Basic Information

Dryer: Samsung DV665JW
Features:

sensor dry

reversible door

delay start

9 cycles

Washer: Samsung WF-1254
Features:

delay start

14 wash cycles

5 soil levels

no on-board heater (not a feature I have any use for)

Installation:

Stacked

Cost:

Washer: $399.99 (current Samsung suggested list price: $729.99)

Dryer: $199.99 (current Samsung suggested list price: $419.99)

Extended Warranty (5 years on both): $149.99

Total Cost (including installation and taxes): $892.65

Retailer:

Future Shop (owned by Best Buy - Canadian Best Buy stores do not sell major appliances, just electronics)

This pair gets mixed reviews but at the time I purchased 15 months ago they were dramatically less expensive than any other compact pair on the market. My timing on the purchase was good as this pair is now selling for $400 more than I paid at the same retailer ( $599.0 vs $999.0). I was replacing an Admiral pair circa 1985 that were original to this condo. Both units were in operating condition but the washer cycles were very short and the rinsing and spinning functions were not adequate. The dryer was never less than 90 minutes and often took a couple of hours to dry small loads.

My criteria included:

compact stackable front loaders

effective

efficient

reversible dryer door

easy to operate

attractive styling

good value

reliable

Review:

I love having ensuite laundry (I'm over 40 this is the first place I have lived in that offered this convenience) but realistically I am not that invested in laundry. All I want is clean clothes with as few impediments as possible. Not having to pull the washing machine out or have the dryer door open into your face makes this pair a huge improvement over the previous ones. The Fuzzy Logic controls are really easy to use and offer more choices than I will probably ever use. Machines are quite nice looking, featuring stainless drums and simple but attractive controls.
To me a stacked washer and dryer offer a nicer look than the one piece stacked units. Essentially these are stripped down versions of the Maytag compact pair (MAH2400AWW + MDE2400AZW ) which are about twice the price I paid for these but look almost identical.

I had the washer set on Good Vibrations vibration dampener pads. Unfortunately it is not perfectly level and it is the back feet that need adjusting (I can�t reach them). I definitely get some shimmy going into and coming out of the spin cycles but it is very stable once up to speed and I don't have any movement. I only use the high-speed spin not the extra high. I can't believe how dry the clothes come out of the washer compared to the previous machine. Clothes are coming out clean and well rinsed (I use a 1\4 cup of an "all natural" Canadian made powder called Nature Clean and a tablespoon of their Oxy Stain Remover as a booster). Dryer is mediocre (as are most compact dryers) but my drying times have been reduced dramatically by the quality of the washer spin cycle. Some sounds the machine makes are fairly loud but during washing it�s quiet and being stable (rather than on casters) it transfers far less sound to the unit below me.

Dryer makes an odd noise on timed cycles (not on the pre-set cycles). I actually had the first unit I bought replaced because of this. Second one made the same noise though of late when I have used the timer I have not heard the noise - maybe the machine just needed to be broken-in? Noise is like a scraping sound of a spring in a timepiece - odd and unpleasant. I only use the timer for mixed loads when the censor stops before the larger\thicker items are dry so not for more than 15 minutes. On average I would say my drying time is an hour. No problems with over-drying.

Conclusion:

Whether these machines will prove to have been a wise compromise remains to be seen. To date they have met most aspects of my criteria very successfully however the issue of their reliability is still unknown (so far so good). It may be optimistic but I felt if they lasted 7 years (with some repairs) I would be very pleased with their longevity. At 15 months I am very satisfied with their performance and would recommend them.

1) WF-1254 Modified Energy Factor (MEF) 1.81

* MEF (Modified Energy Factor) = (cu.ft/kwh/cycle) → the higher, the better
*July 1, 2009: >1.8 \ January 1, 2011: >2.0

2) WF-1254 Water Consumption Factor (WCF) 6.3

*WCF (Water Consumption Factor) = (gal/cycle/cu.ft) → the lower, the better.
* July 1, 2009: <7.5 \ January 1, 2011: <6.0

3) WF-1254 Energy consumption (kWh/year) 156

The kWh/year consumption for this machine is still in the range of most compact models.

Dryer on the other hand at 430 kWh/year is one of the greedier models on the market.

My hydro bill has dropped about $10 a month from the previous year despite increasing rates since installing these machines. However I also introduced programmable thermostats for my electric baseboard heating around the same time which has also contributed to my reduced consumption.