Lived up to the hype

LG recently came out with a lower priced steam model. We were initially going to with that model, but Home Depot had a 10% off appliance sale. Along with an additional 10% for opening up a Home Depot credit card, we decided to splurge and just get this top of the line model. The wife just loved the big LCD screen.

Like the others, I was quite impressed at how well it was packaged. Home Depot had free delivery and setup so I just watched the delivery crew take it out and set it up. Didn't take long at all. Despite the tight fit of the box, the unit had no scratches whatsoever.

I haven't had a chance to try all the wash cycles, but I normally only use "Normal" or "Heavy Duty" anyways. The minimal amount of water it uses is amazing. The same with detergent. I'm sure this washer will make a big difference in lowering the water bill, as well as the amount of detergent you need to buy.

With all the cool lights (blue and orange led lighting) and sounds, I actually sat there and watched a whole cycle. Coming from toploaders, it was really quite interesting. While the unit is amazingly quiet when it rotates, it is actually quite loud when it squirts water out. We have a 2 story house and the unit could be heard throughout the house whenever it squirted out water. Otherwise, it was amazingly quiet.

Like others have mentioned, it spins at an incredibly fast speed. This helps with your drying time (and thus lowers your energy bill) because the clothes are already quite dry by the time it comes out of the washer. I had read other online reviews that talked about excessive vibrations when located in an upstairs laundry room. We have an upstairs laundry room and when we first started it up, I was a bit apprehensive about how much vibrations and accompanying noise the machine would make. I was all ready with my level and wrench to try and tackle the problem. However, while the machine did shake a little, it wasn't enough to produce any noise or move the machine from where it sat. The delivery crew didn't adjust anything there. They just took it out of the box and hooked it up. I do have a pedestal, but others reporting the problem have said they had the pedestals as well.

I guess I either got lucky with my machine, or the others just have poorly built houses. I have a newly constructed house built by the top rated builder in this region. This whole area is booming with new construction. I have noticed that build quality among the various builders varies immensely. Because I've seen such vast disparaties in build quality among the home builders, if you do get that vibration problem, don't immediately assume it's the washing machine's fault.

The big LCD display that sets this unit apart from the lower level steam washer is fairly superfluous. However, it was nice to see how many minutes were remaining and the % til completion. Whether it is worth the extra $200-300 is up to you though.

My wife tried steaming a couple of slacks and it did remove wrinkles. If most of your dry cleaning is to freshen up work clothes that aren't soiled with a lot of dirt or sweat, this machine should save you a ton of money in dry cleaning bills.

My one gripe is with the pedestal. Because of the tendancy of builders to build laundry rooms up on the second story, many of them come with drain pans in case the washer leaks. Mine did. Unfortunately, the lip of that drain pan prevents the pedestal from opening. I know it's not really LG's fault, but I really wish the drawer opened an inch or so up from the bottom. Maybe putting the guide tracks down on the bottom instead of the sides would provide an excuse to have the drawer open up higher. It's not a deal breaker tho.

One final note. We got the matching dryer w/ pedestal. This allows us to still use one of the pedestal drawers. However, aside from having the matching look, I don't know if it's worth the money. Luckily, it wasn't that much pricier than the lower level LG dryers so we decided to get the step. Still, all it does is dry clothes. I think $1000+ is a bit pricy for just a dryer. I just don't see the tech to justify the price like I do with the washer. I did notice that the moisture sensor was much better than the one on my parents' Calypso dryer. My clothes came out dry for the most part. There was no need to use the manual mode. And I like it dry, not barely damp. I was actually quite impressed with that part.

So, I must say that this washer lived up to the hype. Not only was it amazingly easy to use, but it's performance lived up to its cool looks. It uses amazingly low amounts of water and detergent. Whether it was the washer or the dryer, my clothes came out softer and fresher than with the old industrial toploader in our old apartment. There was even far less lint per load. Barely any lint actually. I'm sure our clothes will hold up much longer because of the gentleness of the LG.

Update: May 2008.

We've had this washer for over a year now. Still think it's wonderful. The only problem is that it seems to have become unbalanced. Likely due to the extreme vibrations during the spin cycles. Normally, this isn't a big deal. Just adjust the feet so it's level again. I've run into a problem though. Mine is on a pedestal. There is a plate attaching the washer to the pedestal to keep it secure. This prevents me from adjusting the feet of the washer itself. Normally, I'd adjust the feet of the pedestal. Unfortunately, having the laundry room on the second story, the builder placed a tray, with a lip, in the area where the washer sits so that in case it leaks, the tray will catch the water and funnel it down the drain. The lip prevents me from adjusting the feet on the pedestal. The only way to adjust the feet and get rid of the extreme vibrations (due to being unbalanced) is to lift the washer. It's way too heavy to do it easily so I'm living with the shaking for now. I worry that the shaking will cause stress damage to the house, but I haven't seen any cracks yet.