a seemingly endless 51 minutes. Start using Samsung's cool extra features, and you'll be spending your entire life waiting for this washer to get its work done. The heavy duty cycle runs 92 minutes! Turn that nice, smoothly rotating big knob to Deep Steam, and you've just used up 102 minutes of your life. Silver Care: 112 minutes... nearly two hours. Are you kidding me? Some of us have to do four loads in day! If you want to use Samsung's cool high-end features, you better have plenty of time on your hands.
These "War and Peace"-lengthed wash cycles make me question one of the big reasons you buy a front-loading washer... energy savings. If you have to run this washer for nearly two hours, how much electricity is being saved over running a more primitive, albeit less efficient top-loading washer for only 30 minutes?
QUIET WHILE IT'S RUNNING, NOISY WHEN IT'S NOT.
While spinning clothes at jet engine-like RPMs, the Samsung is easily the quietest washing machine I've ever used. The direct-drive motor and the VRT™ assure majestically silent running.
It's before and after the wash cycle that the annoying sounds spew forth from Samsung. The end-of-cycle alert can only be described as a cross between a Japanese Pachinko machine and a room full of Las Vegas video poker machines. It was kind of cute the first day. Now it's just annoying. It would be tolerable if it just went off at the end of the wash cycle. But no... Samsung must celebrate being turned on, being turned off, having its door closed, having its door opened, having a cycle started... with this agonizing cacophonous electronic bleeping. Yes you can turn the noise down or off, but then you don't know when your two hours are up.
To add to the misery, Samsung's companion dryer, the DV338 emits identically annoying sounds at the end of its cycle, so you can't tell by listening which machine is alerting you.
GREAT FACTORY SERVICE
A couple of months into owning the machine, its display started showing "low-fill" errors, and the machine would stop mid-cycle. We called Samsung, and they promptly sent a tech to check it out. Turns out the problem was not with the washer... Our water feed hose was old and clogged. Under the terms of the warranty, they could have charged us for the service visit, but they didn't. That earned my appreciation. Thanks, Samsung!
SHOULD YOU BUY?
If you like the idea of a front loading washer, Samsung's WF338 is probably one of the best values out there. It's vibration reduction technology really works, and sets it apart from other brands. But you should move to this kind of washer with your eyes open... know that your wash cycles will take nearly twice as long as they did with your old washer. If you've got that kind of time on your hands, go for it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1078
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Epinions.com ID:
philmer
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Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 5 members
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