The journey of selecting a washing machine just ended! The journey was more mysterious, arduous and less smooth. Had been a top loading WM user and after all the remarks that TLWMs do not clean the clothes well and also result in significant water usage, and hence decided against it. Good things though are its ease of operation, portability and "any time drop clothes" during the WM cycle advantage.
Now to the selection of FLWM(front load). I started with 3 companies LG, Samsung and Bosch. Seeing reviews here on IFB after sales, excluded them. Not heard about Siemens in local circles and hence ., Whirlpool does not have wider range in FLWM and hence.
One thing to be noted is the lack of reviews on washing machine models. Even if they exist, are from UK and USA and models here do not match models in those countries. One suggestion is to incentivize writing reviews and posting them atleast by the big 2 companies if one has to choose their WMs.
Point to be noted that specifications of models on company websites lack detail(eg. noise level of FLWMs during wash, rinse, spin dry and air dry). Only Bosch seems to have this information.
Now to technology; Direct drive, digital inverter motor, 3D shower, Air bubble, eco-bubble etc. etc.
My earlier TLWM was very noisy during its last days apparently because of a worn out bearing and believe me replacing a bearing is quite expensive. Hence wanted to choose a very quieter WM since the WM is usually placed in dining hall(close to a wash basin for convenience) adjoining a living room.
Did a thorough research on the web for over a week! and realized that direct drive could be a lot quieter than others because of technology though bearings can wear out faster in a direct drive(DD) machine. Inverter motor is good for reducing noise levels as well as reduce power consumption. Any way water consumption is obviously lower than in TLWMs because of the intelligent wash cycles and drum capacity. Also detergent requirement is a lot less in FLTMs if the water is less hard.
I noticed that only one washing machine provided an inlet water filter so that scaling inside the drum is less because scaling on a long term can reduce the efficiency of WMs reducing wash quality. Inlet water filter is not the mesh that everybody provides but an active filter(converts hard water to soft!).
Then to the eco bubble and air bubble techniques. Choosing these depends on your priorities as most FLWMs wash the clothes cleanly, do not leave detergents in clothes after the wash and are gentle on fabrics(meaning the elastics in your clothing are not spoiled soon)
Steam wash is a very good feature in WMs but is not promoted by most companies except LG and is quite an expensive feature to have. Cost should decide one’s choice. I personally love to have this feature since I believe steam can wash soiled clothes better.
Choosing a washer-dryer or only a washer is dependent on you because of cost difference. Washer- dryer uses air drying technology and can be a neat addition. One point to note is the absence of live demos of any company WMs even in the brand stores and hence was disappointed. This would have helped us choose a quieter machine. I was told at one of the store that Bosch, LG and Samsung are all quiet machines and are equally good in performance.
Finally I chose an LG high end FLWM considering that the brand is backed with good service and also the DD Inverter motor will be less noisier than belt driven drums. This is my first week and is a quiet addition to my family. Also the brand chosen by me has the widest range of FLWM models.
One aspect that wasn’t satisfying was the displays in WMs. Since FLWMs today have load sensors expected advanced LCD displays.
Look for some of these features that are necessary. Load sense, extra rinse cycles, good spin speeds, quick wash cycles(15/30 mins), auto tub clean, Pre-wash cycle, ability to add clothes for washing during and between cycles are all important features to have.
Last but not the least buy additional warranty AMC after the mandatory warranty period as WMs today are intelligent and hence contain electronic assemblies that may conk off any time.