Love It:: Hardly Any Ifs, Ands or Buts

Because some of the complaints from other reviewers are so vehement and harsh, I'll start by listing the ONLY complaint or concern that I have.

That the doors are not reversible is a problem for which LG has no good excuse. Assuming you pair this machine with LG's "partner" dryer - in my case the DG2625 - you MUST put the washer on the left or face the prospect of lifting damp clothes out of the washer, then lifting them over the washer door and placing them in the dryer.

To organize our washer on the left and dryer on the right it required a six foot flexible gas line for the dryer, and extensions on the washer hoses. Others may not be so lucky. If your drain hose is not in the right place, or if your gas service line is in the wrong place, it may require the dreaded washer right, dryer left set-up.

Some MAY be concerned about the depth of these machines - about 4 inches deeper than the norm. But be advised the manufacturer's measurements refer to the deepest portion of the machine, the center. The front is curved outward. The deep measurement is NOT at the corners. Because of the depth measurement given, we were concerned about a door in our small laundry room and alongside the washer not being able to close with ease. But once we had the machine in place, the door did not come close to causing a problem.

Other than that or those concerns, we are WILD about this equipment. For starters, it looks sharp and clean. It looks heavy duty without being beastly.

This equipment replaced our 8 year old top load washing machine and our 5 year old gas dryer. The reduction in the amount of noise while operating is absolutely stunning. (The old and new make the same amount of noise when NOT operating.)

It is actually possible to carry on a normal telephone conversation while immediately next to the washer and dryer while they’re running. Yes, EVEN during the spin cycle.

Having read all the e-opinions on this and similar LG units, we set our machine off on its first “extra high speed” spin cycle waiting to see how sorry we’d be. Though not on a second floor, our laundry room isn't on a slab, either. We have a 3' crawl space beneath our house.

When the rate of speed hit its peak, my wife and I both looked at each other and said, “THAT’s what people are calling noise like a jet engine?” Our dishwasher makes more noise than the washer on extreme high speed spin.

I wish I could better quantify the noise, comparing it to something EVERYONE knows in common, but I’m at a loss. The best I can say is that the noise is so much less than our old mid-level top load washer, and so much briefer, that we are mystified as to what anyone might complain about.

Our laundry room is just off the family and TV room. It is no longer necessary to crank up the volume while the laundry is running.

But I admit, for the first couple of days we did not watch much TV – we watched the washer operate. This is an energy star-rated washer, and much of the reason for that is the dramatic water savings. Once started, the washer sprays some water over the clothes. Then the drum turns a bit, flipping the clothes, and more water is sprayed. The drum flips clothes again. The water is sprayed again, and so on. The washer senses how much material is in the drum, and ultimately provides only enough water to just cover the clothing. Then the wash cycle starts in earnest.

I’m afraid it took a couple of days for the novelty of this process to wear off and for us to stop watching it work.

That the washer drum is controlled by a direct-drive system seems to be the reason the machine is so much quieter than standard machines.

The famous and infamous spin cycle is also part of the energy savings process, in that the high speed spin wrings more water out of the clothing than a conventional washer, thus drastically shortening the drying required.

Again, and I can’t stress this enough, the spin cycle was significantly quieter than that of our last washer, and we are mystified by the many complaints. We can only suggest you make an effort to find a friend or acquaintance with the same equipment so you can hear it for yourself. Given our experience, I’d hate for anyone to eliminate this machine from consideration premised upon reading reports about the noise. Try to hear one for yourself.

We do not use the pedestals, and have found the washer and dryer openings are about two inches higher off the floor than the opening in our previous dryer. We’re close to but haven’t quite reached “senior” status, and the bending, load shifting have not presented any challenge to us.

The controls seem daunting at first glance, but operating the washer has proven to be a simple task. There’s an on/off button, and then a series of buttons that allow you to set the wash type (Delayed, Water Plus, Extra Rinse), temperature, spin speed, soil (5 points including “heavy,” “normal,” and “light.”) and whether you want notifying beepers loud, quiet or off.

Once you have made those choices – much the same as what we used to do by turning a knob to certain places on a dial – you hit a button marked like the play button on a VCR or DVD player to “start.”

We have been employing the recommended monthly wash/wipe down of the rubber seal around the doorway and have had no problems with the mildew odor reported by others.

In summary, we love both of the machines. We are very happy with how sharp they look, and have been thrilled to find they work beautifully. There’s no doubt they cost more than we might have been willing to spend just for good looks. But seeing them work has convinced us we’ve also paid for quality.