One day, my wife decided to get this humongous blanket. It was so big that it wouldn't fit in our regular top load washer. It was one of those blankets that you had to wash every two weeks and it was getting to be a hassle to go to the laundromat so we bit the bullet and decided to get a large front loader. When we got our old washer I didn't think we needed to spend a whole lot of money on it so we just got a middle of the line GE. This time, I thought, what the heck, let's just get the top of the line one so we wouldn't have any buyer's remorse about not getting the best. And there was quite a big difference in cost, $500 for our old washer 3 years ago to $1400 for this one.
I researched all the washers carefully and read a lot of reviews and decided to go for a front loader, which is supposed to wash better because the clothes are tossed over and around instead of just being swirled around, and it's supposed to save water. And based on the reviews, I thought Samsung came out ahead in terms of quality. Mind you, the difference is not that much. There is no brand which is terrible in quality from what I read of online reviews, all are quite good, I just liked Samsung better. It's also somewhat subjective as I just liked the way it looked.
What I like about it.
1) Silvercare. I really like that fact that the laundry can be sanitized with silver ions instead of using heat because heat does terrible things to clothes. Especially families with kids, you've got mud and dirt and underwear, and adult clothes mixed with children's clothes. This was a very important selling point to me.
2) 4.5 cu. ft. capacity. I wanted to get the biggest size possible. This was one of the reasons which I didn't go one level down, even though the next level down was 4.3 cu.ft., which was just a little smaller. But as I said, I didn't want any second thoughts in the future, so I just got the biggest one.
3) Bells and whistles. This washer has a lot of features and functions: steam clean, bedding, quick wash, delay start, etc. in addition to the regular cycles. To be honest, I'm not using 90% of them now. I don't wear any fancy clothes and my laundry loads are either towels, every day clothing or underwear. What I do like is that I can customize the function. I chose "normal" but found that it didn't spin them enough so I increased the spin level by one. I also use the "hand wash" function, but found I needed to increase the spin level by one too. There are like 20 functions and you can customize them all to some degree.
4) Yeah, I like watching the clothes go around and it's relaxing. This is my first front loader ever. I wonder if I'll ever get tired of watch clothes go around.
5) I forget what they call this, but the washer resets itself if the clothes get bunched up. And that's one thing I disliked about my toploader. Sometimes the clothes would get all bunched up on one side and the toploader will throw itself out of whack and make a lot of noise. This one can reset itself.
Cons:
None really so far, but a few comments.
1) Water saver, it uses less water than your regular top loader. I just can't get used to the idea that clothes can be thoroughly washed without them being completely soaked and when you watch through the glass window you'll see that the water never fills up the drum; the clothes do get wet, they just don't get immersed totally in water. In fact, you never see a water line through the window. Other reviewers in other forums have made the same comment.
2) Noise. I thought this would be whisper quiet, but it isn't a lot quieter than my toploader, which was an agitator. But the noise is from the clothes tumbling around inside the drum, the motor itself is totally quiet. However, both this Samsung and my 3 year old GE are much noticeably quieter than my last last washer from more than 10 years before, which demonstrates that technology has increased a lot; and also if you have a washer more than 10 years old you should seriously look at a new one! This is only in the "con" section because I thought it would be absolutely noiseless, but I guess there isn't much you can do about the noise of clothes tumbling around.
3) Capacity. It may have a 4.5 cu.ft. capacity but it's harder to load more in a front loader because you're trying to load stuff in sideways whereas with a top loader you just fill it to the top. Fill the little things like socks first and big things like towels at the top. I feel that even though my old washer was a 3.3 cu.ft, this one doesn't wash 36% more clothing.
Overall.
For the value minded, is this functionally 2.8X better than my old top loader? ($1400 vs. $500). I would say no. It's got more functions but I think that most people can make do with a middle of the line washer. I would say that this washed as well as my 3 year old GE.
However, getting a new washer nowadays is a lot more about function. It's visceral, it's emotional, it's subjective. For 2.8X the money, you get a washer that subjectively looks a lot better ($500 washers don't come in 4 different colors, and just don't have the same oomph.) You get this because of the features, the looks and the fulfillment that you've arrived (in the laundry room). Laundry doesn't become a chore anymore, it's an appointment with the latest technology from Samsung. You don't merely wash your clothes, you clean them, you sanitize them. And that's what the extra $900 is all about. But me, I don't have to justify anything, she who must be obeyed had spoken.
Finally, and this was what sold me - our last last washer lasted almost 10 years. Washers typically last a long time. I didn't want to buy something cheap and then kick myself for the next 9 years wishing I bought something else. If this last 10 years, a difference of a few hundred dollars is negligible and this is a machine you'll use every week. This few hundred dollar difference pales in comparison to getting a washer repairman out. The last time I called it was $140 for the guy to come out and then parts and labor, so spend what you need to spend (within reason) and get the washer you want and the one with the better reputation.
Two month update: I love it. I just shove all my clothes in it and don't have to worry about the clothes getting bunched up on one side and the washer vibrating itself to pieces, and I love the Silvercare sanitation. I've since read up on the web that front loaders can get mold on the rubber that seals the door so after every wash I dry the rubber seal with a towel, and another reviewer said that using Silvercare prevents mold from growing, well, only time will tell on that one. Overall very pleased. For more information please visit our Best front load washers store.
