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anceska

Any new opinions about Electrolux Wave washer/ dryer?

Anceska
12 years ago

Hello, last month I was shopping around for a new dryer and I ordered GE profile dryer directly from their outlet website. When the dryer got delivered to me and the tech plugged it in, it was terible noise and was found defective. I refused the delivery and decided to opt for money back. Few days later my washer broke and I decided to start over and look for a new washer/dryer set.

I did some internet research, read some reviews and then went to best buy where I purchased Samsung combo, WF431 with foam, steam and VRT technology. They had a great promotion and the machines looked amazing. I got them delivered shortly after, about two weeks ago.

I was very excited about them but got disappointed shortly after.

First and foremost, although the laundry appeared to be clean and smelled fresh, much better than from my old TL, but stains did not come off completely. That was a huge turnoff for me because my main priority is to get stains out. And then after 6 days the dryer broke. All of a sudden while I was drying my children's car seats covers, the dryer popped and it does not work ever since. The power does not even come on. Since I was still within my 30 days exchange/ return period I decided to do more research and after days spent online and reading posts and reviews, I decided to order Electrolux Wave washer/dryer. Although I went over my budget, I got a good deal from Lowes and their pricing on extended warranty is unbeatable, extra four years for both machines only $180!

I am supposed to have them delivered next week and I hope my quest for washer/dryer will be finally satisfied!

If anybody has some experience, pros and cons, I would love to hear them!

Comments (7)

  • georgect
    12 years ago

    I pretty much hear good things about the WaveTouch.
    They are still my first choice when I need to replace my top loader.

    Please keep us informed when you start using/testing out the new WaveTouch's.

  • silvercanadian
    12 years ago

    I've got the WaveTouch washer, still waiting for my dryer for a month and a half (ordered the gas version).

    Pros:

    * short cycles which can easily be made longer if desired by adding steam, pre-wash, stain pre-treat and/or increasing soil level
    * very quiet and very stable
    * LED light inside drum is very nice
    * shrink guard option is da bomb!! Best feature since sliced bread. After spinning it tumbles the clothing and takes all the wrinkles out. Super awesome for when you're doing a load of dress shirts that you hang to dry, or any other hang to dry clothing. Especially great when you're dryer hasn't arrived yet and you have to hang EVERYTHING. ;)
    * ability to add extra water to a load. Great for bulky items like sleeping bags and comforters or modern cloth diapers
    * lots of spin speeds
    * lots of soil level choices
    * several "favourite" cycles, so you can create your own
    * cleans very well and seems to get stains out better than my previous front loader. I've been using the pre-wash/stain pre-treat option for every load that contains kids clothing and I'm wondering if I could just cut that down to the stain pre-treat option. I'm just used to using pre-wash on kids' clothing from my previous front loader that had only the pre-wash option and no stain pre-treat option.
    * if you've forgotten to add an option or want to remove one, pausing the cycle allows you to do this. My prior machine allowed me to pause a cycle but wouldn't let me change the spin speed or change other options once the cycle was started.

    Cons:

    * darn LED light doesn't stay on long enough if you're having to pull items out one by one to hang. You can hit a button to turn it back on, but if the display happens to go out entirely, you're SOL for turning the light back on
    * you can't use pre-wash or stain pre-treat on the sanitary cycle, gentle cycle or handwash cycle. HUH? My last front loader allowed me to pre-wash on any cycle. So apparently my gentle items aren't allowed to need a pre-wash to help remove stains...there may be a way around this though, I just haven't had a chance to figure it out. Maybe just taking a normal load, lowering spin speed and soil level? I'll have to play around.
    * each cycle remembers the last previously used settings, but if you don't remember what those were, you have to cycle through the selected options on the display which is not near as easy as just being able to look at selected hard buttons
    * you need to close the detergent drawer with some force else it bounces back open (since opening it is pressing a button and it pops open). This is just taking me awhile to get used to it, so I'm sure it will be removed as a con at some point.

    Obviously can't give any feedback on the dryer yet but I'm looking forward to the "line dry" cycle.

    Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer.

  • Anceska
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you for your post! I am waiting for both washer and dryer to be delivered hopefully this Friday. I have had Samsung WF431 for two weeks and was very disappointed.
    How do you like the touch door on the Wave? Some people seem to hate it. You also said that they clean very well but that you use pre wash. What if you just use a normal cycle or the famous 18min wash, how is the cleaning power then? And also my main concern is the temperature level. I am used to high temperature cycles from my hometown in Europe but as I learned from other post, FL machines for US market don't use temperature above 158F. The samsung never seemed to use anything but lukewarm water on any cycle even with the steam...

  • silvercanadian
    12 years ago

    The door is fine, hasn't bothered me in the slightest. I only use pre-wash on kids' clothing that generally has stains of food, dirt, grass, etc. I use the pre-wash for the stains. I don't use it on any of the adult clothing. I have never used the 18 min. cycle, can't say I've had a need for it yet. But, it is only for lightly soiled clothing. All the default cycles are short. A typical normal cycle with normal soil level is only around 30 mins. The delicate cycle I am running right now, on a normal cycle level was 32 minutes and that is with the shrink guard option turned on which adds time to the cycle.

    I've never checked my water temps, haven't had a need as everything comes out clean. I wash a lot of my laundry on cold, as per the washing instructions on the clothing. Clothing is unfortunately cheaply made nowadays, even the brand name, expensive clothing is not made like it was used to. Washing at hotter temps against the instructions can cause shrinkage and twisting (based on my experience).

    For example, all my maternity clothing from a chain maternity store here in Canada has to washed on cold water, gentle cycle, hang to dry. Before we moved, I washed a load on cold water, normal cycle in my prior front loader, and all the t-shirts had the seams twist and were so uncomfortable to wear. I re-washed them at the new house in the Electrolux and hung them to dry and miraculously, they untwisted. I got lucky I guess!

    I wash undies, towels and sheets on hot, diapers on hot with a sanitary cycle thrown in occasionally, some select whites on warm, but all my darks and colours are washed in cold.

    So, in Europe, people wash their darks on hot too? How do the dark colours not fade? I like my blacks looking super black, I hate when they look washed out.

  • Anceska
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    We don't wash dark clothing on hot, but usually on 30C or 40C which is definitelly warm for US standards. My mother uses Perwoll Gel for dark and clothes do not fade but she does not have a dryer. She hates dryers and she exclusively hang all the clothes. There are only two persons I know who have a dryer and they are my age and sort of new school of doing laundry opposed to the old school like my mom. I must say that I also believe that dryers damaged many of my clothes, as they say it fried them as well as put holes in them?? So I am also excited to see if the wave dryer will be more delicate. I love to dry towels and sheets and bedding to get the lint out, but some clothes I never dry, instead I hang them. But again I was using quite old dryer with really no options for special fabrics or so.

  • silvercanadian
    12 years ago

    I dry all towels, sheets, and underwear and socks as those are things that are a pain to hang to dry. Especially here where we get sub zero temps all winter long! My house doesn't have enough room inside to hang sheets for 3 beds and towels for 4. :)

    I do find dryers will fade dark clothing and of course shrink clothing and also the seams will twist on cottons nowadays. Almost none of the clothing manufacturers pre-wash fabric before making it and it doesn't always get laid properly, and thus twists if dried. But, I hang most of our things anyway. What I did in my last 2 houses was use the sensor dry feature and set it to "damp dry" so the clothing came out partially dry but not dry enough to fade or shrink and then they dried much quicker hanging. That's why I'm looking forward the the "line dry" setting on the Electrolux dryer! Hoping it might be beneficial for those times that my daughter tells me she needs her dance wear washed for the next day at 11pm at night and I know that it won't be dry by morning if I hang it.

    Sounds like you'll get your dryer before I get mine so let me know how it is!

  • Anceska
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I will! I am hoping and counting on Friday since my clothes keep piling up and I have already about 6 loads waiting to be washed and dried! The dryer is actually in the warehouse ready to be delivered but the washer is coming directly from the factory or so I was told by Lowes where I purchased them. I will keep you posted!