\Note: If both the couple are working or if u have less time for household works , Semi Auto is a big NO NO. Better to buy a Front loading Fully Auto ( I vote for IFB front loading model). u can skip this review.
Choosing a Fully auto/ semi auto depends on ur personal criteria and concerns.
After realizing that my last decision to buy a Hero Honda Passion plus (If u want to know why...plz check out my review on Hero Honda Passion Plus in bikes category ) is good but not a better/ bestdecision, I have enquired a lot over which washing machine (semi / fully ) to buy and surfed thru all the reviews on mouthshut.com. Finally ended with LG WP 9251 semi auto..thanx to all of the members of mouthshut for sharing their feedbacks, opinions n xperiences.
Now let me list out a few pros n cons of both the type of machines available..
ros of Fully Auto:
*1. Less manual intervention required and thus a time and effort saver
Apart from utmost convenience, most suitable for working couples/ busy individuals
Also most necessary for people who r sensitive to detergents.
Cons of Fully Auto :
costly price tag
more water consumption thru dedicated water supply (not desirable in cities and rented houses)
more power consumption (around 400w motor)
4. Electronic controls may be expensive to maintain
- Price tag
*Fully auto (Front loading) comes in the price range of above 10k (on my analysis, found IFB, LG to be the best brands now a days in washing machines )
when coming to IFB, Elena is the basic model which requires 14, 000 bucks to shell out of our pocket....If we want more needy options, we need to spend around 18000 ..whereas LG Top loading costs around 12, 500 (but very good looking) and Front loading starts from 18, 000 as I came across.
The immediate question arised in our mind is "Is it worth spending 12-18k for a washing machine????"
2. Water : Water is such a valuable resource than anything else..So, we dont want to spare more water for washing purposes when there is an alternative of semi automatic where u can have control over water consumption. Also, we are personally reusing water used for spinning to wash in next cycle which is only possible with semi auto n will become mandatory when/where there is water problem especially in cities and rented houses.
- Power :*
Heard that Fully automatic machines comes with 400w motor..so obviously results in hefty power bills.Also, when day temperatures are soaring (ofcourse... night temperatures also :-) ) and we have lot of sunshine , why the hell do we need to dry clothes completely in the machine itself and pay for power bill unnecessarily.
*4. Electronic controls :
*Electronic panel though provides utmost convenience and comfortness to operate are very costly to maintain it seems..i mean if unfortunately an electronic panel get damaged (even a single component ) they r costly to replace .
Pros of Semi auto:
- Economic** as it comes in the range of just 5-7k
- water savers : **water consumption will be in our hands..No need of dedicated/ continous water supply
3. power saver: A typical semi auto washing machines motor will consume 200-250 W only.
4.Dry also: Dries clothes upto 50-60% ..This comes in handy if we want to wash n dry clothes in rainy season and at nights also ...Also if we dont want to use dry option also we can avoid using spin dry which is not possible with all fully automatic washing machines.
5. Standard Mechanical controls: so, no need to worry abt maintainence costs .
*Cons of Semi auto:
- Requires manual intervention:** we need to change clothes from wash tub to spin tub ..not desirable for too busy people and users with sensitive skin.
Comments are welcome..