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roorezzi

Help me with Front Loading W/D selection

roorezzi
10 years ago

We had a 20 year old pair of GE Washer and Dryer. Then a relative said we have a stackable - do you want it. Turns out it was a 5-7 year old Stacked Combo unit. The thing barely dries and it is just small.
We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 4 yr old and 18 mo old.)

I am looking to see what is out there that is reasonably priced yet still large enough to grow with us. The kids clothes are only going to get bigger and bigger with more laundry to do.

I found a pr of Samsung Front Loaders on sale this week. I am new to looking at these and not sure about Samsung and not sure about the size.

Samsung 3.9 cu ft Washer. 11 cycles including Steam
WF393BTPAWR
Priced at $696

Samsung 7.4 cu ft dryer including Steam
DV393ETPAWR
Priced at $696

Here is the link on Home Depot. I am not sure how to make it clickable.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Samsung-3-9-cu-ft-High-Efficiency-Front-Loa d-Washer-with-Steam-in-White-ENERGY-STAR-WF393BTPAWR/203673116?N=c3ovZ a0f#specifications

If anyone can help me with these that would be appreciated. Or if anyone has any other suggestions.

Thanks

Comments (5)

  • richard_f
    10 years ago

    I don't own a Samsung, so I have first hand opinion, but you might want to read through the thread I've linked below.

    While there are some valid criticisms of their approach, I've always found that Consumer Reports is a good starting place for appliance research.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Don't Buy a Samsung Washer or Dryer

  • roorezzi
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    From what I can see on Consumer Reports. It got a score of 84 with the highest rating models getting a 90. It scored Excellent in washing performance, capacity, energy, water efficiency. Very Good in Gentleness and noise. Said Vibration was just good but we will have in basement on cement.. so not too much of a concern for me.

    I did come across that thread but its hard to judge. Most ppl that had major issues were from 3 years ago and it seems like there is good and bad with everything.

  • herring_maven
    10 years ago

    roorezzi, Let me precede a specific piece of information with a question and a (related) bit of advice.

    The question: do you take your friends and neighbors for a tour of your laundry room? No? Then why do you need to replace a perfectly functioniong dryer when you replace a failing washer? Alternatively, if you ae determined to buy both a washer and a dryer at the same time, what is the reason (if there is a reason) that they must "match"?

    You can purchase a Whirlpool brand or similar Sears Kenmore brand (made by Whirlpool) large capacity hamper door dryer for a fraction (~half) the price you would pay for a dryer that "matches" whatever the "washer that I really want" would cost you. There are some pretty big differences among washers; but dryers, a mature technology, pretty much all perform the same.

    Do not be dazzled by the so-called styling if you are looking at a budget. The one biggest dryer feature for many of us (perhaps not you) is whether the door is hinged on the side or hinged on the bottom ("hamper door"). A good case can be made that the hamper door is superior, but the hamper door Whirlpool (as reliable an appliance as you can find, and in production, with minor improvements, for half a century) is unlikely to "match" the "styling" on the washer that you want. Can you live with that?

    As to the washer -- the more important -- side, we are among those who have joined the Samsung washer owners' club in the past few years, and we like ours very much. That comes with a caveat (below), but I tell you this as a veteran of four (only) front-loader washing machines (starting with my mother) stretching back to the late 1930s. Our front-loading washing machines have lasted an average of a quarter century each, each as the only washing machine in the house, so you know that we choose our washers wisely.

    The caveat: we have read of some Samsung failures. Most of those failures were in the electronic control boards, so we have taken the precaution of putting a cheap surge/spike protector (a Tripp-Lite "SpikeCube," less than $7) between our electrical outlet and the plug of the Samsung washing machine to protect the electronics from dirty power. So far, so good.

    The feature of the Samsung that impelled us to purchase that brand is the "Diamond Drum," a dimpled pattern that reduces the tendency of the high speed spin part of the wash cycle to push tufts of clothing through the water drainage holes of the drum. This reduces wear on the clothing. That design (a different version of which Miele features as its "Honeycomb Drum") is a feature that you cannot add to another washing machine that lacks it.

  • marytaylor2521
    10 years ago

    Aside from Samsung, there are also other cheap washer and dryers out there from different brands like GE, LG, Maytag and Whirlpool. These washers are water and energy-saving, high efficiency and compact size. If you want to have a look at them just visit this webpage cheapwasheranddryerhq.com.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cheap Washer and Dryer HQ

  • kodiak13
    10 years ago

    My two cents -- any brand can have issues. One person's washer can work great while another can have the exact same washer and have nothing but problems.

    We bought our Samsung washer last July (did not replace the dryer as it works fine). I have been completely happy with our choice. The locking mechanism was cheap and it did fail within two months but Samsung's CS was fantastic. They scheduled a repairman that was out within a few days, he replaced the lock, gave me some general advice on care and cleaning and left. The new lock is far better than the original and my guess is their design was improved upon after failures.

    My husband picked it up, brought it home and installed it. Doing so limited damage, in my opinion. He knew how to remove shipping bolts and level the machine correctly. This is not always the case when you have a store deliver your machines so be careful.

    Also, the Samsung owner's manual does not really give a lot of information on load weight and spin cycle. I couldn't understand how come my towels weren't finishing their spin cycle on my very first load. I added more towels. I finally got it to finish but I had to pack the drum and figured this was not a great start. But then I started searching online and found a youtube video from Samsung that detailed tips on load size and spin cycle setting. They really should have more information in the manual about this as I found many comments online from users being unable to figure out how to get their machine to spin successfully. I wonder how many returned machines are because of this one issue.

    Anyway, bottom line my experience with our Samsung washer has been very good!

    I would never buy another machine though without an extended warranty. We bought one this time around and it was money well spent even if the machine never breaks in that period. We bought our last pair without an extended warranty and it broke every 10-12 months. In the end we were finally so sick and tired of Sears customer service, the terrible washer, and feeling trapped into pouring $200-$300 into a washer every year that I was fast beginning to hate, that we decided to take the plunge and get rid of it and buy something better.